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Ecological Garden Design: Part One

© Bob Ewing

The rains arrived. Finally and dramatically. Over the weekend it poured for two straight days. Floods washed out roads and nearly drowned Old Fort William, a major tourist attraction.Then sunshine and a gradual warming. The soil is no longer frozen, although there was a mild frost last night. The sun was so inviting that I began cleaning up the raised beds out back and put down leaf mould as a mulch on one of the beds.

This year I am growing pumpkins for the first time. My backyard garden plan includes bush beans, pumpkin, and dill, sunflowers, marigolds nasturtiums to provide biological pest control as well as food. I work plants into the design that serve multiple purposes. The garden then becomes a thriving community that works together to the mutual benefit of all the members, including me. Companion planting is an effective way to improve your garden's productivity and your family's food supply.

Last year I decided that it was time that I experimented with the three sisters, corn, beans and squash. I had grown all three before, but never grew them as a guild. I had read a number of references about the three sisters and knew that it was time to explore their relationship. I set aside one of the two raised beds out back for this purpose. I started ten corn plants indoors approximately 8 weeks before it would be time to plant them out. The raised bed was small, approximately 8 x 4 with a keyhole path in the centre, so there was no way that I was going to be able to grow more corn. That was fine because I was not primarily concerned with yield but to see how well the plants would due when in close proximity to each other.

The design worked. I began with a plan, monitored the garden's development, made notes and was prepared to make modifications if needed. Being prepared is the essence of growing your own food. You will need to experiment, so I suggest that each year, you set aside a small plot to try something new. Observe the results, improvise as the season progresses, if needed ,and you will gain knowledge and skills that will assist you goal of creating a sustainable food supply.

I also plan for a little wild space. This provides a wildlife corridor and encourages the beneficial life forms that garden with you to move in. Good design and thoughtful plant selection help create bountiful gardens.

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