Blogspot - Interia Dezain

Over an 8 month period we grew a polyculture on 66.5m2 of land which was cultivated 100% biologically.  From it we harvested 94.68 kg of tomatoes, 6.81 kg of basil, 36.77 kg of beans 10.61 kg of courgette and 12.33 kg of winter squash.  How much time do you think it took to grow this quantity? The results are in! It's satisfying to have completed the first year study of our annual vegetable and herb polyculture/guild. The results are pleasantly surprising and we're now feeling very encouraged to expand the garden next year. S ee here for the results of our polyculture studies from 2014 - 2016 You can read an introduction to the garden in a previous post here. Garden Overview      Climate:  Continental Temperate Latitude: 42° Elevation: 580m Average Annual Rainfall: 588.5mm Co-ordinates : 42°42′N   25°23′E Annual Vegetable and Herb Garden - 66.5m2 Photo taken mid September 2014 by Smilyan Pavlov from  Huma  Garden Layout  Garden area...

As winter approaches we are again lighting fires in our household that provide us with a weekly supply of wood ash which, as this post will describe, can make an excellent additive within the ecological garden/farm.     Wood Ash: Potassium Fertiliser  Ash from wood fires, such as bonfires or wood burning stoves, provide a natural source of potassium (K) and other trace elements. Potassium is a major  plant nutrient  associated with flowering and fruiting. The levels of potassium in ash will vary depending on the age of the wood that was burnt; young wood from pruning will have higher potassium content than older, thicker branches. Wood Ash: Raising  pH Soil pH is the measure of the acidity (sourness) or alkalinity (sweetness) of a soil. A simple numerical scale is used to express pH. The scale goes from 0.0 to 14.0, with 0.0 being most acidic, and 14.0 being most alkaline. The value, 7.0 is neutral - i.e., neither acid or alkaline. Applying wood ash to your...