Experimenting in the garden: Interplanting cover crops and bucket greenhouses
I've decided to do some experimenting in the main kitchen garden this year. This is the raised bed garden area right in front of the greenhouse. Here's how it's going so far.
Interplanting Squash/Peppers & Buckwheat
In this bed I have planted some squash and a pepper plant and also buckwheat. I noticed some buckwheat popping up in a few bed recently and thought It would be interesting to try inter-planting it in some of the beds. It only takes around three weeks to grow so it's quite a fast producer. We can either leave it there to attract beneficial insects and hopefully thwart the various bugs that like to chew on these plants or we can cut it down as a green manure.
I'll just watch how it goes and act accordingly. I saw video where someone was growing their squash and buckwheat together in a garden bed and it was very encouraging. The squash seemed to have no trouble a all growing beneath the buckwheat canopy. The squash plants had plenty of fruit on them so they were well pollinated and healthy.
Buckwheat fixes calcium in the soil and also absorbs other nutrients that are not available to the other plants. When you chop it down and leave it on the bed as a mulch it then releases those nutrients back into the soil in a usable form.
Bucket "greenhouses"
Plastic buckets in the garden ...not so pretty - I know. My neighbour gave me these buckets with the bottoms cut out several years ago and I remember at the time I politely accepted them but I had no intention of ever using them. I'll eat some humble pie however and admit that these buckets are awesome in their horrible plastic-ness.
We've had frost, and heat waves, slugs and all kinds of crazy stuff in the week since I planted the squash. A few of the squash plants had been chewed down to a single leaf overnight by a whole gang of slugs. Frustrated, I dug these buckets out of the shed and gave them a try.
As an added measure I have bug netting secured tightly over the top of the bucket. The squash plants are thriving in their safe, mini green house. The slugs can't get in, the dogs can't trample them and the squash are as happy as can be. The walls keep the plants safe from frost. After having a big heat wave wouldn't you know ...we got frost last night. Crazy weather! The squash were all happy and fine this morning when I went out to inspect all the plants.
This is obviously only an early season solution until they have grown larger and aren't so delicate. For now, I am thrilled.
I know this isn't the tidiest looking set up but I've come to learn that it's all about the plants being happy and healthy and not about having a picture perfect orderly garden. We don't use any chemicals at all around here and we are on a mission to build a permaculture food forest. As we work towards this, we are doing a lot of experimenting, trying to look at things in new ways. I find it all so exciting! :)
Building a greener, more beautiful world one seed at a time.
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"The dogs can't trample them" LOL amen to that! I'm glad you found a solution to keep the slugs off the seedlings. I really like your raised garden beds! I'm hoping we can get around to building one this year.
The raised beds are nice to work with, especially because we have clay soil. The in ground beds have been built up and amended with all kinds of compost and cover crops but it takes such a lot of patience to get the soil loamy enough to produce well. We've been working on it for three years.
Molly is terrible for thinking everything is for her enjoyment! The new garden in ground garden is not fenced yet and they run through it. sometimes they walk the path nicely and others they forget and start wrestling in one of the beds.
We set up some step in posts and I'm about to run the wire so we can set up the electric fence if the wire does not deter them. I think one zap from that and they'll never go in it again. (lol). Seriously. I hate the electric fencer so much.
That's why all our gardens are fenced, to keep the critters from destroying our hard work. I'm glad I have not had to resort to electric, so far the barrier fences have worked well for decades.
Frequently heard (as in, daily) words around here: "those dang dogs" and "GET OUT OF THERE YOU DINGBATS!" Ha, I still love them :) I would think that the electric fence would be a great deterrent.
I need a raised bed just so I can have one place on the whole property that doesn't grow rocks!
They are pretty smart and I think they can sense the electricity so I am quite sure having it on for a few days will be enough to send a message. Molly stuck her nose on it once when we had the pigs and she's never forgotten.
Lol ...we grow rocks too! :)
Those buckets are a great idea! I am curious to see how the interplanting turns out.
I'll keep everyone updated regardless of whether the results are - good bad or ugly! :)
Before wife and I moved to where we had land to work with last year we used Ikea bags as our planters. It made them mobile, the blue made the sun keep the soil warmer better, super inexpensive, and most importantly: Food Grade material.
Super ugly. But worked great. Just be aware that they need more frequent water because of the soil temperature. :)
Very neat idea!
Wife, @elfmyselfandi gets all the credit for it. All I did was go buy the bags and fill them will soil! It was efficient for us. :)
This is awesome! I enjoy learning vicariously so much! I wonder how your neighbour cut the bottoms out of the buckets! What a nice neighbour to be so helpful! I hope they continue to work well for you!
Thanks! Hopefully it all works as envisioned/imagined! :)
He's got a pretty awesome collection of power tools - I'll have to find our because they are done perfectly.
Yay for buckets! 💗