Introduction

Solidago Canadensis is my plant #24 in my native plant collection series.
Solidago is solid – on any site where it is established as well as in the Latin translation of the word – "makes whole" – for its medicinal uses in indigenous traditions.

Commonly called Canada Goldenrod it is one of about 25 Goldenrod species that are native to Ontario, all of which are oh so showy! And so bright.  Powerful in beauty but also aggressive and prolific.

Usually, the volunteer goldenrod that shows up in your garden and dares to show off its exuberant bright yellow blooms with no help at all is Canada goldenrod. C. goldenrod sees a garden and decides to come and take part in the party. It is up to the gardener weather or not she/he wants to allow it to stay. I welcome it because it has great value which I am about to discuss but I keep it up to a threshold. I will list some techniques in the “tips” section of this plant feature.

Description

In late summer it starts blooming on 4-5 feet tall stems. It sends out arching branches covered with tiny golden yellow flowers that create a panicle type bloom that looks like fireworks in structure and brightness.

It is clump forming but also sends out rhizomatous roots that grow more stems all over the garden as well as it spreads from seeds so if not maintained it will colonize large areas. This vigour, as well as its height make it out-compete other plants.

Wildlife value

Dozens of bees and butterflies as well as flies and wasps will have a ball with it. C. goldenrod is very important to them. It provides them with lots of nectar and pollen as well as a pithy stem that makes a safe and cozy winter shelter for borrowing bees.  I found out something amazing – over 40 species of moth caterpillars feed on its foliage! Birds feed the caterpillars to their babies and some birds eat the seeds too so this plant has huge value to wildlife.

Growing conditions

A perennial of unused grounds, abandoned field, roadsides, river banks, forest edges, savannas, in full sun to part shade. It will fill bare soil patches in the area where it arrives unless the area is water logged or absolutely completely dry. Although it is drought tolerant, the lower edges of the leaves will dry out and fall off during prolonged drought. Canada goldenrod tolerates poor to moderate soil as long as it drains well, in full sun to partial sun.

Recommended planting situations are: Prairie or meadow garden, pollinator garden, wildflower garden, back margins or edges of a property.

Companions:

New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), Blue Wood Aster (symphyotricum cordifolium), Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans), Switch grass (Panicum virgatum), Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Giant Ironweed (Vernonia altissima), Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus), Smooth Oxye (false sunflower: Heliopsis helianthoides),
In my garden I have Ironweed growing beside Canada goldenrod in the food forest and Joe-Pye Weed with Canada goldenrod in my pollinator garden. I am trying to get more asters growing among it but they are currently not quite established yet.

Tips

• If you learn to identify its early spring leaves you can pull the unwanted ones out in their early stages. If you missed the early stage, you can still dig out the rhizomes with a shovel.
  
• Take a shovel around your existing clumps if they are too wide and cut out the edges to make it smaller.
• To control height cut back the stems in July or August.
• Chop and drop the stems that seem to be out of place in your garden and keep those stems that seem to work in the scheme. Often, they work very well!
• Seed heads can be removed after the flowers fade to prevent reseeding.
• If you cut the stalks down in fall, keep them intact and place in a pile out of the way, preferably in the sun so that borrowing insects can emerge after weather warms up in spring.
• Plant Canada goldenrod only in appropriate garden situations where spreading is not an issue, where naturalistic plantings are desired, or source cultivars that are clump forming and don’t spread by rhizomes. I am listing some recommended cultivar names here:

 
Goldenrods for gardens (that won’t take over and behave nicely):

• “Fireworks” (Solidago rugosa) – arching sprays in glowing yellow. 2-3 feet tall.
• “Golden baby” (Solidago canadensis “Golden Baby”) – for wet soils. 18 to 28 inch tall.

I promised to share what is growing in my experimental garden collection: I have lots of Canada goldenrod that is entirely volunteer. I planted non of them. I started two varieties from seeds: Stiff goldenrod has established successfully in my front yard pollinator garden (see the descriptions in the photos I have shared).

Grass-leaved goldenrod, which is quite an aggressive spreader, I took forever to decide where to plant it and I finally plopped it in the ground in fall and might move it in spring but I have confidence it will find its spot. The outcome of it is yet to be seen in my gardens so please let me know if you have any experiences with it.

That’s what I have for goldenrod. Make sure to do research about the kind of goldenrod you intend to plant. Whatever goldenrod you end up choosing, I’m confident it will be happy in your garden. Make sure you are too. Happy gardening!

Gardens solve a multitude of problems. Potentially, they can solve every problem.
Since time immemorial and going back to ancient cultures, people have gone to ‘the country’ for quiet healing time. They cultivated herbal medicines, kitchen gardens, shade trees and vines, and now, more than ever, are using vegetation to improve livability conditions of cities by moderating temperatures, cleansing water systems, sequestering carbon and enhancing oxygen levels.

Social needs, physical needs, and mental needs, even national and international political issues all find their answers in gardens. Countries, provinces and cities use flowers as their symbols. Human, as well as wildlife populations are sustained by their local protected flora and fauna.

The capacity of plants to solve our problems is at the core of my understanding as a designer. I have been experimenting, studying and practicing natures’ capacity to heal in many aspects of life for the past 22 years. I have found that for me, the gardens that have the greatest impact are those that engage all 5 senses. That is why I propose a Food Forest to be the most powerful healing garden.

Food Forests enjoy being incredible, naturally balanced ecosystems where every element interacts with and supports the growth of fellow organisms.  A food forest designer extends this supportive system to include humans and even places them as the centre element of the garden by making the garden accessible, comfortable, inviting, visibly beautiful, engaging curiosity as well as nourishing.

This is how I am impacted by my food forest garden: My sense of touch is engaged best by picking the harvest and by pruning. It feels the breeze and changes of temperature and humidity.

My sense of smell is engaged best by the succession of many blossoms and herbs throughout the garden.

My sense of hearing and listening is engaged best by the sounds of birds enjoying the trees and tall shrubs, as well as crickets. It can be enhanced by sounds of moving water, if a water feature was included.

My sense of sight is engaged from every direction, from close-up views and scenic spectacles, taking in colours, forms, textures and their constant changes throughout the seasons.

My sense of taste is the one that makes me feel sustained and gifted. It is the sense that makes me feel provided for and in a fully mutualistic relationship with nature as nature return again and again for the care I had given.

Once all my senses are engaged, the garden makes a deeper effect. It TEACHES ME about RENEWAL AND PERPETUAL CYCLES OF LIFE that have given me hope and understanding of my own personal growth. This mutualistic relationship between humans, wildlife and plants is the essence of a garden and it makes humans an integral part of their garden.

And the results?
If it is your front garden, it will be the vibe and atmosphere in which you welcome your family and friends into your home. If it’s your backyard garden it is where you live out your quality time. Both are where you make memories to cherish and keep.
In any case, a garden offers a holistic healing opportunity.

I feel so fortunate to be able to create living and nurturing spaces that facilitate solutions, make us ascend above negativities and lift us to new horizons.
I am looking forward to focusing my efforts towards the many levels of benefits my upcoming garden designs will continue to provide for my clients in 2023.
If you are interested in a garden plan of your own, contact me for a consultation through my website and social media here: www.sharonalandscapedesign.ca or call 905-353-6925 to book a consultation.

May we all grow and nurture many blessings inside and out.  Much love!
Yours in gardens,
Sharona

I remember those days when my gardens needed a lot of input. When my goals for it were seldom reached and I had as many disappointments as I did successes. Those days when gardening was more of a struggle and my goals were kept humble because I had little faith in how much my gardens could give back.

I kept on trying and then one day, about 5 years ago, the light went on when I heard the good news: I can set up a garden that will be a functional, living ecosystem. I can imitate naturally renewable, self-sustaining, naturally occurring ecosystems, except I would select plants that are beneficial for me and for my soil.

My garden would have a biological community of interacting organisms that also interact with their physical environment. In short, this system would do most of the gardening work on its own and it would increase its resilience and output over time.

Sounds too good to be true? Would it be complicated? Would it require the knowledge of a scientist?

Does it sound complicated? Not when you think from a new point of view. It’s really as easy as a hike through the forest. As seeing leaves, sticks and fallen logs decomposing. sighting mushrooms, dappled shade, thickets and sunnier edges. The beauty was in the simplicity of it all. Setting up this garden was more like a child’s play.

As I developed my forest floor, the canopy grew in mass, under story plants took hold, layers interacted and became one unity that functions as such. Its plants became mature, reliable, dependable and I became a free plant parent whose plant kids are doing it all on their own.

If a light is going on for you too, scroll on and check out the following checklist of garden elements that would play an important role in your piece of paradise.

There you have it my friends! Build your system as you see fit and let it amaze you and all who see it. You don’t have to do it in one season or even in one year. Enjoy the process. Processes are in the nature of nature 😉 and you are nature too 😉 so be a part of it. “Observe and interact”.

When I was a kid, I loved climbing up high. I took every opportunity, utilized any structure or topography to do so, and I especially loved climbing trees. Plants are a lot like that. They, too, like to look at their surroundings from above. Yes – vegetables, flowers, even trees! Experiments show that trees planted on berms develop faster than trees planted at regular ground level, unless you are in arid land. In that case, you might do better to grow in soil indented into the ground in order to accumulate moisture.

Ancient agricultural systems were set up on mountain edges using a terrace system so they were way up there in height. Nowadays, when the size of an agricultural system makes it feasible, farmers incorporate different types of raised beds.

As aspiring gardeners, many of us came home with attractive plants from the nursery and plunked them in the ground. Sometimes, at random, it worked. So why do so many invest in raised beds? What’s all the hype on the height?

In this post I will explore plants, soil, and growing conditions pertaining to height, in any garden and especially in kitchen gardens. Let’s dig in and see what raised beds can and cannot do to improve our gardens. Many gardeners, both beginner and experienced invest in them and, of course, want to get a worthwhile value for their investment. Here are 12 important benefits that make raised beds worth the investment:

1. Raised beds help warm-season plants such as tomatoes, eggplants and cucurbit establish quicker. Did you ever plant tomatoes in spring to see the cold temperatures extend more than you expected? Were you wondering how their roots are handling the low temperatures? If they are planted in a raised bed the soil that they are planted in is warmer than the surrounding ground-level soil. In early spring. When temperatures are likely to dip close to freezing this raised warmth helps your plants establish sooner.

2. Raised beds prevent soil compaction. When designed to be worked on from around the beds, there is no need to step on the raised bed soil. This keeps the soil structure and its porosity optimized for root establishment. Soil that is well structured holds water, nutrients and oxygen which make plants thrive. An ideal growing environment is so easy to achieve in raised beds!

3. Raised beds manage water saturation, because soil that is elevated above its surroundings drains well. Why is good water drainage so important? Because too much water blocks oxygen and creates an environment that promotes rot. It also becomes anaerobic which means that beneficial microbes that give vital service to plants can’t live in that environment. Oxygen in the soil is as important to roots as it is for us. It prevents disease and rot, promotes soil biology in the form of many microorganisms that live in the root zone and are in charge of vital tasks. What tasks? They convert organic matter that is in the soil to available nutrients by breaking it down and making its elements available for root uptake. They increase nitrogen levels in the soil, they improve micronutrient availability to plants, and they improve soil structure and moisture retention. Important creatures - wouldn’t you say?

4.  Raised beds are no longer dependant on the existing soil situation. If your soil is rocky or your surface is paved – fill up raised beds with fertile soil and you will have excellent soil no matter what is going on underneath. If your soil is boggy, over saturated and pooling – fill up raised beds with fertile soil and lots of organic matter. If your soil is sandy and drains too fast, washing away all of the nutrients – fill up raised beds with compost and any other organic matter. The soil microbes will break it down and your plants will never lack any nutrient.

5. Raised beds can intensify your harvest because in raised beds you can grow lots of plants in a small space due to the loose soil promoting root depth. When vegetable and herbs are planted in ground level which has a more compacted soil, their roots grow sideways and each plant requires more space, but in a raised bed with fluffy, rich soil the roots have no reason not to grow deep down. This allows dense and intensive planting.

6.  Raised beds are easy to keep weed free and harvest rich. Due to the loose soil structure, weed roots can be pulled out with hardly any effort. Raised beds give the opportunity to plant densely so the plants themselves shade the soil and serve as a “live mulch” that retains soil moisture and suppresses weeds. Intensive planting can increase diversity. Crops can be interplanted with companion plants.  A raised bed can be thought of much like a seasonal planter, it can be planted with a group of plants. Each of them filling a niche in the design.

7.  Raised beds soil is easy to amend and top-dress with ratios of organic additives. It is easy to calculate the exact volume of soil and amendments because the size of beds does not change. It is also easy to know how many of each plant you need and it can be both fun and beneficial to create actual planting designs in planning the garden ahead of time.

8.  Raised beds are structurally versatile. Many garden needs can be easily answered by attaching structures to the raised beds. For example, attaching PVC hoops can make a very convenient and versatile structure that can be used in a number of ways: If protection from pests is required, insect netting over the hoops can be applied. If conditions are overly sunny and hot, shade cloth over the hoops can be attached and if season extensions are desired, it is easy to attach cold-frames to the raised bed structures or attach overwintering poly film over hoops. If critters tunnel through your garden, you can attach chicken wire or hardware netting to the bottom of the raised beds and if deer are a problem, construct a deer fence.

9.  Raised beds are physically easier to work because they don’t require as much bending. They are sturdy structures that can be leaned on. You can even sit on their edge. You can make them as high as you need to suit your physical needs and they will save your back.
Raised beds can be built to serve disabled gardeners and can even be made to be wheelchair accessible. For any gardener, tending a raised bed garden is simply more enjoyable and comfortable.

10.  Raised beds define areas. When arranged in a garden they make the garden look well kept no matter what stage the plants in them are at. They simply make the garden look organized and neat. They make it easy to define pathways and walkways, especially in a small space such as an urban garden. Pathways become easy to manage; mulch and suppress weeds so no more stepping on mud! And the gardener can have ease of movement around the beds. Ease of access is so important in any garden design!

11.  Raised beds provide an opportunity to add style and can be made to look like they belong and correspond with their surroundings. They can include unique material combinations that stylize the garden, such as stones, pavers or blocks, stucco, wood, metal, corrugated metal, steel, logs, branches, live edge wood, pallet wood, animal troughs and more. Of course, they should not be made with chemically treated lumber of any kind because chemicals will seep into the soil and into your plants.

12.  Raised bed kitchen gardens are made to be looked at as well as productive. Backyard vegetable gardens were traditionally tucked in the very back of a yard, often hidden behind a hedge or a fence. They were treated like a place to gather food, much like a short trip to the supermarket. This is no doubt lovely, but a raised bed kitchen garden should be designed to be charming and a desired spectacle that serves as a place for relaxation, connecting with nature and even entertaining. With its vertical trellis features and showy planting, it should be close to the main traffic area of your outdoors, close to your outdoor eating area and in good view from inside the house.

I never felt so in control of my garden until I started incorporating raised beds. Being in control of my gardens made such a big difference! I no longer saw plants drown and die, I can walk all over, even in the rainy season and have no mud on my shoes. My soil is always so easy to work with. I planted almost all of my fruit trees in raised beds, the only two that are not in raised beds are planted on hills. They are all growing vigorously.
 
Raised beds ensure so much success for me and I know they will for you too.
When you lift your head up high and lift your plants, especially your vegetables and fruit plants on raised gardens, you will have a winning garden, and a winning garden makes any gardener feel like they have won a very special prize.

I struggled with heavy clay soil, boggy conditions and especially with lack of knowledge. Every Spring the yard would become too wet to keep a good soil structure. Not that I knew back then that soil even had a structure and that this factor was very important. I used to dig and turn the soil when it was too wet and I did endless other mistakes but I always did my mistakes with a real sense of purpose. I was reclaiming a lifestyle that was rightfully mine and I knew that I was learning all the time and that my destination on this journey is very good and worth all my failures.

It was when I got my compost going and accelerated it with lots of used coffee grinds that I started seeing amazing results.

My experiences with the clay soil in the back yard, the loamy soil in the front yard, sunny areas and shade areas and experiences with different plants started accumulating. My experiments with indoor gardening and growing vegetable and flower seedlings taught me a lot. Finally, I explicitly voiced my wish: “I want to understand plants.” I wanted to know them intimately, science and all. I spent every free moment researching, reading, watching videos, following and finally I enrolled in a school of horticulture.

Understanding plants also became understanding soil, ecosystems, ecology, socio economy and personal health, both physical and mental. It was especially permaculture that brought all the pieces of our world together. It mended the soil in my boggy garden and it fortified our mental state through uncertain times. Gardening was no longer just a life-style, it was who I am. My connection with the power of the natural world cannot be undone.

I am telling my story for those of you who don’t have much experience gardening, but feel that it is time to get some creative experiences growing your own outdoor expression. I brought up my story to help make a clear point – gardening is for everyone.

• Maybe you are an immigrant like I was, not experienced with the effects of Northern seasons on various plants.
• Maybe you think it would be really cool to know what happens to plants above ground and underground, how they interact, survive and stand many challenges.
• Maybe you realize that experiencing right outside your door the provisions that gardens provide to the 5 senses can gently revolutionize the quality of your life, and that of your loved ones. It has surely revolutionized the quality of ours.
  

If you find yourself in any of the situations that I mentioned I would love to take you on a journey of gardening that highlights your personal expression and allows you to work with nature and grow your dream garden. I would love to teach you, at whatever pace suits your means and time, how not to do all of my mistakes and to marvel at your successes. We can build your itinerary to include all or part of the lessons. The lessons include:

• Garden planning and designing your outdoor space
• Plant diagrams and selection
• Design principles
• Plant propagation from seeds, cuttings and division
• Maintenance practices
• Edible garden setup and practices
• Tree planting and pruning.
  

Gardening is not a hobby. It is a lifestyle that is in the very nature of humans and has been so for eons. Modern lifestyle is drawing us away from our nature. Now we want it back. Now is the time to get right, to improve our personal environment, that of our community, and the whole planet. When considering the bigger picture of environmental degradation and the toll it is taking of all living things, including humans, it is time to be part of the solution.

We are here for your personalized gardening coaching. As an option, you can get a small group together for group coaching sessions. Group sessions will be fun and more affordable due to split costs.

There are exciting and promising times ahead for us and our children. It is in our hands to create the environment as well as the intention, thought and actions that support life and our future. We will always be happy to hear from you and get together with you to transform our personal environment, that of your town, as well as inspire the whole world.

Remember - Life is a garden,

Yours,
Sharona

Thank you Geoff Lawton for your instructions! I had an area in my food forest that use to be part of a perennial garden but got infested with quack grass. I could not maintain this section and I wanted food production so I removed one perennial of value to me to my pollinator garden and using a hard fork I aerated the soil by stepping on the fork to force it into the ground and pulling a bit to lift the soil. I then decided I would plant in a “U” shape that will allow me a comfortable access to all the plants in the bed.
I took all the filled buckets and spread their content on top of my chosen area exactly where I wanted to plant my vegetables. I placed dead stems that I cleared from the pollinator garden on the area I would be stepping on to help reduce compaction from my weight.

I then harvested all the comfrey leaves that grew in my food forest. I have 5 plants. I took the leaves and spread them on top of the wild carrot and dandelions. I had some mullein growing wild so I harvested those too and added on top. Then I took a bag of composted chicken manure and sprinkled it on top of the leaves.
If you don't grow comfrey that is OK. All Geoff Lawton instructed was to use scrap leaf vegetables such as cabbage and other kitchen scraps. I am sure that used coffee grinds would work great as well.

I took construction paper and spread it over the whole area, overlapping and layering quite a bit. Then I watered the paper so it hugged the piles underneath.

I then took a couple bales of straw and spread a thick layer of it over the entire bed. Its thickness was at least a foot, more like 18”.

In a day or two some of my vegetable starters were ready for planting. I pulled the straw away a bit to create a hole in the straw where I wanted to plant and tore the wet brown paper apart at the bottom of that hole. I filled the hole in the straw with triple mix and tamped it down. I then planted the young plant in the triple mix and pulled the straw back around it. There was plenty of straw! This was the only time I needed to water this plant bed.

Worms feasted under the paper, converting all the weeds into worm castings, feeding my vegetable plants the entire season.
In May I got a truck load of wood chips so I added that around my U shaped garden bed but not right over the plant bed. I however did add them over the place I would be stepping on.
Now I just stood back with great satisfaction watching how vigorously the plants grew and quickly started producing fruit. They all grew so strong and healthy. I got to watch the power of working with nature and reusing the waste from my own garden.  

I repeated the same method in another area, this time using thick layers of newspaper instead of construction paper. I planted zucchini in this area. They seemed to start off not so vigorous but as summer progressed, they gained vigour and continued to produce delicious zucchinis that we thoroughly enjoyed all summer long. Oddly, they are still producing now, in the last week of October! In our growing zone I have never seen this happen. Zucchini plants are supposed to be long gone by now. I attribute this success to the fact the plants enjoyed even moisture and nutrients, probably also protection of the microorganisms at their roots. They never suffered from the drought, although I had not watered them. All I had to do is harvest, and that’s how I like it.

Try this in your garden. Let nature do the work. Enjoy a zero worry garden bed.

I should have titled this post “Mysteries unlocked”. I am so excited about the discoveries I am about to share with you. I am as excited about them as others are about discovering new planets!

Plants provide important and fascinating essential services under ground which in recent years are being examined more in detail by scientists and are changing horticultural practices. Contrary to what many people think, most plants do not deplete soil nutrients, they add fertility to the soil and create better conditions for plant growth for the entire plant community. How does this work? Let’s explore the various services plants provide underground.

Underground plants have many roots. In fact, the root mass can often be many times larger than the canopy above ground. Root systems develop prior to above ground growth and make the growth possible. Roots of different plants inhabit different niches in the soil, allowing bacteria and fungi to thrive at various depths of soil. This improves soil porosity and structure, as well as mineral uptake.

Roots exude and release organic acids and other compounds to the soil close around them. Through the process of photosynthesis plants produce complex sugars. It has been estimated that 12-40% of the total amount of carbohydrates produced by photosynthesis is released into the soil surrounding roots. Roots also secrete hormones and vitamins. Thus, the soil surrounding roots is richer than all other soil in the garden and is called “rhizosphere”. It deserves a special name like that because it is an environment that is home to populations of beneficial soil organisms and especially to very important bacteria whose presence is vital to soil fertility. These bacteria feed on the sugary exudates.

Roots create a dynamic environment where microbes can develop and interact. Knowing about the processes happening in the rhizosphere is important to understanding the power of your garden.

Microorganisms in the rhizosphere do so much work! They decompose organic matter such as compost, fallen leaves and plant debris to release its minerals into the soil. They increase the supply of nutrients in the soil and make them available for plant uptake.

Many plants of the legume family have an association with bacteria called Rhizobia bacteria. The rhizobia bacteria feed on the sugars exuded by the legume roots. They convert atmospheric nitrogen and store it in small nodules along the roots. When those roots are shed in the ground, or in other words die, the nitrogen becomes fixed in the soil in the way that plants using that soil can uptake it.  Many gardeners that practice permaculture love planting herbaceous, woody and vining plants of the legume family, both perennial and annual, among their crop plants. So far, in my small-scale forest garden I have seen a great effect of these legume plants and I also enjoy seeing the many bees that are attracted to their long season blooms.

The nitrogen fixers I have grown so far are: White clover, lupine, showy tick trefoil, beans, peas, wisteria (which I chop and drop but is still popping up), and the non legume but still nitrogen fixing sea-buckthorn. The sea-buckthorn does not provide the charming and showy flowers of the legume family and is only wind pollinated, but its roots are extremely far reaching and are known to efficiently remediate soil and add fertility to neighbouring trees. They also provide humans with superior medicinal berries. In fact, all parts of this plant can be used to promote human and animal health. They are acclimatized to cold growing zones and should be explored for their healing and disease preventative properties. Due to its thorns it can be used as wild animal barriers around gardens, as wind breakers and as slope stabilisers.

If you have experience with other nitrogen fixers and can recommend them to me, I would love to get your suggestions in the comments section below this post. For the large tree members of the legume family there is unfortunately no space in my garden (believe me, I tried to figure a way to fit them in, but I’d need to purchase my neighbour’s property) nevertheless, the pea shrub (Caragana arborescens “Pendula”) is on my wish list as well as the shrubs New Jersey Tea and Sweet Gayle which are native to North America.

Other than increasing availability of nutrients to plants, microbes also produce hormones that stimulate plant growth. Some bacteria even produce antibiotic and anti fungal metabolites that prevent the growth and activity of pathogens. Their secretions control disease and prevent it from affecting roots.

Some bacteria produce enzymes that induce plant defence systems to respond in ways that shield the roots from being infected by disease. Some bacteria produce growth regulators that cause crops to grow greater amounts of fine roots. With the increase of fine roots, the absorptive surface of plant roots is increased which increases their ability to take up water and nutrients.

One other job that bacteria are good at, and I am happy to list here, is that their sticky secretions group fine soil particles into larger aggregates. This is very important to creating a healthy soil structure that supports plant growth. The larger aggregates allow for better drainage and increased oxygen in the soil. This is most important to disease prevention and to making a soil environment favourable to our microbial friends.

Yes, I am happy and excited about healthy soil because it is a key factor and the basis for Eden living, for freedom, peace and abundance. Continue following my blog as I gently explore Eden living, unity and the brotherhood of living things.

Back to our list of services, some plants have long tap roots that penetrate hard-pan levels of soil. They break up soil compaction and mine minerals from depths of soil that other plant roots do not reach. They bring those minerals up into their leaves which either shed in due season or can be chopped and dropped on the soil surface. These are called “nutrient accumulators”. In my garden they include dandelion, comfrey, queen Ann’s lace, parsley, parsnip, and mullein.  Others that you can try are horseradish, dill, and baptisia. If you can think of any other long tap rooted perennials or annuals, I’d love for you to suggest them in the comments of this post.

So, what jobs do roots do? They create – rhizosphere for microbiology. They tunnel through the soil adding live and dead roots that allow water to move through the soil below ground. They promote water infiltration which prevents water and soil runoff. The most precious asset – water precipitation that falls on the garden should be captured, stored and used in the garden. Roots can do it! Just like plants shed leaves above ground they also shed roots below ground level. All this litter increases organic matter which improves water and nutrient storage.

The list I provided here touches briefly on many aspects which deserve to be looked into in more depth. For those of you who are interested, here are some leads for farther research. One book that was recommended to me lately and I pass on the recommendation to you is called “The Hidden Life of Trees” by Peter Wohlleben. It is on the way to my mailbox as we speak. The book “Carrots Love Tomatoes” by Louise Riotte was also highly recommended to me. Don’t forget to write your recommendations in the comments section.

Wishing a creative gardening year to my readers and many cool and neat observations,

Sharona

Soon after I started gardening, I discovered companion planting and was very drawn to it. Why?
I grew to like the idea that I do not need to control everything or anything. I would like to see plants fend for themselves and thrive in their own “ecosystems” without having to lean on me as a crutch. True friendship seems more desirable than co-dependency in any relationship – as with us humans, so it should be in the garden. I would rather spend my time admiring my plants than having to worry about their daily needs.

Having a garden can be like owning a grand piano. If you don’t know how to use it and produce fine tunes then it is a waste of a piano. If we have a garden then why not learn how nature can take care of it efficiently? Even if you don’t currently have a garden, you would do well to learn this, because one day you probably will. Until then, patio gardens can be surprisingly delightful and can help you develop great gardening skills. They are a great way to start practicing permaculture methods.  

Many plants, including weeds that “volunteer”, and other plants that we can easily add to our gardens can provide various important services to our soil and to other plants near by. When I heard about this, I didn’t know which plants provide which services, so I opened my ears and eyes and learned from many others. I am always experimenting with various plants and am still excited to learn about more.

It is good to know that when planted together, some plants become good neighbours, improving the growing environment to benefit their community. So, let’s check closely to see some examples of the services plants offer each other. We will dig in and find out plant services and their contributions to the garden. The list is long so I divided it into two separate posts.

So now we can put our tools to the side, because our plants will be doing our garden work for us.
 
Plants give services both above ground and under ground level. We will start by exploring the above ground services. Above ground, some plants emit a scent that repels pests, these are called “pest confusers”. Some plants draw pests onto themselves and away from crops and are called “Trap crops”. Some plants draw beneficial insects that are either predators or parasitic to attack pests. Their presence in the garden is valuable in keeping pest populations down at a level that does not cause substantial damage. Some plants attract pollinators to the garden that help our crop plants produce many fruits.

Plants can wage natural chemical warfare on insects. Insects use scent to help them locate food. Therefore, strong scented plants and herbs such as those in the onion and mint families may be intermingled with crops that confuse and repel pests.

Some plants serve as ground-covers that keep moisture in the soil and prevent weeds from growing in it. Examples for this can be strawberry, white clover, comfrey, wild ginger, and catnip. Other plants that are not considered ground covers can achieve the same result if planted close enough.
 
Plants grown together create a micro climate that is higher in humidity and therefore warmer. They serve as wind breakers and provide each other with shade that reduces sun scald. Because their roots hold moisture and improve the soil moisture holding capacity, they are much less affected by drought. Plants nurse their young seedlings. In fact, studies showed that young seedlings had much better chances of survival when growing under mature plants than when out on their own.

A strategy of high crop diversity is proven to reduce insect pests and plant diseases. For example, beneficial wasps and flies are attracted to flat-topped flower clusters of plants such as dill, parsley, carrot, coriander and parsnip.

Many gardeners in my town were desperately fighting Japanese beetles this summer. I had seen only one Japanese beetle in my food forest all summer. Garlic chives, garlic crops and many aromatic herbs of the mint family such as catmint, bee balm, thyme, oregano, basil and mint (mint planted in pots to keep them from spreading) are planted all around my gardens, as well as sweet alyssum and tansy which provide the same service.

One of my favourite companions is growing petunias with peppers. They always impress me with their looks, health, vigor and productivity when planted in the same pot or bed. I was not sure why this was, but according to companion planting guides petunias repel many pests. They rid the garden of aphids, cabbage and tomato worms, beetles, and leafhoppers. They are most useful in vegetable gardens where beans, corn, peppers, broccoli or cabbage is grown. Petunias are easy to start from seeds in early spring so many of them can be grown without any great expense.

Aside for their chemical scent, when planted close together in groups, plants emit vapour from leaves increasing the humidity and cooler temperatures around the plant community.

Plant a greater diversity, plant in groups, called in permaculture terms “plant guilds”, and plant them in the same planting hole or very close and you will achieve higher flower density, more beneficial insects, reduced populations of harmful pests and no need for you to wage war against them. Your fruit will grow in abundance and you will have all the nutrition, tastes and aromas that you need, and more.

Friendship, unity, protection and care are principles of nature. When you allow them to rule in your garden, you will enter a new dawn in gardening.