For years, I have dabbled in gardening and composting. My interest was more in fruits (tomatoes, cherries, plumbs, etc..) than in growing vegetables. For me gardening has been more of an experiment in enjoying what could grow with a minimum of efforts on my part. I had zero interest in the hard labor that seemed required to turnover the soil, plant and continuously remove weeds. I know because I have done the work more times than I care to admit. I also have a long standing issue with seeing ploughed fields barren of any ground cover for months on end. Actually I still have a problem with that agricultural technique. The view of a large ploughed field barren of any vegetation is, for me, totally unnatural.
I mean, before humans started systematic agriculture about 10,000 years ago, was there ever a totally barren fields outside of a desert?
This year, for the first time, I took a class in growing vegetables in raised beds and composting. I build a regulation 12 by 4 raised beds and added all the prescribed ingredients: peat moss, composted manure, bumper crop, soil, etc… the whole thing cost well over $200 and that does not include the elaborate fence and netting to keep various families of groundhogs out of our tiny garden. If the goal of growing my own vegies is to attain some form of food independence, there must be a way to make this cheaper than the nearby supermarket.
So meeting and talking with Aaron Guman was both an eye opener, a relief and a vindication of sorts.
Aaron designs gardens following the principles of Permaculture.
The morning I spend with Aaron was a practical introduction to Permaculture.
After all someone did figure out a way to grow stuff that does not require back breaking work and that keeps enriching the ground.
How it all started…
Aaron is one of the few young men I have met who has had the space to choose exactly the University and field of study that he felt suited him and then the vocation he would pursue.<< Here is a picture of Aaron in front of a Sunchoke (tall stems in the background), Groundnut and Hogpeanut Guild.
Aaron is a Graduate of Naropa University. Naropa students study Buddhism as a philosophy and a way of life, and not as a religion. The curriculum includes subjects like meditation for stress reduction, transforming your relationship with money, re-visioning your future, couple power, writing from the heart, yoga, listening to our bodies, and Aikido. Skills to handle what comes at you in real life, no spending time memorizing battle dates!
Along the way Aaron came into contact with Permaculture, learned and practiced the principles of Permaculture Design which he is now implementing with his gardening clients.
What is Permaculture?
According to Wickipedia, Permaculture is sustainable land use design. It is based on ecological and biological principles, often using patterns that occur in nature to maximise effect while minimizing wasted energy. Permaculture’s goal is to establish localized stable ecosytems that provide for human needs, harmoniously integrating the land with its inhabitants.
Permaculture is a form of polyculture agriculture. Polyculture is agriculture using multiple crops in the same space, in imitation of the diversity of natural ecosystems, and avoiding large stands of single crops, or monoculture that is the common practice of industrial agriculture. Perennial plants are often used in permaculture design.
On a bright June morning, Aaron introduced me a few key Permaculture practices:
In designing a Food Forest garden, Aaron builds layers of vegetation that mimic the architecture and beneficial relationships of a natural forest. Food forests are not ‘natural’, but are designed and managed ecosystems that are very rich in biodiversity and productivity.
In designing a Food Forest garden, Aaron builds layers of vegetation that mimic the architecture and beneficial relationships of a natural forest. Food forests are not ‘natural’, but are designed and managed ecosystems that are very rich in biodiversity and productivity.
To allow a diverse community of life to grow in a relatively small space.
- The canopy: the tallest trees in the system. Large trees dominate but do not saturate the area, i.e. there exist patches barren of trees.
- Low tree layer: dwarf fruit trees and other short trees
- Shrubs: a divers layer that includes most berry bushes
- Herbaceous: may be annuals, biennials or perennials; most annuals will fit into this layer
- Rhizosphere: root crops including potatoes and other editable tubers
- Soil surface: cover crops to retain soil and lessen erosion, along with green manures to add nutrients and organic matter to the soil, especially nitrogen
- Vertical layer: climbers or vines, such as runner beans and lima beans.
Plants of different heights that are planted together have a mutually beneficial relationship. Some plants may be grown for food production and enriching the soil, some to attract beneficial insects , and others to repel or confuse harmful insects (such as the starflower and tomatoe plants). When grouped together these plants form a Guild.
A well known example of a Guild is: corn, squash and beans.
- The corn provides a structure for the beans to climb, eliminating the need for poles.
- The beans provide the nitrogen to the soil that the other plants utilize.
- The squash spreads along the ground, blocking the sunlight, which helps prevent weeds.
- A fourth plant, “Rocky Mountain bee plant” can be added to attract pollinators.
The squash leaves act as a “living mulch”, creating a microclimate to retain moisture in the soil, and the prickly hairs of the vine deter pests. Corn lacks the amino acids which the body needs to make proteins and niacin, but beans contain both and therefore together they provide a balanced diet.
Here are some of the Guilds that Aaron implements when building Food Forests:
Guild #1: American Hogpeanut + Groundnut + Sunchokes
<< Hogpeanut and Groundnut both fix Nitrogen in the ground
<< Groundnut produces an eatable tuber.
<< Sunchokes (aka: “Jerusalem artichokes” – aka “Topinanbour”) use the Nitrogen generated by the ground cover
Sunchoke is the main yield of that Guild. Sunchokes produce tubers that grow underground – like potatoes. These tubers are nutritious, they contain a lot of protein and no starch, but rather carbohydrate in a form that is metabolized into natural sugar. Research has shown that sunchoke tubers contain more protein than soybeans, corn, wheat, or beans. The tuber looks something like a knobby potato. And it tastes a bit like a potato too. Sunchokes can also be used as animal feed.
Sunchokes need little or no fertilizer. They grow so fast that they shade out weeds. They produce large harvests in almost any type of soil – even poor, infertile soils. They grow well with very little water and are resistant to drought.
Sunchokes need little or no fertilizer. They grow so fast that they shade out weeds. They produce large harvests in almost any type of soil – even poor, infertile soils. They grow well with very little water and are resistant to drought.
Guild #2: Blueberry Bush + Green and Gold as ground cover+ Pink Champagne
<< Blueberry Bush
<< Green and Gold ground cover.
Guild #3: Comfrey + Welsh Onion + Wild Blue Indigo:
<< Comfrey – accumulates minerals – has medicinal properties – can be applied to wounds
<<Welsh Onions
<<Hardy Kiwi is a vine that produces a small fruit similar to the New Zealand Kiwi.
<< Wild blue Indigo: Nitrogen fixer – edible violet flower
Guild #4: Pawpaw tree + Hog Peanut + NY Fern + Wild Ginger
<<Pawpaw – native – shade tolerant produces a delicious and fragile fruit
<<NY Fern
<< Wild Ginger – native ginger.
<< American Hogpeanut
Guild #5: Hardy Kiwi + Organo
<<Hardy Kiwi is a vine that produces a small fruit similar to the New Zealand Kiwi.Originally from South Korea, the vine survives well in the North East
and can be invasive
<<Oregano
A Nursery for Permaculture Plants
While installing forest gardens for his clients, Aaron noticed how difficult it is to find Permaculture plants grown in organic conditions, he decided to start a Nursery for Permaculture plants.
Below is a view of Aaron’s Permaculture Plant Nursery:
As you can see from the picture above, all plants are grown in reusable, deep pots (hold water better), with roots resting in sustainable, peat-free soil from a local company
Locally-harvested shredded leaves serve as mulch. Aaron and his fiancé Monica take great care to ensure that the only water nourishing the plants is de-chlorinated or falling from the sky, so the vital soil life remains intact.”
Locally-harvested shredded leaves serve as mulch. Aaron and his fiancé Monica take great care to ensure that the only water nourishing the plants is de-chlorinated or falling from the sky, so the vital soil life remains intact.”
Aaron carries in stock most of the plants listed in the Guilds above as well as beach plums, chinese mountain yams, edible linden trees, and more. Aaron is very happy to help you and/or advise you on how to install your own Food Forest.
For more information or would like to purchase plants, please email me at gumanpermaculture@gmail.com
