A garden full of diversity, healthful food and medicine, abundant flowers and other plants that support one another in various ways. That’s what is growing at the top of the hill at the Root. Here’s a little progress report.
By the end of spring, we had planted trees for seven guilds in the space where eventually we will have ten guilds. Those trees are two apples, two figs, two black elderberries, and a white mulberry. Numerous companions have been added including nitrogen fixers, beneficial insect attractors, harmful insect repellers, and dynamic accumulators. I’ll break down those categories.
Nitrogen fixers: Taking nitrogen from the air and depositing on the roots for other plants to use. Fava bean, Autumn Olive, Goumi, Lupine, and several kinds of clover. In time, we hope to add Baptisia, Siberian Pea Shrub, Ku-Shen, Astragalus, Alfalfa, and Beach Pea.
Beneficial insect attractors: Supporting pollinators and predatory insects such as parasitic wasps, hover flies, and ladybugs. Especially supportive are plants with small flowers such as oregano, thyme, sweet alyssum, wild carrot, parsley, skirret, Joe Pye Weed, yarrow, self-heal and hyssop. But also lots of other wonderful flowering plants: poppies, mallow, columbine, dahlia, coreopsis, rose campion, asters, Monarda (Bee Balm), Nigella (Love-in-a-Mist) and Shasta Daisy.
Insect repellers that confuse harmful insects: garlic, chives, walking onion, feverfew, and the native nodding onion.
Dynamic accumulators: Pulling up minerals from deep down and breaking up clay and subsoil: comfrey, dock, parsnip, evening primrose, horseradish, garden sorrel, and mullein. We hope to add rhubarb and chicory soon.
Permaculturists Nigel Kay and Megan Flury added an abundance of winter squash to the elderberry/fig terrace. Ten plants each of the three major squash categories: Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita moschata, and Cucurbita maxima will allow the seed to be collected and added to the Seed Sanctuary for use by other growers.
They also added josta berries to the edges of this terrace and willow trees (to be coppiced) which will benefit the soil.
The medicinal herb garden is nearly full showcasing the following herbs: arnica, echinacea, marshmallow, motherwort, wood sage, figwort, wormwood, gypsywort, and elecampane. We have chamomile planted near the apple trees and mint growing near the mulberry and hazel.
Sea buckthorn has been planted along the fence line helping to hide the view of Windsor Plywood’s yard, and someday provide nutritional berries. Fireweed, a valuable native plant, is now planted along the fence line in the back obscuring the view of the neighbour’s house.
This winter, the berry gardens will expand with the addition of more raspberries and more Aronia berries. The black currant, gooseberries, and josta berries have been given some companion plants which should help them to thrive.
The steep slope, just below the Refillery, has received a planting of the native shrubby groundcover, Kinnickinnick. Because the slope is so steep, and was covered in thistle, we used cardboard over the thistle and then wooden pallets with rebar stakes holding them in place. Dirt was put into the pallets so the plants have a chance at a good start. Eventually the Kinnickinnick will spread and make a lovely ground cover that supports insects and makes an edible berry. It will cover over the pallets which will eventually rot away, feeding the soil.
Update provided by the Root garden's lead gardener, Moe Wendt
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