These Double Crop Food Gardens rely upon periodic workings with contained sheep and a mattock. Plantings are aligned with the onset of Autumn for Winter and the arrival of Spring rolling over into Autumn again. Plants + animals are combined with management to reduce work + increase production. Stored water is essential for maximum production.
GO TO: Gardens of Lucerne with Chickens (Part of Garden Food Crop Series)
GO TO: Hedge Maker KITS with Vetiver + Pitaya + Leucaena Seeds
GO TO: Fallow Farrow Furrow Methods
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This page is from “Garden Food Crops Series” and features here the start of Double Crop Food Gardens. Methods employed have evolved over many years to suit seasonal animal movements.
Recently planted hedges of Vetiver Grass + Leucaena Tree are multi-function components providing shade + wind protection + bulk organic matter as hand cut mulch. Area under management is 25 metres long x 20 metres wide. SEE PHOTO BOTTOM RIGHT of GARDEN PANORAMIC
Now is a time of discovery + learning new management combinations.
Leucaena Clump is about 6 months old. In this climate the clump will grow to 4 metres – OR – it may be coppiced every year. Just befor Winter it may be grazed with sheep or cattle. Source of kindling and fuel wood. Green leaves may be added to chickens ration.
Establishing Hedge of Vetiver Grass planted in a trench. Vetiver will withstand months of waterlogging once established. This trench of vetiver may be fertilised with your collected urine. So over a 12 month period you could apply 50 litres or more to this trench. Nutrients are then redistributed as cut mulch. Vetiver plants will eventually merge to form a biological fence suitable for containing chickens. Grows to 1.5 metres plus according to soil type and available water. Once established Vetiver can shut down for extended periods of drought.
Establishing Hedge of Pitaya Cactus and Leucaena. Ground cover is Creeping Lippia.
Pitaya planted individually will grow to 3 metres as “Organ Pipes”. New shoots know as suckers or pups will emerge from the base of each “pipe”. These Pitaya were originally planted 400mm apart. Now being planted at 200mm apart to stop sheep walking between them. There is one week of every year when sheep can have access to entire garden within this paddock. Date of Photo: March 2023
Garden in May 2023. Crop of Chinese Cabbage with Turkey Nest to Centre Left. Post Winter all crop residual is stacked onto Turkey Nest as nutrient for Summer Vine that will be planted into Nest. A single pumpkin vine can grow up to 20 good pumpkins. There are 8 Turkey Nests (Units of Production) within this garden. Each Unit is based on 2 Sheep Yard Panels in Width = about 20 square metres including walkways. OVER WINTER each Unit can potentially grow 100 kg of Daikon Radish THEN upwards of 100 kg of Pumpkin or Giant White Cucumber = 200 kg per annum from each Unit = 1.6 tonnes Total per annum from 160 square metres of production = WHICH can only be achieved in this climate with upwards of an extra metre of water per square metre = 160,000 litres stored water. Not every Unit is in production at all times – you can also let them lay as Living Fallows periodically according to rainfall and stored water. If it rains enough then no stored water is needed. Winter is the Most Water Efficient Season. Soil Type also Determines Water Use
This Garden has 8 Units of Production in a Double Row Formation = Each Unit is about 20 square metres with 500 kg of mammal that might spend 2-3 night per Unit per Annum within each Unit of Production. Nitrates need to be managed = excess nitrates are potentially lethal to humans. Living Fallow Crops are part of the process to obtain equilibrium with soil carbon and nitrogen to form ph neutral soil.
Garden in Early Autumn prior to planting Winter Crops.
Clump of 4 month old Leucaena cut off with secateurs in February will reshoot and grow until first frost in May when it will be defoliated. It then reshoots in Spring.
Establishing Hedge of Vetiver Grass makes for easy mattock work once established. All you need do is work the topsoil inside the hedge as Vetiver acts as a biological barrier against incoming grasses.
Leeks in another Garden Section. Sheep do not eat mature Leeks. They cut several times each year + are ideal inter-planters with Pitaya Hedge. Proven to be very hardy in times of dry. Each Leek plant can live for 2 or more years with multiple cuts.
Panoramic of Double Crop Garden which is located inside Paddock of Old Man Saltbush. Saltbush is a source of Woody Mulch for Summer Vine Crops. Garden is unfenced. Sheep can have access to entire Saltbush Paddock for only brief periods in between seasons. Photo from 2023
