• Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
    Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
    Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.

Anyone do poly/permaculture?

diebodie

diebodie

Does anyone here use polyculture and permaculture to grow their chillis? I've been doing some research into this but I haven't found much information pertaining to chillis.

For those unfermiliar with permaculture, the main idea is to create a symbiosis between plants to increase efficiancy and reduce human labor. For example planting tomatoes near basil. The tomatoes benefit from basils ability to repel pests and seems to increase their yeild (nitrogen fixing?).
 
Thanks DesertChris ill check out his grow logs. Did a 3 foot deep hugelkulture last year on two of my jalapeno plants last year. Only ended up watering the buggers twice all season and that was only to add nutrients. Ever since then I've been wanting to look into this stuff more to grow bigger and badder peppers.
 
Sweet!

My use of permaculture so far extends to using old animal pens for garden space, manure from the animals here, and some use of beneficial pairing of plants, like tomatoes/basil....marigolds amongst food crops...

Definately check out his glog! Tons of cool info and just an awesome grow.
 
Have you seen what they did in China with these types of techniques?
Word of the day "micro climate"

Before
before_after_loess_plateau_02_1995.jpg



After
before_after_loess_plateau_02_2011.jpg


Studies have shown that locals of the Loess Plateau have seen the average income raise 3-fold!
 
I use marigolds around my vegetable beds sometimes. Not sure how effective they are, but I like them. Don't buy transplants unless you have money to burn. A $1.29 packet of seeds will get you 30-40 plants. Just direct sow on prepped ground and cover very lightly. I break up the first inch or two of soil with a claw, broadcast the seeds, then go over it with my hand to work them in. Optionally I throw a very thin layer of homemade compost on top to help retain moisture. Keep damp for about a week and you will have baby marigolds popping up all over.

My experience is that you need to top up with lots of organic material to keep peppers happy. Peppers aren't very heavy feeders, but the pure organic approach doesn't replenish nitrogen very quickly either. When I grow okra, I only get one season out of a plot, then I have to let it rest for at least a year to replenish the soil. Okra is a real nitrogen hog. This year I am looking into using nitrogen fixing "green mulch" like alfalfa or clover to grow in fallow plots and in the off-season. Hopefully that will increase productivity a bit.
 
I have seeded my entire garden space with clover, and hairy vetch this last growing season. This spring things are looking nice and green already. I will be planting directly into the clover after i pull what i can of the hairy vetch up. I don't ever plan to till again. Instead i am mulching continuously in the growing rows.

I have high hopes to see a difference this season, but only time will tell. Between the unlimited supply of nitrogen, the added moisture retention, and the composting mulch keeping the soil alive.... i think i wont be too dissappointed.
 
PepperWhisperer said:
I use marigolds around my vegetable beds sometimes. Not sure how effective they are, but I like them. Don't buy transplants unless you have money to burn. A $1.29 packet of seeds will get you 30-40 plants. Just direct sow on prepped ground and cover very lightly. I break up the first inch or two of soil with a claw, broadcast the seeds, then go over it with my hand to work them in. Optionally I throw a very thin layer of homemade compost on top to help retain moisture. Keep damp for about a week and you will have baby marigolds popping up all over.

My experience is that you need to top up with lots of organic material to keep peppers happy. Peppers aren't very heavy feeders, but the pure organic approach doesn't replenish nitrogen very quickly either. When I grow okra, I only get one season out of a plot, then I have to let it rest for at least a year to replenish the soil. Okra is a real nitrogen hog. This year I am looking into using nitrogen fixing "green mulch" like alfalfa or clover to grow in fallow plots and in the off-season. Hopefully that will increase productivity a bit.
Click to expand...

I know where to get lots of organic nitrogen for free, but some people may not like it. abcdefghijklmno qrstuvwxyz... you left out the P :rofl:

Take a leak in to your compost.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top