May 29, 2021 - The Search for Vegetable Friends

Fennel and Garnet Stem Dandelion. Fennel is alliopathic but the hardy dandelion seems to hold it’s own with no problems. Phil, farm dogs (Jodo and Sofie), and one of our farm cats (Luis) in background.

We grow on 1.5 acres, a mix of annual and perennial vegetables and fruits. In order to make the most of the farm and our relatively small growing space we are always trying to find ways to create order, balance and efficiency in a profession with so many unknowns. Nature has its own way of doing those same things and I often look to the natural world around us to understand more about how plants like to grow together. Plants in nature are in a constant play of mutual aid, competition, or relative harmony. In the absence of invasive species, nature balances itself out, growing in different stories or levels so that each one gets what it needs from the sun above and the ground below. Grouping plants together with this kind of approach is a fairly common approach for small farmers and gardeners alike (see fennel and dandelion above). Planting deeply rooted plants with shallowly rooted ones so they don’t compete. Planting marigolds with tomatoes or other flowering crops to create habitat for beneficial insects. We grew our first crop of baby turmeric and ginger two years ago and since then have been working on finding ways to support the needs of those tropical plants by pairing them with others. Both plants are in the same family and love heat but prefer shaded leaves and soil and we’re experimenting with inter-planting those rhizomes with other crops, using broad leafed plants like eggplant, pole beans and peppers to shade those plants and the soil from the sun while giving them the heat they need to grow successfully here.

Ginger and eggplant making friends in the high tunnel

As with just about everything on the farm, it’s a work in progress. The seed ginger we purchased this year was already sprouting when we received it so it’s much further along that it usually is this time of year so next year we’ll work on the timing so that the plants are better paired to support one another. For now, we will shade this ginger (and the bed of turmeric) with shade cloth until the eggplant catches up. Things will look pretty different a 4-6 weeks from now and we’ll update you then on the progress.