Some years ago, tired of the endless routines of digging, fertilizing
and weeding (which I think is useless at the beginning of the season) I began
to read about Natural Agriculture.
Very different to the usual, scientific approach to agriculture, this
reform was pioneered by Masanobu Fukuoka (‘The One Straw Revolution’, and
‘The Natural Way of Farming’). Fukuoka proves that you can achieve good
yields when leaving the soil undisturbed, active in its own dynamic and wild
state.
I began to understand about soil. Then I was left with lots of
questions, the most persistent was: Could I improve these techniques in the
UK’s temperate climate? This question led me to discover Synergistic
Agriculture.
Synergistic Agriculture is a method that has
been developed since the 1980s by
a Spanish woman called Emilia Hazelip. This method allows you to farm without
digging or even scratching the soil, not even superficially. This protects the
bacteria, fungi and all forms of invisible life allowing complex, subtle and
beneficial interactions. Ploughing, or any other disturbance of the soil kills
millions of underground and microscopic creatures and prevents organic matter
accumulating in the soil. This destroys the living soils activity and all the
resulting benefits to crops. In return we have to reproduce the benefits of the
natural activity with the “myth” of applied fertilizers. In the natural
environment 95% of the nutrients come from the sun and atmospheric gases.
The 4 rules
of Synergistic Agriculture:
- Do not disturb or compact the soil
- Use the self-fertility of the land as fertiliser
- Establish a partnership with symbiotic organisms in the rhizosphere
- Add layers of humus to the growing area
Synergistic Agriculture is not the same as “do-nothing” agriculture. With
Synergistic Agriculture it is important to consider crop successions and
companion plants over the years.
After examining Synergistic Agriculture in depth, I decided to
experiment and make my own raised beds. I made my beds 1.40 m wide, 4m long and
around 50cm high with 70 cm between each bed. I selected different types of materials to make my “lasagna
beds”: apple branches, kitchen scraps, leaves from the woods, ashes, horse manure,
compost, 3 years old wood chip, clippings…I found everything around me!!
Mindful about the time of year I started (end of winter, early
spring), I knew the layers wouldn’t have very long to decompose before I wanted
to plant into them. I used around 4:1 balance between brown and green layers,
and considered the main needs of my first crops.
The next step was to plan the vegetables in each bed. The two main things I had to consider
were time and space. The planting had to take account of the
time each vegetable needs – to grown and ripen, and the space they would occupy
over that time period.
My second concern was to replicate a natural balance between the plants grown. I wanted 33% of root plants in each bed, 33% of fruit/flowers and 33% in leaf. Ideally to include one legume per bed for nitrogen fixing. This ratio is not always possible and some element predominates but this can be rectified in subsequent rotations.
And thirdly, another basic consideration is the animal kingdom; we need insects in the garden. To
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| Visitors to the beds! |
I used straw as a mulch. This was to reduce the need for irrigation,
to keep the right temperature in the beds and avoid erosion. The slugs would
have a good time in the beds too, but I had a surprise when the ducks began to
visit the garden at night time when the slugs visit the vegetables. The beds get a lot of guests including
a lot of toads!
After one and a half months the tomatoes were climbing up the
sunflowers, in-between dwarf beans, celery, cabbage. The climbing beans were
growing up the sweet corn through a sea of squash. Everything surrounded by
salads and onions, potatoes, spinach and peas; with garlic and leeks around the
edges; swiss chard, beetroot and peppers with shallots and turnips in the gaps.
A food jungle…. so much food everywhere!!!
When I harvest I keep the roots in the soil (of course not root vegetables!!).
It is very important for the soil to leave the plant roots in place. When the
roots decompose they release vitamins, organic acid, and sugars. They also have a positive effect on the growth and parasitic resistance of the remaining plants and improving
the soil (i.e. the general aggregate stability). When I harvested vegetables I
left all the aerial plant parts
as new mulch, decomposing and creating new compost “in-situ”. These residues create more organic matter in the soil than the
crop removed - so I don’t need a compost bin. Sometimes
I spray with aerated compost tea, which we make on the farm for spraying the
orchards. (See Patrick Whitefield’s guest blog for a bit more about the aerated
compost teas and our orchard care.)
I always try to keep dead plants with live plants,
and mix annual crops with perennial crops. Now I notice that the soil is really
healthy, a nice structure and full of mycelium.
Now as I keep harvesting and planting for the
winter, my experience tells me that the only thing, yet the most complicated
thing we have to do is “un-learn” everything about conventional growing.
Observe, interact and play with nature, not against it!
Now all the work is done and I just have to walk
around the garden, enjoying, harvesting and eating. Life is
Wonderful!!!
And remember, the garden is a place to enjoy, not
for work; let nature work for you!!!
For more photographs see our facebook page.
Written by JuanFran Lopez who has been WWOOFing at Ragmans since Februrary 2013.
