Читать книгу The Foodscape Revolution - Brie Arthur - Страница 11

One

ANATOMY OF A FOODSCAPE

A FOODSCAPE makes the most of the open square footage that exists in common landscapes around homes, buildings and parking lots. Residential landscapes, for example, offer many areas that are suitable for growing food. The space close around your home is known as the “foundation landscape.” Frequently planted with easy-to-grow shrubs, a foundation landscape can go from ordinary to something that provides beauty, inspiration and delicious produce. As you move farther out from the foundation landscape, you will find other edible growing opportunities. Let’s look at what’s possible and desirable for these spaces: it’s all about the zones!

It is important to consider what you want to grow and the best place to grow it since not all landscapes are created equal. Certain parts of the yard are better suited to growing, say, tomatoes, than other parts. As the garden maxim goes: “Right plant, right place.” I look at foodscapes as having three growing zones, each based on its proximity to a house, ease of access and/or water sources. Let’s face it – growing food will require some level of irrigation, and most people don’t have a hose hookup out by the street. Additionally, you’re more likely to harvest and use crops that are closer to your kitchen, i.e., growing in the areas that you pass by frequently. Near the house is the best place to grow things like herbs and salad greens so you can quickly run out and clip a handful for dinner.

The 3 Foodscape Growing Zones

The foodscape zones proceed from the street to the house. In other words, they go from areas that receive the least amount of attention and care to areas that receive the most amount of attention and care. For the reasons I explain below, each zone will have a different ratio of edible plants to ornamentals:

• Foodscape Zone 3 (farthest from the house): 80% ornamentals to 20% edibles

• Foodscape Zone 2 (mid-yard): 60/40 ornamentals to edibles

• Foodscape Zone 1 (foundation landscape): 50/50 ornamentals to edibles

ZONE 3

Zone 3, farthest away from the house, is usually near the street and other property borders. It often has the least access to water and it can be the driest, unless that area of the yard is unusually soggy. Zone 3 garden beds near the street have more exposure to roadside pollutants from vehicle exhaust, roadside salt and chemicals.

You’ll be providing care for the plants in Zone 3 less frequently – maybe once a week or less. In general, the landscape of Zone 3 is designed with ornamental plants, including trees, shrubs and perennials, leaving less room for seasonal edibles. However, this is a great place to site fruit trees such as persimmon and drought-tolerant fruiting shrubs like blackberries. When creating a foodscape in this area, 80% of the foodscape should be dedicated to ornamental plants, while 20% should be dedicated to edibles. Keep in mind that Zone 3 areas are front and center in the public eye, which is another reason to keep the most of the plantings as ornamental, just in case you don’t plant seasonal edibles there every season.

It takes time to build up good soil fertility and structure in all parts of the foodscape, but because of its location, Zone 3 can be the last to receive attention, and so the soil is usually not as rich and fertile as soil in other areas of the yard – another reason to carefully select plants for this zone. You’ll improve the soil in this area by planting-hole amendments (adding compost directly to the planting hole) and then mulching the entire bed. This will allow for weed suppression, water retention and tidiness. You don’t need to add a thick layer of compost to an entire bed before you plant and then mulch again on top. After planting, if you mulch yearly, the soil will continue to improve as the mulch breaks down.

Because of the lower soil fertility and lower time spent caring for plants in Zone 3, all seasonal annual edibles and flowers should be direct-sown – planted as seeds directly into the garden. (Learn more about planting edibles in Chapter Three.) Direct-sown plants establish much deeper and more extensive root systems, so they’re considerably more drought tolerant than transplants. For new trees and shrubs, keep a close eye for several weeks and water frequently after you first plant them – every day at first, then moving to every other day, a couple times a week, and weekly. Eventually, they’ll need no supplemental water unless your geographical area is experiencing a prolonged drought, but everything does need to be watered thoroughly and frequently immediately after being planted.

PLANTS FOR ZONE 3

Trees & Shrubs

• Apple

• Blackberry

• Cherry

• Chestnut

• Fig

• Honeyberry

• Paw paw

• Peach

• Pecan

• Persimmon

• Raspberry

• Walnut

Seasonal Annual Edibles & Flowers

Warm Season

• Amaranth

• Celosia

• Dry corn (such as Bloody Butcher, an heirloom variety)

• Mexican Sunflower

• Peanut

• Sorghum

• Soybean

• Sweet Corn

• Zinnia

Cool Season

• Carrot

• Collards

• Horseradish

• Mustard Greens

• Parsnip

• Rhubarb

• Rutabaga

• Turnip

ZONE 2

Zone 2 is between the street and the house: mid-yard. This could be an island flower bed in the front or back yard or a landscape bed delineating the property lot line. Zone 2 areas usually have better access to water than Zone 3 but still may not get watered as frequently as plantings closer to the house. Unless you have a sprinkler system on a timer, it can take a bit more effort to water these areas (i.e., dragging hoses and watering cans around).

I manage Zone 2 by planting only twice a year. This is where my grain meadows (with inter-planted herbs and flowers) grow. It’s possibly one of the most low-maintenance ways to garden, and it looks attractive. As a bonus, the edible meadow acts to screen the view from the street and provides seasonal privacy. Zone 2 areas are usually planted with a ratio of 60% ornamentals to 40% edibles, leaving enough ornamental interest to keep the bed looking full year-round, no matter what stage of growth the edibles are in. (See page 123 for how to create a property screen meadow.)

It’s important to spend more time prepping the soil in Zone 2. I recommend spreading between 3-5" of compost seasonally before planting, then finishing the beds with mulch. The soil will gradually build fertility over time, but will do so faster than soil in Zone 3 areas because of the yearly broad application of compost. This is still an area where the bulk of edibles and flowers should be direct-sown to give you lower maintenance.

PLANTS FOR ZONE 2

Trees & Shrubs

• Aronia

• Currant

• Blackberry

• Dwarf Fruit Trees

• Elderberry

• Hazelnut (Filbert)

• Honeyberry

• Gooseberry

• Grape

• Raspberry

Seasonal Annual Edibles & Flowers

Warm Season

• Basil

• Buckwheat

• Chive

• Celosia

• Cleome

• Coleus

• Cosmos

• Eggplant

• Peanut

• Pepper

• Sesame

• Soybean

• Strawflower

• Sunflower

• Sweet Corn

• Sweet Potato

• Tomatillo

• Zinnia

Cool Season

• Alyssum

• Beet

• Carrot

• Cilantro

• Cornflower

• Dill

• Garlic

• Swiss Chard

• Kale

• Larkspur

• Leek

• Lettuce

• Oats

• Onion

• Parsnip

• Poppy

• Potato

• Rhubarb

• Snapdragon

• Turnip

• Wheat

ZONE 1

Zone 1 is the foundation landscape right around the house. This space touches the house or sidewalk leading to the front door. If you’re working with a traditional foundation landscape that has been installed by a developer, there will already be a 50/50 balance of ornamental plants and open mulch space. Everyone with a newly-built house has a Zone 1 landscape area. Patio home and townhome dwellers pretty much only have Zone 1 landscapes. (Pots and alternative growing systems require enough attention that they’re also considered to be in Zone 1.)

Zone 1 is where you’ll grow your everyday edibles – things that you cook with frequently. Plant tons of greens, particularly lettuce and basil, along with peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and plants that need a lot of water in this zone. This is also a great place to grow hydroponic tomatoes (see page 141). During the winter, I grow onions and garlic as the bed edges in these spaces. Summer squash works particularly well as a groundcover because you can easily check the plants and harvest before fruits are too big to eat. I like to grow Malabar spinach along the front porch for privacy and greenery. If you need support structures for any of the plants in this area, you can make use of patio railings that are already attached to your home.

Malabar spinach

Amend the soil in Zone 1 as you would in Zone 2. Spread 6" of compost on top of the existing soil, taking care not to create “volcanoes” or “bathtubs” around trees and shrubs. This is where you’ll grow your most finicky and sensitive crops, so it’s where you’ll want to have the best soil. Learn more about preparing the soil and planting in Chapters 2 and 3.

PLANTS FOR ZONE 1

You can grow pretty much everything in Zone 1, including all plants listed in Zones 2 and 3, as well as the following seasonal annual edibles.

Warm Season

• Cucumber

• Rice

• Squash – summer and winter

• Tomato

Cool Season

• Arugula

• Chive

• Lettuce

Mixed lettuce

Creating New Planting Beds in Zones 2 and 3

Since Zone 1 landscapes will have already been established by the developer, the rest of the available land will likely just be lawn, if there is anything at all. Rarely will a new house have garden beds in Zones 2 or 3. You, as the homeowner, will have to decide if you want to install those for property screens and privacy.

When establishing new foodscape beds where there is existing lawn, you must remove the sod, otherwise known as lawn (if you’re planning to extend the landscape beds in Zone 1 out into Zone 2, you’ll also want to remove the sod). Don’t be fooled by the technique of laying cardboard on top of the sod and hoping to smother everything underneath. This does not work! For those of us living in warm climates with spreading turfs like centipedegrass and Bermuda grass, it is critical to completely remove the sod, or you will be fighting it for the rest of your life.

Use the right tool to make the task efficient. Rent a sod cutter or hire a landscape professional; it’s worth it. I also recommend consulting a designer for guidance on bed expansion so that your foodscape is proportional, attractive, meets the legal requirements of your HOA covenants and, most importantly, so that you don’t bite off more than you can chew and end up getting discouraged before you even start on the edibles.

Once the sod has been removed, layer compost on top of the bare earth, also considered the natural grade of the land. Spread compost to a depth of 6"-8". Then, rake the compost around to come up to the grade of the trees and shrubs, again taking care not to create a bathtub depression where water will stand. You can layer this compost on top of the soil and not till it in, as the earthworms will do the work of incorporating the new soil into the old, over time. Soil preparation is the single most important step of building a foodscape. Every bit of time and money you put into building great soil will come back to you in a bountiful harvest and reduced work to get it.

Finish beds using the mulch of your choice – but never use anything made of rubber. I love triple-shredded hardwood mulch and ground leaves because they help retain moisture, suppress weeds, break down quickly and add organic matter to the soil.

Now that you understand the zones of a foodscape, you’re ready to plant or enhance an existing framework of ornamentals.