05/02/2023
Growing ecologically is often playing the long game.
This bed in our flower zone was cover cropped in September with a mix of teff, peas, and oats, with interchanging rows of peas and oats seeded with an Earthway and teff broadcast by hand. All three add nutrients to the soil and suppress w**ds while keeping photosynthesis going through chilly months. A cold snap in December “winter-killed” the cover crops, leaving an organic mulch behind.
We prepped this bed yesterday afternoon and found dark, rich, incredibly loose soil underneath. Perennial herbs and flowers, including rudbeckia tribola (seen above) sage, echinacea, agastache, and more, were then planted directly through the straw-like mulch layer which will remain as a w**d suppressant and protective cover for the soil (as opposed to utilizing landscape fabric in a perennial zone). Our focus on perennials in the flowers is part of our larger farm plan to continue to grow sustainably and with the future in mind.
This new mixed beneficial flower bed resides right next to our native yarrow bed, propagated from our Field 1 beneficials beds, and planted in our Flower Zone this fall. Next door is delphinium, another beloved perennial, and its interplanted chamomile and borage flowers that provide ground cover (instead of space for w**ds!) and attract pollinators before delphinium spreads larger through the bed as it reaches full maturity in the seasons to come.
We’re planning on continuing to expand our perennial flower zone, preparing to plant more exciting perennial specialty cuts including penstemon, veronica, double campanula, and Fama scabiosa, amongst others, to overwinter this fall.
