More Information
We have chosen to use the No Dig method of gardening because it increases the yield of the garden and is easy for students to construct. The gardens are made by laying down cardboard over the existing grass and then covering the cardboard with about 15 cm of compost. The grass below the cardboard turns dies and turns into compost and the worms love eating the cardboard which disappears entirely within a couple years. Weeds will also be smother and any that make it through the soil will be significantly weakened and can be easily removed. The no dig method preserves the soil structure and the mycelial network of naturally occurring fungi. Many of these fungi have symbiotic relationships with the plants which contribute to the increased yield of this style of gardening. Worms will create a network for air/water exchange and we will lose less topsoil to the wind due to the intact soil structure.
How Do We Sustain The Garden
We plant umbellifers (dill, caraway, etc.) throughout the garden to attract hoverflies and parasitic wasps which keep aphids and cabbage moth caterpillar populations in check. Low impact pesticides including insecticidal soap and BTk (bacillus thuringiensis) will be used to manage pest populations that get out of control. When choosing varieties of crops to plant we place special emphasis on heirloom varieties, native species and varieties that have been bred for the growing conditions of zone 3b of the foothills.
What are the next steps?
We are also in the process of designing a food forest to be integrated with the garden. Fruit trees suitable for our climate such as Evan’s Cherry, Sea Buckthorn, Apple and pear will be planted through the garden and surrounded by shrubs such as Saskatoons, Raspberries, Haskap Berries and Gooseberries. This will provide a more diverse habitat to increase the resilience of the garden ecosystem when compared to using rows to organize the plantings.
