Food forests and gardens

The food forest gardening approach is the creation of systems which are productive and abundant yet which require very little maintenance. It is entirely possible to design and plant a forest which, within a relatively short period of time is productive and relatively self-maintaining.
By exploiting the premise of companion planting, trees, shrubs and herbs can be intermixed to grow on multiple levels in the same area, as do the plants in a forest.
We can consciously apply the principles of ecology to the design of home scale gardens that mimic forest ecosystem structure and function, but at the same time grow food, fuel, fiber, fodder, fertilizer and medicine.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Apiaceae (or Umbelliferae)

The Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of usually aromatic plants with hollow stems, commonly known as umbellifers. It includes cumin, parsley, anise, carrot, coriander, dill, caraway, fennel, parsnip, celery, Queen Anne's lace and other relatives. It is a large family with about 300 genera and more than 3,000 species.
The cultivated plants in this category are almost all considered good companion plants, as the umbrella of tiny flowers attracts omnivorous beneficial insects, especially ladybugs, parasitic wasps and predatory flies, which then will hunt insect pests on nearby crops.

The root of these plants is a tap root so it will generally be non-competitive in the garden.
Here's an excellent selection of plants with many uses. The sky is the limit!
Posted by at

1 comment:

  1. doe bay gardenDecember 5, 2011 at 12:00 PM

    What is this variety of flower that you have pictured? It is very beautiful.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)