Great Ground Covers- What are your favourites?

Ground covers are so important to Food Forest and Edible Ecosystem Design!  
They protect the soil, provide Integrated Pest Management solutions, and offer habitat for pollinators, and more.

What are your favourite ground covers?


Best,

Zach

www.ecosystemsolutioninstitute.com

In my yard? Dandelions and plantain!

So far I haven't put effort into ground covers. In the past year I've been spending more time identifying and learning about what is already here. I like the idea of creeping thyme on a walkway but went with wood chips for now. I also would love strawberries.

Dandelion and narrow leaf plantain are welcomed in my yard as well for medicinal use.

I've tried hulu berry a white variety of strawberry along with 2 red strawberries for pollination but nothing really fruited, a few really tiny berries. I think it didn't like the soil amendment. Both the plants and amendment were from Costco.


What I don't like is hop clover, its like chickweed but climbs and tangles everything.

My current fave ground covers are dutch clover and birds foot trefoil. I also have a lot of wild strawberries. Do strawberries count as ground cover?

Currently more dandelions than anything else. Just got started and figure the already dominant plants are since the pollinators love them!

Bihai Il wrote:In my yard? Dandelions and plantain!

So far I haven't put effort into ground covers. In the past year I've been spending more time identifying and learning about what is already here. I like the idea of creeping thyme on a walkway but went with wood chips for now. I also would love strawberries.

Ground cover anchor our garden guilds, especially for perennial designs!  Learn more at Ecosystem Solution Institute and see our upcoming Food Guild Design Course

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Grow On,

Zach

T Simpson wrote:Dandelion and narrow leaf plantain are welcomed in my yard as well for medicinal use.

I've tried hulu berry a white variety of strawberry along with 2 red strawberries for pollination but nothing really fruited, a few really tiny berries. I think it didn't like the soil amendment. Both the plants and amendment were from Costco.


What I don't like is hop clover, its like chickweed but climbs and tangles everything.

Making the best choices is a big part of guild design

Have you joined the conversation to win a free Food Guild Design course registration?


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EcosystemU

Bryan Johnson wrote:My current fave ground covers are dutch clover and birds foot trefoil. I also have a lot of wild strawberries. Do strawberries count as ground cover?

Yes, they do.  Ground covers are always low growing and very protective of the soil environment and ecosystem

Ecosystem Solution Institute

EcosystemU

How about Self-Heal (Prunella vulgaris)? I've got some seeds to plant this year but I'm not familiar with it yet.

Zach Loeks Ecosystem Solution Institute wrote:

T Simpson wrote:Dandelion and narrow leaf plantain are welcomed in my yard as well for medicinal use.

I've tried hulu berry a white variety of strawberry along with 2 red strawberries for pollination but nothing really fruited, a few really tiny berries. I think it didn't like the soil amendment. Both the plants and amendment were from Costco.


What I don't like is hop clover, its like chickweed but climbs and tangles everything.

Making the best choices is a big part of guild design

Have you joined the conversation to win a free Food Guild Design course registration?

I added carrots and spinach and peas around the strawberries as well. I found that deer liked the guild too lol.

I'm defiantly interested in the food guild design course, I've been out of work for a while and have been using my off time to absorb all the permie knowledge I can.
I'm also sharing my knowledge of digital industries to aid in creating more digital design tools and resources.