Greetings to all,
We’re currently working on our
community Food Forest project. If you look back at one of our earlier videos, you'll see that the land is divided into two distinct sections. The northern part is mostly bare, while the southern part has patches of organic matter and some grass cover. However, both the northern and eastern edges remain largely exposed, with bare soil.
See
We’ve started planting trees—some from bare roots and others from seeds—but we're concerned that their growth will be slow due to the soil's low organic matter content.
We’re facing several limitations in addressing this issue. We don’t have access to tractors or mechanical tools to sow ground cover or green manure crops. On top of that, this site is far from our main farm, which makes transporting materials like clay seed balls a logistical challenge.
Because of these constraints, we’re exploring a more straightforward method:
directly scattering seeds on the soil’s surface. I’ve never tried this before, and I don’t know many people locally who have either—so we’re entering uncharted territory.
There are, of course,
challenges with this method.
The first issue is
ants. Ants are a formidable force. If you scatter seeds on the ground during summer, they’ll quickly haul them away. Through observation, however, we’ve learned that ant activity significantly decreases in December, January, and early February. They essentially go into hibernation during this time, at least in our region. This might not apply everywhere—places like Northern Africa or Mexico may not see the same pattern—but here, it's a window of opportunity.
Another helpful discovery involves seeds like
vetch. Ants struggle to carry vetch seeds because they're round and smooth, making them hard to grip. This makes vetch ideal for fall planting. It also produces a lot of organic matter and fixes nitrogen, which is essential for improving our soil.
Birds present another challenge. Imagine scattering 20 kg of barley, only for a flock of birds to feast on it in a matter of hours. Timing is everything—if you sow seeds in December, when most local farmers are planting too, there’s a better chance that birds will be distracted by other fields. That’s what happened this year, and we got lucky.
Weather can also work against us.
Heavy rain can wash seeds away.
Strong winds might blow them off the surface. Another scenario: seeds sprout after a few days of rain, but then the sun comes out,
temperatures spike, and the young roots dry up before they reach moisture deep in the soil.
Despite all these challenges, with smart planning—and a bit of luck—we believe we can establish ground cover crops that will protect and nourish the soil.
Persistence is key. Take advantage of every rainy spell to scatter seeds—success comes through repeated sowing.
Knowing which plants can take root on bare soil is crucial, and this will vary by region. For us,
barley was the first test crop. We chose it because we’d noticed wheat left behind on the ground surface, after harvest, often sprouted in the fall rains. So, in early December, while others were plowing and planting their winter grains, we began scattering barley. We continued through the rainy spells of December, January, and February. The barley we used was animal feed grade, so it was relatively inexpensive. And it worked—just a week of cold, rainy weather was enough for it to take root and begin establishing.
Mustard seeds have also performed very well. They grow like weeds in our region—which, in this case, is exactly what we want.
We’re now testing other fast-sprouting, fast-rooting plants like
arugula, Mediterranean hartwort, sorghum-sudangrass, chia, millet and flax seeds. The goal is to identify species that not only grow quickly but thrive in our specific conditions.
In areas that already have some ground cover—even if it’s just grass or invasive Bermuda grass—simply scattering vetch or field peas can yield good results.
Long-term, plants like
alfalfa and sainfoin that stay green through the summer are especially valuable. Alfalfa, in particular, is our top priority.
Once we manage to establish even a light ground cover, we can come back the following year and scatter more beneficial plants like vetch and peas.
This method—of growing on bare soil—has
huge potential. It could be used
after wildfires to prevent erosion, with seeds scattered by drones, helicopters, or volunteers.
It also opens up a path to
restoring marginal lands and making them productive again.
Planting alfalfa and similar crops can
help cool the planet and capture carbon. Monoculture tree crops like olives, grapes, and almonds thrive best with permanent green cover beneath them—alfalfa is an ideal choice.
As the wise and beautiful Wangari Maathai from Kenya once said, the Earth is a beautiful lady who loves to be dressed in green.
If we can establish this simply by scattering seed, it’ll save time and resources. It’s easy enough to broadcast vetch, field peas, and other cover crops directly into an existing alfalfa base.
Watching these plants grow on the Community Food Forest, has been rewarding.
We’ll be observing closely through spring, summer, and the seasons ahead to see how it all unfolds.
Whether this project succeeds or not remains to be seen.
But despite the obstacles, it's an effort worth making—the potential rewards are substantial.
Kostas
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