• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Carla Burke
  • John F Dean
  • Timothy Norton
  • Nancy Reading
  • r ranson
  • Jay Angler
  • Pearl Sutton
stewards:
  • paul wheaton
  • Tereza Okava
  • Andrés Bernal
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
gardeners:
  • Jeremy VanGelder
  • M Ljin
  • Matt McSpadden

Five cousins polyculture

 
Posts: 46
Location: Northeastern Kentucky zone 6
6
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Has anyone heard of this polyculture including sorghum, cowpeas, daikon radishes, buckwheat and amaranth? I can’t remember the gentleman’s name who I heard this from on YouTube, but this polyculture is said to increase soil health and fertility.

I was wondering if anyone had any further knowledge on 1) why this may be or 2) why this will or won’t work.

Thanks in advance. Happy growing.
 
pollinator
Posts: 3828
Location: Massachusetts, Zone:6/7 AHS:4 GDD:3000 Rainfall:48in even Soil:SandyLoam pH6 Flat
559
2
forest garden solar
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
You can almost think of this as a pasture mix.

Carbon Biomass/Grass Family: sorghum,  it feeding the soil life and pumping carbon into the soil

Nitrogen Fixing Legume Family: cowpeas,

Mineral Miner/Soil Aerator: daikon radishes, with 3ft tubers that decomposes you get alot of "digging happening, plus the feeder/mining roots go down 6ft.

buckwheat and amaranth, not too sure what these guys but amaranth is in the spinach family and they very mineral dense
 
master pollinator
Posts: 5227
Location: Due to winter mortality, I stubbornly state, zone 7a Tennessee
2210
7
forest garden foraging books food preservation cooking fiber arts bee medical herbs
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
It was probably Matt Powers. He posted this YouTube episode here on Permies.
 
You have to be odd to be #1 - Seuss. An odd little ad:
montana community seeking 20 people who are gardeners or want to be gardeners
https://permies.com/t/359868/montana-community-seeking-people-gardeners
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic