This is our final segment. You are almost done!
In this last segment we are going to learn some techniques for maintaining your garden. One thing I really like about the BI method is the positive attitude they have towards tasks that are normally considered difficult.
Watch this video and then I’ll share with you some extra ideas I have.
I have to say, I really don’t enjoy weeding. Just not my thing. There are a few rare people who do enjoy it – and I wish one of them was a next door neighbor, but no such luck.
But I have come up with a way that transformed weeding drudgery into fun. By now you’ve figured out I am a big fan of having some small livestock in your food production system. I especially like rabbits because they are herbivores. Before I had rabbits I had weeds, but now I have free rabbit food. Seriously, it has made a tremendous difference. I really look forward to ‘weeds’ growing in my garden because I am happy to pull them up to feed to my rabbits as treats. Or sometimes meals.
The second insight I would like to offer you is regarding insects. Many of the insects that come into your garden are edible – by you! And at least by your chickens if you are too squeamish. Check down below in the resources section for a really fun show I did with Allen Davisson on a big San Antonio television station. I couldn’t believe how these young, trendy, glittery hosts totally got into eating mealy worms, crickets, and scorpions. You can also check out the ebook we created titled “The American Bug Eaters Handbook” available in our store.
A third tip I have is about watering. There is an old gardeners saying “water the edges and the center will take care of itself”. A garden bed dries out faster on the edges and corners than it does in the center. Just keep that in mind when you are testing your soil moisture levels.
Fun Fact: Did you know that you already have an “original digital moisture meter”? LOL. Yes, that is a really fancy name for your fingers.
Homework:
Flip open your book “How To Grow More Vegetables” to the chapter on Companion Planting (it is usually the last chapter in most versions). Don’t drive yourself crazy thinking that you have to plan every crop and its neighbors to the nth degree, but do look through the columns of plants that are good companions and plants that are antagonists. Let’s go over a few of the most well known combinations.
“Roses love garlic” is a common phrase you’ll hear at garden club meetings and the title of a pretty good book on the subject.
Corn, beans, and squash are quite famous as ‘the three sisters” and they do very well together.
Oh, as I look through the list, here is one I didn’t know before – that soybeans grow well with everything.
And a final one which is not mentioned in the book, but you should probably know, is walnut trees are famous for repelling most other plants from their root zones.
As I’ve always suggested, just try to implement one or two relationships in you garden beds. See if you notice any results. And perhaps try another relationship the following season. There is a general principle that you’ll find very helpful throughout your growing experiences: start small and move forward from a controlled front.