“Harvest your mistakes” is one of the key principles of permaculture — the idea that we can at least learn from our choices, if not eat them in the garden and in life. I have been harvesting my mistakes this month, as the season winds down and the leaf mulch piles up. What have we learned this year?
1. Austrian Field Peas are an excellent summer mulch!
I planted the field peas right after bringing up the potato crop in mid August. They germinated quickly with light irrigation, put on considerable growth, and survived the rampages of one hungry bunny and four chickens before I fenced them off. For three months, they grew lushly — then we lost them to mini-slugs. However, three months of nitrogen-fixing cover crop, followed by a pile of leaf mulch, is nothing to sneeze at. I will do this again.
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4. Don’t brag in print!
Last spring, one of my MEN posts was about the beauty of my garlic bed. A month later, when I went to harvest the crop, it had succumbed to a mildew that have invaded the Willamette Valley. The bulbs were tiny or non-existent. The tops all wilted and toppled over. Although I do think it is still a good spot for the crop, I will never brag again before the harvest!
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Now that the season is over, I will spend some time by the fire, thinking about next years experiments and goals. First on the list — one day projects only!
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Article source: Mother Earth News
Image source: same as above