posted on May, 29 2013 @ 10:38 AM
Sorry if someone mentioned this, i was to excited to read all the posts, this is a great project even in terms of sustainable living.
On to the topic, if anyone here has time search up Permaculture.
Most weeds are actually edible, well there isn't such a thing as a weed, it's just native edible or medicinal plant that have been replaced with
corn, and other cash crops.
Biodiversity is key here, for example if you are growing corn, you would plant peas with them, and squash all in the same area, the idea is that each
plant supports one another and the soil. (Peas are nitrogen fixing plants, they fertilize the soil without using chemicals). Squash protects the soil
from UV, and the corn helps pull moisture up to the rest of the root systems. This would eliminate a lot of irrigation and maintenance.
Now it is also good to grow Perennial plants, ones that you can harvest and not replant the next season, (food forests would contain such plants).
In terms of irrigation and keeping the soil fertile, building swells and terraces is the perfect way to preserve the fertility and nutrients that
would otherwise be washed away with rain.
Well there is just a bucket load of stuff Permaculture involves, but it certainly is the best sustainable living, especially when it comes to
survival.