Summer ground cover idea

[MSX]

A watermelon plant in a water basin creates a quick and dense low-profile shading around palm plantings to reduce evaporation rate from the soil during the hottest months, edible fruit is a sweet bonus
 

 

 

Edited July 21, 2022 by MSX

[BeyondTheGarden]

I can't remember what book it was in, but I once read that subsistence farmers here in the US used to plant watermelon sporadically throughout their corn fields for this very purpose.  

Watermelon is/are delicious.  Even without the nutritional delectability, I generally like any food that can be both singular and plural in the English language, at the same time. Like deer, asparagus, fish, or watermelon.  

[spike]

2 hours ago, Jesse PNW said:

I can't remember what book it was in, but I once read that subsistence farmers here in the US used to plant watermelon sporadically throughout their corn fields for this very purpose.  

Watermelon is/are delicious.  Even without the nutritional delectability, I generally like any food that can be both singular and plural in the English language, at the same time. Like deer, asparagus, fish, or watermelon.  

Interesting way of deciding which foods to like for sure.

Anyways, squash was used in a similar way as well by native americans, I'm pretty sure. Planting pumpkin, beans, and corn together was a pretty common method. Pretty interesting! Unfortunately every time I try grow any cucurbit they suffer from nutrient deficiency...

[BeyondTheGarden]

Nice.  I also remember reading that Native Americans used corn stalks as trellises to grow beans.  I used to be really into growing vegetables but now I've given up on that and just grow palms and exotic plants.  I really need to get back into growing my own food.  It pays dividends, and then some. 

[JohnAndSancho]

3 hours ago, Jesse PNW said:

Watermelon is/are delicious.  Even without the nutritional delectability, I generally like any food that can be both singular and plural in the English language, at the same time. Like deer, asparagus, fish, or watermelon.  

I use the term "fishies" when I'm asking Sancho what we're going to have for dinner. 

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, spike said:

 

Anyways, squash was used in a similar way as well by native americans, I'm pretty sure. Planting pumpkin, beans, and corn together was a pretty common method. Pretty interesting! Unfortunately every time I try grow any cucurbit they suffer from nutrient deficiency...

Yes, Squash/ Melons, Beans and Corn = the 3 sisters as referenced to by Native Americans of the Southwest and Mexico..

Really good place to get arid adapted, Heirloom/ Wild- strain seed of all three crops ( ..and much much more ) Native Seed S.E.A.R.C.H.

Their site:  https://www.nativeseeds.org/

[96720]

More food for the birds, squirrels and rats!!

[Silas_Sancona]

10 minutes ago, 96720 said:

More food for the birds, squirrels and rats!!

Good, they need to eat too..

[96720]

I know but I get tired of them eating my mangoes and palms.

[Silas_Sancona]

5 minutes ago, 96720 said:

I know but I get tired of them eating my mangoes and palms.

Traps  ..and encouraging Owls, Raptors, and Snakes to partake in the desert rodent buffet ...For controlling Gophers, Non-native Rats ...and Ground / Antelope Squirrels.


For the bees / butterflies and / or mixed among the 3 sister crops ..some of the best warn- season Annual / Perennial " Ground Cover/ Cover Crop " plants include natives.  

Here, and in adjacent areas of the west, ..these include:  ( the short list ) 

AZ Summer Poppy / AZ Caltrop, Kallstroemia grandiflora = Green Mulch

Six Weeks and Rothrock's  Grama ( Both are annual or short lived Perennial / stay short ) ..Many other Grama sp / native warm season grasses as well. = Encourage better colonization by soil microbes..

Wild Gourds ( Coyote / Buffalo / Five Finger )

Chiltipin Peppers / Everglades / Currant Tomato ( S. FL Native )

Tomatillo and edible Ground Cherries.

Native Verbena, Trailing Windmills, Desert Sand Verbena ( winter/ spring color ) Native Four o' Clocks.  = Green Mulch

Annual and Perennial Devil's Claw = Green Mulch, seeds are edible and extremely nutritious.

Partridge Pea ( Chamaecrista fasciculata ),  Hog Potato/ Rush Peas ( Genus Hoffmannseggia ). Native Beans ( Tepary, Snout, etc ).. = Nitrogen fixers / Green Mulch

Senna sp. ( Lindheimer's/ Velvetleaf,  Woolly / Hairy,  Bauhinia - leaved,  Cove's,  Two- leaved, ..etc ) = Also fix Nitrogen. Numerous others as well ( shrub/ tree sized )

Native / regionally native Composites, IE:  Blackfoot Daisy,  Paperflower, Wild strain C. bipinnatus, Orange / Sulfur, and Chocolate Cosmos,  Zinnia ( Z. elegans ) and native Zinna sp., Desert Marigold, native Asters etc ( ...A very long list ) = Green Mulch. Many of the perennial sp. re- flower thru the rest of the year as well.

 

[MSX]

apart from protecting my young windmills the ground cover is showing the efficiency in the fruit department too)