Learning about Permaculture Principles - Stacking

Maria · Learning about Permaculture Principles - Stacking

I had no idea where to start with this learning/sharing idea...until I read an old post on the gardening thread about growing sweetcorns, courgettes and beans together. This is the one of the first principles I read about and used - it's called Stacking.

'Stacking' - what is it?
Stacking, like all permaculture design principles, is an imitation of something that happens in nature, which is then applied to anything you fancy. Stacking can be seen by observing a naturally occuring woodland. In a woodland nature does not separate ornamentals, vegatable or fruit into separate places, or grow just one thing in a field! Nature uses beneficial relationships and uses light, soil, space and water in the most efficient ways. A woodland will usually have at least 3 productive 'layers' and each layer will take something different from it's positioning.

In permaculture we speak about getting many yields (outputs) from one element (thing) in your system - this is 'stacking'.

An example
A forest garden http://www.permaculture.org.uk/mm.asp?mmfile=principlesslides4

My 'stacking' (pics below)
Growing sweetcorn together with courgette and beans - called the 3 sisters. The sweetcorn provides a trellis for the bean to climb, the courgettes help keep the moisture in and smothers weeds from the base of the sweetcorn. On the pics the 3 sisters are at the back. In front of them there's a shelf used to tie cucumber supports to, and sit extra pots of basil. A bit more stacking

There you have it - can you think of something you do that would fall under the principle of 'stacking'? Remember you don't have to have designed it for the garden! If you want to know more, or don't 'get' it, just ask. I bet someone will have another way of putting it that will help.

Forget-me-Not · Stacking

I used the three sisters successfully when living at last house. Had faffed about it here as wasn't sure if warm enough for sweetcorn here but now will.

Maria says Im stacking well in my downstairs loo. As well as the usual stuff I have maps on the walls and nature and chook posters on the back door. I have a shelf full of gardening, wildlife, hen, smallholding books and magazines to read, plus all the shoes etc. So I can run in from the garden and check a plant id or hen problem. All this with muddy wellies on. I always tell my girls to have a read while they're in there.

So I have a high yield happy little loo.

Now I'm going to look at my kitchen.

Beth

Maria

Where have all the perma folk gone? No-one got a stacking idea to share?
I'm wondering if I've confused everyone....or myself indeed.

Did I get it right when I said - "In permaculture we speak about getting many yields (outputs) from one element (thing) in your system - this is 'stacking'." ????

Smooth Hound

dill between yor brassicas, basil with your toms, thats a bit of companion planting,

JoH

Not at all Maria

- I think it takes time for people to research and try things out or recognise that some of their common sense planting has in fact roots (BAD pun) in permaculture or vice versa. I don't know it as 'stacking' and maybe its different but I work on a thing known as the 'forest garden' principle. There are 7 layers to this principle, but I can only work 5 as its fairly new set up here as we only moved here 2 years ago and one year of that has been spent being ill. My previous veg/fruit/herb gardens have all been the typical neat rows of produce with occasional companion planting. Anyway, a friend is a superb permaculture-mad chap and we've chatted endlessly about the principle and I loved the idea as this place has sooooooooooooo many trees of varying kinds I thought why not work with them instead of blaming them for providing a 'challenging' workspace - so now in practice - e.g in one area I have a geen tree, below that fruit shrubs, below that large herbs, below that rhubarb, and below that strawberry plants. I have to stress they are not always directly underneath but in the same area and overlap and support each other in chemical ways and work together to provide a great habitat for all sorts of wildlife (and a s**t load of pheasants

) This is the whole idea of the Forest Garden - each layer supports the next and provides a welcoming habitat for wildlife.

Don't get me wrong, I've still got neat rows and am a huge fan of raised beds and container planting

edited to say: and I just read about 4 posts up and saw you posted a link to the forest garden principle

note teo self - read entire thread before posting

Smooth Hound

id like to have a look at this set up,

Townie

I am the first one to admit... permaculture baffles me, I have a copy of the earthcare manual... I have tried to read it several times, and read it is all I do, i'm not absorbing what it is saying...

Although I do love your post about companion planting/3 sisters, it makes sense .. thanks

FMN...

Forget-me-Not · Stacking

Yes the downside is that when you say something new and intelligent, your OH gives you a withering look and says,' you've been to the loo again haven't you.'

Beth

JamesB

one stacking idea we are going to do again is when you plant a hedge surrounded by chicken wire to keep the rabbits out then its perfect for growing peas in the first few years until the hedge is bigger.

this time I am fencing off the raised beds and planting a hedge round about. I'll grow peas up the fence for the first few years. the hedge will include some fruiting bushes so i'll get a yield off that as well as shelter from the hedge.

James

annepan001

We've a bit of tentative stacking just started in the polytunnel ... we hadn't intended to do it that way, but the cucumber plants were ready to be planted, and the extension to the polytunnel won't be ready for 2 weeks at least. So we now have cucumbers poised to grow up strings, squished in amongst the neat rows of kohl rabi and carrots. No idea how it'll work, but we'll soon find out!

I love the idea of using the vertical space more effectively, and have made a mental note to try the sweetcorn / beans/ courgettes idea next season...

Smooth Hound

a good site for companion planting and alot of other stuff

http://www.digmyplot.co.uk/comp.html

there re some excellent charts on the site

coire

Sassinak

yup

I have a step-stool in permanent residence in the kitchen lol

coire