I just cut back the Mexican sunflower next to my pottery studio. It was getting wild and leggy, but also this plant is what some #Florida gardeners call green manure because of its high nutrient & mineral content so, I’ll be mulching it down and adding it to my compost. #Permaculture gardeners in this region consider it a staple in the landscape because it’s so prolific and useful.
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I’ve been posting about my #permaculture challenges lately and this is a good example. Hearing experienced gardeners refer to this plant as a manure equivalent led me to believe that it is a more potent soil amendment than it actually is. So, my attempts at growing veggies in this soil often left me with small, stunted plants.
Now, I understand that I need a hybrid approach. My veggie #compost can be a good moisture-retaining substrate but it needs additional help from organic fertilizers.
When my husband was deep in his #permaculture gardening phase he asked for one of these SunJoe mulching machines for his birthday. Since then, he’s largely abandoned #gardening—and who can blame him? It’s been tough! So now, I use it to break down the Mexican sunflower so that it’s easier to #compost. It’s a very sweet-smelling plant.
To me, buying a new machine didn’t seem very #permacultutre-y but now that we have it, may as well use it.
I’m going to continue posting about what I’ve learned about the limitations of practicing permaculture in an urban setting. First of all, look how much all of that plant material condenses when mulched. And as you know, the resulting amount of #compost will be even smaller…
I’ve mixed the sunflower mulch with sawdust from a local wood shop that uses untreated wood. We also add Starbucks used coffee grinds in there (they’ll save them for you to pick up in the evening), our kitchen scraps plus bone & wood ash (I save our bones and burn them in our fireplace.)
All of this does not produce enough in terms of amount or nutrition to feed our garden. IMO, this makes my attempts at #permaculture feel more like a hobby than an actual environmental solution. #gardening
… And we’re cookin’!
#compost #gardening #permaculture
