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Use and Value Diversity
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<p><strong>“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”</strong></p>
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<p class="byline">Deb Hart-Serafini</p>
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<p><a href="http://londonfoodforest.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Photo attribution</a></p><p isrender="true">Much of the need for herbicides and pesticides is created by monoculture large-scale farming. When a single crop is planted, it becomes a compelling attractor to the pests that like to eat it. In addition, there is a need for herbicides to keep the weeds down around the crop. In permaculture, we are going to address these issues through diversity in our planting. There are many examples of this-comfrey can be planted and used as a "chop and drop" mulch, cover crops can fertilize and outcompete weeds, and certain plants can repel pests or attract birds to eat the pests. </p><p isrender="true">It is also important to mention, that consideration has to be given to what is a weed. In the link below, there is a resource on the value of 13 common weeds. The list of weeds discussed in the book are the following: amaranth, clover, dandelion, dock, grass (wheatgrass), knotweed, lambsquarter, mallow, mustard, plantain, purslane, and thistle. Go out into your lawn and see what you have! I personally have added dandelions to my salad, chewed plantain for toothaches and insect bites, and made chickweed salad! <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WildAbundance.net/videos/1130509116969709/" target="_blank" isrender="true">Local expert Natalie Bogwalker making chickweed salad</a></p><p isrender="true">Planting by guilds is also important! We can garden more intensively if we plant like nature herself-she mixes it up! Plants in a guild will have different functions just like any ecosystem-dynamic accumulation, mulch, pollinator feed, nitrogen fixer, and so on. In the links below, you can find a Pinterest board with many examples of guilds. The best resource for the home garden is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gaias-Garden-Guide-Home-Scale-Permaculture/dp/1603580298" target="_blank" isrender="true">Gaia's Garden</a>, by Toben Hemenway. </p><p isrender="true"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/b4884/plant-guilds/" target="_blank" isrender="true">Examples of Guilds</a></p><p isrender="true"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Wisdom-Weeds-Essential-Survival-ebook/dp/B00NP9LHF0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1465501763&sr=1-1&keywords=wild+wisdom+of+weeds" isrender="true">https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Wisdom-Weeds-Essential...</a><br></p><p isrender="true"><br></p>
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