Ediable Landscape: Cherry-Berry Guild

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Text Discussion: Gaia’s Garden

Capturing, Conserving, and Using Water

The capturing section of this portion of the text goes into various ways in which we can promote more water absorption in the soil and how to integrate these practices when designing a green space. The piece that I found most interesting is the method of using plants that high a high absorption rate in their root system as a strategy for holding water in the soil. This combined with the soil contouring concept is an interesting way to begin to inform the physical design of a green space. Reading the section of water catchment was really interesting but unfortunately, some local laws in the US still prevent people from taking advantage of this practice. I have always known that the water system is a cycle but the Graywater section reinforced the fact that we can recycle/repurpose “used” water to create a closed and sustainable water system. This section, combined with the section on backyard wetlands allowed me to reflect on the potential of human terra-engineering.

Multipurpose Plants

I have known that plants can serve a myriad of purposes, not only for humans but for the environment. The make-up of soil can be completely altered (whether the quality is enhanced or degraded) by the types of plants that are grown there. One category of plants that improve soil quality is “nitrogen-fixing” plants. These plants are typically legumes. They can be used as a form of medicine or poison. What stood out to me most about this section was the motif of dichotomy. For every characteristic one plant may have, there is a counter-characteristic that another plant has. The natural world has a way of creating the opportunity for balance at every turn.

Guiding the Garden

While learning about all the varying characteristics of plants and how they relate to their environment reminded me of organizing in activism spaces (in the Multipurpose plants section). To organize well and ensure that your movement reaching tangible goals, you must know how to work with a large group and delegate tasks to those who would be best at that job. Organizing a green space similar to this. It is important to look at the environmental design from a bird’s eye view to get an idea of what the desired goal is but, in order to execute this goal, you must look at relationships and characteristics with a deep level of attention on a highly focused scale. Both the macro and micro levels inform one another and are both essential to having a successful level of balance and efficiency in one’s organization and design.

Designing Garden Guilds and Growing a Food Forest

These sections remind me of the time I spent in the Madre de Dios region of the Amazon headwinds in Peru. We implemented a type of permaculture called, agroforestry. Through research and trial/error, we were able to arrange plants, physical structures, and wildlife attractors in a way that mimicked the natural design of the forest and thus, provided us with the natural benefit of agriculture. Every action we took in the agroforest had stacking functions and a specific intention that it would positively benefit the micro-ecosystem that we built within one of the largest ecosystems in the world. It was refreshing to be reintroduced to these concepts again but this time in a slightly different context and strategy of execution. In the agroforest, the purpose of the guild building was primarily for human consumption (food) whereas Gia’s Garden expands on this concept to include the way that we arrange and care for the plants around us for a myriad of other purposes. What is most interesting and impactful to me about plant guilds is the fact that they are entirely based on natural relationships and our ability as humans to derive and support those relational connections in nature. I continue to be impressed and mystified by the fact that our natural world mirrors the emotional world of humans.