Ecological gardening

Looks really good, Victor! Congratulations.

Bonjour Herman
On Aspe, we harvest tomatoes until December! Unless there is a late night frost in November. Melons until September, peppers and eggplant until November. And fruit all year round: the season ends with oranges and tangerines in February, and begins again with medlar, vineyard peaches and pears in April. Between February and April, there are almonds and strawberries for consolation.

Here is a technique to improve the structure of clay soil subject to compaction.

Corn is sown densely, and its powerful roots will loosen the soil, bringing in air and water, and they will feed the soil life that breaks them down. Once its cycle is finished, the plant will be cut at ground level, and all the straw will be thrown on the ground to cover it, protect it from the sun's rays, and to feed earthworms, woodlice, etc. The fauna will be the vector of soil fertilization, and the carbonaceous residues will be food for the fungi in the soil.

As maize is nitrogen-intensive, a layer of horse manure was placed on these cultivation beds a few months before sowing.

https://youtu.be/i9wdFBQhCjw

Here the principle and process, from a japanese chanel : https://youtu.be/rvHJKqU-mZo

Some good information and ideas for me, Victor!  I inherited a very small garden area with absolutely dead soil...not a single worm anywhere. I have been amending the soil naturally for a few months, and will try inter-planting corn with my tomatoes this summer. Also, I found sweet potatoes create a nice soil cover....

Thanks for the ideas and video...

all the best,

forampaleo

Hi

Few month it's not enough to regenerate a dead soil, means a soil without organic matter in it. It needs around 5 years, and managing the wartering. And think that the winter time for the life of the soil it's in summer ! Yes, it's in autonm till spring all the builders of the soils (plants and micro-organisms)  are working, and stop when the heat and dry of summer time. So the best time to regenerate a soil it's in october, when moisture comes. The ray sun sterilize the soil and evaporate quickly any compost fertilzante, any manure fertilizant. In summer, the worns go deeper in the soil a take a rest. 

The seeding of patatoes it's in end febrery or in end of september, they don"t like the summer. The lettuce too, sadly.

I would say seeding sweet patatoes, you need a soft soil with good level of organic matter, and regular watering. I never try, but it would be better to find a place with shadow at mid day and afternoon; like under a tree. Next year, I try ginger but more extensive, and I will put them in middle-shadow, closed to fruit trees. . .

All the best to you too !

thanks for your thoughts! I do have good results with parsley and cilantro, and have endive growing now. I am also mulching with plant and cardboard, and farming some worms I will add later. Let me know how your ginger goes, I have a couple rooted but they have not taken off yet. Happy gardening....

Oh, I meant to ask you if you know where I can purchase lady bug larvae (to eat aphids and cotton cushion scale)? I haven't found a supplier in Spain...

There is 3 mains kind of worm, I guess you are talking of these one for the compost, the californian ones. It's impossible to buy eggs of the anecic ones, the tiller, these ones digging vertically in the soil. But I found a shop online, for the Mariquitas, eggs or larvas : https://tienda.lombricesdecalifornia.com/es/mariquitas/1071-larvas-de-mariquitas-adalia-bipunctata.html

The wasps, Forficula auricularia, Mantis, Hover flies, spiders, ect against aphyde. Or black soap in case of big attack. The problem of aphyd comes with hight level of nitrogen fertilizante. The aphyd can detect young leave with excess of nitrogen 2km far away. 

A good fertilizante for tree it's horse manure, because it gives nitrogen slowly on long term. The problem of aphyd is regulated now in my orchad and vegetable garden, the problem remains with leaf miner, less attack but still here in the citrus.