Enter the Bracketed Trigram

We finally got a full day of rain this week. There had been rain in the forecast a week earlier, but it only came down in southern Illinois.

Before Monday's rain arrived, I covered the bracketing beds with some topsoil. I reseeded those beds, also. So now it's possible that there will be
an abundance of flax, calendula and a dozen other flowers by mid-May.

Or perhaps there will be just enough. Even though I have carefully arranged some of the plantings -- a line of alternating garlic and onion in the brackets; rows of carrots, broccoli, greens and beets in the center beds -- I'm leaving it up to the Earth and the seeds to figure out what will grow (and where) throughout the "wings."





Even though I will plan methodically arranged gardens for clients, I prefer to see things growing all over the place in my own gardens. I don't get caught up in pulling every blade of grass or all of the weeds in my growing space, either. Some of those weeds are plants that I might want to cultivate, eat or brew. Others will draw in insects (like those naughty Japanese beetles) that might otherwise have nothing to go after except the garden plants.*

Additionally, random placement will force plants to adapt for resources and space. Denser planting means more roots will loosen the soil. The variety of pollen available will attract more insects, as well as diversify the genetic makeup of future plants. And come July, when the dry heat sets in, the broad and varied canopy of leaves will help to shade the soil.

All of those are examples of how plants grow in nature, so why not mimic those conditions in the garden?

Of course, I will have some organized planting along the the perimeter. Corn, squash and tomatoes need space, after all. But those vegetables will have all sorts of little plant cousins growing nearby to provide color, form and complexity.

* See Exit for organics along I-80 for more.