Growing Abundance on Steep Unusable Slopes (YouTube)
If you have steep slopes that you thought were useless, think again. Here's an example that turns slopes into abundance.
The secret is combining earthworks with vegetative strips.
These vegetative strips are also known as buffer strips, prairie strips, and grass filters.
A type of cover crop that prevents erosion on steep slopes. What you get is cover crops, beneficial insect habitat, small bird shelter, and so much more.
Use Steep Slopes or Steps Created by Earthworks To Grow More
Do this to create abundance in your garden? Grow the health of your soil. Improve the health of your environment. Creating vegetative strips on steep land is a bonus for fertility.
Typically, slopes are unused space. Cut short, cut frequently. Another farm chore that adds to the day. Why do all this extra work? Especially when naked slopes experience errosion.
If you do this, you'll miss a huge opportunity to harvest biomass, vegetables, and beautiful flowers. Think of this steep space as corridors for pollenators and protection from wind.
Earthworks terraces increase the available space for cultivation. The vegetative strips protect that structure above the ground and below. They are a natural partner.
How To Benefit From Vegetative Strips Even In A Market Garden
What's the benefit of vegetative strips? You get mulch, beneficial insect and bird habitat, secondary crops, and so much more.
Did you see the hummingbird? What about the wild flowers? There is so much you can do with terraces and vegetative strips! They are no-dig, so anything that you can direct seed will grow.
First, plant these buffer strips with cover crops for erosion control. You want deep roots early. As the slopes mature, you can seed with wildflowers, grasses, and vegetables for terrace farming.
See for yourself the abundance of this market garden, visit The Sustainable Homestead Institute (Ridgeway, VA). Discover a unique design highlighting permaculture principles.
This approach contributes to maintaining earth works, while maximizing growing space. To maintain, use a Japanese Kama (鎌 or かま) or scythe to cut remove biomass to apply as mulch on garden beds.
