design overview DESIGN SUMMARY The berry greenhouse polyculture design is focused around the production of perennial crops of raspberries, currants, gooseberries, blueberries, and lignonberries intercropped with rhubarb and a variety of herbs and fungi. One hectare of such a cultivation system is projected to have a per hectare yield (at maturity) of approximately: 1.400 kilograms of currants, 5.000 kilograms of gooseberries, 9.300 kilograms of lowbush blueberries, 8.500 kilograms of high bush blueberries, 5.000 kilograms of raspberries, 2.800 kilograms of lignonberries, 10.800 kilograms of rhubarb, 500 kilograms of garlic, 4.000 kilograms of various mushrooms, 1.500 kilograms of thyme and sage, and 2.700 kilograms of winter squash. In addition, the design also incorporates some support crops such as tansy, borage, and comfrey. These have soil enhancing and pest repelling properties identified as beneficial and non-competitive with berries. CULTIVATION APPROACH This polyculture involves the cropping of alternate rows of different perennial berries, each of which has its own set of selected companion plants or fungi. All of these berry crops prefer acidic soil and most have shallow delicate roots. This makes them generally unsuited for close intercropping, though some successful companion plants have been identified to provide pest repelling benefits. Mushrooms are cultivated both directly in soil (elm oyster and winecap stropharia), or on racks with humidity covers in the shade of the berry bushes. Different mushroom varieties are produced depending on the season. In fall, spring and winter, Oyster mushrooms are one of the options for mushroom cultivation. Fall and spring are suitable for Shiitake, King Oyster, and Nameko. Summer is suitable for soil-produced Winecap Stropharia and substrate grown Pink or Yellow Oyster mushrooms (though these may produce excessive spores). In winter, Enokitake mushrooms are a possibility, though like the Winecap Stropharia, these are a niche product without an established market. As in the previous design, the comfrey can be used as a green manure. Borage is also an edible plant: its flowers are one of the only non-toxic natural products with blue pigment, and both leaves and flowers can be consumed as a fresh vegetable in salads or soups. It is also classified as a traditional medicinal herb. Currently, borage is primarily commercially cultivated for its seed oil, which is a source of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which is used in dietary supplements. The quantities of borage in this design are too low for this purpose, but it can be sold as an edible plant in creative salad mixes. KEY BENEFITS Producing this set of crops in a greenhouse has some key financial advantages, similar to those gained through the tree polyculture. • The grower can avoid common problems facing outdoor berry production: bird predation (all berry crops). • The production season can be strategically extended: by planting a mix of early and late cultivars, the harvest period can be greatly extended, especially by taking advantage of the early fruiting possible in a greenhouse. • Additional co-products, such as mushrooms, are easier to produce in climate controlled conditions than in an outdoor agro-forestry system. • This system produces a large variety of high value berry products for local sale at retail prices, and can potentially be very profitable. 40 / 64 Pagina 39
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