Temporal differentation: a productive agroecological technique

To mimick the complexity of natural ecosystems (such as forests), permaculturists try to implement temporal and spatial differentiation.

Below you see a good example from my garden.

In the center of the row I planted tomatoes, to their left I planted onions and to their right I sowed radishes. In about 4 weeks, the tomatoes will start to produce a lot of shade which would reduce the growth of the onions and radishes. This is no problem as the radishes will be harvested in 3 weeks. The same for the onions.

This method allows me to harvest three different crops from a single bed while most traditional farmers/gardeners would just plant their tomatoes and nothing else.

Below some photos of my biggest market gardening terrace. The carrots, beets, salads, radishes and arugula are growing happily after this weeks' rain (around 65 mm which is the equivalent of about one month's worth of rain!)

Below a beautiful picture that I received from a client of a lot of 'greenery' as the French say. Both on the table and around the table (the stunning landscape)! All my different greens are used (spinach, mizuna, salads and arugula) to make a healthy juice and a tasty salad! Bon appétit!