BELIZE - INTERCROPPING, TREES AND VEGETABLES

Greg Clark HAS INTRODUCED INTERCROPPING AS AN EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECT HE HAS INFORMATION AND PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE ON.

One of the problems with vegetable growing is shade. Shade cloth is imported and costs money in foreign exchange. Greg has imported MORINGA SEEDS from India. The tree seems to be an answer to providing shade to vegetable growing. Moringa can be planted from a cutting. Shove it in the ground 18 inches and a tree will grow. The root is a deep water seeking tap root. He speaks of the amazing rate of growth of the MORINGA tree. You can get a 20 foot tree in one year. You can plant vegetables between MORINGA trees from when they are four months old.
What Greg does is plant the trees in rows 10 feet apart. So you can drive a tractor down one way, but cross wise you plant vegetables between the MORINGA trees in double sets of 4' x 4' vegetable beds going the other way. What you do is attach boards as lattice between ( be sure you use hardwoods ) the trees, nailed up. Around the tree trunk area itself you plant climbing vegetables. Between, you plant companion vegetables. The tree attracts honey bees, which in turn pollinate your vegetable patches. The tree also provides the shade you need and you save a lot of money not having to build green houses. By putting up cuttings in plastic bags, should you wish to fell the trees for wholesale plowing of the ground, or field, you can do so easily and then re-plant. The MORINGA TREE is low density and makes good compost with a high nitrogent content. It will decompose in quick time in your compost pile.

Greg's email is: Organis@belizeagreport.com