The soil could be ploughed one last time if it is too hard, even though it is not recommended since it would destabilize the soil life. If there is a lot of grass, it could be good to use a brush cutter or to cut them manually, spreading them out on the floor and soaking them. We can also use animals, such as hens, ducks, geese or pigs, building a corral in the garden -which we call edible garden-, a corral which can be fixed or movable, with shadow and water so we can leave our animals in enough time, which will be when the field is grass free and fertilised by the animals (see section III.1).

If we dispose of our own mature compost it could be enough to start. If we needed large amounts we could obtain it from a nearby farmer by exchanging it for other products if both parties agree. This can either be organic vegetable compost, animal compost or even a mixture of both (see section III.1).

No. At a minimum, the edible garden must have at the beginning a level layer of compost 15 to 20 cm high. This work is the most important investment that we must make to obtain good results permanently from the first year. We must never extend a layer thinner than 15-20 cm of compost, even if we want to have more farmland. It is better to have less space with the minimum compost suggestion than trying to get more surface with less compost (see section III.1).

By observing the soil, we can see that the mulch and the newspaper or cardboard used at the beginning have decomposed and therefore we can start to notice the dark tone of the soil. When we start to notice small, bared areas in the mulch, this is the moment when the soil is hinting us that we need to cover it up again. This is the moment we need to restore the soil´s skin with some type of organic matter that functions as a cover. In principle, for this first maintenance of the soil’s skin, there should be no need of putting newspapers or cardboard again before applying the organic matter. Only if the cultivation area is heavily invaded with difficult-to-remove adventitious plants, would it oblige us to stop the cultivation of the affected surface, and put the newspaper or cardboard back in order to control them (see section V.1).

Organic vegetable matter can be green or dry like hay, shredded twigs and branches, fallen leaves, weeds, vegetable waste, pruning remains, etc. We have to take into account that once it is spread over the newspapers or cardboards, depending on the type of organic matter we have chosen, seed shoots could emerge that would germinate on the paper, not having the possibility of developing and therefore being added to the mulch (see section III.1).

Maintaining edible gardens with a high density of vegetables attracts all possible life into the area, creating the perfect conditions to obtain a natural balance of plagues and predators that secure healthy vegetables, plants, bushes and fruit trees (see section V.2). Biotopes, small water ponds with animal life and aquatic and / or semi-aquatic plants, are essential to create the right conditions by attracting a wide variety of beneficial fauna, from predators that facilitate the balance of the edible garden ecosystem and the environment, by at the same time they increase the biodiversity of the place (see section II.5).

In case we detect an occasional small plague or disease in a vegetable or plant, we do not have to intervene because the existing balance of our edible garden does not allow the plague to expand from one plant to another. It is better to observe than to act. The information that we receive by observing the plants tells us that the soil might not be completely balanced in this spot and that we have to wait until it balances itself. And, if we needed to act, it would only be by giving more nutrients to the soil (see section V.2).

The Permaculture polyculture system is based on the patterns of nature. And since in this the soil is not plowed, its self feedback is based on the closing of the cycle with the fall of leaves that is the biomass that forms the cover in the soil creating the perfect conditions for life in it, creating a decomposition on surface – surface composting – leaving it spongy and nourished (see section V.1).

The Permaculture polyculture system is based on the patterns of nature. And since in this the soil is not plowed, its self feedback is based on the closing of the cycle with the fall of leaves that is the biomass that forms the cover in the soil creating the perfect conditions for life in it, creating a decomposition on surface – surface composting – leaving it spongy and nourished (see section V.1).

In order to keep the edible gardens and garden forests constantly productive and with a high density of vegetation we use the hole planting technique, which consists of filling out all the spaces that have been created after harvesting the vegetables. In these spaces, we plant new seedlings without worrying if they are from the same variety that we have just harvested.

We do not use the crop rotation technique in this cultivation system since we have a permanent healthy soil that’s being cultivated with the surface composting process, a soil with enough nutrients for all the plants. With this soil and the hole planting technique we ensure replacement and succession of the vegetables (see section V.2).

The ideal irrigation system for this permaculture edible garden based on natural ecosystems is the sprinkler irrigation system because it resembles most to rain, wetting the whole surface, including beds and paths. This system humidifies the garden in a uniform way, which facilitates the decomposition of the organic matter and helps creating a rich soil life. This way, whilst irrigating the beds, the paths are also wetted. About a year later, we can harvest good quality compost from these paths. This compost will be used as substrate in the greenhouse or as extra nutrients for our beds. It is also possible to combine the sprinkler irrigation system with the drip irrigation system in order to manage the water use in places where it is scarce; or only use the drip irrigation system if the situation required it (see section III.3)

The ideal irrigation system for this permaculture edible garden based on natural ecosystems is the sprinkler irrigation system because it resembles most to rain, wetting the whole surface, including beds and paths. This system humidifies the garden in a uniform way, which facilitates the decomposition of the organic matter and helps creating a rich soil life. This way, whilst irrigating the beds, the paths are also wetted. About a year later, we can harvest good quality compost from these paths. This compost will be used as substrate in the greenhouse or as extra nutrients for our beds. It is also possible to combine the sprinkler irrigation system with the drip irrigation system in order to manage the water use in places where it is scarce; or only use the drip irrigation system if the situation required it (see section III.3)

In order to know when to irrigate, we can touch the soil to check its humidity. In any case, it is important to take into account that the best time of the day to irrigate by sprinkling is in the morning or the evening in order to prevent the sun from burning the leaves of the plants. We can irrigate in the midmorning if the day is cloudy or if we use the drip irrigation system (see section V.4).