permaculture

258 Facilitator’s Handbook for Permaculture Workshops

Creative thinking : Local companion planting chart

Method : Creative thinking exercise

Tools : Large pieces of paper, markers

References : IDEP Companion Planting Chart;

PC Book MOD 9 – Integrated Pest Management;

PC Book MOD 6 – Home and Community Gardens

Objective : Participants make a local companion planting chart

There is a lot of traditional knowledge in Indonesia about plants that grow well together.

This knowledge needs to be collected and shared so that it is not forgotten. One way to

do this is to create a local companion planting chart which can be shared and referenced

by people in the community.

A companion planting chart (see example) is:

• A grid with names of plants written across the top and down the side of the grid.


• In each box of the grid there is a symbol which explains whether those two
  plants together:
  
  
  • Will help each other to grow well - for example:
  
  
  • Will NOT help each other to grow well - for example: X
  
  
  
  

Running the exercise

Step 1 - Create three workgroups:

• GROUP 1 - Focuses on: Creating a list of local plants that they think will
  help each other to grow well.


• GROUP 2 - Focuses on: Creating a list of local plants that they think will
  NOT help each other to grow well.


• GROUP 3 - Focuses on: Creating a list of local plants that they think will
  help to reduce pests in the area and explains the reasons why.


• Give each work group pens and paper to write down their ideas.

Step 2 - Fill in the companion planting chart

• On a large piece of paper create a blank grid like the one shown in the example.


• Ask the participants from groups 1 and 2 to call out all of the plants that they
  have been using for their lists.


• Write the list of plants across the top and then down the side of the grid.


• Ask GROUP 1 to draw in the symbols for beneficial combinations in the
  appropriate boxes.


• Ask GROUP 2 to draw in the symbols for non-beneficial combinations in the
  appropriate boxes.

EXERCISE

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