Interplanting alder with food crops was an idea that would not go
away, so yesterday i began searching for information. I knew one
university had done some research on this topic, so i began
searching their web sites. Eventually, i found the author of a
book on alders.
The Biology and Management of Alders
David E Hibbs, OSU Press
Here is part of an email conversation with Mr Hibbs:
If you want to interplant annual crops with alder, use sitka alder. It
is the shrubby alder you see at higher elevations. It doesn't get as
big as red alder and sprouts after cutting much better.
In agroforestry, there is a technique called alley farming or alley
cropping that may fit your interests. Rows of woody plants are spaced
3-5 m apart and the annual crop is grown in between. Once or twice a
year, the woody plant is cut back and the material spread in the crop
row.
Conclusion: Using local university web searches can be useful.
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Jeff Owens ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Zone 7, http://www.teleport.com/~kowens
Underground house, solar energy, reduced consumption, no TV
