Stacking explained

bigorna1(64)

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2025-05-24 12:13

Image credit: https://www.familyfoodgarden.com/

Stacking, in the context of Permaculture refers to the planting of different plants / sizes in one space hence optimizing the use of that space.
all plants work together and fill a roll in this kind of management. large trees provide shade, organic material, wind protection and more for all plants below them. they also serve as trellis for vines to climb on, cover crops protect the soil from erosion and help maintain humidity and so on.

the nice aspect of Stacking is that it is not limited only to space and stacking can be used over time as well.

in the above example you can see how our Pecans that take 7-8 months to mature before being ready for planting, share their pots with giant pumpkins. the roots intermingle and share nutrients.
the shorter life cycle of the pumpkins allow them to grow alongside the Pecans and be harvested before the trees are ready for sale.
in this case stacking is in the space but also over time. a win-win situation.

this year I am doing the same with our production Bamboo plants which are there for the long haul. corn and pumpkin are sawn alongside and share the space for the shorter duration they need.

this is all experimental and saves a lot of time on preparing dedicated beds for pumpkins / corn. the space used is otherwise being "wasted".
also, I trust that all plants involved will benefit from the simbiosys with the others. time will tell. the pumpkins and corn will surely benefit from the high quality plant food the Pecans and Bamboo are getting.
plants generally benefit from growing in close proximity with other plants like is the case of the 3 Marias (squash, corn and beans), but there is no guarantee as often some plants are ´unfriendly´ to others.
this is when companion planting comes into play, but this is a theme for another post.