Food forest.....

[Trying2keepitReal]

On your 3 acres, permanent plantings plus a vegetable garden and some chickens would give you more than you could eat. I think you are on the right track.

Thanks! We have the garden (or maybe gardens, lol) and the chickens. We also have lilac, cherry trees, crab apple non-ornamental and apple trees, just looking for more.

 

[Hinotori]

I wish concords would fruit here. We don't have enough heat days. I don't remember what the two I bought were, but the 3 concords from my great aunt just produce lots of leaves for shade and chicken snacks.

The ones I bought were early fruiters and I do sometimes get grapes from them.

 

[baymule]

While most of us won’t plant a whole property in a food forest, we can plant fruit and nut trees of what we like. Some berry vines and we’ll be set. We were able to pick pears off a couple of trees 2 years ago and I still have pears in pint jars.

Because fruit trees provide so much, I’m thinking of planting them in a pasture, with a protective fence around rack tree, so the sheep don’t eat the trees. As the trees grow and produce, I can make the fence smaller to protect the tree trunk, and let the sheep eat the fallen fruit. Berries and grapes will be planted in the yard or garden area. Sorry sheep, no access for you!

 

[tortoise]

While most of us won’t plant a whole property in a food forest, we can plant fruit and nut trees of what we like. Some berry vines and we’ll be set. We were able to pick pears off a couple of trees 2 years ago and I still have pears in pint jars.

Because fruit trees provide so much, I’m thinking of planting them in a pasture, with a protective fence around rack tree, so the sheep don’t eat the trees. As the trees grow and produce, I can make the fence smaller to protect the tree trunk, and let the sheep eat the fallen fruit. Berries and grapes will be planted in the yard or garden area. Sorry sheep, no access for you!

My sheep do a nice job cleaning up fallen apples. They don't prune my trees too often either. (Trunks are safe from them, but little low branches might disappear). I have fence around younger trees like you mentioned.

I feed a lot of apples to chickens. And DH feeds everything else to the deer. If you (or your neighbors) have animals to feed, excess produce is less of a concern.

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

I am interested, but I get overwhelmed by permaculture concepts. I'm not convinced they are a great solution, but they still appeal to me. A garden that doesn't look like a garden is less likely to be raided/vandalized, IMO

I definitely get overwhelmed too, just trying to plan it out makes me crazy! I am thinking if I do a couple types of plants a spring season then maybe one day it will be a step in the right direction.

I agree to having it all intermixed among "normal" trees would causes attraction, or at least I hope

 

[baymule]

Stop stressing over planting according to plan, and just go plant it. The concept is rather Willy-nilly with no “orderly plan” to it. Leave the outside trees as a hedge to block the view or plant a rose hedge with a variety that will give you rose hips.

I don’t think much of the idea of planting things in a clump. What idiot thinks it’s a good idea to plant grape vines and other fruit bearing vines next to a tree so the vines can grow up the tree? Where does that put the fruit? Up at the top of the tree canopy to feed the birds and not you.

Nope. For me, berries and grapes, etc. go on a trellis where I can easily harvest the fruits of my labors.

There is a lot of good ideas in the permaculture community and some not so good. You just have to sort it out, apply what works for you.

At our place in Lindale, I enthusiastically built a hugel culture mound. It never did do well. I followed the “instructions” but the real beneficiaries of it were the sheep. It grew some good grass and weeds. Plus the lambs loved racing up and down the mound. LOL

What worked better was digging a trench, laying branches and logs in it, for a sort of swale to help stop water run off and planting next to it.

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

Stop stressing over planting according to plan, and just go plant it. The concept is rather Willy-nilly with no “orderly plan” to it. Leave the outside trees as a hedge to block the view or plant a rose hedge with a variety that will give you rose hips.

I agree with this, and I think where the struggle comes from. I never thought of rose hips! Thank you, one more thing to add onto my list.

I think my biggest struggle at this point, is deciding what to plant where (shade, partial shade, sun) and how much soil amending I will need to do. I would rather find plants that will fix any soil needs as they go, but I think I will have a summer of work ahead of me.

 

[Mini Horses]

Why not fence it, add a goat, a sheep...have milk/meat, cute lawnmowers, free fertilizer.

I'm only wanting to plant what I actually want to eat. Even veggies. We read all this cockamamy stuff and somehow "feel the need". Why? I'm with Bay, if I work for it, I want to reach for it. Then, who'd want to buy a place with "stuff" everywhere, willy-nilly?

 

[baymule]

Plant a trellis of goji berries for a healthy snack. Plant seedless Concord grapes for grape juice, jelly and raisins.

 

[Phaedra]

I have done a lot of gleaning from others over the years and based on the area I live, considering the weather and ya know, all of that,,,
I do what works best for here. I plant what grows best here, I plant nutrient dense foods. What has the highest value for our health. Everything else is good yes, but extra, I plant the necessity's FIRST and other stuff if it fits in the garden.
What can I plant that will reseed its self, not need a green house, over winter planting fava beans, wheat grass etc... will feed the ground.
I like to plant extra kale so I have some for the chickens,
I watched a lot of Charles Dowding videos last February
to have soil and not just dirt, composting is a requirement --- I LOVE how Downing explains it all- so I recommend watching all of his videos on it-

I did lay down carboard in some of my herb gardens and built up on top of that. https://www.youtube.com/@CharlesDowding1nodig/playlists

I do glean stuff from David - https://www.youtube.com/@davidthegood

Hey, I also followed him for years, and he is really an experienced farmer. I learned a lot from him, including breaking many gardening myths.