My longing for self sufficiency and trees has landed me in some trouble. I feel like I'm drowning in my obsession with this oh so not little project I have taken on. Why do I feel I'm drowning? I have these to plant;
- 3 diffrent autmn olives
- a self-fertle peach
- a 4 in one plum
- 3 twigs that they call hazelnut bushes
- 2 goji
- 5 blueberry
- 3 almond bushes
- 2 bush clovers
- 1 goumi
- 1 maypop
- 25 strawberry plants (Hood variety June baring)
I have so many more trees and shrubs I want* and yet I don't have a clue now that I'd bought so many things how I can really follow my plan and place them all. I've turned to gardening software for placement to get a general idea how it will look. Pretty cool. But time consuming and frustrating because I am using unique plants and trees that are not commonly used for landscaping. Plus I am too cheap to buy the software so I am using a trial. Ha! So what I get is a general idea for placement but not the correct dimensions. They are the right width but not height. Better than in my head I guess.
My confessions and mild regrets. I regret the blueberry bushes. I bought them last year and now that I've read more realize they don't fit in my plan at all. I don't have acidic soil for them and don't want to pamper them. There are some really good wild fruit bush alternatives, that don't need special pampering. I spent that money and I wish I could get it back.
I mildly regret the 75+ varieties of perennials, annuals and such. All seeds. Shelving, lights and heating mats too. I should have bought them next year. I will still plant half of them this year, and am starting many indoors. But this was a cost I didn't need right now. It has and will come in handy for me so I can't really complain.
*Trees and bushes I want, but can't have them all;
- Sweet Cherry Tree
- Combo Pear
- Fruiting dogwood (Cornelian cherryCornus mas)
- Hardy Citrus (Flying Dragon/ Poncirus trifoliata monstrosa)
- Paw paw (Asimina triloba)
- Service Tree (Sorbus domestica)
- Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
- Pine Nut tree (undecided)
- Currants for under trees
- Honeyberry (Lonicera caerulea var. edulis) [instead of blueberry]
- Seaberry [Habego var.]
- Hardy Kiwi (Actinidia arguta)
- Bamboo (Edible and for privacy)
- Japanese Pepper (Zanthoxylum pipertium)
- Sechuan pepper (Zanthoxylum simulans)
- Hawtorn (Craaegus spp.)
- Mulberry (Morrus spp.)
- Siberian Pea (Caragana aborescens)
- Sweet nut Oak (undecided)
- Lime (Tilia spp.) [coppiced edible leaves]
- Birch (Betula spp.)
- Maple (Acer spp.)
- Bayberry (Myrica spp.)
- Buffalo berry (Shepherdia argentea) [plant in same hole with fruiting trees]
- Plum Yew (Cephalotaxus spp.)
- Cherry (carmine jewel 6 ft tree)
- Saltbush (Atriplex canescens or halimus) Dieback perenial bush?
- Moringa (dieback tree)
- Beech (fagus sylcatica)
- America Allspice (Calycabthus spp.)
- Mock Orange (Philadelphus spp.) [soap plant, beneficial insectory, fragrant, dye]
I should have broke my plan down into stages over a few years. In the beginning I had no idea how that would work. How could I break this down into steps? Easy no, but surely I could break it down into smaller steps. Soil prep & water, hardscaping if desired, trees in fazes if needs be, shrubs then plants. Instead I'm doing it all now, in a medium size area.
Ridiculous. And I'm mostly doing it on my own. If you knew how little I was you'd be laughing at that. Me digging a 30x50 foot area by myself. I'm insane. And loving every minute of it. Cheers to all you over achievers, and those with the insanity of foresting Utah (or your state/country) one lot at a time!
I'm on a permaculture/food forest mission too!
ReplyDeleteIf it helps with narrowing down your wish list, I'd leave pawpaws off if you have limited space. They require a friend and even then can require a lot of help getting pollinators where they need to be (apparently hanging meat in the branches helps with this - gross!). Mulberries are messy and can grow to be quite large. I don't care for the fruit but my chickens love it and I have read that wild birds prefer mulberries to the fruits I'd like to keep for myself - I have noticed that the upper branches are a very busy place with the fruit is ripe.
I am hoping to get some cherries planted this season. I have a very limiting budget so everything here has to come in stages that fit within some pretty tight parameters. I've realized this season that there are ways that I can progress if I am less particular about what plantings I want where. I'm going to try rooting some of my existing trees and shrubs to expand my plantings. I figure waiting for something tiny to grow into a mature specimen won't require any more patience than waiting for room in my budget!
You could also dig up your blueberries and try to sell them or give them away to make room for what will work for you better long term. I just dug up three blueberry bushes that I planted two years ago with no problem.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right, most trees that need cross pollination or are extremely large will not fit on my small lot.
ReplyDeleteBudgets are important. I most often use my "mad money" for the garden. But I do get many things for free or very little.
Many resources I have found in the free classified section of our local newspaper, online. Soil, wood, rocks [I used for boarders], pavers, broken cement driveways/sidewalks [for paths], manure and even occasionally bricks.
You'd be surprised with very little budget what you can accomplish if you are not picky and have the time. I even get leaves in the fall from neighbors to use on my food forest /garden beds.
I'd love to hear more about your food forest. Where are you located and what USDA zone? This is why I blog, to exchange information and help each other out.
My blog will be getting some major upgrades this next month. I will be giving away freebies that will help others establish a diverse food forest. Seeds, plants and more. All pesticide free, non-GMO seeds, plants and products. Starting in June. You should check back June 1st if your interested.