by matt walker » Wed Apr 16, 2014 3:06 pm
I have a conceptual system and I have conceptual trees I'm going for, but the reality is I am getting what I can get and planting where I can keep the animals away. On these new earthworks I'll mostly plant just the berms, and kinda go for a food forest type planting, close and with all the layers, but probably not as intensely planted as a real food forest since they will essentially be planted strips between grazing lanes, or something.
Currently planted and incoming for planting are all the standards, apples, pears, plums, apricots, pluots, peaches, cherries, figs, hazelnuts, mulberries, etc. I planted about 40 trees last year, although only about half were food trees, and maybe only about half made it since I got overwhelmed by lamb escapes. I think when it's all done I will plant another 50 or so this season, already have about 10 new fruit trees in the ground, 30 or 40 tiny oaks, and a handful of black locust. The last two are firewood and acorns for pigs. Additionally, I've planted a few dozen Sea Buckthorn(seaberry), kiwi, and grape vines, and a whole lot of berries from transplants around my place and my neighbors'. Marion, Tay, Black, Blue, Straw, Service, Rasp, and so on. Lots of those guys since they seem to be able to get ahead of the native stuff if I give them a chance. Yeah, food everywhere, that's the goal. Oh, potatoes, garlic, and onions under most of that stuff. Usually separate plantings for the potatoes and the alliums if I can remember where things are.