Forest Garden Update: What I've Been Planting

Here's another update from my winter outdoor project list. Besides swales, I'm working on my forest garden. (Planning pictures and lists are here). I started planting in September, but except for the pawpaws, I haven't made a blog record yet. This post is to rectify that! 

I started by transplanting seedlings that I found elsewhere on the property.

Pecan seedling. I've also been planting these in
our woods, like the pawpaws and persimmons.

The first of two transplanted redbuds. Besides edible flowers, redbuds are
nitrogen fixers. It's mulched with chop and drop from nearby crepe myrtles.

Also, I scattered redbud seed pods everywhere. This spring, I
have 10 more seedlings coming from our state forestry service.

In my research, I learned that strawberries can be part of oak tree guilds. So I bordered off an area beneath two mature oaks for a strawberry bed.

Oak guild strawberry bed, with 1st transplants in the ground.
In addition to strawberries, I also planted garlic in the bed.

As an experiment, I tried an idea from Bill Mollison. Instead of a swale, I dug a pit in the center of the bed for capturing water.

That is, I dug as much as the oak roots would let me.

Once dug, the pit is filled with wood chips.
The pairs of bricks are my stepping stones.

I don't know how well the pit will work, but it's not a spot for a swale. 

A couple months later, the strawberry plants and garlic
were doing well and tucked in with a layer of oak leaves. 

The last of my transplants was my potted golden seal.
I also ordered more roots to expand my golden seal bed.

Here's what I mail ordered.

Wild ginger.

Hostas. These started off well and then got munched
down, probably by skunks. Will they survive? Unknown.

One of two spice bushes, before it dropped its leaves. I marked all
my plantings with stones or bricks, so I'll know where to find them!

Here's another mulberry (which I now know I can propagate with cuttings). It's dormant now, but beginning to bud.

Mulberry

Next, I planted honeyberries (haskap). These were pretty much just sticks with roots when I planted them. Even now, I'm wondering if they're alive.

Scraping away the outer bark with my
thumbnail reveals it's green and still alive!

Haskap are primarily found in colder regions, but these varieties are said to do well in my USDA growing zone, so we'll see. They may require a little pampering the first several years, but if I can get them established, it will be worth it.

And here's my map, so I can remember where everything is planted. 

The fuzzy green circles are the mature oaks.

Some people start with beautifully planned out designs, but I couldn't visualize it. So my choice of planting places has been pretty haphazard intuitive. The pear tree (like the hostas) has disappeared, so I suspect its tender leaves were devoured by a skunk. I'll know for sure this spring. If they have survived, I'll give them a little fencing to protect them.

That's my progress so far. I think I'll add a path next. This spring, I'll have more to plant, including adding some annuals into the mix. Looking forward to that!

Forest Garden Update: What I've Been Planting © Feb 2022 

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Swale Update

This week, we got 3 inches of rain, so I thought a swale update was in order.

Our first swale, hand dub, at the top of the garden.

Since my last swale blog post, we've finished digging the length of the swale, but need to finish the bottom. We started that by making a level trench the entire length of the berm side of the swale. 

That seemed an easier way to start than trying to get the entire swale bottom level. The rest of it can be dug down to that, slightly sloping to the trench.

Then came the rain. It poured for two days. The goats and chickens weren't happy about that, but the ducks loved it and we were curious about the swale.

3 inches of rain.

Full! It was pretty exciting to see. As it drains over the next couple of days, we'll have a better idea of how close to level it actually is. We'll make adjustments accordingly.

Swale Update © February 2022 

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Last Day to Enter the Giveaway!

One more day to enter the giveaway for one of four paperback copies of How To Bake Without Baking Powder over at Permies.com. Winners will be announced tomorrow.

It's been fun discussing this subject with folks, and a lot of people have been surprised to find out that the book isn't just about homemade baking powder, nor focused only on things like sourdough. To get a better idea of the subject matter, I've started three threads at Permies that delve deeper into baking powder alternatives:

Basic Kitchen Chemistry

DIY Leavening Power - Recipes!

So, what did cooks do before baking powder was invented? - Resources!

Permies is open to the public, so you don't have to have an account to read these. You only need an account if you wish to comment or want to enter the giveaway.

So, don't miss your chance! Come on over to Permies! If you'd rather skip the giveaway and simply purchase a copy, you'll find all the options here.

Last Day to Enter the Giveaway! © February 2022 

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com