Our "orchard" plan

[jeffgordon]

When we bought our place it already had several apple trees (four).  We knew we wanted more fruit trees and have since added two each; Cherry, Peach, Apricot, Quince, and Pear.  Plan to expand with Paw Paw, Fig, Elderberries (x100s), and Nectarine.  We also have three filbert (hazelnut), and two walnut.  Added nine more walnut, and will start propagating filberts this year for expansion using the method where you stake the "suckers" into potting soil, and they develop roots.  In the process of all of this we determined that traditional methods didn't suit our lifestyle.  My wife happened upon a book by the guy whose wife helped start the "Doomsday Preppers" series.  They had bought a place, and created a permaculture food forest (though he calls it a survival food forest).  I had always wanted a permaculture landscape as I'm not big on ornamental that serve no other purpose, now the better half saw the benefits as well.

Stop, tractor time!:  The "orchard" is on a slope outside the back of our house, I started converting the slope into terraces this year.  I layered the first terrace after shaping it.  From the base ground layer up:

1. Twigs from pruning fruit trees  (break down into nutrients)
2. Leaf mulch that had been worked by chickens (break down into nutrients)
3. Garden compost/soil mixture (planting medium)
4. Cardboard (retain moisture) (break down into nutrients)
5. Wood chips (retain moisture) (break down into nutrients)

The edge of the first terrace closest to the house is lined with logs (retain moisture), and the edge of the first terrace farthest from the house will be lined with large basalt rocks (probably some quartz /petrified wood as well) (stores and slowly releases heat, creating a micro climate).  At the base of many of the largest fruit trees we have planted grapes (mimic nature) since vines grow on trees in nature.  The terraces will be planted with perennial food/medicinal or other purpose plants (some fertilize, fix soil, repel bugs, attract pollinators...).  Our goal is to be able to not maintain the trees more than a very minimum after the next year or two. STUN method Sheer Total Utter Neglect.  Let nature do the work.

Secret Garden off Survival: secretgardenofsurvival.com/
STUN: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nnoeb1x-XVA 

[Admin]

Ok, I HAVE to see this all when you are done, or at least post some progress pics. I am so interested in permaculture but I am not sure I can break my ways...

[jeffgordon]

May 1, 2018 20:20:31 GMT -8 Admin said:

Ok, I HAVE to see this all when you are done, or at least post some progress pics. I am so interested in permaculture but I am not sure I can break my ways...

I'll set up an album and start posting the progress pictures.  My wife dropped her methods like a hot rock after she read the Secret Garden of Survival, which is a good primer, but if you want something that is really good from an Oregon perspective Gaia's Garden by Toby Hemenway R.I.P. He lived in Oregon when he wrote the book.  I think the main thing that sold my wife (I was already wanting this years ago) was after having a 25' x 100' garden for a few years and trying to "battle" nature weeding etc.  It is a full time job, and you still never win.


www.amazon.com/photos/share/w6BnjiFgPS0VhMeUA8F14K3WfhEjEuqp6sc3U1P6tmr

[jeffgordon]

The top three images are from 2014 a few months after we moved in. The back section there is a slope, and we decided to make that into terraces (swales) for the "orchard". There are a lot of plants you can't see in the images yet as we have been planting them over the last few weeks. Yarrow, Strawberries, Currants, Onions, and Grapes (at the base of the fruit trees) (plus many more to come).

For the most part the terraces will have perennial plants either food, or other uses. The onions for example are planted at the base of each fruit tree to deter burrowing rodents, and to keep mice from girding the tree.

Many of the trees have some type of bird feeder (seed or suet) to attract birds to the area. I've seen at least 12-15 different variety of bird this year, more than ever before. Grossbeak, sparrow, several finch species, brewers blackbird, jays, mourning dove, hummingbird and some yet to be identified. Those are our insect control. We have a tub of poly wogs for a water feature we are building. We are placing large rocks at the western edge of the terraces as a border, and heat sinks. This will hopefully attract snakes and lizards to assist with bugs and rodents as well. We rescued four brown bats and re-homed them here to take care of the night bug population.

It all boils down to creating a natural environment where the "work" for the humans is foraging a few hours a week, and nature does the heavy lifting, once everything is established.