Developing the food forest

It's been a cold, wet and unpleasantly windy day today, unseasonal for mid November. But work proceeds apace. I have sown seeds of fennel, hollyhocks and chervil in the bee garden to join the other plants in the summer exuberance. I have planted cuttings of lemon verbena, lilac, bay, elder and feijoa in the hedgerows along with some rosemary. And we have planted the hydrangeas and tagasaste to protect them from the wind. We also cut down some of the dead tagasaste and it has really opened up the area. I have planted a nectarine and red currant.

In future, I want to plant root cuttings of comfrey, lovage, rhubarb and raspberry, as well as white strawberries to be a ground cover. I also put a sign next to our self sown apricot.

 I am loving Linda's Youtube channel Huttons Valley Permaculture, so inspiring.

Hydrangeas planted

Tagasastes in the hedgerow

Our new apricot

Tagasaste haul

 Yesterday I was lucky enough to be able to buy 5 tagasate plants from a roadside stall near us and today I went and got 10 more. These will provide so much in the food forest: fixing nitrogen, nectar for the bees, windbreaks and mulch for the soil. I also got 30 small tagasaste seedlings from near the railway station where every year they come up and when very small don't mind being transplanted. i potted them up to put in the windbreak hedge in the orchard when they are big enough. I also scored 3 huge hydrangeas which I love, a tray of strawberries to plant in the orchard, a nectarine and a redcurrant. I will plant them tomorrow or Sunday when the weather is a bit more benign. It rained all day today. But I did get some weeding done in the asparagus patch and put some sawdust on the paths in the mulch garden. I made some rhubarb compote and some Kombucha from a scoby I got from Linda yesterday. I also took cuttings of Cistus purpureus (Purple-flowered Rock Rose) and I want to take cuttings of lemon verbena, elder, lilac and feijoa to plant in the orchard as well. I put the violas and the alyssum in the garden in front of the kiwi fruit today and potted up some pansies to display near the back door

Tomorrow I want to sow some fennel, parsley and hollyhocks in front of the beehive and plant some comfrey and coriander in the bee garden.

The fruit trees that I had in the orchard that I want to replace are:

• william pear
• mulberry
• kingston black apple
• cox's orange pippin
• gala apple

I also want to plant 3 plum trees: mariposa, santa rosa and a greengage as well as a sloe plum (Prunis spinosa) in the hedgerow. I still have to find a valerian herb for the bee garden. I imagine I will have a cherry and a pomagranate and a persimmon which Lee told me about.

Persimmon

Colour and herbs in the food forest

 Today I planted Heuchera, Yarrow and English Lavender in the bee garden as part of the food forest (food for the bees). As well as garden thyme, simba marigolds, sonata dwarf cosmos, foxy mix foxgloves, belladonna delphiniums, russel mix lupins and roman chamomile. And five Tagasaste on the western border of the food forest. Can't wait till they get established, grow and flower and self sow.

I have cuttings of chocolate mint, powis castle wormwood, penstemon and purple wallflower (bowles's mauve).

Today we bottled all the wine.

Tomorrow i want to pot up the cuttings i took today and plant chamomile and white strawberries in the orchard with lambs lettuce and land cress if I can find seedlings in the vegie garden and any other seedlings i can find, as much ground cover as I can get. I also want to do some work in the mulch garden. Weed the blueberries and the asparagus. Plant red veined sorrel, beans, zucchini, eggplant and kale and pansies in a terracotta pot. Sow beetroot and carrot and climbing beans from seed stash.

I will plant Violas in the garden with the alyssum. Take lemon verbena cuttings. Make rhubarb compote and kombucha. I also bought a bucket to make more rhubarb fizz. Also tomorrow I will vacuum seal the latest farmhouse cheddar I have made.

today i visited Linda and she gave me a herbal tea made from chocolate mint, chamomile and fermented blackberry leaves. It was fantastic.

Last years harvest of apples from the Opalescent tree in the food forest

 

The orchard/food forest is taking shape

The orchard first had trees planted in 2014 but the whole plot was ignored for ages and everything left to fend for themselves. We even kept pigs and sheep in the orchard for a while which didn't do the trees any good. But some have survived. I have a "before" video taken last December.

 

 Today I planted some rocket, Spicy Globe Basil, Lebanese Cress, Dill, Mint and Alaska Nasturtiums to spread as ground covers and bee pollination plants. I also put in some chives as a border along the nascent hedgerows. 

Some images of the current situation after Kieran mowed the grass again below

                                                  The bee hive with the start if the bee garden

                                                                                Quince

                                                                    More mulch

                                                                        View to the east

                    View to the west

Opalescent apple tree

I alo planted some of the rocket and some perpetual spinach in the mulch garden. Also the rest of the seed potatoes that I had. And another passionfruit against the tank. I also took some cuttings of Bay and Pepino to go in the orchard once they get going. I am so looking forward to the view in a years' time tp see what it looks like then

Sowing Seeds at Kilmorack Farm

 

 

Today I finally got to sow some seeds. I sowed Walking Stick Kale seeds that I got from Pea, and some Glass Gem Corn that I got from Linda. And finally some Jalepeno Chilli that I got from Michelle. I am keeping them in my cold frame for the moment until they germinate. The Jalapenos could take 2-3 weeks to germinate, the corn 5-14 days @ 16-35°C and the kale will take 5 to 8 days.

In my cold frame I also have 2 cucumbers, a brandywine tomato and a Jalapeno pepper that I potted on earlier. Also some aquelegia plants that I grew from seeds that I got from Lorraine. I will plant these in the orchard when they are big enough. I also have some Golden Delicious apple trees that I grew from seed from some foraged fruit collected by Caylie. Also some grape vines that I grew from cuttings that I got from a member of the West Gippsland Permaculture group.

I also want to sow beetroot and carrot and potato this week, and some climbing beans, pumpkins and cucumbers. I also have some Hollyhock seeds that I got from Caylie to sow soon. I will plant them in the orchard.

According to Angelo I can do these jobs this month and they are on my list.

Things to Do In November:
    •    Mulch around fruit trees and plants
    •    Mulch strawberries by placing straw underneath to keep the berries off the soil.
    •    Propagate strawberries from runners.
    •    Plant potted fruit trees and vines (having roots, can be planted anytime).
    •    Tie growing vines back to supports or wires.
    •    Propagating plants by taking softwood (green) cuttings from now till January

(adapted from Deep Green Permaculture)