Newbie would LOVE some feedback on his plan

Looks like you got a good plan...Have you ever considered growing anything like Jerusalem Artichokes?

It appears you put a lot of thought into it ... what zone/climate type is the plan for?

Might put the chickens under the mullbery tree, unless they are free range.

ronie wrote:
Looks like you got a good plan...Have you ever considered growing anything like Jerusalem Artichokes?

Thanks. 
A friend offered some, but after reading about them, I wasn't sure where to include them (if at all). 
I don't have anything planned along the West fenceline.  Horses push their heads through the fence there and eat the grass.

Suggestions? 

Jonathan_Byron wrote:
It appears you put a lot of thought into it ... what zone/climate type is the plan for?

Might put the chickens under the mullbery tree, unless they are free range.

Yes, I have.  We're USDA 6 here.

That whole walnut tree "guild" includes peripheral plants that chickens enjoy.  I am planning on letting the chickens out each evening before sundown so they can forage and fertilize a little.  We have leashless dogs coming through our yard frequently, so can't let them roam unless I re-fence the entire thing -- currently it's just an old barbed-wire fence. 

Hadn't thought of keeping the chickens under the Mulberry!  Just wanted to keep them close to the house for quick access (we had some once out in "the barn" (lean-to on the shop), but who wants to walk way out there? 

I don't know much about horses, but rosa rugosa (roses with edible fruits) make a pretty decent hedge, with thorns as protection.

The neighbors cows got loose and ate the tops off my Jerusalem Artichokes like they were candy or corn i guess for cows...candy corn?

Anyway the horses may chew the tops down if you planted them where they could reach... The good thing about Jerusalem Artichokes is that you can leave them in the ground and harvest them all winter into the spring...They also keep coming back year after year from pieces left in the ground..

Beehives don't take up much room, unless you are in bear country and need to have an electric fence.  They mostly need a sunny place preferably faced to the southeast for early morning sun.  You could probably put a few hives in/adjacent to your apply and pear trees.  That could free up more space if you are looking for it...

think your plan looks quite doable to me..

Did you see my updated plan?  it's marked "2nd..."

http://www.webpromo.us/permaculture/

Decided it needed to be more forest-like. 
So, scattered the main fruit and nut trees around more and added more kinds. 

I think I missed the scale... whats the grid?

Goumi has males and females, and is a nitrogen fixer... consider more than one and it could be a nice intercrop.  (whoops.. found the second... still, nice multipurpose shrub.)

Firewood coppice is a once a year (more like 4-8 years) visit... I wouldn't put it in prime real estate near the house.
Never known corkscrew willow to grow fast enough for fuel... maybe ash or chestnut?

Hazel likely needs a pollinator to yeild, and takes much fewer visits then the fruits.

Consider circulation pathways? how will you walk around... extend zone 1 along pathways.  Consider primary and secondary circulation.

If you are importing organic matter consider truck access and stockpiles over the first few years at least.

Depending on how you are keeping the chickens, against the house you will smell them.

Consider soil enriching companions... (goumi is one example... other woody N fixers?)

Sorry for any oversights... just a quick lookover... take it all with a grain of salt...

Someone in the next neighborhood over keeps a beehive on the roof of their garage. If the slope is shallow enough to walk on, and the summer shade is sufficient, that's probably a great place.

Are there enough sources of propolis in the area already? If not, that might also influence your mix of fuel wood species. Apparently poplars and conifers are two sources bees often take advantage of.

Joel Hollingsworth wrote:
Are there enough sources of propolis in the area already? If not, that might also influence your mix of fuel wood species. Apparently poplars and conifers are two sources bees often take advantage of.

I have read Tilia AKA Lindenmakes a nice coppice as well as bee forage.

Hey Jesse, what program did you use to design the garden?

the only concern i can see is the walnuts..do a search on this forum for JUGLONE..there should still be a list of plants that will grow well near walnuts..otherwise..you need to have about 100 feet to those plants that do not..do your research here as walnuts of all kinds will depress or kill the growth of a lot of plant types.

i think that you also might want to consider the size of trees..i think possibly your willow and pecan may be too close to each other..as both get quite large..but if you are thinking of canopy, understory, and lower layers..it looks like your placement should work out well in most of the other areas..you might also grow the multistemmed trees together as a hedge if you need one..such as the hazelnuts and paw paws...i am dong that here..putting them in a hedgerow..i'm also doing that with berries....along a fenceline on the north and west sides of my gardens..they will break the wind and be a partial barrier to critters.

lilacs are another multistemmed plant that would work that way but they do tend to spread outward a lot..

It looks like you've came up with a solid design. I would definately recommend American Persimmon for your climate..its an excellent overstory tree.Some cultivars are more compact and dwarf like...such as 'szukis'...or 'rosseyanka'- an American X Asian hybrid.

Happy forest gardening!