Etienne Tardif

Here is a plant list that our friends have been having some success with just down the road from our place in their Food Forest.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56afc7218259b53bd8383cb8/t/57586d3460b5e9b281a41503/1465412952290/10.+Agnes+Seitz-Plant+List+Slides.pdf

Regan,

On the mulch we use 2 year old horse manure and top dress with compost in the fall. Black Plastic mulch I hear works well up here if you already have good soil but we focused on using ground covers (clover) to protect the soil and using row covers which helps keep moisture and also protects against pests and protects from frost... We also have raised beds for some vegs though my partner plants a wide mix in each bed...

We also have had chicken for the last 3 years so we now have a good source of old straw (winter bedding) and chicken yard soil that we have started adding to certain areas.

Regan,

So far we have had most of our Nanking Cherry trees survive, our root stock apple trees (grown from seed), Elder berries, haskaps (no problem here), Saskatoons, Caragana. Last summer we planted Seabuckthorns, Russian Olives, a couple more Elder Berries, Aronias and asparagus to name a few. Our ground cover/misc flowers consists of white clover, comfrey, alfalfa, phacelia (comes back from seed), malba, borage (comes back from seed), horseradish, german chamomile, rhubarb, sainfoin, mustard (annual), raspberries, strawberries, misc Alaskan seed packs... I have honey bees so I am trying to develop some perennial flower (drought hardy) gardens and get our power line and meadows more "flowered". I even have to work to get dandelions to catch. We initially had no lambs quarter or chickweed... We now have plenty of both though not yet a hindrance.

We don't have much to show yet for food but our haskaps and Saskatoons have finally started producing. Our annual garden produces well but due to our sandy soil requires a lot of water to keep going. This summer's project is to setup rain harvesting, some grey water recovery and more ground cover... I will probably add silt/clay to our soil.

The bush here is full of ligonberries, soapberries, bear berries, crow berries and wild mushrooms so we don't need to focus on these.

We are in Zone 1A in the Yukon.... Lots of choices to choose from the bigger challenge here is more the dry summers (~6 inches of rain) and poor soils. Mulches do keep the moisture in but also prevent the soil from reaching warm temps and the de-composition rates are extremely slow.

http://www.klondikevalley.com/Klondike_Valley_Nursery/Yukon_Apples.html (Dawson City area)

We are in the early phase of soil building and choosing our plants. We get most of our trees and shrubs from http://www.ttseeds.com/PHP/home.php and focus on Zone 3 and lower.

Hi,

Have a look at this site. http://www.fruit.usask.ca/haskap.html. The University of Saskatchewan has been doing research on these for a long time. They are very popular up here...
They are very hardy (-40C) and fruit really early... Not sure how they will do in warmer clims. Not sure sure if they require a hard frost or not to do well...

Hi

I guess last year we were not yet ready to host anyone. Since last year we've developed some garden beds, built a chicken coop and raising chickens, built a large covered shelter and drilled a well.

This year I have ordered some bees, we are building a greenhouse, putting up more garden beds, planting a bunch of shrubs, raising some meat birds, starting a grey water garden and bunch more depending on time.

We will be relocating our prospector tent and offering it out free to anyone who is willing to give us a hand and do the occasional house sit and watch over things during our late summer canoe trip. You will have access to space for your own gardens, well water, as much wild space to explore while hiking/biking, foraging for wild edibles including several kinds of edibles mushrooms and wifi. This is not a full time job and it is not one of our expectations though we can keep you busy if you prefer. We live in a great area for wildlife and nature viewing though we will make sure you keep your spot clean to be bear safe (Blacks and Grizzlies are very common). Having your own transportation is preferable.

Details:
https://www.facebook.com/CabanesAnnieLakeRd
https://www.facebook.com/OldBridgeGardens

Hi All,

Located in the Yukon territory 35mins from Whitehorse, in a boreal forest setting, mixed lodgepole pine, spruce and aspen forest. We have lots of wild cranberries, fireweed, wild roses and Labrador tea.
We are still in the planning phase and still 4 months away from starting our construction projects (Greenhouse w/ rocket mass heater, raised beds, chicken coop, drilling well and home renos). We will be starting many of our plants indoors.
Our challenge is we just moved into our place and there has never been any growing of any kind. The property was previously a racing dog kennel. We will be using the existing dog pens for our traditional gardening areas. Year 1 will be about building soil and seeding our small fields 2 x 1/4 acres with hay, clover and other similar forage. I have set aside an area for a food forest and hugelkultur beds. We are planning haskap, saskatoons, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries as well as some apple trees. We are aiming high but due to the short summer season we will have to prioritise our efforts.

Anyone interested in helping with some experience (if possible) and handy with tools would be very welcomed. We can offer a guest cabin. Lots of canoeing/kayaking, hiking, mountain biking and outdoor activities right at our door step.