Zone 1 Earthworks in place

This is just outside of the back door to my garage. Yesterday I was able to recruit a friend with a backhoe and we dug the pits for woody beds and the top swale which will serve as a windbreak and to hydrate the area downgrade. I am located in central southern VA in zone 7b.













Catching shade at the end of the day. Probably won't be as much during the summer. This is the top swale for a windbreak, it seems like the prevailing winds blow from the NW down toward the creek at the SE portion of the property. I want to plant it with some medium sized trees and shrubs, maybe a fedge type of planting.


Next stepswill be to fill the wood beds and mulch the berm and pathways. Any suggestions on what cover crops to plant this late in the fall? Legumes and biomass accumulators are going to be needed badly here.

Any suggestions? Let me know what y'all think.

Hi Bradley:

If you could edit your profile to include your location and zone, that would help people answer your question on what to plant as this that information is usually related to climate.

Looks like an interesting project!

Jennifer Wadsworth wrote:Hi Bradley:

If you could edit your profile to include your location and zone, that would help people answer your question on what to plant as this that information is usually related to climate.

Looks like an interesting project!

Sorry about that! I am in central southern va in zone 7b

Awesome - then I will not blather on to you about desert plants! (kinda figured you weren't in the desert anyway given the trees in the background!)

Also - if you go up towards the top of this page - under where it says "Permies" - there is a link to "My Profile" - if you click on that, then scroll down towards the bottom of that page to the bolded words that say "General Information about yourself" and click the "+" on the left side, you'll reveal an area where you can put in your location/zone and it will appear (after you SAVE your profile with the new info) under your name each time you post. This is a huge shortcut to actually getting info from others in your climate (which is the most useful to you).

Awesome project - keep up the good work and I hope the Virginians jump on this chance to help you out!