Hi Permies! I wanted to give an update on my first growing season. Not the best year to try to get a bunch of perennial plants established -- we've had drought conditions most of the summer here in the Twin Cities. My rain barrels have been empty for weeks. I could have leaned more heavily on the city water, but was interested in seeing how things did without it. Thankfully we have a lot of shade.
Plants that have done well: tomatoes, arugula, lettuce (amish deer tongue and forellenschluss), sweet alyssum, purslane (a nice upright variety called Mithra from the Experimental Farm Network), and the amazing perennials that have fruited the first year: currants, juneberries, strawberries, raspberries, highbush cranberry (haven't eaten yet)
Plants that haven't done well: squash (vine borers, drooping leaves, squirrels taking bites), pole beans (lower leaves yellowing and dropping off), peas (all plants got eaten at ground level), corn (almost total loss to critters at the seedling stage), and all of the native plants I seeded in the fall (no sign of bee balm, butterfly weed, columbine, echinacea, anise hyssop, etc.).
Overall I'm super happy with everything that has grown, but I'm really look forward to things filling in a bit more! I have pre-ordered a 4 fruit trees for the spring (2 pears, 2 hybrid plums) and 5 hybrid hazelnuts. Those will fill out the small tree/tall shrub layer along with the evans bali cherry, american plum, liberty and goldrush apples, and 3 pawpaws (probably a stretch for here in zone 4b but really wanted to try). In the lower shrub layer I've got nanking cherries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, jostaberry, gooseberry, juneberries, haskaps, blueberries, and raspberries (yellow, red, and black).
I haven't quite figured out how to deal with:
- Our 2 dogs trampling and digging (makes herb layer difficult to establish. They are highly motivated to bust through any fencing I put up, because of the next point...)
- Small mammal pressure (Squirrels, chipmunks, and rabbits. I feel like here in the middle of the city, habitat and predators are lacking)
- Have not had good luck with most of the seeds I've sown (probably mostly because of the drought. animal disturbance contributed as well)
- Pretty heavy shade (large silver maple on the southeast corner in the neighbors' yard). There's also a variegated norway maple on the south side of our house. Shade is all it provides so I have half a mind to cut it down and replace with something more multi-functional, but the shade is very nice.
- Don't know what to do with the back "lawn". So compacted and dry that even creeping charlie won't grow. The maple roots sucking up moisture definitely contribute. I have put down clover and fescue seed and covered with straw but might need to just wood mulch everything. I tried to get a Chip Drop but there wasn't enough room in the alley for them turn the truck around and dump. But I would prefer a softer ground cover since it's the dog play area.
