posted 13 years ago
In addition to those, in order to make it self-sustaining and reduce the amount of outside inputs, add a lot of nitrogen fixers, insectary plants, bulbs as grass barriers, nutrient accumulators, and mulch plants. Edible Forest Gardens by Dave Jacke is an excellent reference for what you're doing. What hardiness zone are you in? How much rainfall? What kind of soil? Based on those parameters, I can make some specific suggestions. Also, it sounds like your fruit trees may be fairly mature, and may not have too many years left. Now would be a good time to begin planting the larger nut trees like pecan, walnut, and chestnut so that those crops would start to come into production as the fruit production wanes.
Certifiable food forest gardener, free gardening advice offered and accepted. Permaculture is the intersection of environmentalsim and agriculture.