posted 3 years ago
My food forest want to be is more want then be. The only thing that made it was the common comfrey. Gophers killed the Russian comfrey and the Okinawa spinach. The tree kale didn't make it, or the beauty berries. The longevity spinach made it until the wind blew off the cover, and the frost got it. I don't know why the artichoke didn't make it, it was like I just couldn't give it enough water. I didn't manage to put more wood chips down.
Luckily last fall I took cuttings of the Okinawa spinach and longevity spinach. Before they died. I bought another tree kale cutting, and this one grew. I also bought and planted an artichoke. I'm thrilled to report it's large lovely and has 3 artichokes.
After weeding the area I want to plant twice, only to have the weeds come back before I managed to get anything done. I decided to have my son remove everything down to the soil level. I know you all think I have lost my mind. ( I'm going to dump the weedy wood chips into the chicken yard, they will enjoy digging through it, and eating all the bugs and weeds) I know this is not ideal, but sometimes shortcuts need to be made. To combat the gophers I bought nursery pots. I drilled holes in the sides and bottom, then I dug holes and put them so they are about 3/4 in the ground. In the pots I put old chunks of fire wood, soil, 2 year old wood chips, soil, then organic soil and compost. On the outside I will lay cardboard and cover first with the 2 year old wood chips, then top it off with fresh wood chips. The area I'm not planting I think I will mow short, and cover with 8 to 12 inches of wood chips. I know it will do the job as long as I add wood chips every year.
So basically the food forest is a blank space with a few trees, but someday I hope it will be more. It makes me think of my mom when I was young saying " If at first you don't succeed try try again.
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“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” — Abraham Lincoln