Hi all,
My property has a
chicken yard that was formerly set up around a big linden tree that's now dying. I'm in high desert, zone 7. I'm thinking about succession and contemplating creating a fenced-off guild within the yard that can build on what was there before.
There are a few layers of complexity that may guide my choices:
Despite having 4-10 inches of
wood shavings and litter on it at all times, the soil is generally quite dry. I'm positioning whatever I plant at the outflow of a big
compost bin I use to pre-compost manure before using it in the yard or in other compost projects. That's the only regular source of
water in the run, though I could run my greywater hose over there, and it's super nutrient rich, predictably. So whatever I plant in there will have to deal with a really high nutrient load, both from the water source and the manure in the run.
I'd like whatever serves as a
canopy layer to be fast-growing. I'd ideally have liked to dealt with this sooner, but upshot is that the linden is dying relatively fast and will probably need to be chipped sooner rather than later. So it'd be great if it could provide some shade asap.
My chooks are crafty and aggressive to plants, as most are. I plan on fencing the plants off as best I can but it'd be good if whatever goes in is pretty durable.
Here are some ideas I had based on what I can propogate or find easily, but would appreciate others (there are nurseries that will carry most anything):
Canopy:
Mesquite,
honey locust, jujube, or mulberry. (also asian pear and
apple)
-I have a mulberry tree elsewhere in the yard. I've never tried to propogate it but I potentially could. I don't know how they handle high nutrients.
-I have several jujubes but same story. No
experience propogating but could try.
-I ordered an asian pear and
apple from a
local nursery for other applications but could use hear if they could handle the high nutrient loads.
-I have no idea how mesquite or locust would do with all the manure but I know they grow pretty quickly and are easy to find around here.
Shrubs/Small
trees:
Elderberry, fig, siberian peashrub.
-My understanding is that elderberry does quite well with high nutrient loads but would like others to confirm. Mine can be finicky about water. The figs I have need no water but can be pansies about the cold and die back to the
roots with some frequency. Don't know how they do in high nitrogen settings. I have a couple peashrubs that I've found to be surprisingly finicky given their reputation. I suspect the soil in the yard might be too rich for their taste given how ones I've planted on the border of the run have fared.
Herbaceous/understory:
Jerusalem artichokes, maximilian sunflower, comfrey,
perennial onions
-From what I understand these all do fairly well with lots of n.
Any suggestions based on experience?
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