posted 2 years ago
I final have a bit of land and am eager to get started on my backyard forest garden! I have a little under a tenth of an acre to start with, and I want to start with fruit plants since they take longer to establish. Details as follows.
Location: Southwest Virginia in the valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Zone 7.
Area: A little under a tenth of an acre on a north-facing lot, about a third of which is perpetually shaded. The yard is surrounded by a chicken wire fence about 3’ high (but it does nothing to stop the deer, voles, raccoons, squirrels, rabbits, and other animals that may target my plants).
Sunlight: The bottom third of the yard gets virtually no sun, but the top two-thirds get abundant sun most of the day.
Soil: Has not been formerly tested, but based on personal observation, regional trends, and weed indicators the soil is poorly draining, acidic, clay soil. The northern side of the yard where I want to plant the fruit is the lowest part of the yard and may have more drainage issues than the rest of the yard. But it also gets the most sun.
Resources and limitations: Limited budget due to current lack of income. No compost bin established yet (but soon!). Collected loads of leaf litter and an assortment of wood logs and branches from my neighbors. Have small worm compost bin. Saved a ton of cardboard from my move here. Car-free household.
Immediate Goals:
• Install privacy barrier on the north side, potentially using a fruit hedge.
• Establish fruit trees and shrubs as soon as possible.
• Control excessive mosquito population, potentially through the use of a wildlife pond.
Potential Fruit Plants I am Considering:
• Centennial Apple tree
• Combo Dwarf Plum tree*
• Combo Dwarf Cherry tree*
• Makedonia Red Pomegranate shrub
• Legacy Blueberry shrub
• Oneal Southern Highbush shrub
• Cherry Red Currant shrub
• Sweet Scarlet Goumi shrub
I picked these based on personal interest, self-fertility, size, climate hardiness, and availability at local nursery (aside from the combo trees, which would be from further away). Beyond these factors, I know very little about how successful they’d be under the conditions in my yard. I also have a dwarf patio peach tree and a hibiscus tree in pots that where gifted to me. I would like to replant them in the backyard.
Tentative Plan: Sheet mulch the planting areas using what I have on hand plus some commercial compost from the hardware store before the year ends. Plant fruit shrubs and trees next spring. Possibly sow some nitrogen fixing ground and root crops nearby.
Quandaries:
• Will my soil be ready to support the perennial fruits I want to plant by next spring?
• Would I, a novice gardener who has no experience with perennials, be taking on too much by trying to plant so many things at once?
• To lime or not to lime for the trees? Or gypsum or not to gypsum? I am operating on the assumption that the soil is relatively acidic, but I will get hard numbers soon. Would simply increasing organic material boost microbial activity enough to overcome potential pH issues for the trees or are industrial amendments a must?
• What else should I do to ensure success?
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