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permaculture

Planting for future generations

Nancy Reading

steward and tree herder

Posts: 8378

Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland. Nearly 70 inches rain a year

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posted 1 year ago

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They say "plant pears for your heirs". Call me foolish if you like, but I have planted several trees that I don't expect I'll get the full benefit from. There are also the worries about weather patterns. I fully intend to stay here for as long as I physically can, but know that permanence is not necessarily possible for everyone. What stops you planting for the long term and contrary-wise what have you planted that you may never see to full production?

Monkey puzzles are unlikely to fruit at less than 30 years old, and even then you need a male and a femaie tree and won't know what you've got till it flowers. I gather you can graft on a known sex, so you could have a female branch grafted on a young tree I suppose, but don't know anyone that does that in the UK (could be a business opportunity for someone I suppose!)

It is however astounding how time flies however:

These pictures were all taken this year. The first trees did so well, I planted a whole lot more grown from seed (the first were presents as young trees). Only another 15 years to go now.
This year I hope to plant several gingko biloba. I hope they will do OK here, I'm not aware of any others in the area, but they are for the long term too.

How Permies works: https://permies.com/wiki/34193/permies-works-links-threads
My projects on Skye: The tree field, Growing and landracing, perennial polycultures, "Don't dream it - be it! "

Timothy Norton

master gardener

Posts: 4239

Location: Upstate NY, Zone 5, 43 inch Avg. Rainfall

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posted 1 year ago

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I have never heard of these trees. They look almost like a cactus at a distance!

Have you tried the fruit? Is it like a pine nut?

I have a Ginko that was planted on my property when I was probably ten? It grows slow and steady but is a beautiful tree. I think the funniest thing about the tree is when the first cold snap happens it drops ALL the leaves within a day. One day its this shimmery yellow/green, the next day its bare.

I plant things with a variety of productive ages, and not necessarily for myself. I may never have children, but it is my dream that at least one person can appreciate the work and toil I contribute and I would call that a success in my book.

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Nancy Reading

steward and tree herder

Posts: 8378

Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland. Nearly 70 inches rain a year

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posted 1 year ago

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Timothy Norton wrote:I have never heard of these trees. They look almost like a cactus at a distance!

Have you tried the fruit? Is it like a pine nut?

They are the most extraordinary trees: Araucaria Araucana. I learnt after planting the first few to plant them well away from any paths, since the leaves are wickedly sharp! There are a few threads on Permies (here for example) but I think that they would only grow well in the Pacific North West since they are temperate cloud forest trees from the mountains of South America, now rare in their native range unfortunately.
Mine are several years away from fruiting, but I did eat one of the seeds i bought to grow and yes - sweet and starchy more like a chestnut perhaps than a pine nut. I'm hoping it could be a staple here in time as it does grow well unlike many more 'conventional' crops.

I have a Ginko that was planted on my property when I was probably ten? It grows slow and steady but is a beautiful tree. I think the funniest thing about the tree is when the first cold snap happens it drops ALL the leaves within a day. One day its this shimmery yellow/green, the next day its bare.

I gather there are several male forms for their autumn colour. I have bought a mixture - male and female, although I am aware that the fruit flesh is stinky (one of my varieties is named 'chunder plums'!).

I plant things with a variety of productive ages, and not necessarily for myself. I may never have children, but it is my dream that at least one person can appreciate the work and toil I contribute and I would call that a success in my book.

Indeed. We have no children and it is a bit late now to acquire any. Maybe my nephews and nieces will be interested in time, or maybe I will be an 'Otis' in time, looking for someone to harvest the pinons with me.

How Permies works: https://permies.com/wiki/34193/permies-works-links-threads
My projects on Skye: The tree field, Growing and landracing, perennial polycultures, "Don't dream it - be it! "

Jeff Lindsey

Posts: 103

Location: Zone 9b, Coastal Southern Oregon, 700 ft elevation

posted 1 year ago

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Nancy,

That's neat. An amazing gift to the future.

Perhaps you might consider an archival paper log book of sorts, kept prominently in your house, or even a small sign placed near the trees. That way your knowledge of the trees, and their uses and requirements, might not be lost when something happens to you.

Local botanical and related knowledge is easily lost- this entire board seems mostly a rediscovery of older practices and techniques that have been forgotten, lost or purposefully obfuscated.

Take care,
Jeff

Nancy Reading

steward and tree herder

Posts: 8378

Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland. Nearly 70 inches rain a year

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I hadn't thought of that Jeff. I did keep a 'blog and I write on permies quite a bit, but of course these aren't accessable when the power goes down. We've had threads on creating house manuals, I wonder whether anyone has done a garden manual....off to search.

How Permies works: https://permies.com/wiki/34193/permies-works-links-threads
My projects on Skye: The tree field, Growing and landracing, perennial polycultures, "Don't dream it - be it! "

John F Dean

master steward

Posts: 6968

Location: southern Illinois, USA

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posted 1 year ago

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I have been putting together a homestead guide. Mostly it describes and maps where buried power and water lines as. It also identifies special plants and bushes…especially those located deeper in the woods.

At my age, Happy Hour is a nap.

Nancy Reading

steward and tree herder

Posts: 8378

Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland. Nearly 70 inches rain a year

3972

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Found the thread on making a homestead log here: https://permies.com/t/139368/Owner-Manual-odd-lives. Thanks again for the suggestion/reminder Jeff

How Permies works: https://permies.com/wiki/34193/permies-works-links-threads
My projects on Skye: The tree field, Growing and landracing, perennial polycultures, "Don't dream it - be it! "

Thom Bri

pollinator

Posts: 489

Location: Illinois

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posted 1 year ago

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Nancy Reading wrote:

Timothy Norton wrote:

I have a Ginko that was planted on my property when I was probably ten? It grows slow and steady but is a beautiful tree. I think the funniest thing about the tree is when the first cold snap happens it drops ALL the leaves within a day. One day its this shimmery yellow/green, the next day its bare.

I gather there are several male forms for their autumn colour. I have bought a mixture - male and female, although I am aware that the fruit flesh is stinky (one of my varieties is named 'chunder plums'!).

Love Ginkos. Used to see them a lot in Japan, and learned to love the nuts too. Beautiful in the fall. About the smell, my wife uses that as an excuse not to get any, but really it's not bad at all. I'd love to plant a few here, but need spousal buy-in!

Ara Murray

pollinator

Posts: 187

Location: Northern UK

posted 1 year ago

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Recently I planted 100 tree seeds and there are more in the fridge to be planted next year, on behalf of a local company who are wanting to grow forests. As some of the seeds were English oak, Quercus robur, there is no way I will be around when they are mature. My job is to nurture them for the next two years and then the company will take away any I manage to keep alive to be grown on further or planted in their final home.
I love your monkey puzzles, Nancy. We had two at our last house: one was already there and the other was one my husband bought at a flower show and planted out as we had plenty of land there. It was taller than me when we left even though it was only the size of yours in the first picture when he bought it. We thought they would be too spiky for the sheep to eat but the lambs still managed it so we had to fence them off. Mr Ara even decorated it with lights and called it his "Christmas tree".

See where your hand is? Not there. It's next to this tiny ad:

A PDC for cold climate homesteaders

http://permaculture-design-course.com