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Houston Food Forest Project

 
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Location: Salado, Texas
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hugelkultur forest garden fungi foraging medical herbs ungarbage
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I'm starting this thread to track progress on my Houston project.  It's the back 1/4 acre at my mom's place.  I will probably inherit it someday, so I've started putting a food forest in.  I have a tool shed and greenhouse plus established pecan over-story trees.   I'm currently spreading wood chips and nurturing some blackberry patches.   I only have about 4 weekends to work out there per year, so anything I do plant has to survive without me.

If you guys have any suggestions for fruit bearing plants/trees that will do well in Houston climate ...I'm all ears.

Here are some pictures of this weekend's woodchip haul -- my mom's neighbor wanted to clear some 60 year old oak trees that were growing over their house ...I got the chips!
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My 91 y/o mom harvesting her sweet potatoes from a (needs to be replaced) raised bed
My 91 y/o mom harvesting her sweet potatoes from a (needs to be replaced) raised bed
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The trunk of one of the trees that got cut ...most of my family was sad about it ...but -- hello wood chips!
The trunk of one of the trees that got cut ...most of my family was sad about it ...but -- hello wood chips!
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...what a blessing to be here on chop day; chips dumped right where I needed 'em
...what a blessing to be here on chop day; chips dumped right where I needed 'em
 
James Bradford
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Location: Salado, Texas
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About 10 years ago, my mom had to get hip replacements, and so around that time she couldn't do in-ground gardening as much as she wanted.  So, I built her a couple raised beds out of old pallets.   She really uses them.  Her kohlrabi puts mine to shame ...the secret -- patrol for kale worms early, and water with chicken poop tea!

Her Christmas present is two new raised beds, installed in the location of the original ones I built for her.   It's hard to replace her beds because she always has them planted.   Fortunately she let one bed go, so I was able to easily move the soil over from that (falling over bed) to the new ones.  Then I added some of my potting soil to enrich.  Although, her chicken poop tea does better than anything I have.

I am refining these raised beds.  1st I put down rubber mats to prevent weeds, then a layer of mulch, then rocks or bricks to keep the pallets off the ground.   Then I put another rubber mat over the pallets to keep them dry.   I got a bunch of tree pots from a landscape company, and those work great and come out at about waist high to my mom when sitting on two pallets.

Watch in the pictures for perhaps the better way to support the pallets on the rocks
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weed barrier mesh sucks ... use some heavy plastic mat kind of scraps for long term weed suppression
weed barrier mesh sucks ... use some heavy plastic mat kind of scraps for long term weed suppression
DSC02612.JPG
notice the way the white rock supports the pallet (the far one)
notice the way the white rock supports the pallet (the far one)
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Instant herb garden: dill, arugula, cilantro, and sweet basil (for seeding out)
Instant herb garden: dill, arugula, cilantro, and sweet basil (for seeding out)
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I already had a failure with the rock oriented in this way
I already had a failure with the rock oriented in this way
 
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James Bradford wrote:
If you guys have any suggestions for fruit bearing plants/trees that will do well in Houston climate ...I'm all ears.



Figs, any variety.  most will give 2 harvest per year.  Low chill hour peaches.  Any citrus trees.  You will lose the crop some years, but have abundance in others.  Banana trees but give them shelter.  The fruit does not make it many years, but it is still cool to see bananas on your trees some years.  Persimmons.  Look in the bottom lands and woods for native strains.  Pawpaw if you can find.  Grafted pecans.  Mulberry, white and red.  Strawberries, but protect them when it gets cool.  Blackberries, raspberries.  There are a few avocado species that are being refined to stand the 8b climate zone.  ask your extension agent for contacts at Texas A&M for information.  

The greater Houston area is around 500-600 hours.  Use that to shop for trees and research.  fruit with a rating over 500 are questionable but may produce some years.  The lower the number the more probability of success over the long run.  Houston Garden Center will have trees marked with chill hour ratings.  The Arboretum Society may also be able to help.  They have a tree sale once a year.  

 
James Bradford
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Thanks @ Jack ... I'm sooo gonna drop a mulberry tree in over there, and you are encouraging me to try rasberries also!   If anyone from Houston to Austin happens to have any fruit trees/plants that you wanna share ... I trade plants, maybe I have something you'll like.   My mom sent me home with 120 strawberry plants from a line she's kept since the '60's.
 
James Bradford
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Location: Salado, Texas
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my mom does work hard ... @91 and she's already given away 60 of these plants to other friends/family
DSC02668.JPG
strawberries, grapevine, and colanchoe
strawberries, grapevine, and colanchoe
 
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Willow Feeder movie
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