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Michael Cox wrote:What purpose are you hoping to achieve with the grass mix? Are you intending to let livestock graze it?
Michael Cox wrote:My experience of grass around our fruit trees is that it competes for nutrients - the trees I have mulched around and smothered the grass are doing much better. Typical species that permies like to plant in orchard type areas are nutrient accumulators and mulch plants.
Michael Cox wrote: Clover fits this bill (fixing nitrogen) but I'd also look at planting comfrey which has a deep taproot and returns trace minerals to the soil surface. In our food forest by ground layer has strawberries (running freely all over the place now), Comfrey, redcurrant bushes, rhubarb, globe artichokes etc... Where possible I have been deep mulching with woodchips too.
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Cj Verde wrote:Plant N fixing trees amongst the fruit trees so you can chop and drop the small branches around the fruit trees. Lawton goes 9-1 N-other trees as support. Black Locust is inexpensive and very easy to start from seed.
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Agriculture collects solar energy two-dimensionally; but silviculture collects it three dimensionally.
Cj Verde wrote:Are you putting in any swales?
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Agriculture collects solar energy two-dimensionally; but silviculture collects it three dimensionally.
Michael Cox wrote:Pedro - you haven't said anything about you climate and location. These will have a bearing on recommendations. Most people here add it to profile information so it is always visible.
Michael Cox wrote: Regarding Swales, they are great for getting trees established because they help build a reservoir of water in the soil. If your rain is consistent year round this may not be an issues, but even here in the wet UK we have dry spells in summer and end up irrigating. Swales are a cheaper and easier alternative to bore hole irrigation if they will work in your setting.
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Michael Cox wrote:
even here in the wet UK we have dry spells in summer
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Galadriel Freden wrote:
Michael, slightly off-topic, but do you have photos of your food forest?
We do ??
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Peter Ellis wrote:What you don't have at this point is a good system for preparing the pasture area and sowing the pasture mix.
I say this in hope of highlighting the question that needs answering so that someone who does have good advice on point can chime in and help you out.
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Pedro Cr wrote:Spent the day working the field. Burned off some old branches and broke down a pile of compost into several piles around the trees to mulch them. After that had a tractor come in and till the field. The original plan was to sow right after as tomorrow there's rain forecast. However the weeds were so tough we decided to let it rest for a few weeks, let the weeds come back and then till them again. It will also give me some time to improve the mixture I had bought. I want to add a red clover and some comfrey and borage. My bulk seed supplier is looking up the prices for bulk comfrey and borage and hopefully I'll have those seeds in a week or two.
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Zach Muller wrote:If I were doing that technique again I would absolutely look at inoculating my seeds before sowing. I have had great germination from some inoculated red clover seeds I bought and it made me realize how much that would have helped getting a strong start in re-tilled soil.
Amy Woodhouse wrote:Pedro, looks like you have gotten some good advice. I would highly recommend that you find the highest contour line on the pice of property you are planning this food forest on so you can plant your trees accordingly. Even if you are not planning on putting in a swale right now, you may want to later and it would be a shame to have to disturb the trees you are planting later on. The swale can be as simple as one pass with a double bottom plow. If you could upload a topo map ( not sure if they are available in your area) with the particular ace outlined I might be able to give more specific help.
Amy Woodhouse wrote:If you could upload a topo map ( not sure if they are available in your area) with the particular ace outlined I might be able to give more specific help.
Peter Ellis wrote:So your land is already terraced. Seems like you do not need swales.
Peter Ellis wrote: Regarding inoculation, the actual seeds get treated with the bacteria before planting.
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Pedro Cr wrote:
Peter Ellis wrote:So your land is already terraced. Seems like you do not need swales.
My conclusion too.
Peter Ellis wrote: Regarding inoculation, the actual seeds get treated with the bacteria before planting.
I'll have to check with my seed supplier then. Right now I'm planning 4 grasses (2 clovers, ryegrass and fescue) as well as borage and comfrey. Would this apply to all of them? Does it apply in general?
Zach Muller wrote:Here is a link to a small article about the bacteria. As for specific types there is another article here with more detailed information about types and techniques. I have only ever used pre inoculated.
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