What a nice tread for me. I was coming talking about my new decision and here I see this.
Just a little recap: 4 millions square foot, half of it in a mature forest and half of it in old pastures. A lot of ¨wild¨ apple trees, and a lot of berries trees (sour cherries, Saskatoon berries, hawtorn) Pimbina etc...and buches like blue berries since my ground is more acid. rasberries, strawberries etc...
I plant my garden with the Emilia Hazelip technique and starting a food forest. I think I begin to understand how to integrate the concept to my exciting forest
BUUUUT
For now, we started last year buy planting apple trees, pears ans see buckthorn and vines but more in the traditional way (in line),,,Now I have to developp with this. SO last automn, I planted bulbs around the apple trees and put some cardboard and mulch with straw on it on a good surface. This year, I transplanted a black currant and a pimbina that I started last year by a branche cutting. I also added yarrow, rhubarb, some flowesr, hemerocalles, tansie and sowed some seeds that I had, clover, vetch, beans, salad etc around.
My point in regard of the topic is that this spring, even with the bulbs, the cardboard and the straw, a lot of grass grew around the tronc since there was holes around them. I could'nt put the cardboard close enough. So when I saw this I had notice that clover, dandalions and comfrey, looks to take over the grass. I cut the grass did some scratch on the grass across the grass and sewed some clover and vetch seeds. I will let this go. ON one of my pear tree, by a coincidence, probably from the dirt that we took to put it in the ground, clover grew around the trunck just at the base. It is so nice.
Aother point I was woundering, Since I am starting with an exsisting forest, it is almost impossible to think that I would be able to mulch, and put
compost all over the place...I think I will try to add fruit trees, sow some seeds around and plant all layers of plant and let go. One day, the food forest will grow and will take over...This is my guess....SInce their is grass all over the place, it will be easier and less discouraging. I notice also taht on the edge of the forest, their is not a lot of grass. The ground layer is more short and a lot of strawberries are present and bluberries. Also a lot of natural compost and shrubs. I think I will take the challenge...what do you think?
isabelle