posted 10 years ago
I'm in the early stages of converting a mostly-abandoned orchard into a permaculture orchard. I have found a few small mulberry trees, which I plan to leave. I also found a few small elms growing in the orchard, and was wondering if these would be a good contribution or something I should plan on removing? They are beginning to crowd out 2 peach trees that are around 5 years old. I'm in central Illinois, zone 5, if that makes a difference. I've started transplanting black and honey locust trees into the rows. I will be ordering 20 or so different varieties of dwarf fruit trees, and when I get the rows of trees established, I'll be ordering or transplanting a variety of shrubs (edibles and nitrogen fixers) and ground covers (again, edibles and nitrogen fixers). Any advice/ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!