AmberLynn Gairden

I have heard that persimmon is very hard and tight grained, it's used for golfclubs I believe...

Thanks Leora. We will be putting in natives as most of our acreage does not have the option to be irrigated. The ultimate goal of course is to have a savanna type silvo-pasture. I was hoping to put a couple acres in using wildrye and/or sainfoin in an irrigated 2 acre section while we get our system underway, to help with winter feed costs. Unfortunately if we purchased seed all at once for the natives it would be close to $10K as we have over 7o acres...so piecemeal it will be! Thank you for your recommendations.

I am researching for drought tolerant perennials to establish on our property. I have found a dry land native grass mix that I will probably purchase, by I ran across a reference to Altai Wildrye as a perennial grain and Sainfoin as an ancient legume more suited for drought. Sainfoin is also supposed NOT to cause bloat and protect against worms etc. I'm wondering if anyone semi local has experience with these perennial forages? Do they work as purported?

Hi Kelly! We are close to Center, not quite in Sagauche county. We are close enough to the edge of the valley to get a few more of the summer rains, which is nice. And I can't say enough about the view! I don't understand the doubters...if you find an old homestead you will find an apple tree there. Why we can't do it now is beyond my understanding. I'm thinking of starting off with honey locust, seabuckthorn, buffalo berry. I'd like to try a few goumi as they are marginally hardy, just to see what they do here. After that I'd like to do standard apples, pears, beaked hazels if our ph isn't over 7. I'd love to do prunus, but there is a ban on them. I've run into a couple of references that say yellowhorn nuts are hardy to zone 4/5 and like the kind of conditions we have in the valley. I'd love to have a large greenhouse to protect some hardy kiwi, just for the "cool" factor. I'm still wrapping my head around how much our land can support with the amount of water we get. I have very vague ideas, mostly of savanna type silvopasture type systems with lots of edge around paddocks with hedgerows...not a lot of specifics though. I'd be happy to hook you up with some rabbit when we get going! The reproductive ability of rabbits are appealing and from what I've read much more in line labor/resource wise for a small homestead.

edited - I have it in my head that hybrid oaks, walnuts and chestnuts with 4-6 year to fruit would be a good addition also. I also think that to get pasture established we're going to have to utilize the moisture from mob grazing to get anything established.

Hello all,

This is an older thread...I'm hoping that everyone is having a productive growing season. Our family has purchased 74 acres in the San Luis Valley, CO. I'm excited and frankly a bit overwhelmed by the scope of work that needs to be done. But one bite at a time eh? This season I've been gardening (not permie style), getting a handle on the whole water rights thing and observing how our piece of land reacts to different influences.  Our land is in the middle of prime potato land but has never been farmed. You can tell because of all the lovely rocks packed all over the entire property. We had to put in our garden with a pic axe because there are just so many rocks! I am seeing lots of nice rock lined paddocks in our future! In between all of the rocks is some nice sandy loan soil. We haven't got so far as to test the soil ph, I'm guessing around 7 or so. We are hoping to begin planting trees this coming spring. We are probably going to buy some water boxx to assist as we only have 5 shares of ditch and a low water table. Tree livability in our area seems to be extremely low. We've received lots of comments from people in the know that tell us we are a bit loony to try and grow things like fruits and nuts. But it makes us more determined to succeed. Imagine the impact that perennial crops could have on our little valley!

Also we've acquired 2 Nubian does, another alpine buckling to come in August, 3 Red Wattle pigs (2 gilts and 1 barrow) to be fetched in August. The laying hens are coming in September. Hopefully the Karakul sheep and meat rabbits will be introduced next spring. Our goal with our little menagerie is to be self sufficient in the meat department in 1 1/2 years and possibly offer heritage pastured pork soon after.

I would love to hear more from some local permies on your projects, successes and learn from your difficulties!

I know this is an old thread, but on the off chance you are still watching... Don't give up on the idea of composting in the Denver area! I used to live in Northglenn in the metro area. Our soil there was hardpack clay. It took us 5 years but we finally got decent soil, just in time to move.   We had a lovely compost pile! Because of the lack of humidity it had to stay under a tarp and was watered 3-4 times a week. It was also quite large (10'x10') for a back yard garden of 2000 square feet. I believe the size and the tarp helped it to retain the moisture level for the pile to "work". We also had great luck with using winter rye as a fall planted cover crop and buckwheat as our spring planted cover crop. We planted in 3'x6' beds (not raised) and had comfrey and red clover planted in permanent places at the end of each bed for a quick chop and drop type mulching opportunity. I hope your project is going well!

Not the ones in my garden. That's one of the reasons I thought Prunus - I do know a few with longer petals.

That's why I love this forum. I learn from outside my own experience!

Beautiful, whatever it is...The petals seem too long and numerous for apple, pear or cherries that I recognize. Also apples and cherries generally bloom after leafing out. Pears do flower before leafing out though.

http://www.dof.virginia.gov/identify/trees/ - nice list many with pics
http://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/ - good resource if you know leaf structure etc.

http://www.dof.virginia.gov/identify/trees/sweet-bay.htm - maybe? No, the flowers are too small it seems for this.

Good luck!

All of these companies provide excellent customer service.

Veg seeds and eatables
Bountiful Gardens - Focus is on small production low maintenance plant varieties
Adaptive Seeds - PNW company. I've found many varieties for our cool nights at elevation. Cool season and short maturing tomatoes and peppers.
Wild Garden Seeds - A new find. Focus is on genetic diversity.

Medicinal herb seeds
Horizon Herbs - This guy knows herbs! I buy from them so I don't have to worry about whether I am buying true to type medicinals.

Tubers and roots
Southern Exposure - Has hard to find perennial alliums (walking onions, true shallots, potato onions and leeks)
Fedco

Trees and live plants -
Oikos Tree Crops - Great selection of wild-ish edible plants and tubers and many seedling fruit trees being selected for reliable fruit type. Many varieties (10+) sunchokes. Exciting varieties of potatoes that make true seed.
St. Lawrence Nursery - (going through a change in ownership so limited supply of select apple) But! I'm hopeful that they will have their full selection available soon. They have goodies like blight resistant American chestnuts, hazels, wood and nut production Walnuts, Heirloom fruit trees of every sort, bramble type berries, NF bushes...all grown outside in zone 3 NY. Very hardy.

Grains old and heirloom
Kiva Seed Society - I haven't ordered yet because I have the wrong conditions going on here to increase seed stock for grain from a single packet.

Sorry this info might be too late. The Nashville Permaculture Guild at PermacultureEducation.com has an online PDC. If getting your PDC is the way you're leaning I would recommend this course. The instructors are Alan and Jessica Enzo. I had informally educated myself for years before taking this PDC and they brought out a new complexity to my thinking on permaculture. They were extremely helpful and will allow you to have a much, or as little help and extra instruction as you need. Of course the disadvantage of an online PDC is you have to get your practical learning at home without direct guidance...but such is life.

Gairden