Justin Farina

Thank you Cory! I am hoping to stumble upon some Sarnians who share my interest!

Where can I get Comfrey? I cant seem to locate a seller near by...also, here is what I was planning for the front:

I have some asparagus already set along what will be the north border
a berry as the understory...just undecided as to what
likely some strawberries/raspberries in the mix throughout
good king henry
oregano
arugula
bunching onions

then perhaps comfrey?

Ideally, this area will be all perennials. The apple tree has ZERO apples this year, and a lot of dead branches...I am concerned about it. The idea will be to trim it way back...the old owners let it go wild and it is quite overgrown.

I am still learning about companion planting, and will likely add nasturtiums...The garden build wont be until the fall, so likely planting wont happen until the spring.

Simultaneously, we are putting in some hugelkultur raised beds in the back, for our annuals...lots of time to plan and choose plants for both.

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Thanks for the help - all of the videos I have seen of permaculture being used typically has perennials...i plan on planting tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc. every year....I put in asparagus and leafy greens in the hopes they come back...does kale, leaf lettuce, and spinach go to seed in the fall?

Hey all!!

I stumbled upon permaculture and hugelkultur recently and am quickly becoming obsessed with the idea of growing food for my family and friends!

My wife and two sons (4 and 2) moved into a rather large urban property (about 1/2 an acre) and inherited a lot of plants and trees...the bonus was 4 pear tree, 3 apple trees, and a cherry tree.

I built some raised beds this year and tried various veggies just to see what would happen...tomatoes, snap peas, green beans, peppers, kale, leaf lettuce, brocolli, and spinach. We have a lot of existing pine and birch trees on the property as well, so there tends to be a lot of shade during the day where the existing garden bed was located...I put the leafy greens here.

Anyways, my plan is to build a permaculture garden around an existing apple tree...not sure if this is smart. It is a circular area, all grass right now, and it in surrounded by really tall pines/spruces. it gets decent sun during the day, aside from the apple tree canopy that exists (we plan on trimming it back this fall).

So here are my questions...

1. What are the best perennial crops to grow in Southwestern Ontario? Especially things that may not get a lot of sun? I figure shade plants would be best closer to the apple tree, and some sun plants outside the leaf line.

2. Should I consider annuals in the bed as well?

Any help would be great!