Julian Williams

+ Follow
since Dec 11, 2019
Merit badge: bb list bbv list
Biography
All posts are my own opinions.
Lawyer, amateur forester, homesteader, writer, lover of learning.
Delving into permaculture in an effort to build a resilient, self-reliant future.
For More
Zone 4a/5b, New Brunswick, Canada
Apples and Likes
Apples
Total received
In last 30 days
0
Forums and Threads

Recent posts by Julian Williams

Last year was a building year, so this one is a growing year for me.

Major goal: produce double the food as last year. I really think this is doable as we added a lot of garden space last year, but weren't as efficient with it as we could have been. We also had some bad starts for plants, and a lot of cucumber and squash beetles wreaking havoc.

Minor goal: plant more perennials. We already ordered asparagus roots, and I'm hoping to get cuttings for elderberry, black current, and some Jerusalem artichokes from a local source.

Bonus goal: transplant beaked hazelnut in the fall. We have a native species that isn't an ideal eater due to some processing issues, but does well in our area. There are at least two places I've found along the access roads (unofficial atv trails) that the squirrels have been enjoying every year. I may as well plant some down by our red oak that's so generous to them already.

So looking forward to the growing season this year!
2 years ago
I love this idea. I'll try to make some room for testing if I can. We're in our second summer on our homestead so lots of potential for good examples of changes. I've been looking for a way to be motivated to capture the changes in the land as I've been divesting from social media platforms. Kudos for the work thus far!
3 years ago
Wow!!! I'm so impressed. I loved the image of the scale, but this I can get people to watch and listen to. Great presentation of the concepts. Thanks for all your hard work!
It's hard from your description to tell where you are in NB, but here's my experience from our first year on our property near Fredericton.
"Last frost" date of mid-May, had our final frost in mid-June (killed our crab-apple blossoms, but somehow our tomatoes survived).
We had tomatoes growing into late September/October. Only lost them because I forgot to cover them one night and the frost got them.
This summer was hot and dry - more so than previous years. Our property is south-facing so we get the worst of it but the past 3 years have been unseasonably warm and dry in the province.
For today's context: We're doing our first big planting mid-May, two weeks earlier than last year. A lot of nature's signs have been pointing to an earlier season start, and a later season end. Our spring this year has been very strange, and I worry we won't have the same kind of season in the next 5-10 years.

As for hazelnuts: yes, yes yes! Beaked hazelnuts are native to the province and you may find some at forest edges around your property. More productive varieties should do just fine.
For fruit: plums are your friend (at least more artic varieties), and apples do well (although better with North-facing exposure). We have many volunteer apple trees in our forest thanks to the prolific deer and orchards around us.
Berries: there are about a dozen native berry bushes in NB, so you're good to go on that front for most berries you would want to have. I'm jealous of your wild blueberries!
Timber-trees: Think about planting some red oak in the future. The climate is changing and it is drastically affecting the makeup of the forest in the province. The Acadian Forest is a mix of boreal and northern hardwood. The boreal sections are being pushed further north and the composition of the forest will likely see a big shift in the next 10-20 years.

We're just getting started in our journey. Let's grow together in NB! :)
3 years ago
I'm really interested in this! We have a few parts of our property where we could plant some of this if it is worth the effort. Looking forward to updates from you both.
3 years ago
Can't say I know, but you may like the plantnet app to ID plants. I snap pictures all the time and run them through its algorithm. Seems to be pretty accurate, and there are ways to get feedback from it as well. Lots of pictures and sightings from all over the world!
Welcome to permies!
There are more and more of us popping up from around the Maritime provinces. I'm in central New Brunswick, so a bit farther. I'm hoping once travel is more accommodating, I'll be able to meet some of the permies across NB and NS.

3 years ago

Carl Mohr wrote:

Julian Williams wrote:Our front orchard is going in this spring. We've got 9 trees on their way to us including 3 pears! It's our first time growing trees from whips and we're excited to see what we can do. Our guilds are figured out and seeding starts for the herbs this weekend.

Pears we are planting:
Summercrisp
Clapp
Patten

We're ordering from a local nursery that has been around for a long time. Hoping that the positioning we've chosen works out well.


Best to choose trees with over lapping bloom periods.  They should be close enough to facilitate bee pollination.  



Thanks for that. After a bit of a search
Summercrisp: Mid-May (may be later in my climate)
Clapp: Mid-spring?
Patten: Mid-spring? slightly self-fertile

So I'll have to see what happens, and with the conditions here specifically. I'm also really interested in growing from seed, but that's a stretch goal.
3 years ago
We have two plum trees going in this spring, both Mooer's Arctic Plum.

I'm really excited about this plum variety. The earliest reference I can find is a newspaper clipping from 1884 from the Vermont Watchmen and State Journal. The variety appears to have originated in Aroostok County, Maine. There is some evidence as well that it did well in Woodstock, New Brunswick, Canada, which is about a 45 minute drive by highway from our homestead. I will definitely be diving more into its history if I can!
3 years ago
Our front orchard is going in this spring. We've got 9 trees on their way to us including 3 pears! It's our first time growing trees from whips and we're excited to see what we can do. Our guilds are figured out and seeding starts for the herbs this weekend.

Pears we are planting:
Summercrisp
Clapp
Patten

We're ordering from a local nursery that has been around for a long time. Hoping that the positioning we've chosen works out well.
3 years ago