Brandon Stokley

hello,


im trying to find a how to guide on splitting off from the main water line from my well to then trench in some irrigation for my front field planting.

i really dont wanna mess up and have a large repair bill on my hands.

does any one have a good step by step for this?

the well is closer to the needed irrigation than the house so it out be splitting off near the well.. head? idk if thats the right word. the part that goes in the ground lol

This is the second growing season for my paw paws and the last they will be shaded.  Was wondering what y'all plant under them as a companion. perhaps another carrion smelling flower that blooms around the same time to attract more pollinators?

Hello

The time is coming for me to clean out my poultry exclosures. Im using the deep littler meathod and Spring is a'springing. Time to start a new.

My question is, can i put this directly into the orchard?

Context and thoughts:

My orchard is young and various species. Apples, Asian Pears, Elderberries, Paw Paw, Mulberry, Walnut, Hazel Nut, Quince.....i believe thats everything so far.

Each tree is on a mound about a foot high, 3 to 5 feet wide and heavily mulched with a welded wire cage surrounding the mound.

The bedding in question is coming from coops of chickens, ducks and geese that has been building up for the past 5 months or so.

My thought was to spread it bewteen the "heavy feeders" on the OUTSIDE of the welded wire cages. Thinking that the majority of the hot nitrogen will be washed down adjacent to the roots as the oldest trees were planted last April or so and i dont think the roots have extended past the cages much.

what do yall think?

Liv Smith wrote:Looks like foxglove to me.

ohhhhh.... i think you're right.


than you

walking around my new property wondering if this is borage

i forgot a nitrogen fixer.

some research shows goumi berry being a good choice.

i put together a planting schedule for this area that spans a year. i did this to offset cost but also to allow the elderberry to establish a bit to provide protection for the paw paw. tried to also schedule out the planting for proper timing for each species.

Year 1 2024

Beltane( may 1)
Plant:
Walnut
Goumi berry
Elderberry
Bocking 14 Comfrey
Echinacea
Winter Squash

Litha ( june 21)

Lughnasadh ( august 1)
Plant:
Chard

Mabon (september 21)
Plant:
Arugula

Samhain ( october 31)
Plant:
Garlic
Harvest:
Squash

Yule (december 21)





Year 2 2025

Imbolc (febuary 1)
Plant:
Paw Paw
Hazel Nut
Trillium


Ostera (march 21)
Plant:
Arugula

for squash if you only grow one variety of the three species you can keep pure varieties and have diversity. they dont cross pollinate.

Joe Hallmark wrote:How big of an area are you wanting to cover? if this is just a guild around one tree I think you’ve done a pretty great job at putting it together. I’d put a flower or two that would help while the comfrey gets established. There’s quite a few that are compatible with walnuts.

i was going to do 3-5 walnut trees as the canopy/key stone. so the area would be fairly large.

i read echinacea does well around walnut. what else do you think would work?

Hey there everyone!

i have been trying to plan my first planting with the guild concept in mind. woud love some feed back and ideas. soo here goes.

zone 8a, lewis county wa

key stone species/canopy : walnut (grafted varieties for my area)

understory tree species: paw paw

shrub layer: hazelnut and elderberry

accumulator/attractant: bocking 14 comfrey

repeller: hardneck garlic

ground cover: candy roaster squash, seminole pumpkin

what else could i add here?

my goal is to fill the juglone exposed area immediately as to not have to worry about what i can and cant plant after this planting. also the walnut and paw paw are going to take the longest time to mature.

John F Dean wrote:There is a great deal we don’t know.  

Where is your property? ( in terms of rain and temperature)

Does it have any structures in it?

Does it have electricity run to it.

Is anyone else moving there with you?

Finally, with any plan comes the question if cash.

If, there is no place to live, shelter comes to mind.  After having lived in a tent for more than a few months, I would suggest a storage shed.  This would  have use after my dwelling is in.   I would buy the largest one I could comfortably afford.  Having one that could be moved might have benefits.

Certainly observe your property.  But, no matter what you will need water.  The source of the water will be heavily influenced by the location of your property. When I bought property in MN, my well went in before I moved.

I would be wondering about heat the winter?   I calculate how big of woodlot I need?  Will I need to cut wood now for next winter …or will I need to buy? Either way, I would need the wood to start drying now.

property is in zone 8a, lewis county washington state. wet winter, dry summer, mild seasons.

only structure is the house, which has electric and water from a private well.

my partner is moving with me but he is more... of the indoorsy type lol.

funding is tight but not terribly.

my first thought is to capture the winter water for summer when its dry. pond seems to be the best solution. where does that go, how big, how much does it cost?