Barbara Simoes

Personally, I loved doing this when I was in the planning stage and here's why...As you can see, I live in Vermont where winter is almost half the year.  To look out my upstairs window and envision lovely full grown fruit trees and bushes when, in reality, the ground was a blank slate of snow, helped get me through the doldrums of winter!  A great deal of time was spent just envisioning and dreaming.  The plants were fully grown and leafed out in my mind's eye.

For me, it was quite important to do because I was limited on space, and I wanted to get all, or at least most, of my plants at once--I'm not getting any younger and some of the trees would take a number of years before fruition. I'm still waiting on most of them.  It was kind of like doing a jigsaw puzzle because I needed to know that they would all fit.

I did a general sketch of the shape of the garden. At this point, the front yard was still all (snow-covered) grass, which in spring I'd rent a sod cutter and have lifted out, but I needed to see how deep (south to north) the garden needed to be to accommodate all of the fruit trees, figuring their mature size.  If you have acres and acres to play with, maybe a plan would not be needed, but I have one acre total and it's within a village setting right on a scenic highway.  It was going to go the length of my front yard along the sidewalk on its south and the driveway on its east.  

There was an existing "side garden" on the west between my neighbors and me that includes a Leonard Messel magnolia, some viburnums, dogwood and rhododendrons and the like. It runs south to north perpendicular to the sidewalk and is sort of a woodland garden because the neighbors have a giant oak the shades that area.  A lot of the time I spent planning was spent just observing and dreaming.  I watched shadows and envisioned new shadows and envisioned full sized versions of all the plants I'd be growing.  I wanted the two areas to meld into one continuous garden that curved around from the front to the side yard.  Accounting for the shadier aspect, I knew that this would be a good place for things like currants and lingonberries.  Lots of observation and thinking time was crucial...and enjoyable.  I found that this raised a lot of good questions that I needed to research about certain plants.  

I knew the shorter stuff would go in the front (south) near the sidewalk while the trees would go on the north side. I didn't get too fussy and plan out where I would plant the strawberries as they were to be my groundcover and the runners jump all over the place anyway. Nor did I worry too much about the perennials as I could plunk them in around and amongst the larger things--many flowering perennials would be between the serviceberries and the sidewalk for the benefit of people passing...and, honestly, people walking dogs and them wanting to pee--not really keen of my food being spritzed with urine!  

By mapping it out, I knew I could use 50 Regent serviceberries and an equal number of asparagus crowns.  Just reading about spacing helped me with the ordering numbers.  The frontage is 120' or so.  Looking out the window at the  barren landscape is much easier than when it's summer and I'm distracted by growing things!  Visualizing the plants as one long expanse made me realize that I needed to break the length in halves.  In my mind vision, I placed an arbor in the middle. Upon it, I could plant any number of choices. I went with pink roses.  Once sketched out, I could really consider all of the plant interactions--how one would affect another.  Considerations were things like shade or ease in harvest or overall spread and height.  I even considered the variations of bloom or fall color!

Because I mapped it out, I realized that there wasn't room for everything.  I ended up putting some of the more unruly things out back like elderberries, mulberries and hazelnuts. As far as trees, I knew that I wanted to use the Grow a Little Fruit Tree method.  I'll be turning 65 this September, and am not keen on climbing ladders to prune or harvest!   This also let me fit much more into my front yard.  I have three apple trees, an Autumn Brilliance serviceberry, three pawpaws, two persimmon, a cherry, two figs, a medlar and probably other things I'm forgetting. Some of the trees will be much taller than what I can reach, but they drop their fruit once ripe, so I will have a nice variety of heights.

There are lots of fruiting shrubs as well.  For me, being this space is "on display," I planted for visual interest and color as well, trying to spread that out.  I do have lots of perennials and bulbs interspersed as wildlife attractors and repellers.  (Garlic and daffs)  I also took into consideration the window of blooms and harvest, so that there was always something blooming and something ready to harvest.  The honeyberries, rhubarb, clove currants and asparagus are among the first and I'll end the year with pawpaws, persimmons and medlar.  Surprisingly, I've been harvesting strawberries until November.  As you can see, there were many goals that I wanted this garden to achieve: color, blooming and fruiting span, size and attractiveness to wildlife or not.   The mapping aspect was crucial because I had limited room in which to accomplish all of these desires.  

When planting time came, I did make a few minor tweaks, but for the most part, I was really pleased with how straight-forward it was.  I referred to the map often and things went in very quickly.  I think I would have been lost without it; after all, it took me hours of thought, consideration and revision with just graph paper and circles!  It can be very deceptive to plant a stick and really have a good idea of the size it will become.  I remember reading in Grow a Little Fruit Tree how the author states that at her nursery, people really have no idea the actual size of what a small or dwarf 20' tree really looks like.  She went on to say that even she never really got a good grasp on that!  Having it on a map takes out all of the emotion.  It just takes the room it takes and not what you want it to be!

I usually sleep well...except for the regular bathroom visits, so I never know when I'll have that occasional sleepless night.  I have two things that work for me when my mind just won't shut down.  I made some lemon balm tincture (from some that is growing in my backyard) this past summer, and I keep it upstairs near my bed.  I've only needed it twice now, but it works incredibly well!  I just take one dropper full and almost instantly, I can feel any tightness let go.  It's total relaxation and ease.  There is no grogginess or drugged sensation at all.  It's almost like all of the electric buzzing going on inside of me stops and everything opens up and calms.  The first time I used it, I was worried because the scent of lemon seemed like it would "excite" my system, but it was remarkable.  I will always have this on hand! Both times, within five or ten minutes I was well on my way to a good night's sleep.

Personally, I can't imagine getting up and making some sort of tea in order to fall asleep.  That's why this second method is kind of a pain.  I don't have to get up and cook, but I do have to rearrange blankets and pillows.  A friend at work told me about it after one of those sleepless nights, and it, too, works every time.  All it involves is turning yourself around in your bed, so you have your head where your feet usually are, and your feet where your head normally is.  Rather than remake the bed, I usually just grab an extra blanket and lie down on top of the sheets and comforter and then move a pillow to its new placement.  It's funny, but I rarely think to do this one, but when I have, it's never failed me.  Pleasant dreams!

This is from inaturalist:
Crataegus /krəˈtiːɡəs/, commonly called hawthorn, or thornapple, or hawberry, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. The name "hawthorn" was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe, especially the common hawthorn C. monogyna, and the unmodified name is often so used in Britain and Ireland. However the name is now also applied to the entire genus,...
https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/330094

When I was looking into getting a hawthorn, I saw a lot of videos showing some varieties being used as hedgerows in the UK. I like that they support wildlife and provide color and flowers and medicine!  Some have ginormous thorns if that's what you're after!

I think variety is important--you know, "Eat the rainbow!" Because of permaculture, I'm growing over 50 different fruits and tons of vegetables here.  I've started canning, fermenting, freezing and drying the extra.  I also am keenly aware of building up my soil.  I mulch up leaves from my property and my neighbors', I add biochar and do the "chop and drop". I add in manure and other minerals, figuring that it can only make the food I grow that much better.  Of course, I grow organically.

Lately, I came across Dr. Li's videos, who wrote Eat to Beat Disease, which I bought.  I was intrigued because he comes from a research/science/data/results perspective.  He looks at different systems in the body and what foods help and hinder these systems such as DNA repair, angiogenesis (blood vessel growth), regeneration, microbiome and immunity. He is a doctor and researcher and looks at the makeup of various foods that are beneficial toward these ends.  His big thing is to not necessarily taking things out of your diet, but to think about what you should add in and why; he does discourage things like ultra-processed foods like deli meats and soda, but other than that, he promotes fresh, whole foods. (Shopping the perimeter of the store.) He does talk about finding some very decent things within the aisles, though: canned tomatoes and the like. He talks about the chemical/enzymatic makeup within various foods and what that does for our bodies. He is not at all judgmental or condescending, but has wonderful analogies to make a point.  Because of him, I've got some broccoli sprouts started on the counter to add in to salads (Studies found that they increased Natural Killer T cells twenty-fold--Immunity systems.)  I've been re-invigorated to eat more grains and beans and ferments again.  I now make yogurt by the gallon in my dehydrator--microbiome.  He encourages more of a plant based diet, but does eat fish and meat protein, too, but more in side dish rather than main dish sort of way. He talks a lot about following the science; yes, coffee and chocolate...and even a beer from time to time is good for us!

I had been on a keto-leaning diet, but that was slipping...it's hard to stay under 20 carbs a day, and unless I do, the rest is worthless...I remember the day I discovered an onion had 14 carbs.  Geez! I still do avoid white foods like flour, sugar, potatoes, and white rice, although, with the holidays, I will confess that I've indulged.  I've had my fun...which wasn't really fun at all; it always makes me feel terrible and it's instant weight gain for me.  It's time to get back to good, nutrient-dense food.

I also stumbled on to a website that breaks down what you eat into so much more than calories.  It's called Chronometer. It tells you where you are as to vitamins and minerals, proteins, etc.  I am always intrigued by the fact that I get plenty of fiber, but struggle to get enough protein.  I get plenty Vitamin C, but it takes a bit more to get A, B, D and E, just to name a few.  It's free and you can sign up to play around and see what it does.  You can enter recipes and it will store them and break them down nutritionally.  I no longer enter all my food daily, but once a week, and it reminds me to eat more orang foods like sweet potatoes or carrots  for that vitamin A!  There are pop ups that inform you of what each nutrient does for the body, and if you hover over a food, it will tell you its nutritional makeup. You can also hover over on the right side of the nutrients to see what the leading foods you ate contributed to gaining that particular item. The more I play around with it, the more I discover it can do.  A very worthwhile and educational site that I highly encourage.

I think it goes beyond the porch.  I've had a porch on my 1850's house always; when I added an arbor near the sidewalk, it signaled that people were welcome to come through and say hello!  I built my first permaculture garden abutting the front sidewalk and driveway.  I didn't want people or dogs to come into the garden proper, stepping on plants like strawberries, which are my groundcover, but mainly, I put it there because my frontage is over 120', which seemed like too much of a distance for people to traverse to get to the driveway and up to the porch.  The arbor cuts the expanse in half.  Since putting it there, people do come over to where I sit on the porch and visit, where they never had before, even when it was just grass out there!  I remember having one little girl come through the pink rose-covered arbor and state that she felt like a princess!  I think of that every time I use it now!

I think you have to make it a welcoming walkway leading up to the porch for people to feel like they dare enter; a porch is part of the house, and they might feel like they are intruding or that they should have a bigger purpose other than just saying hello.

I used to think that grapes had to be pruned when dormant.  I, too, grow Concords on a chain link fence that surrounds the pool.  It was always a pain in the butt to go out and do the job when all of the vine was dried out and stiff.  One year, I didn't get to it, and then, come summer, the plant got huge, so I clipped back every branch that didn't have fruit on it, or back to where the fruit was on others.  This is the only way I prune it now.  First off, the debris is so much softer, and I can haul it all away in one or two cartloads without fighting the unruly lengths.  The vines are well over 30 years old now and going strong.  Earlier tonight, I was enjoying a glass of grape juice that I had steam juiced and then canned from this year's fruit.  I have not found a downside to pruning this way.  The vine had never been pruned in its first number of years, so I couldn't figure out how to go back and get order from chaos.  Now, I just hack back those long tendrils that add shade to the rest and don't have fruit.

I've never had carrot tops (or mustard tops); I guess I'll have to give them a try.  Parsley is extremely hardy, too.  We've had our first snow and many freezing nights, and it'll be just fine.  It's a biannual so it'll be back next year too.  I had harvested seed and where I dropped some it sprouted and is coming up.  I've never had seed be so successful and easy to grow! I live right below in Vermont where we used to be zone 4.  It's always done well.  

Ra Kenworth wrote:

Barbara Simoes wrote:
... "parsleyed potatoes."  I almost use them in equal measure; .  It doesn't sound like much, but it is amazing.  I told a friend about it and she tried it and then proceeded to make it for at least the next four nights concurrently!  Try it; you'll like it!

I've always considered parsley to be a superfood. No wonder your friend was craving it.

For those of us whose growing season is a bit too short, I have found that carrot tops are a great substitute, with similar calcium, vitamin C, A etc.

I should have mentioned them in my preferred greens -- young carrot tops are tender and sweet of course. I often offset the blandness of wild spinach with carrots tops and mustard tops (just plain old yellow mustard seed from your local spice section at a fraction of the price.)

Rick mentioned parsley, which made me think of how much I love parsley.  I always freeze a bunch to get me through the winter, but it makes a fantastic pesto and something I can go overboard on is "parsleyed potatoes."  I almost use them in equal measure; in other words, as much fresh parsley as cubed up potatoes! My mom used to peel new potatoes, but I never do, and they don't have to be new potatoes, either.  I add a fair amount of butter and salt and toss it all together.  It doesn't sound like much, but it is amazing.  I told a friend about it and she tried it and then proceeded to make it for at least the next four nights concurrently!  Try it; you'll like it!