TweetA Forest Garden Makes for a Better Back Yard

Today is the first ever show chosen by official poll of the audience.  The choices were and the order they came in were…

One – Small Scale Food Forestry (26%)

Two – Making and Using Herbal Medicines (20%)

Three – Outdoor Cooking – Grilling, Smoking and More (16%)

Four – Setting Up a Remote Property (BOL) (14%)

Five – How to Talk to Friends and Family about Prepping (12%)

Six – Investing in Gold and Silver (9%)

You can see that poll and the final results here.

Also the poll to select shows for May has been posted and you can vote on that here.

So today we move into the topic of small scale food forestry.  This is a topic many are interested in, with a food forest, even a small one we can produce

Food

Fuel

Medicines

Fibers

Wild Life Habitat

Beauty

And Increased Property Values

The entire concept is largely misunderstood though, as forest invokes visions of huge systems and yes they can be large systems, they can also be quite small.

Join Me Today As We Discuss…

What is a food forest or a forest garden

A quick review of the seven layers of a forest

Canopy

Sub Canopy

Shrub

Herbacious

Vine

Ground Cover

Rhizome – Roots

Why it is all about the edge

Small Land Holding Advantages

Can be irrigated easily

You can and should sheet much everything

Easy to intensively manage

Contain their own micro climates (easy to create more)

Most work can be done by hand (build and manage)

Are the most productive per square foot on the planet

Do not attract attention and easy to secure

Nitrogen fixers are not as critical (still a good idea)

Things that are different from typical food forestry

The layers are scaled down

The number of support species are reduced

There are few “sacrificial plantings”

They don’t require swales or chickens but both are welcome

Small ponds and barrels are easily fed with roof catchment

Special Considerations that Open Your Options Up

Shape isn’t critical, do what works

Put in more irrigation then you think you will ever need

Consider ponds, please consider ponds

Think about power (solar first but grid is better then nothing)

You can plant a LOT closer and a LOT more dense then you think

If you have animals design in their nutrient flow

In a larger space build “glades” and maximize the edges

Build structures for your vines they can otherwise dominate a small system

Fertilize (organically) a lot early on

Mulch and chop and drop like crazy

Resources for today’s show…

Join the Members Brigade

The Year 1764

Join Our Forum

Walking To Freedom

GenForward.com

TSP Gear

PermaEthos.com

AgriTrue.com

tspaz.com – Support TSP When You Shop on Amazon.com

Paradise Lot

Edible Forest Gardens

Farming the Woods

Tree Crops a Permanent Agriculture

Meads of the Week – Episode Five

The Last Resort – The Eagles

Sponsors of the Day

JM Bullion

TSP Business Directory

DC Custom Design

Bob Wells Plant of the Week – Arbequina Olive – The most cold hardy variety of olives know that also has one of the highest olive production and oil yields.

The soil should be well drained. Tree has an upright habit. We recommend covering the tree the first winter if the temperature drops below freezing.

Once the tree has been in the ground for a year and is well rooted, it then will begin to withstand the colder temperatures.

The older the tree gets the more, cold hardy it becomes. Oil is sweet, delicate and fragrant with intense fruitiness but low levels of bitterness and spiciness.

If you live above zone 7, you can grow it in a container and bring it inside during the winter months.

Bob Wells specializes in edible landscape, including: Fruit Trees, Berry Plants, Vine Fruit, Nut Trees, as well as the hard to find Specialty Fruit Trees. Find this plant and more at BobWellsNursery.Com

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon[...]