Ideas for an unattended acre?

[sam_uk]

Hi all

My mum has an acre of land that is basically doing nothing. I am planning to help her plant it with useful things. She lives a quite a long way from me so I will only be able to get to it once every couple of months. The garden needs to be maintenance free as far as possible. The land is quite high up on a hill. It has forest on one side.

I would like it to be able to provide food in a emergency situation so I am particularly interested in perennial root crops.

The basic plan is;

1/2 acre of ash coppice for fire wood.

1/4 acre fruit orchard (mainly apple with some pear and cherry)

1/8 acre nut orchard (Hazels two or three chestnuts and a couple of grafted walnuts)

1/8 acre soft fruit and perennial plants. (in practice these will also be an understorey for the trees)

In the perennial/garden section I am planning to grow these plants in stacks of tyres. The tyres will be placed on a weed free surface and mulched heavily.

Rasberries
Goosberry
Chinese yam (Dioscorea batatas) http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php ... ea+batatas
Oca http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Oxalis+tuberosa
American Groundnut (Apios americana) http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Apios+americana
Siberian peashrub (Caragana arborescens) http://www.pfaf.org/leaflets/peatree.php
Jeruselum Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosa)
Day lilles

What would you add to this mix? What would you do differently?

[Keela]

Potatoes are more productive for about the same amount of work as Oca. Have you eaten oca?

J.artichokes can give some wicked wind!

[woodburner]

Look at this. I've just ordered a copy. There is a book on the subject by John Hart as well, needles to say I've ordered that too. My garden is part way there, I intend to move in the forest garden direction as part of the attraction being minimal maintenance.

[Keela]

I just got a copy of that book.... good reading.

Sam - I should have said I like all your trees etc. What about adding some blackcurrants and elderberries?

Cardboard and mulch round their bases helps to keep grass down and also helps you to see where smaller plants are esp in winter.

[clv101]

Rhubarb.

[careful_eugene]

How about some asparagus? Now is the time to plant crowns that should last for 20 years. I've just planted 30 crowns and they're shooting up but will have untill next year before I can cut any

[DominicJ]

Sounds like a good plan, are you going for big fruit trees or little ones?

[sam_uk]

Thanks for all your useful ideas..

I did have Patrick Whitefields forest gardening book but lost it in my tent at the G20 climate camp eviction

"Potatoes are more productive for about the same amount of work as Oca. Have you eaten oca?"

Not tasted Oca yet, I am growing some though. Potatoes are great but are susceptible to blight and do not like being in the same place year after year.

I am imagining that if I leave my Oca and yams in the ground unharvested that the frost will kill off the plant and they will simply re-grow the following year?

Is that the case or will I need to dig them up each year and re-plant the following spring?

[Ted]

If there is not going to be someone there for regular maintenance will there be someone there at the right time to harvest soft fruit? If not you'll just be growing it for the birds.

[sam_uk]

If there is not going to be someone there for regular maintenance will there be someone there at the right time to harvest soft fruit?

Yes, My mum lives there. She is prepared to do some maintenance.

[RenewableCandy]

Sorrel is perennial and can grow under trees. Here's ours, as of last week.

[Janco2]

I grew oca last year and it tastes fine. A smaller crop than potatoes but no blight. A bit fiddly to prepare for cooking but can be boiled/roasted etc. I've planted some saved tubers for more for this year.

[sam_uk]

OK getting serious now.. I am considering 150 ash trees from here http://www.maelor.co.uk/ at 25p each Planted at 3m spacing over half an acre.

Also 50 hazels from http://www.maelor.co.uk/ at 70p each. Planted at 3.5m spacing over 1/6 of an acre.

Protected from rabbits using 2 litre drinks bottles with the top and bottom cut off.

Do you think it is too late to do them this year?

[RenewableCandy]

Do you think it is too late to do them this year?

No, I remember putting our fruit trees and hazel in during April a couple of years ago. They didn't seem to mind. And we have an Ash, and it's not out yet.

[Catweazle]

OK getting serious now.. I am considering 150 ash trees from here http://www.maelor.co.uk/ at 25p each Planted at 3m spacing over half an acre.

Also 50 hazels from http://www.maelor.co.uk/ at 70p each. Planted at 3.5m spacing over 1/6 of an acre.

Protected from rabbits using 2 litre drinks bottles with the top and bottom cut off.

Do you think it is too late to do them this year?

Whilst I agree that Ash is great for fuel, I wonder if it will be too long before you get a return from it.

If you were to plant the whole lot with grafted walnut you could be getting a crop in 3 or 4 years. The crop can be easily harvested and preserved, and traded with people who have excess firewood.

I'm not trying to piss on your candle, I just wonder whether we actually have 10 years until TSHTF.