My Carolinian Forest #3: New Nannyberry

“Attack of the lawnmower” ... we have had a few such “attacks” over the years as well … LOL!!!! I say, no matter what you end up with, it is a win-win situation. :-)

-- "A beautiful garden is a work of heart" -- Royal Oak, MI - Zone 5

Hope you get one of each MsD.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

yah.. and when I go back for some hazelnuts when he finds a couple trees for me I’ll probably buy another pawpaw as well—just in case…

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

I’ve never suffered an attack by lawnmower, but I have to cope with 3 or 4 by a rabid weedeater every year.

-- the day you quit learning is the day you quit living.

not sure which is worse—hungry lawnmowers or rabid weedeaters!

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

Hmmmmmm, interesting debate don’t ya think!! LOL!! LOL!!! LOL!!!!

-- "A beautiful garden is a work of heart" -- Royal Oak, MI - Zone 5

lol
yes I remember when my husband “took out” a maple tree once.. he said later that the darned tree was stubborn. He had to run over it several times before he cut it off. lol

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

WELL ITS EASY TO TO BLAME THE LAWN MOWER FOR YOUR MISADVENTURE I FEEL THAT THE DRIVER SHOULD TAKE SOME OF THE BLAME. WERE YOU WEARING YOUR GLASSES? I FEEL A VISIT TO THE OPTICIANS COULD BE DUE.

THAT REMINDS ME , GUESS WHO I BUMPED INTO AT THE OPTICIANS THIS WEEK ?

(NEARLY EVERYBODY)

REGARDS MIKE

-- MIKE MILTON COMMON U.K.

Every so often the “Mad Hacker” comes out of the woods!!
You never know when or what it will get! You do not know what it looks like but…
And we have never caught “it”!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

it’s in the ground.
oops forgot to take my camera with me.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

well go back in the house and get the camera … I mean really, what are you thinking … hahahaha!!!!

-- "A beautiful garden is a work of heart" -- Royal Oak, MI - Zone 5

well by the time I got back into the house the rain started … no pictures until tomorrow.
we’re finally getting rain!!!

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

This is our second day of off and on again rain … we needed it badly.

-- "A beautiful garden is a work of heart" -- Royal Oak, MI - Zone 5

The sun is out and if what they say is right, it’s suppose to be warm from here on here in Ontario

-- Hooked on Gardening.....Ontario zone 5b

That’s what I’m thinking …
we’ll probably have one more cold snap around May 24.. just to make us go GRRR

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

Positive thinking here Ms D. Please!!:-)

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

ok. I’m positive that there will be one more cold snap around May 24th… I hope I’ll be pleasantly surprised that there isn’t!!! :)

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

We’ll I’m going on the assumption that you will be pleasantly surprised, and have started planting my perennials
seedling. As well, I am seeding my sunflowers and a few others… Being extremely positive!!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

what’s to lose? Just a few little seeds—and if we are pleasantly surprised then you are way ahead of the game!!
And.. that last little cold snap will be one night so you just cover all the little babies.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

No, no, no … don’t want any more cold snaps. My Japanese Maple is just perking back up … thinking warm thoughts here … :-)

-- "A beautiful garden is a work of heart" -- Royal Oak, MI - Zone 5

come on you boy scouts – be prepared. How good it will feel when you make it to June and don’t have to use the backup plans! How horrible you’ll feel if at the end of May you are starting over and feeling horrible about the “surprise” cold snap.

Preparedness; Faith; and a whole lot of luck:)

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

“whine, whine” ... don’t wanna, can’t make me … “whine, whine” :-)

-- "A beautiful garden is a work of heart" -- Royal Oak, MI - Zone 5

Used to live in Calgary where we got snow, or hail or whatever in the middle of June or July!
One year, August 22nd, we had to bring in and freeze all peas, beans… because of a cold front!
The day after, all above ground veg. were gone!
So.. a little cold snap in May..is fair game!!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

August.. I remember picking cucumbers one year wearing a snowmobile suit. It was SO cold.. but the cukes survived—a good thing for my parents but I was busy grumbling…

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

“E” and MsDeb … Wow, now those are some memories …

-- "A beautiful garden is a work of heart" -- Royal Oak, MI - Zone 5

Debbie, this is bringing up an old, old post, but which trees survived? How did they do this summer?

Edited: Well, I just read some more of your posts and I see that you bought a new pawpaw tree. Let me know how it does next summer. It seems to be a favorite tree used in Edible Forest Gardens, but I know very little about them.

Your Carolinian Forest sounds wonderful. I read the list of trees you have planted in a subsequent blog. How far apart are they spaced? What is the age range of the trees and which are the oldest? All these questions are leading up to the possibility that you have already started an edible forest garden.

-- Robin, Massachusetts - "Live simply so others can simply live." M. Gandhi

I’m working on it!! (The edible forest garden—never heard of that before but that’s what I’m developing I guess.)

As for spacing.. ah.. yah… about that far apart. I’m not done yet so when they are all mature, everything should meld together.. that’s the theory I guess.
I will look at posting my “map” for you.

In the meantime… let’s see what I planted…
I’ll try to think in terms of what came first

• Apple – about 25 years (I can’t believe it is that old- wow)
• Walnut tree—it must be 20 years old now
• Hazelnut – (just one … only a few nuts (neighbour has a hazelnut as well) It’s probably 25 years old
• English Chestnut (no nuts last year; tons the year before) It’s probably 12 years old

• Rowan Tree (I understand the the fruit is edible. I didn’t know that. I’ll be checking that out this fall!)
• Cherry, (it’s had some fruit but the birds got them). It might be 7-8 years old. I forget now
• Pear, (no fruit yet)
• 2 plums, (we had one little plum last year—birds got it)
• Nanny Berry (I have 2 now I think).. both doing well; one had flowers on it last spring.
• PawPaw… doing well but no fruit yet
• another Apple, (the rabbits ate the bark this winter)
• a sour cherry (planted last year)
• hardi kiwi

I think that is it.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

Thanks to Google Earth for the image of my property.

This shows the approximate location of my trees.
I have a row of flowering trees planted just above the maples at the bottom. I’ll be filling that in this year, after the Grand Ol’ Lady is completely down. I don’t know what she is going to take out when she falls. Crossing my fingers.

My theory is: whatever grows, grows. If it doesn’t – it doesn’t and start over. :)

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

I don’t think I have the “clump of trees” labeled correctly. but they are in there somewhere!

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

have you been to this site, Robin?

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

and I found this article at The Urban Farmer
“A Sample Edible Landscape for a Typical Urban Yard – good stuff

the information on what can be grown in Alberta is interesting.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

Debbie, thanks for the great site map of your yard! What a good way to show where everything is located. I can imagine it much better now. What software did you use to overwrite the letters? (I am thinking I might be able to do something like what you did.) What are the row of trees or shrubs located to the left of the plum and cherry? The aerial view of your property looks beautiful, as do the photos you have shared in your projects and blogs. Will the guilds you are considering be under the apples and pears by the cabin? Are the plums and cherries in the CF full size, semi-dwarf or dwarf? I ask because I am trying to imagine the layers of vegetation you will have when they are grown. I know, lots of questions; answer when it is convenient.

I had not seen the site you mentioned, but I am currently reading the second volume of the set. I thought I might do a book review of them, but I don’t know if I will manage it. When I am reading them, I feel like I am taking a college course in managed forest ecology that can be applied on the land around my home. There is an amazing amount of information contained in them, much more in-depth than Gaia’s Garden, but very similar in ideas. Easy to be overwhelmed! I have to be careful not to try to do everything right away.

I will check out the last link when I have a bit of time. Happy planning!

-- Robin, Massachusetts - "Live simply so others can simply live." M. Gandhi

My map… I took a screen print (I think that’s what they are called) of the google map of my home and put it in a WORD doc. I then used the word art to add the letters…. grouped them all together and then saved as a picture.

There is a curve of cedar trees creating a barrier between the front yard and my storage sheds. This past summer I planted squash and cabbage in a flower bed in front of the cedars. Oh and at the end of the cedars are several lilac bushes that continue the line down towards the English Chestnut… then the Osage Orange tree. At the end of this line are some currant bushes. And that almost stretches down to the tulip tree.

Guilds: yes, I plan to create a guild around the pear/apple tree at the back .. as well as around the cherry tree in front of the house. There is a silverbells tree just south of that cherry tree and I want to connect the two trees.

I also want to connect all the fruit/nut trees in that cluster, leaving just two paths down the side of the property, amongst all the trees.

Size of trees: there is a mix of full-size and dwarfs but I can’t remember which is which.

The “clump” of fruit trees will get a lovely morning sun…. all except the one nanny berry which has somehow been tucked in the middle of it all. I’ll just have to cross my fingers on that one.

The resource books: and I thought the Gaia book was overwhelming! :)
I did enjoy that last website. Lots of information as to what will survive in a northern environment.

I think that answers your questions as best as I can answer them.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

and I look forward to seeing your property map! :)

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

Wow MsDeb that is quite the edible forest you have there.

It’ll be raining food soon!!! (have you seen “cloudy with a chance of meatballs” – thats how I picture your forest!)

Best of luck with them!

-- Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun.. shine on you crazy diamond

haven’t seen the movie.

I hope to have lots of food soon…. crossing my fingers! :)

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan