By
the spring of 2011 I had compiled a large list of plants I wanted to put in my
garden. I had read more on permaculture but I did not heed the advice to
observe the land and sculpt it before putting in permanent plantings of
perennials. I was too impatient and I wanted to grow my own food. As I was
perusing for plants I quickly realized that organic, non-GMO, heirloom, etc
were not only expensive but were hard to find. I made the decision that I could
embark on that path little by little, but since what I really wanted was to get
my forest garden going, I decided to temporarily put those standards on hold. Off
to Costco, Home Depot, and mail order catalogues I went. At Costco I purchased
a three in one grafted apple tree, a peach tree, and some blueberry bushes. At
Home Depot I purchased a red grape, a green grape, and a raspberry. From the
mail order I purchased cold-hardy kiwis, sweet pea perennial plants, two paw-paw,
some honeysuckle vines, strawberries, and a few other plants. I did not have
the knowledge to take starts of these plants nor did I have the resources of
where to get those starts from in the first place. I was slightly concerned that
my very inexperience would spell doom for these plants but I was too impatient.
If these plants did die then I was out a small chunk of change; but I also
realized I would have valuable experience.
I
had my plants well before it was planting time in my area. I kept them in a
dark shed but never the less they decided to prolifically leaf out. Concerned
for their health because they were only in a bark medium, I made the decision
to plant them even though I was concerned it was too cold. I dug holes, put in leaf
debris and kitchen scraps in the bottom hopping they would give some nutrients,
placed the plant, and filled with dirt. I did not amend the soil to proper
conditions, I did not add fertilizer, I did not add mulch, I did not add sand
to break up my clay soil, I did not test my soil density, I did not test soil
ph, and I did not do what I was “supposed to do” when planting a plant. I only gave
them was a leafy bottom to sit on. I was certain I spelled out their death
sentence. I still did not understand that forest gardening was about purposeful
manipulation of the environment to provide the best conditions for the plant. I
thought forest gardening went in the opposite direction from traditional
gardening with its focus on letting the plant fend for itself. I later realized
that this fending was only done once all its needs had been met by the
gardener. It was never supposed to be a sink or swim on its own ordeal.
Some
of my plants died, particularly the mail order ones; however, most survived. My
two grapes that I thought had died made a comeback this year. Once I got all
these plants in the ground and delineated their actual beds with a border of
cement paver stones I made a few years ago, I decided that my next step was to
companion plant them. I began looking for companion plant lists and found
several plants to add to my wish list for next spring. At this time I kept
having a nagging idea that I needed to focus my efforts on building soil
fertility. I began searching for dynamic accumulator plants. During this time I
also began nurturing two other volunteer mystery trees that were identical to
the first. I also took active steps to identify them.
For
the fall I ordered comfrey roots and some cereal seeds buckwheat and rye that
are supposed to be good cover crop plants. I decided that I wanted to cover the
empty spaces with beneficial nutrient offering plants, also known as dynamic
accumulators. Once the leaves fell from the trees I piled them up on my new
beds. It was so nice to see my garden taking shape. In part three, I discuss
the third and current year of my forest garden, I describe my arbor, and my lessons learned
from a stressed plant.
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