Towards Sustainability - My Effort To Grow All My Own Food
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Awww. Mama hen looks really happy 
David
Co-Founder
Mama hen got real mean when I moved her and her babies
David
Co-Founder
It has been awhile since I last updated.
When I first started last October.
February
May
And that brings us to the pictures I took today. As you can see below, progress has been pretty good. I am now at 27 raised beds for annuals which is where I'm staying, at least for now. The hot, wet summer here has helped really green up the place.
How about some closer in shots, hmmm?
Let me first say that I am developing something called a, "Food Forest". The pictures will look rather untidy and lots of weeds. Some of those are indeed weeds that I let grow as they have a useful function. Other understory plants are planted in a manner where, over time, everything will come together as a forest where most things can be eaten. I'm happy to elaborate if anyone is curious.
At left is a low chill peach that is doing really well. At right is a very young citrus that, like my other citrus, is struggling a bit. You can see the grasses I'm battling though. In time, I hope to have all of that gone and filled in with amazing forest
A starfruit is at left which is now starting to fruit and a papaya is at right.
Below is one of my first guilds I'm starting to work on. A "Guild" is a group of plants planted in close proximity that are meant to benefit each other in some way. It's hard to see, but it includes a blood orange, black mulberry, edible cranberry hibiscus, garlic chives, tomatoes, basil, rosemary, and sweet potatoes.
Here's a shot from the other side. My citrus are having trouble with citrus leaf minor, I hope to have that under control soon. Poor little trees
Straight ahead is another papaya with HUGE papaya on it. At left used to be a fence until I planted a few passion fruit vines along it. They're going crazy and flowering up a storm. I'm hoping for fruit soon. I plan to send vines up just about all my pine and palm trees as well.
Peaking its head up at the very bottom of the image below is a Moringa tree. I use Moringa EXTENSIVELY and just purchased another 100 seeds for even more. I LOVE these things and plan for them to play a very important role in my food forest. It's incredible how fast they grow and they're so healthy. I use them in everything from smoothies to soups. In the middle of the image is an avocado. I have seven avocado trees planted thus far If you look to the left of the avocado on the mulch you'll see a comfrey plant. I have about 20 comfrey around the forest and hope to be able to separate them into many more plants as they establish themselves.
Another avocado with papaya in the background and a moringa tree off to the right.
A very happy banana clump to the right and avocado to the left.
That's a breadfruit in the background with a rock wall I'm building as I find rocks in an effort to create a micro climate for her. A moringa in the foreground and another to the left.
And finally, another avocado to the left with sweet potato planted in an effort to shade out the grasses.
Good times
When I first started last October.
February
May
And that brings us to the pictures I took today. As you can see below, progress has been pretty good. I am now at 27 raised beds for annuals which is where I'm staying, at least for now. The hot, wet summer here has helped really green up the place.
How about some closer in shots, hmmm?
Let me first say that I am developing something called a, "Food Forest". The pictures will look rather untidy and lots of weeds. Some of those are indeed weeds that I let grow as they have a useful function. Other understory plants are planted in a manner where, over time, everything will come together as a forest where most things can be eaten. I'm happy to elaborate if anyone is curious.
At left is a low chill peach that is doing really well. At right is a very young citrus that, like my other citrus, is struggling a bit. You can see the grasses I'm battling though. In time, I hope to have all of that gone and filled in with amazing forest
A starfruit is at left which is now starting to fruit and a papaya is at right.
Below is one of my first guilds I'm starting to work on. A "Guild" is a group of plants planted in close proximity that are meant to benefit each other in some way. It's hard to see, but it includes a blood orange, black mulberry, edible cranberry hibiscus, garlic chives, tomatoes, basil, rosemary, and sweet potatoes.
Here's a shot from the other side. My citrus are having trouble with citrus leaf minor, I hope to have that under control soon. Poor little trees
Straight ahead is another papaya with HUGE papaya on it. At left used to be a fence until I planted a few passion fruit vines along it. They're going crazy and flowering up a storm. I'm hoping for fruit soon. I plan to send vines up just about all my pine and palm trees as well.
Peaking its head up at the very bottom of the image below is a Moringa tree. I use Moringa EXTENSIVELY and just purchased another 100 seeds for even more. I LOVE these things and plan for them to play a very important role in my food forest. It's incredible how fast they grow and they're so healthy. I use them in everything from smoothies to soups. In the middle of the image is an avocado. I have seven avocado trees planted thus far
If you look to the left of the avocado on the mulch you'll see a comfrey plant. I have about 20 comfrey around the forest and hope to be able to separate them into many more plants as they establish themselves.
Another avocado with papaya in the background and a moringa tree off to the right.
A very happy banana clump to the right and avocado to the left.
That's a breadfruit in the background with a rock wall I'm building as I find rocks in an effort to create a micro climate for her. A moringa in the foreground and another to the left.
And finally, another avocado to the left with sweet potato planted in an effort to shade out the grasses.
Good times
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Wow dude! Amazing!
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Oh it's just beautiful-you've got the garden of Eden David! Whatever you're doing I must be doing the opposite because this year nothing came in good
Gianni
Moderator
:mademyday:!!!!!!!!! Wow DAVID!!! I absolutely love your backyard! That is basically exactly what i want to do one day! I am extremely jealous. No doubt you will see great benefit in your health as well as your family's health because of it .
I am extremely interested and involved in helping local communities set up sustainable agriculture, so seeing this really impresses me. I always preach it but unfortunately don't have the income nor the room at this point in my life to create a garden for myself, but one day
I would love more updates on the progress being made as time goes on! And i will be waiting for my invite in the mail!!:lol2: Ill bring the juicer! lol
Gianni
.I am extremely interested and involved in helping local communities set up sustainable agriculture, so seeing this really impresses me. I always preach it but unfortunately don't have the income nor the room at this point in my life to create a garden for myself, but one day
I would love more updates on the progress being made as time goes on! And i will be waiting for my invite in the mail!!:lol2: Ill bring the juicer! lol
Gianni
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Gorgeous, David. It looks so lush and green. It also looks like a lot of work. Look forward to seeing and hearing more about the Food Forest. I'm quite intrigued
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Gorgeous!
I removed an above ground pool from my back yard so I can use the space for growing my own food. My father actually did a lot of organic gardening when I was a kid. He would order different bugs known for eating bad bugs and let them loose in the yard. I always looked forward to releasing the lady bugs every year.
Hopefully I'm good at it too!
I removed an above ground pool from my back yard so I can use the space for growing my own food. My father actually did a lot of organic gardening when I was a kid. He would order different bugs known for eating bad bugs and let them loose in the yard. I always looked forward to releasing the lady bugs every year.
Hopefully I'm good at it too!
David
Co-Founder
That's a beautiful greenhouse JMC! Best of luck with the growing
David
Co-Founder
If you think I nag you guys about your vitamins and minerals, wait until you see me get going with the farmers of the world
[youtube]VPbD6ty20aU[/youtube]
[youtube]VPbD6ty20aU[/youtube]
rygon
Moderator
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Hahaha Loved how you got vit D into it!!
Really interesting video, I will have to see if I can get hold of some of that lava rock.
Have you tried composting yet David? I have just seen my 1st year results of mine (cardboard, grass, waste veg and unwanted plants around the garden) and I am very impressed. So little work yet its the best compost I have ever used, I cant believe I havent done it sooner, especially with how expensive it is from the shops.
Im just researching on mulch at the moment to help suppress the weeds and help my veg
Really interesting video, I will have to see if I can get hold of some of that lava rock.
Have you tried composting yet David? I have just seen my 1st year results of mine (cardboard, grass, waste veg and unwanted plants around the garden) and I am very impressed. So little work yet its the best compost I have ever used, I cant believe I havent done it sooner, especially with how expensive it is from the shops.
Im just researching on mulch at the moment to help suppress the weeds and help my veg
See Hopkins cafe managed by mine cousin mocl.
CHOPKNS Ca Fe Mg B Mn Cu Zn Mo Cl The essential elements for plant growth the way I learned them.
Ever heard that David?
Have you ever tried mixing the lava rock into the potting soil. You could start seedlings at the same time and remove the mulch element of the experiment. I expect you'd also see aeration benefit due to lava's porosity. Good video!
CHOPKNS Ca Fe Mg B Mn Cu Zn Mo Cl The essential elements for plant growth the way I learned them.
Ever heard that David?
Have you ever tried mixing the lava rock into the potting soil. You could start seedlings at the same time and remove the mulch element of the experiment. I expect you'd also see aeration benefit due to lava's porosity. Good video!
David
Co-Founder
I haven't heard of CHOPKNS and am not following how it goes with the essential nutrients. Explain please
They recently found that Nickel is an essential nutrient as well
Agree on the areration benefit. I also suspect that it holds water.
They recently found that Nickel is an essential nutrient as well
Agree on the areration benefit. I also suspect that it holds water.
David
Co-Founder
I used to compost but now just throw everything around my trees and let it compost in place. If I was doing what you're doing, I'd definitely compost though. I'd love to see your setup.
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Things I have grown this year: broccoli, Savoy cabbage, sweet corn, strawberries, chillies, sweet peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes and pumpkins. It has been great fun and I have learnt a lot - mostly that pest control is hard and to be completely self sufficient would be very hard work!
