Well, we didn't exactly get done what we planned to do today, but we got a lot of work done.

First, we moved 3 locust raised beds from the backyard down to the food forest. If you have ever worked with locust, you know how much it weighs. Probably the main reason why it makes such good, raised beds. It is so dense and weighs a ton; it just about never rots.

We also got the electric wires from the tool shed and the electric fence energizer down to the electric fence buried underground.

We also got a huge area leveled off where stumps were buried over 20 years ago when the food forest area was all woods. Over the years, this area has sunk down about 2 feet.

And for something different, I repotted into larger containers 4 of my pond plants. They were so root bound, I had to use an axe to cut through them.

Just another typical day here at MoonShadows Farm.

Cooking chicken on the BBQ with homemade potato and macaroni salad...of course after 1 or 2 gin and tonics!

Tomorrow is another day.

Are you talking about robinia or gledetisia?
Both are excellent at resisting rot... not really about the denseness of the wood...
consider hickory and dogwood... both very dense wood, but neither can be used as fence posts.

stone said: Are you talking about robinia or gledetisia?
Both are excellent at resisting rot... not really about the denseness of the wood...
consider hickory and dogwood... both very dense wood, but neither can be used as fence posts.

Thanks for the insight!

Not sure which one. I believe it is black locust...whichever one that is. Perhaps the denseness does nothing for the decay as you say, but I can tell you it sure does add pounds to the weight of the product when the raised bed is made from 2" x 10" x 8' (true measurements) cut at a local sawmill.

Robinia... then...

I planted a bunch of suckers from a robinia in town, looking forward to using them as fence posts...



Until then... Enjoying the flowers...

We have a "Sunburst locust" in our yard, and while the flowers aren't as dramatic as those in Stone's photo, the bees (and seemingly every other bug in the area) sure get to buzzing when it flowers!

Weedwhacker said: We have a "Sunburst locust" in our yard...

Gleditsia...

stone said: Gleditsia...

I visited Gardens-in-the-Sand last night and was jumping around. Very impressive! I was unfamiliar with the term "Xeriscape". Correct me if I am wrong, but my interpretation of the term would be permaculture for an arid area. (?)

The way that I interpret "Xeriscape"... No supplemental watering...
So... where it rains frequently, you would have different plants from where you are dependent on a monsoon season like the arid west.

At my house... 200 ft deep beach sand where the rain drains through as soon as it falls... with predictable droughts... finding stuff that will tolerate the climate often means searching for stuff that is already being grown locally... and ideally... locally native... and even that is no guarantee of success...

So... I'm extremely interested in "landrace" crops... try that in your research...

Edit:
I tried going to http://ourpafoodforest.com/... no luck.

your site in your signature seems to just be videos... really not into watching videos when I'm dependent on parking lot wifi...

Thanks for that explanation. Sounds like quite a challenge. We seldom have any type of drought, only one bad one in 27 years. We actually get a lot of rain here in the Poconos, and since a lot of my soil is clay with a lot of shale (killer digging by hand), I have to mix in a lot of composted soil wherever I plant. That is why I make great use of raised beds for my annual vegetables. Planting trees, berry bushes and vines now means digging extra large holes, scoring the clay sides and back filling with good soil to give the new plants a good soil to get established. I have already ordered 20 cubic yards of 50% top soil 50% mushroom compost this season alone.

I took down OurPAFoodForest.com after a few months. It was an idea I started, but decided I would rather devote the time I was spending on it to other projects. The YouTube videos are just some "slide shows" of a few projects I have done the past few years.

Sounds like some great gardening...

Tell ya something...

After like 15 years of gardening in this area... I spent a year in TN... Amazing how easy it was to garden there!

It's not just the drought... it's also the heat... Plants often stop growing at about 90 degrees... and 90 was being predicted for next week here... they since revised the temp down to 88... but... frost to 90 in the same week happens... there's seldom a spring here...
And... the humidity!
Y'all don't see humidity like we have here!
According to the people at extension... we have like 90 + percent of the plant pathogens known to exist!
There's a reason why the seed growers are in other areas of the country...

Anyone that wants a more challenging garden.... they're welcome to come try their luck... I have plenty of room for organic gardeners...

Some of the members on the 2022 Vegetable Garden forum who live out west and southwest are always talking about the heat and their plants...a whole other set of challenges from what we deal with in the NE.

For us, July and August are our hottest/most humid months, but with abundant water it is easy to overcome the heat aspect. Mildew and fungi are our main culprits in those two humid months. We also don't have the wild temperature variations like you have. Of course, you don't have to deal with what seems like the endless cold winters and snow like we have here in the Pocono Mountains. Trade offs no matter where one gardens in the USA. I think I'll stay put here in the NE.

Actually... Your endless cold winters help to retain fertility in the soil... And make growing most veggies tons easier...

You may not be able to grow our traditional crops like sweet potatoes and watermelons...

But cool season crops... practically most of the growing season...

Down here... all that subtropical sunlight cooks the organic matter out of the soil... and when the soil is thin... I'm very jealous of your clay... holds moisture, holds nutrients...

But... I wouldn't want to be up there in the cold, snow and ice.... Snows once every few years here... that's too much.

Oh, I realize the winters are a plus for gardening, but they are not good for my mental health when I can't go outside and play in my gardens. At least I grow some vegetables (Tiny Tim tomatoes, lettuces and spinaches) inside during the winter or I would become stark raving mad!

I had my phone in my pocket today, so I took 2 pictures. We planted the 20 asparagus roots in the trench covering them with 2" of soil, adding bone meal, and watering them in. As they push through, we will keep adding soil until the level comes up to the ground around the asparagus.

We also got the 3 raised beds filled for the cantaloupes, acorn squash, and cucumbers. I have netting I will attach later to help them climb.

We got one of the plum trees and one of the cherry trees planted today. It took us over 2 hours to break through the Zoysia grass and all the shale in the soil. We dug extra big holes and back filled with good soil/compost. Tomorrow, we'll plant the other plum and cherry trees.

Started filling two more of the raised beds, too. It took me over an hour to water everything. It has been very dry the past few days with very low humidity. In fact, we are in a fire warning right now.

We got another cherry tree (Bing) and another plum tree (Methley) planted today. Filled 3 more of the 4 x 10 raised garden beds with the 50/50 mix, peat moss, and vermiculite. All 10 are now filled. Still have to move the raised beds from the backyard down to the food forest. We also got about 100 feet of the 2-foot ground fencing covered with cardboard and wood chips. We also got a delivery of 10 cubic yards of "sawdust" from out wood guy. Exhausted. Treating ourselves to Olive Garden takeout chicken parmesan, salad, and bread sticks.

Tomorrow, we want to get the 3 Hazelnut trees planted, and start covering more grass with cardboard/wood chips. Also hoping to get some of the electric fence run. Monday looks like rain, so we want to take advantage of the nice weather tomorrow.

You and your wife are more than amazing!

We got the 3 Hazelnut trees planted today, more wood chips over cardboard down, and I up potted the 40 tomato plants. As I mentioned earlier, I didn't want to do the up potting, but it wound up being a very relaxing, "therapeutic" hour or so. Here is the aftermath of the up potted tomatoes and the rest of the plants in the greenhouse.





Here is the latest picture of the food forest. While we have over 30 trees/bushes/vines planted, it is hard to see them in this pic since it takes in such a large area and all the plants are small. I will start taking pictures of individual plants as they grow.

I like architectural items in my gardens like large rocks, statues, etc. With the food forest, the items have to be pretty large, so they won't be dwarfed. That is one reason why I decided on the pergola that I built last summer.



I've been thinking of putting in a decorative windmill, and I found one I like, so I bought it today. It is 10 feet tall.



I also bought a cedar bench that will go in the pergola, so we can rest and admire our work.



I will probably lug the 4-foot concrete angel statue down there. I think this will be the 5th location for this statue since we bought it over 20 years ago.



My better half wants a wishing well, but hasn't settled on one yet.

MoonShadows said:

I also bought a cedar bench that will go in the pergola, so we can rest and admire our work.

When does this part start, Jim? (I know eventually you will be done with the planting and the fencing, and the arranging of the "decor" - but then comes the maintenance and harvesting and doing something with the harvest... )