tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8416923201642990454.post7770253008421014532..comments2024-03-27T20:32:42.461-05:00Comments on Lillie House Permaculture: Designing a Permaculture HedgerowMichael Hoaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15728642724953659658noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8416923201642990454.post-82604335482428983622017-05-19T08:19:45.814-05:002017-05-19T08:19:45.814-05:00Thanks for this post! I have been trying to figure...Thanks for this post! I have been trying to figure out how to create a permaculture hedge with edibles- you offer so many great suggestions here!Rad Senseihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16371676887667163274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8416923201642990454.post-32068577061965262912016-02-18T08:47:07.552-05:002016-02-18T08:47:07.552-05:00Thanks PJ,
It's probably about time that we ...Thanks PJ, <br /><br />It's probably about time that we update this post. The last few years this planting has done really well and really started to fill in. In fact, we're to the point of thinking about some gentle "laying" and shaping to encourage more productivity. So far, the cane fruit and perennial herbs and vegetables have still been our top yields, with Elder and Blackberry performing well in these tight plantings. Nanking cherry and autumn olive have also been very productive in this planting, though the fruit quality of both have been widely variable. <br /><br />There were also a few disappointments, too. For example, we tried live stakes of mulberry, taken from an alba/rubra cross that had good quality fruit, but not a single one survived past the first year. And a few of our "Goumi" bushes from Sandusky Valley Nursery turned out to be Autumn Olive. <br /><br />Otherwise, we're very happy with this planting so far. <br /><br />Thanks for the info on your hedge, too. That picture looks great. As the hedge fills in I'll be interested to observe the impact it has on the soil around it. I expect it will start to have a measurable effect soon. I think that's one benefit of a hedge, the higher density of plantings, means there's more leaves, more roots, and die-back from the extra competition means that more soil-building is going on. Nature knows what she's doing when she creates systems like this after a disturbance. Michael Hoaghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15728642724953659658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8416923201642990454.post-14710950918707296622016-02-17T23:37:09.508-05:002016-02-17T23:37:09.508-05:00Great post, as usual. I planted a hedge a few year...Great post, as usual. I planted a hedge a few years ago, here's a picture of it in year 4: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pjchmiel/24732588049" rel="nofollow">https://www.flickr.com/photos/pjchmiel/24732588049</a>.<br /><br /><br />This simple hedgerow runs north-south and is under some power lines, so the species are all shrub species. It's only the width of a single shrub (8-10' eventual width) due to the site being narrow. Note that this photo was taken from a higher elevation looking down; the plants shown are generally 4-6' high.<br /><br />So far American Hazelnut, Ninebark, Nanking Cherry and Red Osier Dogwood have all grown well on this dry and sandy site. Elderberries have struggled and Serviceberries are slower growing. I didn't include Autumn Olive in this hedge but those do grow well on site. California False Indigo has grown well in some places and Goumi is only so-so (browsing, dieback from cold and not as fast as E. umbellata in general). Have not seen good growth of Seaberry or Buffaloberry yet, but even Sunchokes struggle to amount to much in my poor, dry soil.<br /><br />As time goes by I'm filling in more herbaceous perennials between shrubs and around the edges to add diversity of species, flowering times, habitat, scale, and visual interest. The hedge is starting to self-mulch, block wind and collect organic matter. Most of the species could be coppiced and I may do that eventually on a rotation. PJ Chmielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13172487759311264254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8416923201642990454.post-77041168211688754692015-03-14T08:44:15.017-05:002015-03-14T08:44:15.017-05:00Roxanne,
That sounds like it's going to be a...Roxanne, <br /><br />That sounds like it's going to be a very useful and productive hedgerow, providing a nice barrier, good forage, wildlife habitat and plenty of nuts and fruit to harvest, too. Thanks for telling me about it and good luck with your project!Michael Hoaghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15728642724953659658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8416923201642990454.post-4419458326793984662015-03-13T22:53:04.506-05:002015-03-13T22:53:04.506-05:00Thanks for this post. I have been scouring the Int...Thanks for this post. I have been scouring the Internet for some inspiration for our permaculture hedges at our new place. Thanks for all of the great info. We are using hedges around the perimeter of our property and to divide up the pasture of about 7 acres. So far we've planted poplars, chestnuts, hazelnuts, oregon gooseberries, various hawthorns, aronias, black locust, honey locust, rosa rugosa, elderberries, and evergreen huckleberries. Wow, writing it out actually makes me feel like I've gotten something done. We still have a long ways to go, but we're going steady. Thanks again for the inspiration and great links. <br /><br />From a fellow hedge-geek<br />RoxanneJamaican Mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01939880139729978323noreply@blogger.com