April 24th, BB will return to the Hope Gardens for their official Ribbon Cutting, feel free to join us, share a meal and celebrate :)  We will do a short workshop on Edible Forest Garden 'TLC'.

I was out at Hope Gardens today and am continually impressed by the inspiration and motivation of the students working on this project, that intends to become an employment program for homeless folks. 

Last fall BB organized a partcipatory orchard planting workday for them, where we put in some 60 useful plants, that they have now expanded into nearly 100.  Its a sort of micro-orchard, that we call a food forest, because it replicates a more natural forest pattern.  Like the forest we use a stacking and layering technique for laying out the forest garden design, this allows us to plant intensively/densly, while each plant gets ideal sun exposure.  

Check out the video from our workday at Hope Garden Project, Chapel Hill by David Lightpainter, Ishmeal, a BB apprentice, has a co-starring role :)

We planted larger native overstory trees, like American Persimmon & Mulberry, along the existing forested edge where we were working.  In the understory we planted nitrogen fixing Tag Alders to build soil fertility over time.  Also under the future canopy of the persimmon and mulberry we planted smaller varities of fruit trees, like American and Asian Pears and Asian persimmon.  Continuing to move East in the landscape, In the shrub layer we planted Bush Cherries, some 20 Blueberries and Blackberries.  In the Herb layer we planted all sorts of culinary and medicinal herbs allong wth beneficial perennials that attact pollenators and specialst insects that help manage other pests and wavy grasses that discourage deer. 

We mulched heavily around the all the plants to increase the organic matter, aiding the soil life and fertility over time and helping hold moisture, reducing watering requirments.  We seeded in mammonth clover as a nitrogen fixing ground cover and living green manure, it also helps maintain moisture levels and attracts pollentors. 

Ultimately this type of system works towards an ecoystem that is self-fertile, self-maintaining and over-yielding. 

In other areas of the landscape, we planted a south-facing hedge of figs that are getting plenty sun, two immaculate Chaste trees to mark the intrance to the garden and soon muscadines wiill be trellised on an abor being built at the entrance of the garden.  Hazelnuts were planted along the moist, shadier and more alkaline area just north of the annual garden and raspberries were planted inside the annual garden fence.

Already Pears and Blueberries were flowering and Figs were starting to grow small fruits, definitely an exciting first spring for this budding food forest.

April 24th, BB will return to the Hope Gardens for their official Ribbon Cutting, feel free to join us, share a meal and celebrate :)  We will do a short workshop on Edible Forest Garden 'TLC'.