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Post by Skandi on Apr 26, 2015 9:34:30 GMT
Where do people find theirs? In december we bought this old abandoned farm. and I am really struggling with the "garden" it has many trees, even more sapplings (well on the way to reverting to wood) needs more ditches, if you go down past the greenhouse you need to swim. there's many many existing garden plants lurking about in the undergrowth. including huge numbers of berries. 9 rhubarb plants, 11 fruit trees that I have found (three on their sides though). three nearly filled in ponds, a spring, stream... But half of the garden is taken over by snowberry bushes and I am just struggling to see what I can do with it. Does anyone know of any sites/blogs that are good for ideas? I've found plenty on utilising a small space, but this isn't small, it's pushing an acre of "garden" area at the moment.
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Post by wolfmom on Apr 26, 2015 12:36:01 GMT
For the first year, I think patience is the answer. I moved here this past winter and with all the trees, am still trying to figure out where to place a garden that gets at least 6 hours of full sun a day.
Then came the lightning that took out a huge tree to open up a space for me.
What I like most, is the surprises I am getting that pop up like a large carpet of violas in the yard and blue bells under a maple tree. Things that come up in unexpected places. The poison ivy, not so much. Still trying to figure out 3 leafed brambles vs 3 leafed poison ivy in some patches. Ah, the beauty of nature.
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Post by KittyNC on Apr 26, 2015 23:24:47 GMT
I wish I had labelled everything as it came up and bloomed. I knew to wait a year before digging things out but by that time I had forgotten what some things were & dug out some gorgeous peonies that didn't survive mypanicked transplanting 2 weeks later.
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Post by Callie on Apr 27, 2015 2:20:55 GMT
I wish I had labelled everything as it came up and bloomed. I knew to wait a year before digging things out but by that time I had forgotten what some things were & dug out some gorgeous peonies that didn't survive mypanicked transplanting 2 weeks later. Take a picture as things bloom so you'll remember where/what they are. As for clearing a spot - sometimes, you just have to get started. I'd weed around the fruit trees and try to free up some of the berry bushes. Free-already-producing-plants are such a bonus when you're getting started. Once you get that bit done, perhaps enough will be cleared to give you a better picture of what to do next.
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Post by paquebot on Apr 27, 2015 3:49:33 GMT
If the snowberries are the same as here, begin by eliminating them. Even birds have to be real hungry to eat them. More than likely, their main purpose right now is to prevent other unwelcome plants from moving in. I'm trying to imagine a half-acre of that and telling myself to get rid of it. Probably start where I would want to plant something the soonest and just keep cutting, pulling roots, and burning. Maybe only a 5x30m area this year and promise to equal it next year. Of course, if your gardening needs is more than that, only do what you need or it will be too daunting. Imagine it as a jungle in a rain forest. You must maintain control of it or it will control you.
Martin
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Post by Melissa on Apr 27, 2015 15:17:42 GMT
I agree with the others, start small and see what is coming up and how the sun hits everything.
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Post by claytonpiano on Apr 27, 2015 15:22:34 GMT
John Seymour's book The Self-Sufficien Life and How to Live It, has an amazing diagram of a one acre homestead. There is a five acre one as well. I have gotten great ideas from this book. In your situation, though, I agree with the others. See what blooms and take pictures so you know where it is or mark it with some sort of permanent signage. Slowly take out the things that you do not want and begin to reclaim the area.
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Post by Skandi on Apr 29, 2015 7:10:56 GMT
Cheers. yeah there's an acre of garden and another 1.5 acres in a "field" seems to be very repetitive planting on the flower side. four different things comming up, not that I recognise any of them! I've marked some of the spring bulbs that appeared in the wilderness. and we're hoping to organise a crew later in the summer to remove 99.9% of the snowberries they sure do spread fast! can see the babies comming up everywhere. the bottom half of the garden area needs a heavy digger so we'll have to save up for that (needs drainage and ponds redigging) right now I'm kinda starting by the house and moving south.
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