Paw Paw Tree and the Seven Layer Forest

It was exciting to finally install the last of our "upper tree" level of the garden. The Paw Paw tree arrived on Friday, along with blueberries (that are still in the house), 5 grapevines of different varieties and a new Meyer Lemon to replace the one we had indoors that didn't make it.

In the Food Forest idea of setting up an area, there are seven layers:

1.  Canopy layer consisting of the original mature fruit trees.
2.  Low-tree layer of smaller nut and fruit trees on dwarfing root stocks
3.  Shrub layer of fruit bushes such as current and berries
4.  Herbaceous layers of perennial vegetables and herbs
5.  Ground cover layer of edible plants that spread horizontally
6.  Rhizosphere or underground dimension of plants grown for their roots and tubers
7.  Vertical layer of vines and climbers

For our little yard attempt at this: we have a very large, old Maple in the neighbors yard.

The low tree level has 4 different apples, 3 pears, hazelnut, almond, 

The shrub layer has Goumi, Jostaberry, Pink Grapefruit current, Red Current.

Herbaceous layer of perennial vegetables and herbs: herb spiral with culinary herbs, Sea Kale, Nasturtium, Arugula, Horseradish, etc.

The Ground cover layer includes peas (planted today) for fixing nitrogen, Comfrey, and we are still working on this layer.

The Roots or tubers, we have mainly Sunchokes and are looking at more of these.

The Vertical layer of vines: we have Hardy Kiwi, Concord Grapes, and 3 other variety of grapes to install.

We also have 8 annual vegetable beds - three of which we planted today with peas to fix nitrogen for the tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, and other annuals that will be growing in the beds.

My planning, right now, is for more culinary herbs, medicinal herbs, as well as pots of flowers throughout the yard and in the driveway to make use of that space. Ideally, I would like to take up the asphalt and install gravel with room for more garden beds that are not permanent.

The first explanation I ever saw about Food Forests was with Geoff Lawton from Permaculture Institute in Australia . He has helped me to see and understand that nature will work if we set up the right conditions for growth. 

The first day of having my hands in the soil again, and it all comes rushing back - winter is over and we are eating the last of our canned vegetables, and the cycle begins again. I have so much to learn, and in the garden, every day teaches me.

The corner of the yard - empty and waiting for a tree

Paw Paw Tree planted - it doesn't look like much now,
but it will be 20 feet tall x 10 feet wide (dwarf)

Spring Chorus

I expected winter, 

ever lingering,

when I stepped outside 

this morning.

But during the night,

while I slumbered,

A switch was flipped.

Winter is gone!

Flowers are pushing

through the soil!

A chorus of birds

greeted me and filled

my heart

with songs of spring.

~mlc

Still, though, We Should Dance

A thousand times I have ascertained

and found it to be true:

The affairs of this world are really nothing into nothing.

Still, though, we should dance.

~Hafiz

I find myself wishing for Spring, planning the garden, looking at the fruit trees in the yard - even though they won't do anything for months...still I look. Observation is the greatest part of this. What worked last year, what didn't, what we will be changing. It seemed as though winter would last forever, and yet on my walk to the bus this morning, I heard the singing of the birds of spring. It all happens, and we participate in whatever way we can, but we don't do this. We can repair the process, change the way we interact and reduce the waste and footprint we leave on this world, but the miracle of the process - when all of the pieces are in order, we can only observe and be amazed.

What I  look forward to most, is finding out how much of our little ecosystem in our yard was repaired by the work we did last year and how many plants, insects and animals return. And then my mind turns to new plants, and moving toward a yard full of perennial plants and trees, adding a medicinal as well as culinary herb garden, maybe a little water garden for some water plants? I am sure that as long as room remains, ideas will come and we will continue to fill our little yard full of beautiful and delicious things!

How perfect winter is - time given to rest and dream so that when the sun appears, we are revived and eager to play outside again...

A useful practice...

I stepped out the door this morning and was assaulted by the noise. The blissful quiet after Blizzard Nemo was wonderful, but it has passed us by. With no one on the road and barely anyone moving anywhere over the weekend, it was so quiet, and now all I can hear is the scraping of plows, the noise of the train yard and the hum of the highway, which on a winter day, with no leaves on the trees, combine and sound like an airplane.

It’s the trade off. I enjoy living in the city. We can do most anything we need to in our small house and yard. I not-so-patiently await the growth of our fruit trees to absorb the sound a bit more in summer, but this winter is noisy.  For a few days I forgot about it, snuggled in the house, with the new windows we had installed, oblivious to the world around us. Once in awhile, our dog will bark because he hears a noise outside, and if we are really quiet, we can hear a neighbors’ dog or people walking by. Otherwise, it is a quiet refuge.

Sometimes I do think of living in a more rural area, with more land, but I am not satisfied that I have given this a sufficient try. It’s only our 2^nd year with a wood stove, garden beds, energy efficient windows, etc. and I would like to see where it leads. I want to continue on and see how far we can take this. We lessen our requirements (spending and possessions), recycle, create a refuge in the city, and work toward living sustainably. I hope someday to learn enough to help others do the same.  For now I will be grateful for what the city offers: living close to work and having a short commute, everything we need within walking distance, family nearby, utilities that rarely shut off, and a beautiful city to live in.

In my mind I retreat to the woods and seek that quiet place inside. With the right practice and meditation, I can sometimes counter the abrasive part of the city around me and find the peace within myself that enjoys being present today and doesn't wish for tomorrow. A useful practice for February and the near-end of winter when most of the days have been gray and cold.

Just about this time, the ordering of seeds, trees and new plants starts and so the dreams of spring begin. If you are feeling like I am, a little restless and needing some long hours of light, hold onto spring in snows of February, but don't forget to live the winter too. Soon there will be flowers again, and we will turn our faces toward the sky, put our hands in the soil, and rejoice with the first seeds that sprout. We will walk in warm spring rains, shedding the dark layers of winter clothing and we will stop mourning the sun who day by day returns to us.

It is how this circle works. Just when we get to the point where we think we cannot stand another day of winter, the first Robin appears and just like that, spring is here. And by the end of summer we will start dreaming again of cold winter nights with fresh bread and stews and sitting by the fire. 

This is New England and why I live where I live and why I love it so much. On days like today, it just takes a little more to focus on what really matters and a little more effort to remember that we are in a constant state of change and what seems like an end is usually a new beginning...

Butterfly Museum