Edible / Sustainable gardening -

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Cajun_In_NC
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Edible / Sustainable gardening -

Post by Cajun_In_NC »

Hello all,

I am new to this site and to an early century small-town city home. I am really happy to be here. My house is in a National Historic District but my house is specifically not on the National Register. The home exterior currently contributes architecturally to the District and I have guidelines to maintain the status if I wish to voluntarily. My specific home is not required to abide by the District rules / guidelines, but I would like to. We are in gardening zone 7b.

Having the knowledge in hand about what I can and can't do with my front yard and that of the lot which can be seen from the street.... I am wanting to increase the edible landscape where I can on the property. The home came with wonderful soil and an established garden plot with a tiny picket garden fence. I am slowly identifying the trees, foliage and flowering plants. Are there any members whom have created or maintained edible landscapes or partial sustainable gardening on a small property or in-town lot? I would love to discuss the possibilities.
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Manalto
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Re: Edible / Sustainable gardening -

Post by Manalto »

I can help you with that. Depending on how avid a gardener you are (and how much space is available) you can incorporate edibles into the landscape, and the casual (non-gardener) passer-by would be none the wiser. Herbs are a cinch - they blend in beautifully - lettuce, asparagus, rhubarb, peppers and eggplant all make fine ornamentals. Squash or cucumbers can grow up a trellis. Tomatoes are the only problematic plant I can think of off the top of my head; they're so weedy looking - and yet they're one of the most delicious products of the summer garden, so I'd find a spot where they're not conspicuous. Watermelon might be an issue, too. It needs about as much space as a Home Depot parking lot.

One place to begin is by getting in touch with your county Cooperative Extension and see if they have any information for your area. If that doesn't pan out, get in touch with the CE at the state university.

I responded assuming your question was about edible landscaping only. Maybe you'd like to do your vegetable gardening in the dedicated area you mentioned although, tomatoes aside, you could probably get away with putting them all in the landscape.

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Lily left the valley
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Re: Edible / Sustainable gardening -

Post by Lily left the valley »

I'm of a similar mind and situation as you, minus the picket fenced in part, although we did inherit many plantings and beds. So I can't speak to my experience yet, but we can sure swap ideas, even if we are in different zones.

We just closed on our new old home in March. We are in a small city in MA, and our home is about a ten minute walk to downtown. We're in zone 5b up here. Our lot is 0.17 of an acre, and it's more long rectangle than square as far as usable land for gardening. This is a hilly area, and we are at one of the higher points in town. We are very house poor at the moment, and so we are doing what we can, when we can. We have many long range plans. :D

We are at the early stages of doing what you are wanting to do. We just bought our first fruit bush, a blueberry, this weekend. We also picked up some Bee Balm, as I've been studying up on companion plantings and we are committed to making a pollinator friendly habitat here. (Milkweed was already here--that was great news.) I've also been researching natives and invasives for this area as well, since I've only lived in MA twice before, and both were short stays so I'm not familiar with this region yet.

I'm still in the process of IDing as much as I can on the property. James (Manalto) has been a gem helping me with that. We are very lucky because there are many established plantings, though not focused on the edible aspect--more decorative and probably habitat based on what I've found so far.

We are still clearing up the grounds as we go. This may sound silly since it's a small plot, but it's been steady going when possible (late snows, recent rains). Although the property was with the same family since the home was built in 1935, it was recently a rental for a while and some of the tenants were not the best sorts to mind the property. We're also dealing with a leftover playground area that had pea gravel down, and a lot of falling apart weed cloth.

We made a short list of what we would like to try this year as far as veggies, herbs and one or two fruits, but I don't know how much of that we'll actually manage so far. We have strawberry plants that were already here, but I don't know how they'll do this year, given the neglect.

I'm still working on getting a more permanent compost set up going with 3 bays: leaves, current and eventually fully developed compost. I still need to find out what the policy is with rain barrels here. I'm fairly certain they'll be ok, but I want to be sure. We're also looking into (long term) other projects that will build habitat and hopefully help us work towards living and growing for a long time here.

We also recently found out that there is a very supportive beekeeping community here, and we hope to start a hive next year after we learn more and take some of the classes offered.

Another project I don't think I've mentioned on the forum yet is keyhole gardens. I would like to try one of those this year if I can manage it. I'm still trying to source free rocks/bricks for that. Our backyard is mostly shaded or partly shades, so that's one thing I was thinking of trying out front.

I look forward to hearing what you plan and watching it unfold. :wave:
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Lily left the valley
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Re: Edible / Sustainable gardening -

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Manalto wrote:I responded assuming your question was about edible landscaping only. Maybe you'd like to do your vegetable gardening in the dedicated area you mentioned although, tomatoes aside, you could probably get away with putting them all in the landscape.
I'd think from the sustainable aspect, companion plantings would still count even if some of them are not edible by humans, but attract the right predatory creatures to eat bugs instead of having to resort to sprays and such. There are also some that can repel pests. My :twocents-twocents: on that aspect.
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Manalto
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Re: Edible / Sustainable gardening -

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It's even simpler than that. If you plant a garden with trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals, whether they be native or exotic, you're creating a habit for wildlife. (Sometimes you get visitors you may not be to thrilled with, but that's all part of the deal.) Anything is better than lawn, which is a Sahara for wildlife. If attracting wildlife is your focus, of course you want to choose plants that will provide nesting and foraging fopportunities, but each and every plant doesn't have to be. Birds will land on and nest in any tree or shrub that seems safe, i.e., high enough off the ground and hidden from view. Also, you want to be a good neighbor and have a yard that says you care about your place. It's entirely possible to do both.

Check out the National Wildlife Federation's discussion on the topic:
http://www.nwf.org/Garden-For-Wildlife/Create.aspx

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Re: Edible / Sustainable gardening -

Post by Lily left the valley »

Manalto wrote:It's even simpler than that. If you plant a garden with trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals, whether they be native or exotic, you're creating a habit for wildlife. (Sometimes you get visitors you may not be to thrilled with, but that's all part of the deal.) Anything is better than lawn, which is a Sahara for wildlife. If attracting wildlife is your focus, of course you want to choose plants that will provide nesting and foraging fopportunities, but each and every plant doesn't have to be. Birds will land on and nest in any tree or shrub that seems safe, i.e., high enough off the ground and hidden from view. Also, you want to be a good neighbor and have a yard that says you care about your place. It's entirely possible to do both.

Check out the National Wildlife Federation's discussion on the topic:
http://www.nwf.org/Garden-For-Wildlife/Create.aspx
Thanks for the link. I didn't know they had certifications for that now, which is funny because a few of my links come from their site.

It is easier in many ways, and as Cajun_In_NC's house photo shows, there are already such on the property.Just saw the neighborhood post--that's not the current house. :oops:

There are a lot of reasons to have more than just edibles when keeping sustainability in mind. Having windbreaks, for instance, which will help keep your home warmer in cold blustery winters, thus needing less fuel to heat. (Especially popular in the midwest plains.) Strategically planting deciduous shade trees for house cooling, etc. I've also read up on many efforts during the energy crisis for passive measures then as well. That's when folks started experimenting more with thermal masses and such.

Speaking of windbreaks, it's one of the reasons why I'm yanking the vining plants down from the conifers here, as they are starting to strangle same, and one in particular is already losing the battle with some lower branches. Technically, the trunks themselves are on my neighbor's land, but the vine plants are on ours, and I know she'd not like to have to deal with those trees dying and thus falling on her garage/shed. :D

One of the reasons I was so keen on the idea of the walapini against the house here also made it such a joy to buy the house, even though in some regards I'd rather the south trees were closer for summer shading. Still, we get more cold than hot here, so any thermal benefits we can get from it will be welcome, even if it means a bit more dancing with the thermal regulation in the summer. We are talking about at least planting a lower growing deciduous near the south east side.

Permaculture also touches on whole scale approach as you mention too.

I remember reading a while back now that some folks would set aside areas "for the wild", meaning no nets over or fencing sort of planning. The idea was that if wildlife was going to come snack no matter what, give them something easy to keep them away from what you want to keep.

Related, I've been reading up on water features beyond rain gardens, and how to have one without having to involve electronics. Here's one bit of info I've found of particular interest to me.
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Cajun_In_NC
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Re: Edible / Sustainable gardening -

Post by Cajun_In_NC »

Thank you for all the replies. I hope to be able to provide more information this week along with photos. There are established beds, a plethora of birdlife, some of the current plantings are good for attracting butterflies and birds. The lot I think is .27 acres.
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Manalto
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Re: Edible / Sustainable gardening -

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Lily left the valley wrote:Speaking of windbreaks, it's one of the reasons why I'm yanking the vining plants down from the conifers here, as they are starting to strangle same, and one in particular is already losing the battle with some lower branches.


Without even seeing it, I have a strong suspicion that the vining plant you're talking about is Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), "the kudzu of the North" and it will indeed kill mature trees by girdling them. Its vigor is far greater than the native bittersweet (C. scandens). Ed Corbett, my horticulture professor at UConn, speculated that the plant we're seeing is neither the oriental nor the native but, based on flower structure, a hybrid of the two, hence its astonishing vigor. My suggestion: Get rid of it! In my garden, there are only rare occasions that merit the application of glyphosate (Round-Up) and a large bittersweet plant is one of them. (Small plants are relatively easy to pull or dig.) Cut the trunk of the plant at a convenient level and dab the freshly-cut stump with full-strength Round-Up (or other glyphosate product). I've had good success preventing bittersweet's regrowth using this technique, and it introduces only a tiny amount of the chemical into the environment. I feel the benefits outweigh the risks.

Lily left the valley wrote:I remember reading a while back now that some folks would set aside areas "for the wild", meaning no nets over or fencing sort of planning. The idea was that if wildlife was going to come snack no matter what, give them something easy to keep them away from what you want to keep.


That's what I call wishful thinking.

Lily left the valley wrote:Related, I've been reading up on water features beyond rain gardens, and how to have one without having to involve electronics.


The NWF's wildlife gardens include a water feature on their list of basic requirements. One benefit is that animals don't have to go searching for water and risk getting hit by a car, becoming vulnerable to predators, or other dangers.

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Lily left the valley
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Re: Edible / Sustainable gardening -

Post by Lily left the valley »

Manalto wrote:
Lily left the valley wrote:Speaking of windbreaks, it's one of the reasons why I'm yanking the vining plants down from the conifers here, as they are starting to strangle same, and one in particular is already losing the battle with some lower branches.


Without even seeing it, I have a strong suspicion that the vining plant you're talking about is Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), "the kudzu of the North" and it will indeed kill mature trees by girdling them. Its vigor is far greater than the native bittersweet (C. scandens). Ed Corbett, my horticulture professor at UConn, speculated that the plant we're seeing is neither the oriental nor the native but, based on flower structure, a hybrid of the two, hence its astonishing vigor. My suggestion: Get rid of it! In my garden, there are only rare occasions that merit the application of glyphosate (Round-Up) and a large bittersweet plant is one of them. (Small plants are relatively easy to pull or dig.) Cut the trunk of the plant at a convenient level and dab the freshly-cut stump with full-strength Round-Up (or other glyphosate product). I've had good success preventing bittersweet's regrowth using this technique, and it introduces only a tiny amount of the chemical into the environment. I feel the benefits outweigh the risks.
Crumbs. I just checked. It is the Oriental. The flowers are just starting to present now, and it's exactly the same as all the images I looked at with the same leaf type. :-( I guess my afternoon plans just changed. I've seen at least two trunks so far. One is older. I'll have to wade into the woodland corner to look for more. I have two pictures of it in the post I made on our garden yesterday.

Manalto wrote:
Lily left the valley wrote:I remember reading a while back now that some folks would set aside areas "for the wild", meaning no nets over or fencing sort of planning. The idea was that if wildlife was going to come snack no matter what, give them something easy to keep them away from what you want to keep.


That's what I call wishful thinking.
:lol:

Manalto wrote:
Lily left the valley wrote:Related, I've been reading up on water features beyond rain gardens, and how to have one without having to involve electronics.


The NWF's wildlife gardens include a water feature on their list of basic requirements. One benefit is that animals don't have to go searching for water and risk getting hit by a car, becoming vulnerable to predators, or other dangers.
Yep, I saw that.

Oh, and I thought I had edited this in before, but apparently I didn't hit send after the edit and closed the tab. Some of the outgoing links on NWF are old and thus broken. The one relating to backyard conservation on the USDA site should go to https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/newsroom/features/?cid=nrcs143_023574
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