Not enough seeds for my land

[Andraste]

You speak of all the stuf you fantasise about planting but you must remember that the more you plant is the more work it is to tend. I struggle to keep up with just this 90x30 - if the size keeps changins it is because I forget hehe. My plan is to make this very productive with more regularity before making any more of it plantable..

That's the beauty of the perennial/permanent plantings - much less labour intensive than annual crops

Don't forget that things which encourage wildlife/predators/pollinators and production of sufficient compost for your growing space will boost plant health & productivity on your existing planting areas so they are worth the space where it's available

[caribumamba]

That's the beauty of the perennial/permanent plantings - much less labour intensive than annual crops

Don't forget that things which encourage wildlife/predators/pollinators and production of sufficient compost for your growing space will boost plant health & productivity on your existing planting areas so they are worth the space where it's available

I have put a couple of perennials in this year actually; globe and jerusalem artichokes and also got seeds for climbing asparagus which looks like an interesting one but due to its climbing nature haven't thought of a place to put it yet where it would not shade out the other plants. Well I will put on the north side but I have to think of where I would intend it to climb. Of course it won't be climbing overnight! so just have to think where it will potentially go and build a frame if/when it grows.

I have planted the remaining areas now. I just ended up throwing in some chickpeas and pinto beans both of which I already had for eating. I find that a much more organic (pardon the pun) way of planting, using what you have in store for food, rather than agonizing over getting the perfect seeds from 'proper' seed shops. Much more natural because you will be buying stuff you enjoy eating anyway so just throw some down as and when.

An annoying pheasant has been terrorizing my patch lately. I have fenced the whole area off and it mostly keeps them off but this one seems to have learned to get in somehow as I have seen it almost daily. It was so cheeky the other day when I just saw it sitting comfortably in the middle of the oat patch, probably after filling its belly no doubt.

So annoying how persistent they are; as soon as they find a few seeds they will be scratching away like they are possessed digging up the whole area. I think almost 100% of my oats have been eaten due to that.

On another note a cat has started to frequent the land on an almost daily basis. I even saw it stalking that same pheasant when it was in the patch again and the cat only ran away because I interrupted it by going to chase the pheasant at which time the cat ran away too.

For using the rest of the land I have been thinking back to planting trees instead again as they are much lower maintenance - perhaps more orchard and/or coppice wood - probably willow for weaving.

[Nicos]

Have you thought of sorrel, walking onions and horseradish as other perennials worth planting?

If you choose Willow for basket weaving- there are different varieties….not sure which, but one is far better than the others. Worth researching.

[Mark Rand]

Not being negative, but fair warning:-

For heaven's sake plant the horseradish in a buried cylinder to stop the roots taking your land over. The other problem is that it can be stripped bare by cabbage white caterpillars, so it needs covering with mesh if they are a problem.

I wish I still had my horseradish plant, fresh horseradish sauce is infinitely better than the bland stuff you get from the shops; but I rebuilt the bed it was in, so I killed it off over several years of weed killer and digging.


Caterpillar damage in 2013.

[Nicos]

^^^ wow!

We overcrop ours to keep the size down, but yes, it does spread.

[Mark Rand]

So are you planting new thongs in the same ground every year and digging everything, that you can find, up?