The Beginnings of a Food Forest, Perhaps.

in Natural Medicine4 years ago

Ah, what an awesome day! I've been begging for help with a corner - or a circle - of my garden that edges the chicken pen and extends to the back of the garden and to the east for sometime. It's a pain to mow because of it's shape, and I have two fruit trees there I was unhappy about because I had to mow around them and they'd get overrun with grass. We also had a HUGE pile of mulch that had been sitting there since February, where I got excited and ordered too much, and piles and piles of newspaper that the mice had been loving.

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It took us less time than we thought - four hours to lay down newspaper, re-position the metal edging, weed around the fruit trees and mulch.

We also moved a large wooden bench against the Japanese plum so we can watch the sun go down and the chickens clucking. When the mulberry grows, and the quince and apple are also in leaf, it'll be a gorgeous shady spot in the summer too.

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Oh yes - I also ordered a new apple as well. The apples in the middle of the acreage don't fair so well - not enough water in the summer. Here, it's easy to get a hose up. I'll also plant some asparagus here, and more rhubarb, and a row of lavender, and other useful plants - perhaps a kind of food forest eventually, after the mulch breaks down a little.

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Sometimes I think I've bitten off more than I can chew with another garden bed to tend, but there doesn't seem a better time to be more self sufficient, given the state of the world, does it?

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After our hard work, we lit a fire and I sat in the hammock with a well deserved whiskey. Sadly the day was slightly tainted by the news face masks are now compulsory in Victoria, and that house guests are banned, but other than that, we could just imagine that the pandemic wasn't happening, and our slice of paradise was absolutely, absolutely enough.

This is how we go forward - we tend the earth, and take steps into the future, hearts open, dirty hands, covered in soil. We plant seeds and trees and hope and dream - it matters. We create our small world and hope others are doing so too, better worlds all.

With Love,

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This is how we go forward - we tend the earth, and take steps into the future, hearts open, dirty hands, covered in soil.

I yearn to share that future with you. Thanks so much for all the photos. It nourishes me a little just to see them and imagine you both creating there. What a blessing you are to us all.

 4 years ago  

@indigoocean, what a lovely thing to say - feel humbled!!!! I am glad to nourish others as you all nourish me. Love you xx

 4 years ago  

we tend the earth, and take steps into the future, hearts open, dirty hands, covered in soil. We plant seeds and trees and hope and dream - it matters. We create our small world and hope others are doing so too, better worlds all.

These posts always make me feel one step closer to nature while I'm surrounded by so much cement and endless city.

What peace that place. Blessed and wonderful nature.♥

Here we are also prisoners of wearing the masks, it is frustrating when nature is scarce in this city and to add to it, to put on a mask, if before you breathed very little, now it is almost nil, desperate. Thanks for this post, it brought me back to appreciate the beauty of nature. ♥

 4 years ago  

Oh no I'm so sorry you are so closed in. It is so bad to have a mask between yourself and the fresh air - thank god here they say 'if you are doing strenous exercise you don't need to wear a mask' - I think everyone will be jogging now!!!! May you find small gulps of precious air, and see the sky, and plants pushing up through the concrete. Love you xxx

 4 years ago  

I love you! You are doing an amazing job, putting your focus and energy into the earth and feeding that soil, this is what our future is all about. We need to step away and become more self sufficient.

This is how we go forward - we tend the earth, and take steps into the future, hearts open, dirty hands, covered in soil. We plant seeds and trees and hope and dream - it matters. We create our small world and hope others are doing so too, better worlds all.

This says it all xxxxxx

 4 years ago  

Yay, glad you feel moved by my post to effuse that you love me, lol!!! I love you too. We are earth sisters. I am glad for these times for making me even more obsesse by my garden. Before I felt a little complacent. Now I'm elbows deep with the worms!

Wonderful 😀❤👍

Asi es amigo es una hermoza iniciativa, yo tambien planto en mi jardin y ahora ya tengo tomates y zapallo, gracias por compartir, te voto y te sigo.

Three people quoting the same text from your post! That's quite something!!

With such a lovely paradise, you can really forget about everything that goes on in the outside world

 4 years ago  

I know I saw that when I woke up this morning - blew me away!!!

Planting a food forest now makes absolute sense. Nut trees would be an awesome addition - vegan protein is going to be a BIG issue in 20 years when you're too tired to dig but are grateful to the enlightened soul who planted chestnuts and almonds hazelnuts. I like the sweet little resting spot you've created - we need more of those in our gardens!!

That's a great space, I'm envious, All I really want is 'too much space' to be able to manage - it's a challenge I kind of relish, how to make say 3-4 acres productive with as little input as possible.

half a day's effort there and it'll pay off for years!

 4 years ago  

It's good fun, and when the two of us put our mind to it, we get stuff done!!! It's good to have a bit of time off to get on with it. I hope you get your dream place soon!!

 4 years ago (edited) 

Beautiful the way can already be seen, we need to start detaching ourselves from the system little by little and the only way is by sowing!
Yesterday my dad was grumbling about the lack of gasoline, about the whole mask thing and how the government is hiding information from us to keep us locked up... I was thinking inside my head "what can I tell you so you don't get carried away?"
Sometimes we just have to flow and work to change what we can, at the moment we are grateful for what we have and start working creatively to be able to live in peace. I asked him: does this last forever? Live as if this can't affect you, decide how to play and stop thinking about the bad things.

I don't know what word I can say sometimes, but right now I know that seeing the negative is not going to help us. Thanks to the pandemic I got locked up in a state far away from mine, I had to go through 4 different rents, my life was at risk, among other things. That's not why I should feel bad, I'm sure that if the theory is that someone created this virus, then I create it to destroy us psychologically. We can't be a part of that!

I love how your new plot of land looks, I am excited about the new projects, I would like to be there helping you and breathing fresh air, a whiskey is not a bad idea in the middle of this pandemic 😁 my dad would agree with me. Greetings and hugs!

 4 years ago  

You are so right! Thanks for your wisdoms, it really is important. The negative is NOT going to help. We moved into more restrictions today and they're not half as bad as yours or what Venuzuela's gone through in the last few years - and I get to stay at home and be on my beautiful land. It's definitely not worth being negative that's for sure. I wish you COULD be here with us - I would make you and Jose work in the garden during the day, cook for me at night and sing me songs. Haha - aw, it'd just be nice to hug you both and sit down and chat in the sunshine.

 4 years ago  

Hahahaha that sounds great and exploitative at the same time 🤣 and the whiskey where it was? Hahahaha thanks for always being so receptive ♥️

Sweet spot in the making @riverflows. I am sure it is already nice without the mulberry tree but I imagined the whole scene in my mind. Looks like a paradise to me. Haha!

 4 years ago  

Thanks!!! It is our own little paradise, that's for sure! When it all grows leaves in the Spring it's going to be a real haven.

This was an amazing read, Kylie.

I was about to quote a certain - not-to-be-named - part but then I went through your comment section and decided not to do so, as I prefer to be as original as I can be ( winky eye )

You guys are doing an amazing job!
Messages like these are the kind of stuff that we should all be spreading around ( instead of fear of "the thing" )

❤️

 4 years ago (edited) 

Damn that thing. Yeah, it's hard, because now we're in Stage 3 again so I don't think we can even meet which is a bit gutting.

We will definitely meet, we just need to practice even more patience. When the time finally comes, it will extra special and precious an experience :<)

🤗