Monday 29 May 2017

Ornamentals in our Fernmount Food Forest

Ornamentals ensure the Fernmount Food Forest is not just an unattractive, utilitarian source of food.
Of course many food producing plants are also ornamental and many plants we consider only as ornamentals are also edible. Ornamentals also attract bees and other beneficial insects and of course many birds, especially small insect eaters. There is no reason that a food producing garden can't also be attractive and a delight to explore.

In our climate foliage provides much colour so gold, yellow, orange, copper, silver and bronze foliage plants feature. The advantage is that foliage colour is so easy to provide compared to the work and time required to grow annual flowers. Trees and bushes also contribute many flowers and contrasting leaf shapes also contribute to visual interest.



Large Bromeliad
This Bromeliad looks green now but will turn gold again once gradually exposed to more sun.

Sunday 28 May 2017

How the Fernmount Food Forest Developed




This path, seen here in the morning mist, was the first piece of infrastructure placed on the block. The edges required a concreted gutter to prevent road wash-outs, we had two, from heavy rainfalls. An Eastern low can dump 46mm in an hour.



Saturday 27 May 2017

Some perennial food plants for our Coffs Coast climate

We try to grow perennial vegetables to supply our needs, not only because they are less work but also because many perennial vegetables suit our climate and many of the annual vegetables we have traditionally eaten better suit climates with cold winters. This may also mean we need to change our diet a little so that we eat more green vegetables. Certainly we need to experiment with preparing our perennial vegetables so that they are as attractive to eat as the vegetables we may have traditionally eaten at our parents' table.

Eating local is also better for the planet.



Kang Kong

Kang Kong grows well in water or moist ground.  Here its broad edible leaves are shown with Lebanese Cress growing in a small pond.



Wednesday 24 May 2017

Some of our food forest trees


Why catalogue these trees in this fashion?

If you are searching for suitable fruit and nut trees for a similar climate then this lengthy list may just spark your interest. This food forest is situated on the border of warm temperate and subtropical climate zones. It is only ten kilometres from the NSW coastline and in a river valley,

Of course we have some failures but it has been surprising what subtropical trees will grow on our north facing slope. Indeed our Apple and Apricot trees struggle the most because our winters have insufficient chill factor. I hope the large pics assist with identification.  




Persimmon Fuju (Diospyros variety)  (right) and Apple trees in the lowest, therefore coldest in winter, south west corner.


Fuju is a dwarf variety of Persimmon that does not need bletting. We also grow Tropical Apple (Anna), Pink Lady and Granny Smith apples. We grow Crab Apple (Malus Golden Hornet) as a universal pollinator. It is extremely slow growing.



Sunday 21 May 2017

Eating our Fernmount Food Forest weeds.

Take Care: Please ensure you know your weeds before consuming them from your garden. Roadside weeds may have been sprayed or polluted.

 These are common edible weeds in the Fernmount Food Forest and the local area.

Ragweed aka Thickhead

 

Ragweed aka Gynura crepidioides aka

Thickhead



Ragweed, Gynura crepidioides
Some online articles conflate Okinawa Spinach (Gynura bicolour)) with Ragweed (Gynura crepidioides) and sometimes both plants are depicted, cut and bundled, in Asian vegetable markets.

Okinawa Spinach (Gynura bicolour)

Gynura crepidiodes, a common weed in the Bellingen valley

Thickhead

"Gynura crepidioides Benth. is a synonym of Crassocephalum crepidioides"

"Crassocephalum crepidioides, also called ebolo, thickhead, redflower ragleaf, or fireweed, is an erect annual slightly succulent herb growing up to 180 cm tall. Its use is widespread in many tropical and subtropical regions, but is especially prominent in tropical Africa. Its fleshy, mucilaginous leaves and stems are eaten as a vegetable, and many parts of the plant have medical uses. However, the safety of internal use needs further research due to the presence of plant toxins. [2]" Ref: Wikipedia

Friday 19 May 2017

Chinese Raisin Tree (Hovea Dulcis)

The Chinese Raisin Tree has produced a plentiful crop this season. Last year it fruited, after 7 years, and produced about 20 of its sweet peduncles attached to the inedible seeds. The fruit is quite fibrous but still very useful and as sweet as grape raisins.

The Chinese Raisin Tree, planted for seven years.

Permaculture Zones applied to the Fernmount Food Forest

Aloe Vera in Zone 1
On a large property it might be easier to designate clearly the various zone related to permaculture principles. On the one acre (0.4 hectare) land of The Fernmount Food Forest zones tend to blur. Our Zone 4 area is tiny and we don't have a Zone 5 with original native bush. 

However, we are surrounded by patches of native forest and situated near the Tarkeeth Forest, part native timber plantation and part almost original forest so we regularly see bandicoots, goannas, pythons, Black, Brown and Tree snakes, lizards and plenty of native birds.



Late Autumn, walking in the rain in the FFF.




We had a nice Autumn rain period last night. This wheelbarrow leaks but still has a fair haul of water.












The stream that carries water from two drainage holding ponds was flowing.




Saturday 13 May 2017

Morning Autumn Walk


8.30 AM and its time for a stroll with Nick's dog. Down the central path from the house at the front of the block to these indigenous Tree Ferns midway and at a small culvert bridge over a stream bed. We have massive storm events and Easterly Lows can dump a couple of metres of rain over a few days. This bridge has been replaced twice and finally with larger 30cm diameter pipes.

The Tree Ferns are self seeded and I must keep pruning the roots out of the nearby storm-water drain to keep the water flowing.




Friday 12 May 2017

Annual Edibles, Mainly Vegetables



Giant Russian Cucumbers can be very productive in our climate.




 In this climate annual vegetables that flourish in a colder climate's Spring and Summer are often best planted in our cold season. Coriander and Brassicas prefer our cold season.