Food Forests NZ

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Comment by Kali on May 2, 2011 at 2:05pm

would cow parsley cross with edible parsley Robyn?  I have some whirlybird nasturtiums around a couple of my plum trees which have competed well with the grass, however they are dropping seed all over now, hope it doesn't become a pest, I did see it 'catching' some white cabbage butterfly caterpillars.

Comment by Robyn Guyton on May 2, 2011 at 3:58am

Cow parsley grows by seed our local seed savers group has some available contact them though www.sces.org.nz

Comment by Denise on April 27, 2011 at 8:48pm

Brilliant I shall have a go hunting it down tomorrow, thanks.  Oh that kikuya, I don't miss that at all!  Glad it doesn't grow down here...

Comment by Kiri Smeed on April 27, 2011 at 11:22am

Hi I am in the same position as you. Young trees and kikuya grass. I got hold of a book called 'Design your own orchard' By Kay Baxter of Koanga Gardens. I got it from the library but have now ordered it (but not yet received it) . It is great. IN it is describes I think 7 ways to clear this sort of area one of which is roundup but lots of other options.

This book is alot more than growing an orchard it is about being sustainable as possible on 1/2 and acre including information on what to grow to feed chickens without buying in feed and Comfrey. - Which I am in the process of trying to get today.

 

The best thing for me is it is written for where I live (Auckland/Northland area)

Hope this helps Kiri

 

 

Comment by Denise on April 26, 2011 at 10:40pm

Hi there, I am very interested in converting our little patch of land into a food forest.  Currently we have a small orchard of young trees with lawn around them.  I'm wanting to get rid of as much lawn as possible and have a herbal type under story instead, but what is the best way to get rid of the grass?  Would it work if we try and use a rotory hoe and just turn the earth over?  I don't want to spray if it can be avoided.  Any advice would be hugely helpful, I'm still new to this!

Thanks, Denise

Comment by Nadine on April 18, 2011 at 7:02pm

Awesome, thanks for this, really helpful. Will hunt for cow parsley, did you buy seeds or divide from another plant?

Comment by Robyn Guyton on April 18, 2011 at 1:12am

HI Nadine

we had the same problem competing with tough grasses and have recently found that cow parsley works incredibly well smothering out the grasses then we can follow with mixed herbal understory. Grass is a pain because it puts out a hormone that weakens other plants you are trying to grow, We are aiming for a pasture grass free forest.

Raspberries are great as are all berries.  Our management technique is a bi annual lift and drop of grass and volunteer plants growing around the berries so they always have a donut of mulch around them-  This protects them from weather extremes and keeps them from being overcome,

We have had hens and Cayuga ducks successfully living in our forest some years but now that we are incorporating vege clearings into our mix they are not so welcome when vege plants are small or when we are trying to start a green crop. We put the hens in a chicken tractor at those critical times- but generally they are great.  However we don't recommend geese they are too big and destructive.

Comment by Nadine on April 17, 2011 at 12:15pm

Im interested in how to establish the understory of clovers, herbs and flowers under fruit trees- the first attempt has been overgrown with the old pasture grass and only comfrey seems to survive through this (we removed the pasture with chooks and spades to start and seeds germinated but quickly were overgrown).  Lupins held their own and I thought they would self seed but they don't seem to have. Any suggestions?    Tagasaste have grown amazingly this year and Ive divided lots of comfrey, planting in circles about 2m out around each tree.  Im about to move raspberry canes into the food forest - though not sure how this will compete with the ever growing pasture (without copious amounts of weeding).  Also does anyone have free changing chooks in their food forest?  Does it work successfully? Thanks!

Comment by Robyn Guyton on April 13, 2011 at 2:47am

Autumn has arrived and our food forest is changing colour and now is the time we mulch and clear round our shrubs and trees and gather our stores for winter. We have boxes filling up with apples, quinces, potatoes, carrots, marrows etc  We have several varieties of each as we are experimenting with what grows best in or region. We are also gathering seeds for next season.

Comment by Robyn Guyton on April 12, 2011 at 12:58am

Sorry the food forest movie above isn't loaded properly on You tube -any suggestions how I can reload it and get it to work- it is 8 minutes long?

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