June 2002- from the archives!

This is a post on the forest garden that I made to a Yahoo! group back in June 2002 that I've just been able to recover from the archives;

Forest Garden News June 23rd

I visited the forest garden at Manchester Drive, Leigh On Sea today for the first time in a few weeks. Alot of grass had grown up but the thick mulches of cut grass and weeds I'd put around the bases of the trees I'd planted during winter & spring have been effective in holding moisture and keeping down weed regrowth so these were fairly clear. Most of my time I spent re-defining the paths, which were just starting to become indistinct, and pulling up and cutting grass which I used to top up the mulches. I also slashed back a fair bit of bramble which had also been re-encroaching using my Chillington grass slasher which I recently obtained from the Permaculture Magazine. On the plus side, it looks like there will be another good crop of wild blackberries this year- last year's got made into wine, I made a couple of gallons which went in a very short period of time- in fact it never even made it to the bottling stage- delicious and highly potent- some of my more 'left-field' postings at Eco-Vegans & elsewhere have no doubt been fueled by this brew :-)

Of the willows I planted in winter, 5 have survived and seem to be doing well, although 4 have died. These I will replace in autumn or winter with fresh cuttings. I'm not sure if the willows have produced enough growth this year for me to have a go at creating some living willow sculptures or furniture, but you never know...

The dwarf family apple tree (unsure which varieties!) that I obtained from my mother's garden where it has never done very well was for the first time ever laden with fruit, as was the Own rootstock Katy apple that I obtained from Phil Corbett's 'Cool Temperate Nursery', and it broke my heart to have to remove it all! Still, tempting as it was to leave it all, my logical right brain managed to convince me that the trees need to put their energies into getting established in this first year after planting if I'm to reap the full benefits in later years...

I also noticed that the ORS Katy has a little damage around the base, looks like strimmer damage but since that isn't possible maybe it's rabbits? Anyway, I've created a protective barrier using cuttings from the slashed back brambles which I hope will be effective, and also has turned a 'problem' into a 'resource'...

I was surprised to see that a peach which I grew from a stone several years ago and has ever since sat in a pot looking miserable that I decided to plant at the forest garden is actually growing away healthily, although I seriously doubt that it will ever fruit... On the downside though I do seem to have lost a 'Stella' cherry on a 'Colt' rootstock which is a shame. it has no leaves and looks very forlorn, although still has green wood just below the bark so you never know.

I noticed that Ron's plum on his neighbouring plot (also a forest garden) is fruiting abundantly, so I guess a couple of plums will go in next autumn as well- there's still plenty of space.

The rowans & hazels that I planted are also looking good...

Still havn't done any grafting yet, but the rootstocks that Ron & I obtained from Phil Corbett this winter are looking good and healthy...

The week after next ron & i will be doing an 'alternative tour' of Manchester Drive allotment site, including our plots, and some of the wilder areas, such as the Northern area of the site which has ben 'neglected', but is in fact re-establishing as ash and oak woodland, and from whence we have been harvesting ash poles for green woodworking projects. This is as a part
of the Manchester Drive Allotment Society Open Day, and is at the invitation of Leigh Town Council & 'The Committee'- a sign that attitudes are at last changing to accept 'other' ways of allotment gardening than straight rows of veggies???

Still havn't got a website with photo's of the forest garden together yet, watch this space...

I also fitted in a visit to my 'Zone 2' veggie production allotments today, dug up the first of this years new potatoes, and some nice young beetroots- you know summer's arrived when you have beetroots for tea and your first pee of the following morning is bright pink! It scared me the first time happened but I'm used to it now...

Cheers for now, Graham Burnett