Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["bruce smith" <cityhomesteader@gmail.com>]

Hi,

Thanks for all the encouragement.. I just ordered some native edibles for my forest garden project.  Beach Plums, Persimmons, and pawpaw's..

I will be taking out some Norway maples in my small woodlot and replacing them with  Shag bark Hickories, and a Black Walnut.. Black walnut will be going at the very Back corner of my lot replacing a dead American Elm.. Fully aware of the Black walnuts issues and researching under canopy small trees, shrubs, vines, perennial edibles, and mushrooms that will be alright to plant under it.  Any suggestions?

I will be planting sekel and a couple other pears within the areas I take out the Norway maples.. Under canopy small trees persimmons, shrub layer beach plums, red currents, service berries, mulched with wood chips.. With Wine cap mushrooms.. Vine may be Grapes and or Sandra Berries..

I have a Sloping hillside which is planted on top with Bush cherries and I will be putting horse manure and wood chips down soon.  Putting up a small hoop house soon and getting more rain barrels.. Setting up a gravity feed water system seeing I am on a South East running slope.. I will utilized a sears pump to run water to a good size water tank with a tap at the bottom. each of the beds will get drip tape added this year..  Equipped with quick disconnects..

The celery is up that I seeded and I will be buy onion seed ASAP.. 

The Garlic I planed last fall looks like it is doing well..  The weather is mild and then cold and then mild again.. About 43 degrees F today in SouthEastern CT.. zone 7?