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  • From: breen@fedcoseeds.com
  • To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [NAFEX] nitrogen fixing trees intercropped with fruit and nut trees
  • Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2003 10:07:32 -0500

Well Sammy,
a few don'ts rather than do's: You will be very sorry if you introduce
comfrey into your life. It spreads rapidly and rampantly and, although a
great soil breaker and mulcher, will never ever leave or stop its advance.
attracts lots of bumblebees etc, but the maintainence hassle if you ever want
to plant something else is hell. The same goes for many nitrogen fixing
shrubs, which are spread by birds into surrounding fields and hedges. some
folks have readily called some of these invasive. I know this may wrinkle the
perma-folks, but many of these theories of management are really just that.
better to maybe do raspberries and other earlier season crops between rows to
get a jump on production, and seasonality, or maybe asparagus or even alley
copping with vegetables which works fine too. Get used to spreading compost
and minerals is my advice, because these perma plantings get easily out of
control when you can't manage it regularly or are trying to make a living and
marketin!
g takes all your time. Herbs between rows etc is great too, grapevines yup,
kiwi yup, but beware the temptation to stick anything permanent into the
ground, especially before you've really spent a few years dicovering exactly
how feasible a certain crop/management style is to your life/market. Best
advice I can give is look at what the bees and native beneficials need all
season long for health and nourishment, ie biodynamic literature maybe, and
encourage those plants by seeding or mowing schedules. Those little folks are
the key to any orchard and honey sells well in various forms, gifts packs
etc. good luck.
heron breen ,maine zone 4b
------------------------------------------------
On Thu, 28 Aug 2003 01:35:57 -0700 (PDT), sam bucus <samm_bucus@yahoo.com>
wrote:

> hello,
> i have been reading this server for while, lurking and preparing questions.
>
>
> i am in the planning and saving money stages of creating a farm in northern
> wisconsin, , city of port wing, in bayfield county, zone 4 very close to
> lake superior. i recently graduated college after studying ecological
> agriculture and plan to develop a small, diversified ten acre farm geared
> towards direct maketing in duluth, minnesota through a farmer stand, and
> hopefully, eventually catch some tourists on their way to bayfield and
> market straight from the farm.
>
> currently i am teaching english in south korea saving money.
>
> my first questions to this list are concerning nitrogen fixing trees/plants
> in relation to fruit and nut orchards. i hope to intercrop plums, apples
> and pears for the main producers. i want to stagger in some nft's or have a
> row of nft's and mulch plants for every row of fruit or nut trees. but my
> research has shown that too much nitrogen is very bad for fruit and nut
> production, lowering fruiting, increeasing vegtative growth, nitrogen type
> things, etc. also i have read a few reports of people who feel they have
> experienced a decline in pests and consequent increase in fruiting after
> reducing regular nitrogen applications.
>
> as a student of permaculture/ecology, etc. i am drawn to the idea of using
> nitrogen fixing trees and plants to provide nitrogen instead of applying it
> some other way. does anyone have any experience with nft's or other plants
> in association with apples, plums, pears, hazels and chestnuts, the main
> species i will eb planting in my orchard? what species of nitrogen fixers?
> i was considering Eleagnus sp. in between rows of fruit trees with a bunch
> of comfrey or other suitable mulch plant nearby to pick up excessive
> nitrogen while still being able to supply some to the fruit adn nut trees.
> I also considered planting lupines under teh trees and, of course, clover
> and grass pathways.
>
> any info, advice or leads would be very much appreciated. I have enjoyed
> these lists and the useful information that people put out there.
> thanks,
>
> andrew felger
>
>
> ---------------------------------
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