permaculture

[Paul Cereghino <paul.cereghino@comcast.net>]

Kathy, just to create a weedlot of ideas...

> Can I grow fruit trees in clay soil in the understory of oak/hickory forest? 
>  
fruit yield drops dramatically when light levels drop.  Clay soil can be 
modified over time, but light is the finite supply of energy on the 
site, the majority of energy may be captured by your overstory of oak 
and hickory.  There is a limit to primary (i.e. plant) productivity in a 
system, you can boost it some over time with soil fertility, by trapping 
nutrients and water in the system... but in genearal the number of 
leaves and fruit that can be grown in a given patch of sun is finite -- 
in a more mature system I'd start looking for how to build food web 
complexity, niches for secondary products by recycling or concentrating 
wastes to create yields other than fruit, or start thinking about 
creating a disturbance (removing canopy) that creates new sun niches.

1. focus on 'gardening' south edges and north sides of substantial 
canopy gaps.
2. focus on more understory fruit and leaf species (raspberries, 
huckleberries, nettles) and anticipate light production
3. focus on species that use light in the shoulder seasons when leaves 
haven't sprung... bulbs, nettles...
3. look into other yields than fruit... medicines, dye, garden poles, 
mushrooms...
4. consider creating canopy gaps.  The bodies of young oaks (~6 inches 
DBH) are great for mushroom production (shitake is commonly grown on oak).
5. consider animals that take advantage of nut production (sorry I don't 
know much about animals).

>    It's easy for me to be overwhelmed trying to understand and apply 
> permaculture and not sure how to just begin in a small way. 
Inventory all your waste from garden and house, inventory everything you 
buy into your home, and look for matches and substitutes.  Assess your 
energy demand for house heat, warm water, cooking, and look at 
efficiencies system by system.  In general I am finding that the object 
of design/restoration is not the land, but rather ourselves.

In some settings removing an oak might simultaneously provide some 
warmth and light for a house, a patch of sun for minor food supplement, 
and material for mushroom production.  In general though I wouldn't plan 
on planting an orchard under a hardwood forest canopy.

Paul Cereghino