If you have nation to fence , why not consider establish an edible hedging ?
Instead of just have a bounds , you could farm a two - dimensional grove or even food forest type system along the sharpness of your attribute , then enjoy the sweet results .
pluck berries from your hedging draw a lot of signified
Here ’s a nice overview of edible hedging plants for temperate clime :
Edible hedge can also act as wind break :
you may even train mango trees into hedge :
Picking berries from your hedge makes a lot of sense
My favorite system I ’ve seen so far is Andrew ’s permaculture “ fedge : ”
This week I should be get my ground realize with a Bobcat , then it ’s time for me to begin plant .
Since I only have a half Accho and would like lots and lots of food production , dedicating the boundaries to non - edible plants does n’t make sense . Instead , I design to try out different species of plants and see which one can be used as hedgerow .
I really like the “ jam slice in the ground ” method of planting hedge , as I did withGliricidia sepiumon our old rental property .
However , Gliricidiais not much of an eatable .
ThoughKen Fern reports“The flowers of Gliricidia are edible when cooked , ” and also states“the whole plant is a sept remedy for various weather such as but not limited to colds , cough , fever , headache , contusion , burns , rheumatism , ulcers , and wounds,”he to boot shares“it can also be used as a rodenticide and general pesticide . The seeds , in particular , can be used as dirty dog poison . ”
Great for compost . Great for nitrogen fixation . Great for a fast roadblock . Not serious for food .
I will certainly apply it here and there , and reconstruct an interlocked system like the one above so I can notice its growth over meter , but I would wish to get more food production . The peachy benefit of Gliricidia is that it ’s a wonderful fresh fish plant for goats , as well as being an first-class source of light-green stuff for your compost .
There are other “ pile it in the ground ! ” species that work well to make barriers , such as aralia and gumbo limbo .
Check out this gumbo limbo fence figure fromProjectNoah.org :
Gumbo limbo can be used to make incense , but that does n’t satisfy the stomach . It looks awesome , though , and I am rather sentimental about the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree since I grew up with it in South Florida .
Another “ stick in the ground ” pick which actually produces comestible yield isSpondius purpurea , the purple jocote . you’re able to see orchards of it here :
All you require to do is stick arm in the ground and they settle down and fruit . If you plant them tightly , they would probably keep out sheep , if not dogs .
Another likely edible hedge option for the tropics isPandanas utilis .
Pandanasis extremely prize for basket making , as well as for its strange yield and the seeds , which can be rib and eaten like a nut .
It ’s a bit open at the bottom as it grows , however .
Pandanas , AKA screwpine , would believably be a good pick to mix in with other species . Perhaps you could grow pineapples around the base . to thicken up the roadblock .
Yet another safe alternative could be mulberries . They rationalize easily and become quite dense . Acerola cherries are another good one , as they get very shaggy if kept pruned .
I once designed a subtropic “ fruit tree social club ” for a small space . Something like this would also work for an eatable hedging .
The cassia were add for nitrogen fixation . Their post could well be replaced withGliricidiaorLeucaenaor any number of other tropical leguminous mintage .
Or I could just plant a hedge of citrus :
Or , more astonishingly , a hedging of coffee :
Pomegranates are another skilful hedge option . AsGrowOrganic.com parcel :
“ Whether you have a farm that could use some hedges as windbreaks , or a enceinte garden that needs hedgy bulwark to create garden room , look to the dramatic play of the Punica granatum . Imagine the glossy hedging , constellate first with the crimson flowers , and then with the distinctive fruit . Plant the pomegranate tree 6’-9 ’ aside . The bush will propagate their ramification , and suckers will also grow between the original plantings , to constitute a hedge . ”
I grew dwarf pomegranate from germ and they rapidly fruited .
The big trees are also quite easy to broadcast . I think it ’s time to go buy a huge , expensive fruit from the store , then set all the seeds!I inspect a friend last hebdomad who had done just that , growing his own beautiful multifariousness of pomegranate from the seeds of a “ Wonderful ” he had plant some years before .
Since I have 740 pes of property line , it earn sense to do a bit of everything . I could put in a discussion section of gumbo limbo , some aralia , some Gliricidia , some citrus , some coffee bean , some mangoes , some mixed plantings and whatever else I line up interesting .
One of the best affair about horticulture is the potential for experimentation . Why not found some hedges straight up and others lock on the diagonal ? Other sections can be a wide mix of edible and useful specie . An edible hedge can act like a 2D food forest , providing a farsighted admixture of metal money and the productive “ edge ” always raved over by permaculture practitioners .
As I institute and farm , I will see what eatable hedges work well in my clime and which do not – and of course , I will keep you all update . I hope you grow a few good eatable hedge estimate from today ’s post . There ’s a ton of info out there , but the very best means to ascertain is by get under one’s skin out in your pace and planting .
Enjoy this position ? immobilise it on Pinterest !
Photo credit :
“ Pick the bombastic ripe blackberries”byLars Plougmannis license underCC BY - SA 2.0
“ Pandanus fascicularis – Prop Roots”bysmallislanderis licensed underCC BY - NC - SA 2.0
“ # 5036 Teach screw pine ( アダン)”byNemo ’s great uncleis licensed underCC BY - NC - SA 2.0
