Canning is an excellent skill. Watch for classes in it starting when fruits ripen in summer -- around here that's June for strawberries. Do note that if you wish to preserve your harvest, sometimes that means selecting different varieties than if you wish to nibble for weeks on end. Look for cultivars that say "canning" or "preservation." They will give you one bumper crop all at once, then if they are perennials they rest and if they're annuals, you pull them up and plant something new (e.g. something that will bear a fall crop).
However, there are many other preservation options. Freezing is easy if you have a freezer, albeit vulnerable to power outages. Drying is ideal if you wish to avoid added sugar, and there are budget dehydrators around $40-60. I am keeping an eye on freeze-dry equipment but the prices there still range $2000-4000. Fermenting is another option if you like pickles or other cultured foods. You will likely find that different foods preserve better with different methods.
>>That's a fairly easy goal to reach: one dwarf apple tree yields at least 45lbs of fruit when mature (45-100 lbs estimated). <<
While some apples are self-fertile, most bear a bigger crop with a pollinator. There are charts to tell you which ones go together based on bloom time. So you'd likely do better with two smaller trees than one big tree, and some dwarf trees are still ladder territory, while others can be grown in a large tub. Note that smaller trees fit closer together and actually yield more fruit per area. A challenge is that all the tiny trees are made so by grafting onto a dwarfing rootstock. That makes them a lot more expensive, and also limits your choices what you can grow -- which means modern commercial varieties, and those things expect to be coddled. Heritage varieties are much more robust, but hard to find on dwarfing rootstock. I recommend that you find a nursery with experienced staff and discuss your needs; they can help you figure out what should work for you.
>>Growing enough snap peas to meet my preferences is rather like growing enough basil to make pesto: good luck, Optimist! <<
True, but snap peas have a great advantage: vining ones grow vertically so you don't have to bend over to pick them and they take up very little footprint. Same is true for other vining crops such as hardy kiwis.
>>Other goals require more knowledge, more ability to bend or stand for more than a minute, etc. Which is what pushed me toward permaculture, frankly.<<
Here you have an advantage because you can start permaculture immediately by observing your territory -- how the light falls, the water moves, etc. -- before planting. However, now is the time to plant bare-root dormant things (e.g. trees, most shrubs, some perennials). Fruit trees or bushes take time to mature so starting them this year would be helpful, if you can learn fast and decide what you want where within a month or so.
>>With your lovely "road map," it's time to get out my gardening notebook and start gearing up for the last frost date!<<
Yay! :D
Bear in mind that planting season has phases.
* Early -- ground thaw to leafing out (plant dormant things) * Middle -- cool spring with chance of frost (plant cool-season crops like peas or pansies) * Late -- after frost with warm ground (plant sensitive summer crops like tomatoes)
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dancing_serpent
Re: Wait, planting out already?
Date: 2025-03-14 07:00 pm (UTC)*bow, flourish* Happy to be of service!
>> The goal is to create a food forest that AT LEAST supports my daily fruit needs <<
Okay, with that in mind I can provide more specific resources.
Articles:
Designing a Food Forest: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started
Permaculture Food Forest: How To Grow A Luxurious Garden
Books:
Edible Forest Gardens
Forest Garden Technical Manual
>> learn enough pressure canning/no sugar canning techniques to minimize waste, too.<<
Canning is an excellent skill. Watch for classes in it starting when fruits ripen in summer -- around here that's June for strawberries. Do note that if you wish to preserve your harvest, sometimes that means selecting different varieties than if you wish to nibble for weeks on end. Look for cultivars that say "canning" or "preservation." They will give you one bumper crop all at once, then if they are perennials they rest and if they're annuals, you pull them up and plant something new (e.g. something that will bear a fall crop).
However, there are many other preservation options. Freezing is easy if you have a freezer, albeit vulnerable to power outages. Drying is ideal if you wish to avoid added sugar, and there are budget dehydrators around $40-60. I am keeping an eye on freeze-dry equipment but the prices there still range $2000-4000. Fermenting is another option if you like pickles or other cultured foods. You will likely find that different foods preserve better with different methods.
Pressure Canning 101- The Basics
Complete Guide To Home Canning
Low Sugar Preserving
General Preservation Articles:
Food preservation
National Center for Home Food Preservation: Home Page
Ways to preserve food
Books:
Getting Started in Food Preservation (4-H guide)
Handbook of Food Preservation
Home and farm food preservation
>>That's a fairly easy goal to reach: one dwarf apple tree yields at least 45lbs of fruit when mature (45-100 lbs estimated). <<
While some apples are self-fertile, most bear a bigger crop with a pollinator. There are charts to tell you which ones go together based on bloom time. So you'd likely do better with two smaller trees than one big tree, and some dwarf trees are still ladder territory, while others can be grown in a large tub. Note that smaller trees fit closer together and actually yield more fruit per area. A challenge is that all the tiny trees are made so by grafting onto a dwarfing rootstock. That makes them a lot more expensive, and also limits your choices what you can grow -- which means modern commercial varieties, and those things expect to be coddled. Heritage varieties are much more robust, but hard to find on dwarfing rootstock. I recommend that you find a nursery with experienced staff and discuss your needs; they can help you figure out what should work for you.
Fruit Trees: What to Plant and How Many
The Best Apple Tree Varieties for Home Orchards
One good way to start a food forest is with a single guild, such as an apple guild.
Apple Tree Guilds: Getting Started
Mini Fruit Tree Guild for Small Gardens
Midwest Permaculture Presents: Plant Guilds
Designing a fruit tree guild
This article has a diagram for a guild with 2 oak trees, to give you an idea of how a 2 apple guild could look.
Apple Tree Guild picture
>>Growing enough snap peas to meet my preferences is rather like growing enough basil to make pesto: good luck, Optimist! <<
True, but snap peas have a great advantage: vining ones grow vertically so you don't have to bend over to pick them and they take up very little footprint. Same is true for other vining crops such as hardy kiwis.
>>Other goals require more knowledge, more ability to bend or stand for more than a minute, etc. Which is what pushed me toward permaculture, frankly.<<
Here you have an advantage because you can start permaculture immediately by observing your territory -- how the light falls, the water moves, etc. -- before planting. However, now is the time to plant bare-root dormant things (e.g. trees, most shrubs, some perennials). Fruit trees or bushes take time to mature so starting them this year would be helpful, if you can learn fast and decide what you want where within a month or so.
Permaculture Design Principles
Zones and Sectors, Efficient Energy Planning
How to Design a Permaculture Backyard: Step by Step Instructions
Permaculture
Permaculture Design: A Step-by-Step Guide
>>With your lovely "road map," it's time to get out my gardening notebook and start gearing up for the last frost date!<<
Yay! :D
Bear in mind that planting season has phases.
* Early -- ground thaw to leafing out (plant dormant things)
* Middle -- cool spring with chance of frost (plant cool-season crops like peas or pansies)
* Late -- after frost with warm ground (plant sensitive summer crops like tomatoes)
So it's already planting season for some things.