by David The Good
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Read time:
I saw a video from Dave Wilson Nurseries some years back and stored it away in my mind.
I found it again today, and thought – ah yes! This was one of the inspirations for my Grocery Row Garden system!
You can often do more than you think in a small space, especially if you’re not scared to prune. Make your trees work for you.
Right now we’re putting in some deer fencing, then I’ll be planting again.
I’m David The Good, gardening author, homesteading, survival gardener, nursery owner and plant geek. Let’s grow some food!
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9 responses to “This High-Density Planting was an Inspiration”
Wonderful inspiration.
We’re rethinking our “bean field,” because the soil is still awful after 6 years of amendments, cover cropping, composting in place, solarizing, mulching against weeds… discouraging, to be sure . We’ve killed cherry, elder, mulberry, hazel nuts, with a lot of help from the beetles, deer, and rabbits.
At the end of this growing season (we are getting beans, along with Canada thistle and creeping Charlie…) we’re going to take down the trellises, roll up the irrigation, and weed weed weed to get the roots of the thistles and milkweed out, and cover crop it. Then till it in again in late spring.
Since is on slope, we were thinking about terraces, too, and some hardscape to push the Zone. We’re also thinking about just putting in grass for hay.
But anyway, thank you for the inspiration, sir.
I’ve been reading Ann Ralph’s book after your Grocery Row Gardening book, and she mentions Ed Laivo, so I looked up him up YT. He also demonstrates how to keep a fruit tree to a size suitable for humans without ladders! I hope this link will work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXGUmhdYJgg
There are several videos available where he demonstrates similar methods for pruning fruit trees.
MORE DEER FENCE INFO PLEASE!!!
I was planning to share with the neighborhood deer and in return harvest a couple annually. But…
Did you know these tick-ridden $%&×,%*s will eat potted variegated elephant ears off the carport???
I’m looking into 3D electric fencing at a coworker’s suggestion, as well as some brush piles along their usual routes and a food plot in a meadow way back in the woods to distract them. But I always want to know what the Swami of survival gardens recommends!!!
This is my first time trying to keep them out – we are just testing! Will let you know if it works.
An old neighbor used to keep deer out of his veggie plot using a battery powered radio tuned to NPR (borderline animal abuse, in all honesty). Have you considered getting some bone sauce?
Yes, Lisa, but then I realized building two electric fences is both cheaper and less work than handpainting all my trees with something that is $15/oz.
Not to mention the smell. I have a wife who barely tolerates gardening as it is.
I like the idea of permanence as well.
Love you David. Patiently waiting for some new videos from your new project. May God bless your new endeavor and be with your family. I Live in Bradenton FL 9b. Putting your books and videos to use daily has made me a beast in the yard. Thanks again. My tomato and velvet bean seeds should be here from your daughter any day. Hoping for some of that extra boost you seem to have from the velvet. Although im fine with 3 kids dont want 9. Lol.
Thank you.
And it’s okay to have more kids – you’ll be happy you did!