Turn a corner of your garden into Hassle-Free Permaculture Perennial Production
Look at this picture. What do you see? A mess of plants and weeds?
This is a permaculture apple guild, with multiple perennials, in the corner of my garden area.
This has two apple trees on dwarf/semi-dwarf rootstock (an Arkansas Black, and a Golden Delicious), several elderberry plants in front (with the white elderflowers), blackberry, horseradish, and comfrey, with lemon balm and mint at the herb layer.
Apple Guild Layout
Guild vs. Contour
A guild is different from planting in rows on contour. You anchor the guild with a tree species such as apple, pear, or a nut tree like a chestnut. Then it is surrounded by companion plants to fill in the different layers.
These apple trees were planted in 2017 and had the first few small apples this year. This requires little to no maintenance other than pruning. The herb layer helps with the mulching.
Apple Guild Lessons Learned
As noted in the layout above, the elderberry were planted to the south of the Arkansas Black apple. The elder has outperformed the apple tree and so I keep the elder trimmed and use the cuttings to expand the elderberry in other areas. Just take a cutting of elderberry and stick it in the ground. I have used this to create elderberry patches in other gardens and guilds on my property. This method works better than starting cuttings and inside and transplanting.
The Arkansas Black looks kind of scraggly because it is not cedar apple rust resistant and that is a big problem on my homestead. As it gets older I will graft other varieties onto it.
Leave yourself enough space between plants. That elderberry or comfrey plant may initially look small, but it quickly fills in the area and (the comfrey especially) can outperform and push out the other plants like lemon balm, mint, and strawberries.
Cross posted from AllGardenAdvice.com.
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