Establishment of an edible forest and vegetable garden
It's time to give life back to the land
The earth has everything it needs for us, if only we learn to cultivate it over time and work with it instead of wasting its resources on aggressive mechanical methods.
Our goal is first of all to grow for ourselves as much as possible of food consumption in as wide and pampering a variety of fruits and vegetables as possible. And also, to experience forestry and to be part of the people who work for the restoration of balance to the land and the land.
On the plan
Finally, a dream becomes a reality.
We have an area of dunams that we live in and turn into an edible forest / piece of forestry. We dream of establishing a productive area whose main purpose is to support the family directly and indirectly and to set an example for another agriculture, long-term sustainable agriculture that enriches and enhances the land instead of poisoning it and consuming its resources.
The area is Zone 3, an agricultural area of a farm in Moshav Givat Nili, and stood deserted for several decades after growing loquat and cucumbers. It is adjacent to the east to an agricultural shed used for produce from modern agriculture that has existed in the economy for many decades. We strive to establish a productive plot in the hope of influencing the agricultural perception in the area in the long run.
The area is a gentle slope from east to west located at the bottom of a hill.
We were blessed with tall pine and oak trees on the northern line of the area that will be part of the top tree layer and between them and the northern wall of the area, there is a canal that flows in winter and now spills a few dozen meters lower forming a puddle on the road and flowing to beyond.
The area already has a variety of pines, oaks, elm, strawberry, fig, palm, papaya, olives alongside the asparagus grove, thorny capercaillie, watermelons, gooseberry, some wart, summer, gray scorpion sting and all sorts we could not identify.
A glimpse into the planning of the edible forest for the coming years
Let the area rise to life
- We surveyed and marked contour lines and above each of them, on the slope, we will dig a swell at a depth of 30.40 cm (up to the rocky ground that cannot be dug efficiently).
Beneath each swill is a pile of pruning a height and a meter wide.
-Planting 10 more trees. Pioneers and nitrogen linkers; Indian rosehip, Indian-Nimrod, ice cream beans, Klil Hahoresh, Malbar nut, pecan.
-Drapping and digging niches for planting in a soil mixture with compost
-Planting of nitrogen-fixing pioneer shrubs and fertilizers; Moringa, alfalfa shrubs, compari, goji berries, and summer sowing in humus-fortified "seed bombs" of a variety of other beneficial shrubs; Their responsibility is the grove, thyme, Jerusalem sage, Abraham's bush, triple sage, hairy bow, lupine, nettle, crimson clover, blue elder, common pygmy and more.
- The use of a small greenhouse structure for germination, cuttings and experiments
-Planting a number of "spoiled" trees on the drip line; Lemon, orange, hazelnut, mango, plum, apricot, apple
-Combination of "freedom hives" of local bee swarms
-Crop and drop pruning twice during the year and control spreaders
-Plant more "spoiled" trees combined with vegetable guilds and spices,
-Remove irrigation from the pioneer trees and adjust the structure of the drips
-Combine chickens
-Expand the vegetable garden with no-fishing beds
-Add perimeter rows of spices, pollinators and wild plants
Dig a winter pool at the end of the slope
- seating area
-Combine aquatic vegetation
Opening and accessibility to the community
Combining workshops and activities
First year program
Second year program
Third year program
The land after 9 months
