Ep. 12 How to Create a Middle Earth Themed Garden

If have ever had the desire to create a Lord of the Rings themed garden or food forest - this is for you. If you having, we just might inspire you to doing this very thing! Imagine a space in your yard that reminded you of the Shire, Rivendell, or the gardens of healing in Gondor. Yes, the knowledge of the lore of middle earth botany runs deep in this podcast episode, as does the knowledge of the plants in the Lord of the Rings. If the Lord of the Rings were filmed in Florida, these are the food forest plants we think Tolkien would have used.

Keep in mind, the principles taught here can be applied for any themed garden space...

... creating a food forest for women's health

... a tea or bamboo garden

... an all white garden

... a children's gnome or fairy garden

... or even a black light responsive garden

Designing themed food forests can be a creative way to experience abundance for the mind, body, and spirit. Not to mention, your garden is practically like a canvas waiting for you to begin painting with the plants. So, join us as we "nerd out" and create a middle earth themed food forest.

If you liked the episode, feel free to tell us about it!!

Link to the food forest designer website!
https://permaculturefx.com/how-to-plant-a-food-forest-part-4-installing/

Let's be real - farming and homesteading are a blast, but can also very exhausting. With all of the joy also come pain. Sometimes, even with lush gardens, we can feel a little barren inside our hearts. Both activity and rest are natural parts of our built in rhythms, but so is rest - deep and genuine rest. Once and a while though, we each face burn, but for whatever reason, homesteading burnout just seems to hit different.

In this podcast episode, we'll talk about some of the common causes of farming burnout, both gleaning from our own experiences, but also the many homesteaders we are deeply connected with. Then we'll share some of the practical ways have have found success in overcoming burnout, which ultimately helped us navigate through the journey... finding our passion again at the other side. If you (or a loved one) has ever felt the pain of burnout while farming... you understand how challenging it can be. But how we walk through it makes all the difference, especially for our family and loved ones. Join us on this journey as we talk about a reality that we each face at some point in time.

If you liked the episode, feel free to tell us about it!!

Link to the food forest designer website!
https://permaculturefx.com/how-to-plant-a-food-forest-part-4-installing/

Weeds, which are often referred to as the right plants in the wrong places, can be a nuisance for some food foresters and gardeners. In this episode, we'll share ways to control weeds in a food forest or agroforestry system. Before we jump in, we'll talk a bit about why they are there in the first place. Understanding the concept behind their presence in the landscape will help us navigate them in our own garden spaces.

This episode covers weeding strategies like hand-pulling tips, smother crops, edible weeds, adding beneficial understory plants, utilizing chickens and livestock, burning, and more. Weeds and other understory can be utilized in a way that provides for pollinators, cover the soil, and build organic matter. However, as land stewards, it's our job to orchestrate their presence and work with the natural processes.

So, instead of working against what nature is doing - let's learn to help nature accomplish its goal of covering the soil and building organic matter.

If you liked the episode, feel free to tell us about it!!

Link to the food forest designer website!
https://permaculturefx.com/how-to-plant-a-food-forest-part-4-installing/

Should you hire a permaculture designer or simply do it yourself? Both are viable options, but it's important to understand the journey a bit before getting started.

This podcast episode explores the benefits and drawbacks of Homesteading DIY vs Hiring. If you want to do it yourself, we have some really practical strategies on how to streamline the process for your homestead. Not to mention...a few pro-tips!

If you are interested in hiring a designer (or installer), we also offer some practical tips, tricks, questions, and considerations to weigh before hiring someone. In this episode, we'll cover practical questions to ask your designer, how to spot designers that are not going to be a good fit, common pricing concerns, and how to explore mentorship after your food forest is planted.

Whether you are just getting started with a homestead design or you already have a food forest and need to be mentored on how to maximize production - this permaculture podcast episode will give you some gold-nugget tips. And a few interesting bunny trails (i.e. a rant on growing apples in Florida).

Link to the food forest designer website!
https://permaculturefx.com/how-to-plant-a-food-forest-part-4-installing/

If you liked the episode, feel free to tell us about it!!

Link to the food forest designer website!
https://permaculturefx.com/how-to-plant-a-food-forest-part-4-installing/

One of the most effective initial ways to cover, build, and protect your soil is to blanket new garden areas with a deep layer of wood chip mulch. As they decompose, the mulch builds organic matter and increases the soil biology, resulting in healthier plants and more abundant fruit.

Although there are many benefits for a land steward when we choose to continue the wood chipping process, it's not a blanket scenario that needs to happen indefinitely.

So, if you are wondering how long you need to keep mulching the food forest or garden... the answers here might surprise you. This episode covers practical ways you can wean off wood chips and find other creative ways to keep your soil covered and microbiology protected.

If you liked the episode, feel free to tell us about it!!

Link to the food forest designer website!
https://permaculturefx.com/how-to-plant-a-food-forest-part-4-installing/

How do you help your garden or food forest after a natural disaster? Regardless of where you live, increasing weather extremes can have a massive impact on the food forest and home garden. If you are in the cooler climates, the harder (and dry) winter months can wreak havoc on your fruit trees. In the coastal regions, hurricanes can leave us in panic mode before or after the storm hits. And nation-wide, hail, drought, or tornado threats can cause unnecessary stress.

This podcast gives practical and strategic ways to help your food forest and garden recover when you experience any of these external stressors. We'll talk about how to strengthen the root systems naturally, the best ways to cover the soil, how and when to prune a fruit tree. We will specifically talk about how to help plants recover from a deep freeze, and give several more practical tips to boost your food forest and improve the recovery process.

Get ready for a great episode of our permaculture, planty podcast.

If you liked the episode, feel free to tell us about it!!

Link to the food forest designer website!
https://permaculturefx.com/how-to-plant-a-food-forest-part-4-installing/

A successful food forest starts with rich and living soil. If you want to experience high yields of fruit and vegetables from your food forest, the soil life is the key to abundance. As with all things, there are many ways to approach soil building, amending, and fertilization within a regenerative system. Some methods require human interaction, while others invite animals within the system. Some methods are free, while others will cost money for the whole ingredients.

This episode covers the gold standards of fertilizing fruit trees and food forests, how to engage in best practices for chop-and-drop, composting methods, and dives into whole ingredient soil amending. So, if you are wondering how to organically fertilize a food forest - this episode is worth saving and bookmarking for future reference.

If you liked the episode, feel free to tell us about it!!

Link to the food forest designer website!
https://permaculturefx.com/how-to-plant-a-food-forest-part-4-installing/

Crack the code on how to deal with pests in the garden and food forest. In this podcast, you will learn about how to deal with various insects, rodents, and other pests around the homestead. Learn how to stop songbirds from eating fruit, halt insect and rat problems, and how to prevent deer from eating your fruit trees.

As a permaculturist, there are unique ways to deal with pest problems around the farm. This podcast will help you navigate the journey of living with the pests and helping them find balance within your ecosystem.

If you liked the episode, feel free to tell us about it!!

Link to the food forest designer website!
https://permaculturefx.com/how-to-plant-a-food-forest-part-4-installing/