After setting the stage, it was time to plug in the bigger pieces of the food forest. We went to One Green World out in Mollala that carries a great assortment of rare fruit and berry plants. They were great and very affordable. A couple hundred dollars later, and a sore back, the plants were in the ground by mid-February.
Bosc Pear tree – 1x (edible)
Bartlett Pear tree – 1x (edible)
Fig tree – 1x (edible)
Ever-bearing Raspberries – 10x (edible/wildlife)
Blueberries – 4x (edible/wildlife)
Red Currants – 2x (edible/wildlife)
Black Currants – 2x (edible/wildlife)
Goumi bushes – 2x (edible/wildlife/nitrogen fixer)
Autumn Olive shrub – 1x (edible/wildlife/nitrogen fixer)
Artichokes – 4x (edible/wildlife/nitrogen fixer)
Hop vine – 1x (edible/insect attractor)
Grape vine – 1x (edible/wildlife)
Bay tree – 1x (edible)
At the same time my Mom needed to get rid of a couple dwarf cherries (edible/wildlife/insect attractor), so we pulled those up, threw them on the roof of the car, and drove them home. They have made the transition very well and are happier here I think. I also bought a Golden chain tree (nitrogen fixer) and added it to the mix.
We had a huge mound of soil still in the front yard and were ready for it to be gone. Our soil is actually really healthy, dark and with tons of worms. All a good sign. But we needed to get rid of the soil and I want to move to a grass-less yard. So we laid down huge sheets of cardboard around the perimeter of the yard and dumped the soil over it.