Brahmus

My wife and I just moved into a new (to us) home and we are excited to get to work replacing our yard with a food forest. I am including a few banana plants and came across this site while researching cultivars that will be suitable in our climate. Thanks to y’all for everything that is provided here.
-Brahmus/Matt

Snarkie

Hi Matt-

Welcome aboard the Banana Express.

What else do you have planned for your food forest? Remember to plant far apart, as trees will get big. It's something a lot of people overlook, and end up with crowding.

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Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

cincinnana

Welcome to the Jungle!!!!

Have fun here

San Antonio.....home of Demolition Ranch

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Brahmus

We have 2 pecans, an orange (satsuma maybe), and 3 red oaks of various size that were already here when we moved in. I eat acorns, but they are work to process and not the best tasting thing, so we will remove the oaks over time as we are ready to replace them with different (likely avocado) trees. The jury is out on the pecans- we want to see the yield, the flavor, squirrel population, etc. before we decide what to do with them. There is also what I think is a desert hackberry on our fenceline. Waiting for it to leaf out and flower, but hoping it's a hackberry.

We added 2 apples (dorsett gold, anna), 2 avocados (lila, mexicola). Spaced according to where their canopy/dripline should be at maturity.

We have a lemon, lime, 2 blueberries and 2 mulberries in containers. Working on a hedgerow for noise reduction/privacy and bird/bug habitat. Have a few existing pomegranate shrubs. Added elaegnus, hibiscus, barbados cherry, pineapple guava, beautyberry, blackberry, boysenberry, desert willow (mistakenly thought it was a true willow when I bought it.. oops), and the bananas will contribute. My wife has also added a ton of annual seed to help temporary build up the privacy screen - sunflowers, corn, amaranth, fennel, etc.

Have some construction to do for passion vines, hardy kiwi and grape vines - but I have been on crutches for 2 weeks so that is on hold.

We also have a 16foot utility easement with a brazilian bluewood and wild mulberry. We seeded the bare earth (aka fed doves) with buckwheat, clover, native sunflower, wildflowers, and who knows what else my wife threw out. I am working on trimming back/training the trees away from the power lines and guy wires so hopefully that doesn't get disturbed.

Sorry for the wall of text! Most people just think we are crazy and think that we should kill the weeds and add a nice lawn. So easy to get carried away if somebody shows any interest.

Snarkie

Sounds awesome! The pecans should be worth keeping if you can keep the squirrels at bay. I use a scoped Glenfield .22 with CB longs. Nice and quiet.

__________________
Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

Brahmus

If we have a small squirrel population I can share. My "natural" squirrel control is a 20 lb maine coon cat. He's clumsy as hell and just gets himself treed. I am inside San Antonio city limits so I will be using a pellet gun to start. But if we have a lot of squirrels to deal with it would be a good excuse (i.e. petition the wife) to get a .22 suppressor.

Yug

Aloha

How's the weather up North? (just kidding - it's fun to say that to a Texan, though)

Brahmus

Haha, it is nice right now, 70s during the day 50s and 60s at night. I have a feeling that will change soon enough.

That's pretty funny -I hadn't heard that before and my aunt lives on the big island. I may have to inverse it for her.

I briefly lived in Alaska in a cruise ship tourist town. They loved to ask Texans "do you know what would happen if we cut Alaska in half? Texas would be the third largest state!" That still cracks me up.

Snarkie

I'm going to guess Ketchikan or Skagway, but I'm leaning more toward Ketchikan. It may be twice as big as Texas, but it's ten times as dangerous.

__________________
Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

Brahmus

Almost had it... I was in Skagway! Beautiful country up there. When my kids are older I want to take them and the wife on a road trip. 4 and 5 year olds not the best age for that though.

Backyard Banana Joe

Like me? Lol

Backyard Banana Joe

Welcome! I have a food forest too. But we live in a tiny HOA lot so things are crowded. You'll have to share some photos of your plants

Brahmus

I just moved in at the end of January, so my "food forest" isn't much of anything yet. I was lucky to find a home without an HOA (we are the house that would be fined daily) and have about 1/4 acre. Hoping to have a decent setup but working on getting 4" plants in and grass killed right now.

I am also REALLY good at killing my plants, so the concerns about over planting really don't apply here

Snarkie

I love the Great Alaska T-shirt Company. Oh yes, it is absolutely gorgeous up there. Well, at least when it isn't raining, that is...

__________________
Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"