Sylvan Food Forests

Just a few Concord grapes… 🍇
And this 8 year old chestnut tree is 25 feet tall. 💕 ✨

We had a nice walk, talk and work time at the farm today. We were looking at some of the 350 mulch mounds we direct sowed Paw Paw seeds . Now that I’m noticing pawpaw seedlings 🌱 popping up through the mulch mound I feel nearly confident this is a practical way to grow pawpaws in full sun. We seeded these holes in the fall of 2024 and now in spring of 2026 they are pushing up through what was probably 10 inches of mulch. I believe the effect of sunlight essentially destroying young paw paw shoots before they have a chance to harden - so creating a cycle of slow growth followed by die back can be offset by the mound of mulch itself blocking sun from the first year sprout. - More as time tells.

Also found some of the random chestnuts sprouting, which we walked around and poked holes for to drop the nut into the ground. It’s a fun experiment - on the side of more serious endeavors - finding what sort of minimal effort food production we can make viable. 😊

Lots of red blooms turning into little bunches of pawpaws. So cute!

I’m excited about this planting… grey alder and balsam poplar.

Both are good for coppicing and have excellent uses.
From wikipedia:
*Balsam Poplar is also a good cook fuel source
“The light, soft wood of Populus balsamifera is used for pulp.[7] The resinous sap (or the tree's balsam) comes from its buds, and is sometimes used as a hive disinfectant by bees.[13]

Branches containing the resinous buds are sometimes blown to the ground by spring windstorms, and herbalists from many cultures seek these out to make medicine from them. These sticky spring buds are a highly prized ingredient in medicinal salves and other herbal preparations in both Indigenous North American and European herbal traditions.

Many kinds of animals use the twigs of Populus balsamifera for food. The leaves of the tree serve as food for caterpillars of various Lepidoptera.”

Grey Alder.
“The tree is cultivated in parks and gardens. The cultivar 'Aurea', with green-gold leaves, has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[11]

It is sometimes used in afforestation and agroforestry in non-fertile or wet soils which it enriches by means of nitrogen fixing bacteria in its root nodules.[12]

Alder is an excellent tree for coppicing[13] and pollarding. Its cut branches may be fed to browsing livestock such as cows and goats, then used for kindling, firewood, or light construction - while root systems fertilize adjacent agricultural plots via nitrogen fixation.[12]

The Zuni people use the bark of the tenuifolia subspecies to dye deerskin reddish brown.[14]

The Ho-Chunk eat the bark of the rugosa subspecies when their stomachs are "sour" or upset.[15]

Its wood and bark are used in smoking meat,[16] particularly fish[17] and duck.[18]”

Pawpaws are blooming!

This hazelnut got up to about 10-11 feet in 7 years.

Wild plum blossoms are bringing in the pollinators. Did you know, plum blossoms are a mainstay in perfume making?

This serviceberry’s getting its first decent little bloom. 😊