Humble beginnings

Hello!

I've thought about this blog for some time - as I was working on someone else's land, as I would visit this small parcel of mine before there was a house on it, as I was dreaming of the plants I would grow - for medicine, for the birds, for the wellness of the ecosystem... So, as the seasons start to change and there is more internal work being done and time for fires and warmth and musings, I thought I'd start to share with you all, dear readers, some of the thoughts behind what's happening out here at poppysol farm.

For the first post I thought I'd focus on the "living barrier" that I decided to put on the property line between my neighbor and me. The intention was to have some privacy, create a nice hedge visually, and to give something back to the soil as well as preparing some good fruits and medicines for people's bellies.

Here's the grand sum of what I worked at a bizarre possessed breakneck speed to put in the ground within the first three weeks of moving into the house:

3 fig varieties, Yarrow, Elderberries (13 to be exact), Goldenrod, Comfrey, Hearts a Bustin, American Persimmon, Pomegranate, Cranberry, Witch Hazel, Beauty Berry, Shiso, Penstemon, Cascade Rose, Vitex. This winter I'll start preparing some seeds to be able to try Sea Buckthorn Berry and Schisandra. And fingers crossed I'll also get a couple of goumi berries (another amazing nitrogen fixer) from RambleRill Farm where I got my start! The whole area is about 200' long by 10-15' wide - it's up to the left of this hill and back toward the property line.

baby fig

Where it was possible and made sense, I did plantings of mutually beneficial plants - for example - this one is a fig + yarrow + comfrey. The yarrow will bring in beneficial pollinators that support the fig and the comfrey will help keep down weeds at the base while the fig gets stronger and bigger, will add incredible nutrients and minerals to the soil when its leaves drop, and also attracts pollinators. I can also use both the yarrow and comfrey in my medicine making!

It's not looking like much at the moment but I'm excited to see how it will all fill in 3, 5...10 years down the road!

Do be in touch with any questions or comments, I love hearing from you and sharing ideas!