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Permaculture Hedgerow

Mon, 2011-01-31 21:58 — TheLight

Goal

Black and white image of a hedgerowHedges are a great example of permaculture in action. Using living plants, you create an nearly impenetrable, food producing, small animal & insect sheltering barrier that can keep your livestock in, and other large animals out. My main goals in this project are to establish a hedgerow at the cabin that provides:

  • Food - Most likely nuts and berries for both humans and animals
  • Privacy - To screen the road in the summer and winter
  • Security - To keep out large animals (like deer) from a potential future garden

Environmental Considerations

  • Zone: 4, sometimes colder
  • Soil: rocky/clay, shallow
  • There is a rock wall that was bulldozed when the dirt road was widened.
  • The hedgerow would be on one side or the other of the rock wall. Not sure which yet
  • Dirt road runs east-west, property on the north side
  • approximatly 500 yards of road-front to be hedged
  • Salt not used on road

From Dave's Garden

Each winter, on average, your risk of frost is from September 28 through May 13.
Almost certainly, however, you will receive frost from October 9 through April 29.
You are almost guaranteed that you will not get frost from May 26 through September 17.
Your frost-free growing season is around 138 days.

Plants

Following is a list of plants that may or may not be suitable for this environment. I will update this list as my findings dictate. 

  • Hazelnut - Pruned short and laid over
  • Raspberries - Closest to the road
  • Gooseberries - on north side, shade tolerant. 
  • Honey Locust - Thorns, edible pods. George Washington used them for hedgerows. 
  • Pyracantha - AKA Fire Thorn. An evergreen shrub with spikes and berries. 
  • Wolfberry (gogi)
  • Ironwood?
  • Hawthorn? 
  • Osage Orange?
  • Ash?

Relevant Links

 



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