I really hate to quote the epitome of capitalism, Steve Jobs, but he was right about one thing: “if you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don't have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.”
In order to do something like creating a homestead, you have to be able to look ahead. You have to be able to not only need to figure out how to meet your immediate needs, but to meet needs in the future in a way that is sustainable so that, hopefully, you aren’t always scrambling to find food just for today.
In that spirit, today we completed the first step of a project that will take years to fully complete but will serve multiple purposes.
This probably looks like absolutely nothing to anyone that isn’t a gardener, but it’s sort of a grow tunnel—though not in the typical sense of growing underneath it.
This frame will be covered in wire to create a trellis of sorts, then will be used to espalier fruit trees.
For those who aren’t familiar with the concept, this is the general idea:
It will take years for the trees to grow to the top so, in the meantime, we will cover it with a tarp to provide shade as we will be repositioning that desk to have an outdoor seating area and will also be placing the hammock under there.
This will increase our living space, so to speak, while also preparing us to have a food supply for the future.
We have quite a few fruit cuttings already in the rooting jars, hoping they’ll sprout roots. And the eventual plan is for additional plantings along the front & back of the Cottage & the grey water to be piped down to water all of our creative lil orchard.