Project #1: The Aronia Berries

We've been given near complete creative control over a two acre parcel containing about 90, five year old, mature Aronia berry plants. Aronia berries are native to the eastern US and are considered a super food. High in vitamin C and antioxidants, they are being touted as "the healthiest fruit in the world." They are great permaculture plant, super hearty and drought resistant. For more on Aronia Berries see http://tcpermaculture.blogspot.com/2013/04/permaculture-plants-aronia-or-chokeberry.html

Jeff Hillis, the owner of the land, is open to many options, from simply wood chipping the berry plants all the way to creating a food forest. He simply doesn't want to see the berries go to waste anymore. For the past two years no one has touched them except for some very happy birds. The berries are planted in six or seven long, fairly neat, rows. There is a house on the property that is rented out by a woman named "Tammy". If Tammy approved, we could even have 15-30 chickens out there. It's a nice big plot, fairly flat, in a largely rural setting with lots of potential.

Since the grass has covered nearly the entire plot, our first order of business is most likely to deal with that. After some research into the variety of ways to subdue the grass, it seems best that we surround the Aronia berries with a thick layer of wood chips as well as a bunch of the surrounding grassland. This will serve to both weaken the grass, as well as create a very rich soil within a couple years. Other than harvest the berries and potentially sheet mulch the crap out of the whole plot this fall, this may be the only action we need to take this season. (Unless of course we decide we need chickens!) Read "Wood Chips—The Secret to Effortless, Inexpensive Biodynamic Gardening" for a better understanding of why this is: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/10/05/wood-chips-ground-cover.aspx

A dump truck of woodchips has already been delivered, with the promise of as many more loads as we deem necessary.

Unless we collectively come up with a better plan (which is most awesome and okay since we are a collective!) we need to decide on a day and time to go out there with pitchforks and wheelbarrows and woodchip our little hearts out. Probably should of course make the whole thing a potluck as well. ;)

The address of the Aronia Berry plot is: 1500 West Burnham Street, Lincoln, NE 68522. Nice n peaceful out there. :)