Zone 7b Food Forest 3 Year Update - North Carolina

#zone7bfoodforest #ncfoodforest #temperatefoodforest #subtropicalfoodforest This video was created about 3 years into the start of my food forest. I am located in central North Carolina, which is temperate and somewhat subtropical. This is an update with what is going on. In summary, there is a lot more weed pressure, but the perennials are much more productive than they have ever been, too!

Year 2 food forest video Zone 7b Food Forest 2 Year Update - North Carolina

[kirk]

also in the piedmont and started my food forest this year, great to finally see someone that has the same climate as me to get good ideas from. thanks justin

[juliepomerantz]

Hi Justin! We are 7B too - just NE of Raleigh. We are also working on developing a food forest. For apple trees, I definitely recommend Century Farms Orchards in Reidsville, NC. They specialize in heritage southern apples and can help you select good varieties for our area. Our trees are 5 years old and we got a pretty good harvest this year.

[ElishaAndMariaStJames]

Thank you for this video! I also cannot find Food Forest plant lists, designs or layouts for Zone 7. This was most helpful!

[jonescreekfarm]

I’m in South Coast Georgia zone 8b. I have turned my front yard into a food forest and will be working on adding more food forest sections on my property. There isn’t very much info on food forests in my zone either. I’ve been focusing on Moringa, plums, elderberry, loquats, blueberries, mulberry, figs, satsuma oranges, lemons and other citrus. I’m growing peaches and pomegranates too. Then I’ve got lots of annuals as well as vining plants and ground covers. I’m using sweet potato, longevity spinach and Okinawan spinach as ground covers. I use lots of wood chips as mulch in beds as well as walkways.
I can’t grow apples and cherries here due to low chill hours. I want to try persimmons.

[monarchkitty]

Awesome breakdown! Zone 7 is definitely more difficult to find info. Thanks for sharing!

[MsCherokee]

Im also 7B, near Yorktown Va.😎 Im currently (slowly) working on my food forest too. 👍🏽
Going to be planting my 4 year old Goji berry bush and 5 hardy kiwi vines, in the ground next week or 2. Turns out, Goji are winter hardy!
I left it outside in a cold green house last winter and it did wonderful, while many other things died.

[rebeccacook]

I love seeing the beauty of your lush green plants. And your background nature sounds are wonderful. Thanks for sharing! 🌳🦗🕊️

[justincase]

Just found your channel. I am in South eastern NC and need all the help I can get. Ya have a new subscriber and follower!

[buckaroobonzai]

I know guys like you.

Guys like you are always good at baseball and throwing accuracy.

[selecttravelvacations]

Jason, I sure appreciate you going through your Gardens like this. I learn a lot from you. Moving to WNC mountains after new home is built. Excited. North Carolina is the most beautiful State imo, no matter where you go. Had not heard of One Green World, thanks for giving them a shout out. Such a great site w awesome plant choices. I had never heard of Goumi trees before. Added to list. I’m potting bare root apple and cherry trees in 15 gallon trees to grow in my 7a climate now, to take w me to my new homestead project. An idea re the blackberries could be growing them in humongous pots. After seeing your issue, I think that’s the route I’ll take just after having to clear about an acre of overgrown blackberries on my new land. The elk loved it so I need to get some thornless ones back in there but they will likely be in large pots. Thanks again for your personal sharing in your journey of gardening self sufficiency with a Food Forest.

[gardentours]

Your food forest looks amazing 👍 Congratulations 🎉 you've over 1000 subscribers now 🙌

[Sandwichking-hikes]

I live in a similar area, good to see I’m not alone in my food forest plant variety obsession. I’m working on growing cold hardy advocados that can handle down to 15 degree dips in temp.

[ainabearfarm]

Aloha Justin, your food forest looks amazing. I grew up in Charlotte and had a food forest in Maryland for 10 years where the Creeping Charlie drove me batty. I loved growing the Pawpaw in Maryland and now I’m in Hawaii and growing all the tropical Anona fruits. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing 🤙

[iahelcathartesaura]

Thank you! Glad to find you. I'm in Western North Carolina, 6a & b, with lots of microclimate (very micro lol) areas.

This will be very enjoyable for me to watch and I can adapt it I'm sure.

[rondaleblanc]

Thanks for the tour. Zone 7b here. I completely understand the creeping Charlie take over. I’m learning to work with it as well. I’ve managed to pull it out of smaller beds but only ever one half step ahead. It’s allowed free range over parts of my forest garden where I just pull it off and out of other plants. Some say creeping Charlie pulls heavy metals and toxins from the soil so can be useful for soil remediation. The updates on your best three is helpful. So pleased to see how well the peaches have done. I’ve ordered apple trees for fall or spring planting from a zone 6 nursery hopefully these varieties will work well here. Celeste and brown turkey fig have done great for me. They die back to the ground for the first 2-3 years but then establishing very nicely.

[redechelon]

Great videos! We're in Zone 3a, but we actually have a lot of the same plants, and there's plenty to see/learn.

[howardfowler]

Great, enjoyable tour of your forest and garden. Fine selection of both plants/ trees and flowers.I hope to use some of your advice here in east central Tenn. Thanks for this most helpful video.

[cmhuffman]

Hey great video! I just discovered your last update video a couple days ago and it was great to see another one so soon! Thanks so much for making content specific to NC, I’m in the western part of the state and there’s a few people doing things relevant to the mountains here but we need more zone 7 content all around! Keep up the great work and I’ll be eagerly waiting for the next video!

[aleksandraschermann]

Thanks first of all for mentioning of the climate zone!

[BroadShouldersFarm]

Great tour, man! A lot of work and it shows. 👍🏻