Use What You Got

The neighborhood where I live was originally built in a pecan orchard. The trees are getting pretty old and are beginning to die out. I grew up five doors down from the home where my husband and I live and have raised our children. I bought this home as a single woman, desiring to raise children some day in my awesome neighborhood and just down the street from my parents. When I married, my husband agreed to live here, mainly because of the amount of equity I had accumulated already in this home. 

When I first bought this house, there was a poor, sad, neglected apple tree in the backyard. It took me years, but I fertilized, pruned, watered, nurtured, talked to, and even sang to this little tree.  Within a few years, it began paying me back for my attention and producing beautiful apples. After I had children, my daughter and I would go out about every two weeks in the Fall and pick a bowl full of apples.  We’d peel them, core them, slice them, season them, and make a couple of apple pies to freeze and an Apple Crumble for dessert that night.  Over the course of 4-6 weeks, I’d pick the tree clean and make quite a few apple pies. I loved my little apple tree.

Then we added onto our home, as I mentioned in a previous Post. My beloved tree had to be bulldozed to make room for the addition. “Girl”, my Contractor and family friend said, “I know you LOVE that thang, but choo could go down thar to Lowe’s, buy youself another one, and have just as many of them thar apples in 3 years.” I did just that. I don’t know how my little apple tree had done it’s job, because I found out you have to have 2 apple trees to cross-pollinate. It must have been one of those hybrids they have where two types are grafted together so they cross-pollinate all in one tree. I’ve seen those at Costco and my niece in D.C. bought one. In any case, my lovely little tree had to be replaced by two, and it took far longer than 3 years for them to mature and begin giving me substantial fruit.

Back up just a little to my teen years, living just up the street. Living in a pecan orchard had great benefits. For one, we had a seemingly endless supply of pecans for pies. Two, people were willing to BUY those nuts from us. Over the years, nearly everyone in the neighborhood posted signs out front advertising pecans for sale. Random strangers would knock on our doors to purchase a pound or two of our lovely nuts. I continued selling them into adulthood and my children picked up the practice. How else could an 8-, 9-, or 10-year old make $200 around Christmas? This orchard was a cash cow! But the trees were beginning to die out, which would completely change the landscape of our neighborhood. Those huge pecans trees provided essential shade during the Georgia 100+ degree summers. I wanted to ensure my grandchildren could one day come for a visit, pick pecans, then sell them at a stand out on the street or put out a sign for Grammy to sell for them. I wanted my future babies to experience the wonder of living in a pecan orchard. I planted two pecan trees, 30-feet or so apart from each other, in my backyard. It will likely be 20-30 years from when I planted until they’re fully mature, but they’re already 20-feet tall and providing a modest harvest.

Now, folks, I live in the city limits. I’m not out in the country. I have a modest-sized lot, not one of those sprawling properties with tons of space that need a riding mower. Two pecan trees pretty much filled my backyard. The apple trees went at the very edge of the property, one near the house and the other halfway across it. One day, while pondering preparing for the future, I gave this a fair amount of thought. The pecans are a winter crop and provide a protein and potassium source with low carbs and high fiber. They tip the scales in fat, but it comes from heart-healthy fats, and polyphenols, which act as antioxidants. To sum all this up, they’re healthy, filling, and free. I have apples, a Fall fruit, which provide fiber, sugar, and Vitamin C. They’re healthy, filling, and free. But what about a Spring crop? After some research, I discovered that blueberries grow really well in my area. We had a gap between the end of the house and the driveway that was wasted space and a perpetual weed bed, that I decided to put to good use. I dug a deep, long trench in that area, back-filled it with sand (blueberries need well-drained soil, which Georgia red clay ain’t), layered on peat moss, then topped it off with organically-fertilized soil. I laid down landscape fabric, bought 3 blueberry bushes, planted them in holes cut through the landscape fabric, then put pine bark mulch over top of the fabric. A year later, I added 3 more blueberry bushes. I’ve lost count of how many trunks I have in that area now, but suffice it to say that my blueberries have multiplied out of control and provide many, many quarts of blueberries each year in the early summer. I pick, I invite friends to come and pick, I beg my enemies to come and pick . . . more than enough blueberries to go around. In wasted space, healthy, filling, and free blueberries.

I’m contemplating one more fruit tree that I think I can fit on the opposite side of our yard, just past the shadow of one of the pecans. Maybe a peach, we DO live in the Peach State, after all, or maybe a plum or apricot. And I may have space along the back fence for some grapes . . .

If you haven’t picked up on it yet, my point is that you don’t need to only rely on your Stores to provide for your family. Utilize the space you have and research what fruit, berry, or nuts grow in your area. Maybe plant a maple tree that you can tap in 15 years to produce maple syrup for your family. You might want to begin keeping bees so you have a source of honey. Maybe almonds or walnuts grow in your area. Think healthy, filling, and free. Sure, you may need to invest a little up front, but these are long-term ideas that will more than return your investment. Use what you got, be creative.