Looking for suggestions.

I don’t know how far my homeowner association is willing to let me go, but I am thinking about survival landscaping ideas. So far I am thinking about gradually replacing lawn with:

Perennial plantings: fruit trees, grapes, herbs, medicinal plants,

Self-seeding food or seasoning plants: [need to research this]

Mini-wood lot, including: oak, willow, birch, bamboo

Small veggie and herb garden – learn how to save seeds for the following crop year.
[I am mindful that I do not have the time to tend anything major but could learn the skills and have some fun now. See: http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=114437&fpart=1 .]


Central California will grow just about anything but lacks the frosts some plants need.

Then I suppose I need to think about an unpowered “root” cellar, perhaps a decorative windmill that just happens to generate power?

Not a bad Idea..........

Only problem with the wood lot, is you're looking at numerous years of growth to really yield a good crop for wood products, but i guess with time and enough space the potential is there.

www.ediblelandcaping.com

-Blast

Welcome! Be sure to check out Blast's blog. He has information and pictures of his adventure yesterday "dining on the wild". Wish I could have been there

willow and bamboo depending on the variety can be fast growing and be useable in just acouple of years. check the second link for fast growing oaks.

http://www.bowhayestrees.co.uk/willows1.htm

http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/

maybe think about planting herbs plants and trees that have medical uses like Eucalyptus.

http://www.gardensablaze.com/HerbEucalyptusMed.htm

Great ideas so far, and I don't have any ideas to add to the food area, but one area of survival is security and that can be added to by gardening too. I don't know where you’re at but there are several types of shrubs that have thorns that will deter all but the most determined thief. Holly comes to mind because of it’s growing range but there are others. If your homeowners association will allow it you can plant them around the perimeter of you property, or if they won’t let you do that them plant them under all of your windows making arrangements incase it’s used as a fire escape.

I love it.

For your fruit trees, check out the dwarf varieties.

I have several dwarf trees that produce full-size fruit...peaches, apples, cherries thanks to my Father-in-Law. It takes a several years, but eventually they start producing useable yields.

Also, fruit trees are a great excuse to raise honeybees. At least that's the story that I am trying to sell to DW.

Good suggestions, all.

Let me give you some more information.

Useable front yard is south-facing and about 50 feet by 50 feet. Useable backyard is about 70 feet by 90 feet, more than half level and the last part sloping down to a freshwater, tidal slough to form a north-facing slope. Thee is a very large oak tree next to the slough at the north-east corner of the backyard, about half on each side of the property line.

In the front yard I have to get permission from the homeowner’s association for trees but am free to do pretty much whatever else in “flower” beds if I the visual display is not noticeably outrageous as you drive by.

FYI, the property is not in a fire zone, just part of suburbia that happens to back up to a slough. Most likely problem around here is flooding, but I am on what is considered high ground about ten or more feet above normal high tide - while the rest of the neighborhood and much of the town is well below

I already compost. I can figure out how to protect stuff as needed. If trees take years to mature – so be it.

Like I wrote, just about everything grows here. I have begun researching California native plant nurseries. My idea is to begin growing useful and /or edible native plants.

Not only would this help me learn to identify the plants, but I would eventually have small samples available with which to try primitive skills. I hope the yard would become more ecologically friendly and drought-resistant; it might also help attractive wildlife for my backyard learn-to-track project..

So, the question is, assuming no other real world limitations, what plants or plant categories would be best to have represented in the yard?

These sites suggest some plants that I will investigate:

http://www.friendsofcortemaderacreek.org/cn/miwokplants.pdf

http://www.primitiveways.com/harvesting_gathering.html

> willow and bamboo depending on the variety can be fast growing
> and be useable in just acouple of years

I would check around before growing bamboo. It's a vicious, non-native, invasive grass that will take over not only your yard but the yards of all your neighbors. Growing it in pots is one precaution, but you may end up alienating all your co-owners if your bamboo takes over. See
http://www.gainvasives.org/weeds/bamboo.html
for some information.

Using non-native plants (like the eucalyptus, which is a filthy, shedding tree that burns its eucalyptus oil like a torch if it catches fire) troubles me, but to each his own. Look on the Web and ask around (not people who sell them) before you commit to planting stuff. Remember, people thought kudzu was a good idea. :->
http://www.yahoolavista.com/kudzu/houses.html

"...bamboo..."

Be careful with that stuff, once you get it going you can't stop it, you will have bamboo EVERYWHERE...