Quadrant 2 hosts our perennial vine systems and developing food forest edge. With slightly less direct sun than Q1, this quadrant is ideal for grapes, kiwi, hardy passionflower, and shade-tolerant understory plantings.
Grape Vines (15)
We planted 15 grape vines with a 15-year horizon to full harvest. This is long-term thinking in action: planting for people we will never meet.
Varieties
- Concord — Native American variety, cold hardy, excellent for juice and jelly
- Mars — Seedless table grape, disease resistant
- Valiant — Extremely cold hardy, reliable producer
- Kay Gray — White wine grape, disease resistant
Trellis System
Our vines are trained on a high-wire cordon trellis system, 6 feet tall with wires spaced 8 feet apart. This allows for air circulation (reducing disease pressure) and easy harvest.
Fifteen years from full harvest. We planted anyway. The vines teach patience. They teach trust in the future.
Food Forest Edge
Q2 is developing into a food forest edge system, with multiple layers of production:
Canopy Layer
- Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) — Native fruit, shade tolerant
- Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) — Late fall fruit, wildlife value
Shrub Layer
- Elderberry — Medicinal flowers and berries
- Serviceberry — Early summer fruit, beautiful spring flowers
- Currants — Black and red varieties for preserves
Herbaceous Layer
- Comfrey — Dynamic accumulator, mulch plant
- Rhubarb — Early spring harvest
- Asparagus — Established beds, 20+ year production
Ground Cover
- Wild strawberry — Edible ground cover
- Clover — Nitrogen fixation, pollinator support
Shade-Tolerant Plantings
The northeast exposure receives morning sun and afternoon shade, ideal for crops that bolt in summer heat:
- Lettuce & Greens — Extended spring and fall harvest
- Herbs — Mint, lemon balm, parsley, cilantro
- Mushrooms — Shiitake logs in shaded areas
- Medicinals — Goldenseal, ginseng (long-term cultivation)
Water Management
Q2 benefits from natural water flow from higher ground. We have installed swales on contour to capture and infiltrate runoff, reducing erosion and building soil moisture.
A rainwater catchment system collects roof runoff from nearby structures, stored in 500-gallon tanks for dry-period irrigation.
Wildlife Habitat
The developing food forest edge provides critical habitat for beneficial insects, birds, and pollinators:
- Native flowers — Bee balm, coneflower, black-eyed Susan
- Brush piles — Shelter for beneficial predators
- Bird houses — Bluebirds, chickadees, wrens
- Insect hotels — Solitary bee nesting
Biodiversity is not just an ideal. It is pest management. It is pollination. It is resilience.
Timeline
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Year 1-3 | Establishment, vine training, soil building |
| Year 4-6 | First light harvests, food forest understory maturing |
| Year 7-10 | Increasing yields, system self-regulating |
| Year 11-15 | Full production, legacy system established |