Holly, are you plannIng to have the house public spaces--living, dining, kitchen--face south for maximum passive solar and natural light strategies?

Yes. And the very tall fence row to the West helps shade that side of the house, as well. Bedrooms are on the North side of the house, although all have windows on 2 sides.

It's a beautiful site and your plans sound wonderful. Good luck!

I know personally that I need fruit planted fairly close to my living space - especially berries which need to be picked daily or every other day in season. I run blackberries along t-posts strung with clothesline wire very successfully. We are picking a gallon daily right now.

Also - as far as raising goats and sheep together - if you plan to grain them at all, sheep cannot have copper, while goats need it, so you must be aware. If you are able to feed on pasture/grain exclusively then I think it is fine. They will need to be well fenced, because they will destroy any young trees or berry bushes in a heartbeat! Ours have a heyday when they escape the pasture and frolic in the yard. My blackberries, roses, figs and carrot tops are their first stops!

Don't have any suggestions but just want to say that your situation (building on a larger lot, clearing out invasives and doing larger gardens, etc.) is my dream and I will be following with great interest! Good luck!

If there are bears in your area you will want to have an electric fence to discourage them from raiding berry bushes, orchards, and beehives.

Hi, Cyndy, thank you!

Yes, the old wag around here is that if you can throw a bucket of water through the fence, the goats can get through. I'm also familiar with the varying nutritional needs. I might even just borrow the goats for a bit to get things under control. I'm not honestly that found of goats. ;-)

You're absolutely right about having the berries close by, as well. Nobody wants to hike out to the back of the lot every day to fish through the bushes for a scant quart of berries. :-) I am planning on the T-post and wire system, though I'm also thinking about running a piece of PVC on the top of the posts as support for fine netting in an effort to win my new battle with the spotted wing drosophila, the bane of last years' raspberries.

The bear thing is a bit of a question mark. There haven't been any sightings locally, but recently one strayed into a neighborhood an hour to the East and they're known to be present 1/2 hour to the North. So I'd put it unlikely, but not outside the realm of possibility. Bears DO tend to have large territories.

My instinct at the moment is to put the saskatoons along the front fence. (Nobody knows what they are, so wandering berry thieves are less likely, plus they're of a size to produce a decent screen) And then place the orchard and most of the rest of the fruit just over the driveway, between it and the creek. The sun should be about right, and it's close enough to the house for easy tending.

Don't worry about the bears, they are just like large raccoons . . . that can eat you.

Saskatoons, Amelanchier alnifolia, are really more like small trees, often multistemmed, rather than shrubs. - 12-20'+ is not uncommon. And I'd also have them close by as they are extremely appealing to any wildlife, especially birds. Hard to generate much of a harvest from them, as birds will grab them all before even fully ripe.

I'd planned on bird netting. And pruning. Saskatoons are enjoying life as a commercial product in Northwestern Michigan thanks to the development of more harvest-friendly varieties and growing practices.'

This is one source, although there are a couple newer, number-letter ID'd varieties that are supposed to be better yet, with larger berries and better flavor:

http://www.saskatoonmichigan.com/saskatoon-plant-varieties/

And a piece on the small Saskatoon Renaissance in Michigan:

https://www.countrylines.com/gardening/the-saskatoons-are-here/

My current project is finding varieties less susceptible to fire blight that might cause a problem with the orchard.

How do you like to organize your garden?

Do you like neat rows/sections of symmetrical mass plantings?

I only ask because I like the winding paths and casual mix of cottage-style gardens, and your architectural style is more folk-cottage-y.

My amateur thoughts are to place plants like you would in a huge garden bed, with your house in the middle. Vegetation radiates out, away from the house, according to mature height, with accent trees scattered about.

Or, maybe different distinct gardens based on the growing needs of the plants, grouped strategically yet artfully, and connected with pathways that feature benches, vignettes, water features, etc.

I realize this approach may complicate harvesting, but it sure would be pretty, lol.

Huh, I think Saskatoon are reasonably common around me in the PNW, and I never knew the berries were edible. I'm fascinated.

Kristin, I think all Saskatoons are edible, but not all of them are worth eating? The birds still like them, though some of them are rated as pretty tasteless.

ODD - I am not against edible landscaping. Although I am against making my life more difficult. :-) It's just easier to have anything that needs netting or spraying grouped together.

Landscaping-wise, I'm planning to take a leaf from the old farmhouses - lilacs, hydrangeas, peonies, spirea, etc. I've always wanted a yellow magnolia, but I'm not sure how that would look with a yellow house.

The veggie garden probably won't be all that neat. Think wide rows, with cover cropped aisles, that I can throw a quick and dirty hoop house over at the ed of the season.

I've always wanted a yellow magnolia, but I'm not sure how that would look with a yellow house.

Ooooooh!

Dude, you gotta get a magnolia.

I have 2 petite Southern gals (Little Gem and Teddy Bear), with plans to get a big one (D.D. Blanchard). They are marvelous. I cut the flowers and bring them inside. HEAVEN.

As I understand it, there are a few different shades of yellow available (although I think all are non-native deciduous?), so I'm sure you'll be able to find *something* that works. :-) Heck, pick your variety first *and then* pick your house paint? lol

Most Mags I've seen are hardy to zone 5, some to 4. Can't recall which zone you're in...?

But... Take my thoughts with a pinch or two of salt... I'm putting white and purple flowering things around a deep red (with raisin/purplish and ivory variation) brick house. :-D

Will there be deer protection as well? Or rather, because I know either Mark or Virgil will jump in to wonder why the deer need protecting, will everything you care about be fenced in some way? (I may have missed that comment.)

I lived in a northern Michigan agricultural area. One of the deer control technique was called venison.

Build an old fashion outhouse at the back of the property to avoid sprints back to the house.

Definitely this! I'm a beekeeper, and I've lost count of the amount of times I've forgotten a tool in my car (currently building our house on the property my bees are on, so I travel to do my inspections currently). The bees must make bets on how many trips back to my car I'll make when doing an inspection :)

Mark, we have the same practice. My husband says it's a way to get some of our own back.

My Alberta-born husband and kids love saskatoons but for me it's been a not quite acquired taste. I still prefer blueberries in the blue/purple berry department, and when it comes to prairie fruit, for me hands down it's Evans (sour) cherries. Our fruit trees spent years in wire "cages" (circles of concrete reinforcing 6"x6" 14-gauge wire, 5' wide) to keep them safe from the deer. And sheep.

And I'm going to be moving some of our sheep panels to surround the vegetable garden, because it's been so dry that we're letting the sheep free range.

We've had an outhouse at our corrals for years, highly recommended : ) .

There are wild saskatoons and tame ones. Tame ones are larger but not always more flavorful. Sort of like wild and tame blueberries.

Well...makes me wonder how saskatoons behave at the soccer match...

Sounds risky.