My vision of a perfect garden

My perfect garden should be mostly edible, self-sustaining, and pleasurable.

Because my garden will be mostly edible, there is very little use for lawns, except as a tool to keep the dust level down. However, there are other ways to accomplish that. Ornamental flowers sometimes can be edible. Plus, they fulfill the pleasurable aspect.

As for self-sustaining, I want animals as well. Chickens for eggs and meat, alpacas for their fibers, goose for eggs and watchfulness, horse to ride to neighbor's place, bees for pollination and dogs for herding and companionship. Of course all of them except bees provide fertilizer as well. I will raise them all together so they can hang out. Thus, their waste can be composted along with everything else and then go back to the soil.

One may argue that many of these, vegetables and animals alike, may be purchased in a grocery store. However, with the commercialization of food production, less emphasis is placed on flavor and healthfulness as on quantity and speediness to ripeness. Hence, flavors of vegetables and sweetness of fruits are often sacrificed. Sure the strawberry is beautifully big and red, but why such tartness? I prefer sweetness over size. As for animals, we really don't know what long term effects of all the antibiotics and hormones have on the human body. I'd rather not find out. Plus, one really doesn't need to eat all that much protein anyway.

In the garden, I would also love to experiment with a new plant each year. See what comes out.

I think I would love to have about two to two and a half acre of land. Seeing how much can be done on an acre and a half land, think about the possibilities of a 2 acre piece of land. So many fruits to plant, avocado, lime, lemon, orange, mandarin, kumquat, jujube, blueberry, apple, and pear. And maple trees for maple syrup. More to be added later as they come up.