Abe has been into prickly pears as a crop for a year or so, and his enthusiasm has now really caught on with the rest of us.

Planting

When Abe originally told me that he wanted to plant 5000 prickly pears over the next few years, I kind of smiled and patted him gently on the shoulder. However, we have now started gathering pads for real and that goal seems easily attainable.

Last year, he cut five pads from a cold-tolerant, spineless variety, which he planted in and around the forest garden. This year, he was able to cut and plant 22 pads off of those original five, and even since he did that they have re-grown so that we could probably cut another 20. These will be used mainly for the pads as a vegetable, and will be planted close to the house.

Last year, he also planted about 100 pads with spines around the contours of the property. These are designed to help mark future swales that we wish to make. Not only do they show the contour, but they also help retain run-off.

This year, we have gathered at least another 150 pads of various different kinds. When we cut a pad, we generally leave it a couple of weeks for the “wound” to callous before planting it. Plating is easy, just make a small hole and plant the pad vertically, with about half below ground We have had almost zero losses propagating them this way.

This year’s harvest are almost ready and so we’ll soon be planting them every 6 feet or so around the perimeter fence. Then, next year, we will be able to take pads from those and fill the space between plants. After a few years, this will become continuous, impenetrable wall of spines encircling the property.