Imagine a yard where trees are dripping with fresh fruits and
ripening nuts , shrubs are packed with delicious berries , and every other plant is a medicinal herb , culinary spice , or beautiful edible flower . Tubers and root crops are abundant underfoot , gourmet mushrooms sprout in the shade , and fruiting kiwi vines climb over a black locust . You have just imagined a Food Forest .
When we observe the natural patterns of a healthy forest ecosystem , we see a lot of intimate , successful relationships . A forest converts solar energy into biomass , so why not learn from it and imitate its patterns for the things we need in a human habitat : food , fodder , fiber , medicine , and building materials ? A well designed system supports itself , without much human energy and material input .
This may sound dynamic and complex , which it is , but getting it started is easy .
Food Forests are grown like a forest — not in the forest . They are a low maintenance gardening technique that mimics a woodland ecosystem but substitutes woodland species with edible trees , bushes , perennial vegetables , herbs , vines , and annuals . This may take a moment to process since we are used to hearing and reading about spacing between plants and rows and issues around nutrient and light competition , but it is possible to trade in the traditional view of agriculture for a more fruitful one that celebrates natural succession and biodiversity .
When I look at a healthy forest , it looks like everything is blasting out of the same hole ! There are tall , overstory trees , mid-sized trees , small understory trees , shrubs , herbs , ground covers , and mushrooms , with vines climbing up through it all ! It ’ s all pumping and working together , not neatly spaced out . Here in the Mid-Atlantic region where there is sufficient water , land wants to become forest and return to ecological diversity . The forests in this region may not necessarily be full of the species we favor for food , medicine , and drinks , but we can take the idea and the pattern and design our own food forest .
Let ’ s take this idea back to square one … literally . We ’ re looking at our patch of lawn and thinking , “ Yeah , that all sounds groovy , but how do I begin and get my neighbors and homeowners association to love it ?”
To start , you don ’ t need much space or the tall overstory layer . On smaller acreage it is best to stick with mid-sized trees : your fruit
Food Forests Can ... trees , fruiting bushes , plus the lower-growth plants , n Be squeezed into the herbs , and ground covers smallest of plots to maximize the available n Be built around an light . A food forest can existing tree be as small as 8 x 8 feet , n Create a balanced and be as simple as your ecology favorite small , self-fertile n Pump out fruit , nuts , fruit tree surrounded by flowers , herbs beneficial perennials . Or n Be simple to create and maintain