Designing a Food Forest in a Temperate Environment: A Step-by-Step Guide (Part 1) - OVERVIEW

Designing a Food Forest in a Temperate Environment: A Step-by-Step Guide (Part 1)

"A food forest is not just about growing food; it is about growing relationships. It fosters connections between plants, animals, insects, and humans, creating a web of life that supports and sustains all living beings." - Food Forest Initiative

Food forests have gained popularity in recent years for their ability to provide sustainable, diverse, and abundant food sources. These self-sustaining ecosystems mimic natural forests and can be designed to thrive in various climates, including temperate regions. I’ designing my food forest for my suburban backyard right now, here are the steps I have taken in brief to figure out the design. If you're interested in creating your own food forest in a temperate environment, please read on and comment.

A food forest is a multi-layered agroforestry system that mimics the structure and function of a natural forest. It consists of seven distinct layers, each serving a unique purpose and contributing to the overall productivity and sustainability of the ecosystem. Here is an explanation of each layer:

1. Canopy Layer: The canopy layer consists of tall, large, and long-lived trees that provide the uppermost layer of the food forest. These trees create shade, protect the lower layers from excessive sunlight, and provide habitat for birds and other wildlife. Examples of canopy trees include fruit and nut trees like apple, pear, and walnut and can also be fast growing pioneer trees in the beginning like mimosa, to later be replaced by the longer lasting but slower growing trees.

2. Understory Layer: Below the canopy layer lies the understory layer, which comprises smaller trees and shrubs that thrive in partially shaded conditions. These plants fill the gaps between the canopy trees and provide additional food sources, such as dwaft fruit and nut trees, and support the overall biodiversity of the food forest.

3. Shrub Layer: The shrub layer consists of medium-sized, woody plants that add diversity and variety to the food forest. These shrubs can include berry bushes, like blueberries and raspberries, as well as nitrogen-fixing plants that enrich the soil, such as legumes.

4. Herbaceous Layer: The herbaceous layer consists of non-woody plants, including perennial vegetables, culinary and medicinal herbs, and ground covers. These plants can be harvested for culinary or medicinal purposes and help to suppress weeds, retain moisture, and improve soil health.

5. Ground Cover Layer: The ground cover layer consists of low-growing plants that cover the soil surface, acting as living mulch. These plants help to prevent erosion, retain moisture, suppress weed growth, and provide habitat for beneficial insects.

6. Climbing Layer: The climbing layer includes vines and climbers that utilize the vertical space within the food forest. These plants can be trained to grow on trellises, trees, or other supports, maximizing the use of space and adding aesthetic appeal. Examples include grapevines, kiwi vines, and various climbing beans.

7. Root Layer: The root layer consists of underground plants and root crops that help to improve soil structure, prevent erosion, and provide food resources. Examples include carrots, potatoes, onions, and other root vegetables.

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Step-by-Step Guide to Plan your Food Forrest 

(more details to follow in subsequent blogs)

1. Site Selection: Choose a location with ample sunlight, good drainage, and access to water. Consider the existing soil quality and potential microclimates within the site.

There is only one spot on my ¼ acre block suitable for a food forest so site selection is not difficult. However I can study the site for a whole year first to really understand it under all seasons and conditions. This will help me design a better forest. I have made several observations so far, I will cover them in detail in the next post (READ IT HERE).

2. Space Planning: Determine the size and shape of your food forest. 

The size is already determined for my small suburban lot. But its important to remember that I can change some things! I am going to create swales and a pond/marshland to help retain water as it gets very hot and dry in summer. This is changing the shape of the land. It’s also important to look up your local rules about earthworks. I can do this in my area so long as I don’t dig down more than 1m and so long as my pond is less than 30cm deep. Other wise I need permits and fences.

3. Needs Planning: Consider the available space, your goals, and the needs of the plants you wish to include.

I hope that this is eventually a low maintenance area of the garden that produces a lot of food. It also needs to be a chicken run and look beautiful as it can be seen by the neighbors. The plants need to thrive in temperate conditions and survive hot, dry summers and cold wet winters.

 4. Time Planning: Map out different layers, such as canopy trees, understory trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, ground covers, and root crops over time.  Remember the eventual size of each plant, not the starting size! Not all perennials live for the same amount of time or produce the same amount forever, so some succession planting or self seeding will be required over time, so now is a good time to think about the forest over it’s life cycle to make sure it survives for the long run.

For me it’s important to implement this design in stages. I don’t have the time or money to do this all at once. Also the Dutch Farmer on YouTube (@TheDutchFarmer) did a video on the lessons learn in his first year food forest (What Happened to Our 1-Year-Old Food Forest?) and he said he should have planted more intensely in a smaller area to give the trees the best chance of survival, and he should have focused on canopy trees to give the understory layer of fruit trees shade in the harsh summer sun. I think these lessons apply to my small food forest too. Not only is our summer very hot, but I don’t have the time or money to buy and plant and look after the whole forest in one go. So phases it is! I’m just going to do one swale every winter so if all goes to plan it will take me 4 years to set up the food forest, but hopefully it will last for 100.

5. Plant Selection: Choose a diverse range of plants that are well-suited for the temperate climate. Include a mix of fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, perennial vegetables, and medicinal herbs – that you like to eat! Consider the compatibility of different species and their ability to support each other through companion planting.

This is the fun part! I have chosen fig, plums, apples, strawberries, grapes and many more. I will have an in-depth post about this soon.

Designing a food forest in a temperate environment requires careful planning, patience, and ongoing management. By following these steps and continuously learning from your experiences, you can create a thriving and sustainable ecosystem that provides an abundance of food while supporting the local environment.

Watch out for the next blog where I tackle step 1 in detail!