As food prices rise and food security declines, many of us are wondering how to grow more of our own food. Some people have started a raised bed garden in the backyard to grow seasonal vegetables. Others have joined or started community gardens where they can learn and grow with others. And then there are those of us who have looked up from our garden beds and wondered about using all the vertical spaces in our yards to grow even more food.
If you’re one of the latter, maybe you’ve seen videos online about food forests. Maybe you like the idea, but are not sure what a food forest is, how to start one, or if it would work. Read on to learn about the basics of food forests in Northeast Florida. Fall is a great time to get started!
What Is A Food Forest?
A food forest is a multi-layered edible plant system that mimics a forest ecosystem. It includes food-producing trees in the canopy layer, but that’s not all. A well-designed food forest also has shrub, herbaceous and ground cover plants that thrive in under-story conditions and (ideally) also produce food. Successful implementation can be a bit more complex than a vegetable garden because food foresters have to think about whether the plants in each layer will get the sun, water and other things they need within their specific design.
How Is A Food Forest Different from a Vegetable Garden?
Vegetable gardens tend to be production oriented. We usually design and organize them to grow as many crops per season as practical. So, they may not be designed for aesthetics–although many of us find a healthy vegetable garden beautiful! Vegetable gardens also tend to focus on annual crops. We grow them for a season and then pull them. Finally, they are often focused only on one growth layer–typically an herbaceous layer within 1-3 feet tall.
Food forests, on the other hand, are often carefully designed to include not just multiple vertical layers, but also to create an aesthetically pleasing composition. This is more important in a food forest because many of the plants grown are perennials, meaning they’ll be around for multiple years. Food forests often have other goals besides food production: biodiversity, carbon sequestration, soil health, rainwater infiltration and wildlife habitat.
Will A Food Forest Work In My Backyard?
Some type of food forest can work in many backyards. But by now you probably realize careful planning will help you be most successful. If you have a small patio or balcony, you could create a food forest in a raised bed and planters. If you have a little more space but don’t have good soil, you can plant in raised beds or in hugelkultur mounds. Hugelkultur is a growing method using piled up logs and other organic matter. If you have a larger property, you may use all these options as well as in-ground plantings.
Whatever type or size of yard you have, think about whether a food forest would be allowed, especially if you live in a homeowner’s association. Observe your yard and notice what structure, whether trees, buildings, fences or other features that it already has. Decide if you will be incorporating a food forest into your existing landscape, shifting from ornamental to edible, or if you’ll be starting with a blank canvas.
Where Do I Start?
Decide What Type of Food Forest You Want
What’s your vision for your food forest? Decide if you want a wild or manicured food forest, or if there is a philosophy, such as permaculture, that you want to follow. What do you like to eat? It’s no use growing a beautiful food forest if you don’t want to eat what’s in it. Research food plants you like that grow well in your hardiness zone and microclimates. What’s your timeline? Realize that establishing food-producing trees can take 10-15 years, and decide if you will be in your home that long. If you don’t have that much time, you may be able to use structural trees you already have as your backbone, and simply fill in the lower layers that establish more quickly.
Right Plant, Right Place
As we always say in our programs and blogs–you need to to put the right plant in the right place. This means you first need to assess your site, or place, to understand what your physical boundaries are. Then you can select food forest crops that will do well in your specific garden.
You’ll want to know how the sun crosses your site during both summer and winter. Where do shadows fall, and how many hours of sun per day do different areas receive each season? What is your soil like in each intended planting area? Is it sand or clay? Does it drain well? What’s the pH? Test it! Where are your water sources located, and how will you get water from those points to your plants? Additionally, are there low or high spots? Does water pond or flow? And what USDA Hardiness Zone are you in? All of these factors will influence what crops will grow well in your food forest, and where they may be most healthy.
Develop a Design
Once you have answers to the questions above, try drawing out your yard to scale on a piece of paper. Measuring lengths and widths of areas is easy with either a tape measure or a smart phone measuring app. Measure out areas with full sun vs. part sun (or other significant physical features) and mark them on your drawing. This will help you determine how many food forest crops of different types you have the right places for.
Implement in Phases–and Be Open to Change
Remember that you don’t have to plant everything everywhere all at once! You can phase in your food forest. This will help keep costs manageable over time, and it will also give you a chance to practice taking care of one or two plants before you move on to a whole yard full. Phased implementation will also help you verify what works well in your yard. Fruit and nut trees, in particular, can be expensive to buy. Don’t lose them because you are overwhelmed caring for a large new landscape.
Try starting with a couple canopy trees, and some lower layers in pots. That way you can move them around to find the places where they seem happiest before planting in the ground. Keep notes about how your different crops fare over your first couple of seasons. This will help you decide what to avoid or plant more of.
What Food Forest Crops Can I Grow in Northeast Florida?
Once you start thinking about it, you’ll realize we have many food forest options that grow well in Northeast Florida. But again, keep in mind what you like to eat–don’t grow it if you don’t like it! Also consider how much work a crop is to maintain and harvest, whether you have allergies, and whether toxins are a problem with over-consumption or incorrect cooking and preparation. Finally, think about toxicity to pets or curious children who may accidentally ingest plants from your food forest. Regardless of your needs, you’ll be able to find something for each layer of your food forest.
Canopy Layer
- Pecan, Carya illinoinensis
- Native Persimmon, Diospyros virginiana
- Loquat, Eriobotrya japonica
Low Tree or Understory Layer
- Fig, Ficus carica
- Mulberry, Morus rubra
- Citrus
- Pawpaw, Asimina spp.
Shrub Layer
- Blueberries, Vaccinium spp.
- Blackberries, Rubus spp.
- Pomegranate, Punica granatum
- Rosemary, Salvia rosmarinus
Herbaceous Layer
- Lemongrass, Cymbopogon citratus
- Seminole Pumpkin, Cucurbita moschata
- Collards, Brassica oleracea var. viridis
Groundcover or Soil Surface Layer
- Sweet Potatoes, Ipomoea batatas
Root Layer
- Carrots, Daucus carota var. sativus
- Turnips, Brassica rapa
- Ginger, Zingiber officinale and Turmeric, Curcuma longa
Vertical or Vining Layer
- Muscadines, Vitis rotundifolia Michx
- Pole Beans, many genus and species options
- Luffa gourds, Luffa aegyptiaca
These are all good examples, but there are many more. Think about the growth habits of the edible crops you love, and figure out how you can incorporate them into your own food forest.
For More Information
Check out the following resources for more detailed information. The more you learn, the more you may fall for food forests!
- Planning a Food Forest
- Creating a Food Forest Video Presentation with UF IFAS’s David Outerbridge
- Starting a Food Forest with UF IFAS’s David Austin
4
