Fast Forest Food: The Garden of Eden
Written by Tanny PC
“The forest garden is a practical way in which humans can once more learn to work in harmony with nature. It is a very healing garden for, not only does it heal the gardener, it also helps to heal the planet and re-integrate us with the rhythms of nature. Just being in the garden is a wonderful, peaceful, and healing experience.” – Robert Hart (‘The Garden of Love’ – PFAF.org)
On a Journey to Becoming More Self-Sufficient
I never miss an opportunity to visit farms or forest gardens along with my kid for fruit picking, feeding farm animals, and other activities as it not only motivates me in my passion for gardening but also inspires my kid to understand Nature from a closer frame of reference. Let me tell you that I reside in one of the driest deserts in USA (Phoenix, AZ) where the mere sight of a forest garden is an extraordinary and rare view. While researching ‘Food Forestry’ and ‘Permaculture,’ an online video (Edge of Nowhere Farm) appeared on my YouTube feed. As I started to watch it, my eyes were thrilled to experience the ‘food forestry’ journey of Duane and Lori on how they expanded their forest garden from a 5500-square-foot residential lot to a 1-acre farm, and now they are transforming a 6-acre piece of flat desert land into a farming oasis. Their challenging, yet enthralling, journey of creating such pristine greenery in an arid desert amidst tough weather conditions is surely a motivational boost for many gardeners. If you are still doubting your capabilities, I would request you to watch their video – as you will then contemplate that small steps and a dedicated goal can help achieve an impossible task.
Practically speaking, we all are dependent on store-bought items (fruits and veggies) for our survival. We don’t care to (always) be informed about how they were grown, what chemicals were used for their ripening, what care was taken for the soil after they were harvested, and so on. Imagine your backyard is full of perennial fruit and vegetable trees, along with fragrant flowers, and annual crops – will you still visit markets often to purchase chemical- and pesticide-laden foods? Obviously, not! You will grow and reap what you want (and more) in your own space.
I agree that ‘farming’ is not a degree, it’s an experience – something that a gardener gathers eventually during many years of failures, sweat, and hard work. However, the happiness and thrill that a passionate gardener experiences when he watches his garden bloom and reproduce, it becomes an addiction – a healthy and sustainable one – both for him and the planet. This rewarding feeling is similar to a parent who nurtures, encourages, and watches their children grow and develop beautifully. It’s an experience of pride to watch the fruits of your labor all year round – this is also how you reciprocate the favor that Earth is doing for you, every day!
Food forest development does not require acres of land or state-of-the-art machinery or continuous maintenance from gardeners. Based on the revolutionary ideas and theories of some of the world’s eminent pioneers in this field (Bill Mollison, Robert Hart, Masanobu Fukuoka, and others), I understood that natural farming is all about ‘symbiosis’ and ‘sustainability.’ Nature believes in the concept of ‘hashtag friendship goals’ and ‘hashtag everything gains.’ I reckon both nature and mankind should work hand-in-hand to build a diversified ecosystem benefiting and complementing each other.
As a forest holds a variety of vegetation and wildlife species mutually developing and helping each other in a symbiosis process, just like partners, for ‘Food Forestry,’ our goal should be to mimic that natural diversity of the forest to recreate a vision of our own – a beneficial, edible garden (the Garden of Eden) in our own space for sustainable food production throughout the year with the least interference from mankind and manmade tools. Our focus should be to ‘choose plants wisely,’ ‘layer them well,’ and ‘introduce natural helpers’ (bees and earthworms), which will support each other to develop, bloom, and reproduce.
Below ground level, the soil and root interactions (such as pea plants interacting with soil bacteria for nitrogen fixation) help a plant to grow, increase soil fertility, prevent soil erosion, and develop the productivity of the land. A similar case can be visualized with wildlife species; for example, when an animal or an insect helps in the germination and pollination of several plant species, they mutually, and unknowingly, collaborate for the growth and survival of plants. Consider a bee who visits a flower for nectar collection, carries pollen on its body and deposits them on another flower, and consecutively fertilizes it, which initiates fruit and seed production. Thus, on all levels of Nature, ‘everything gains.’
Expert Opinion Matters!
In my previous posts, I mentioned the revolutionary ideas and sustainable theories that Bill Mollison (the Father of Permaculture) proposed and proved about permaculture methods. Nevertheless, in this (and the next) blog, we will read what another expert says about ‘Food Forestry.’ The elemental ideology of agriculture is believed to be ‘Reject prejudiced traditions, Embrace biodiversity.’
The ‘forest gardening’ concept was pioneered by a Britisher named Robert Hart in UK during the 1970s. He examined the interactions and relationships that occur between plants in natural systems – from the deciduous woodland to the climax eco-system of a cool temperate region such as the British Isles, as well as the abundant food-producing ‘home gardens’ of Kerala in southern India. Hart practiced forest gardening on his farm in Shropshire, England, where he explored the many benefits and methods of this type of permaculture. Hart first popularized the concept of ‘food forestry’ among European and North American gardeners with the publication of his book Forest Gardening: Cultivating an Edible Landscape in the 1980s.
Robert Hart’s forest garden was based on the theory that the beauty of Nature is not ‘compartmentalized’ or ‘orderly designed.’ He conceptualized that the ‘haphazard’ and ‘random’ stacking of diverse vegetation in a forest – trees, shrubs, climbers, vines, and ground covers – find their own requirements within their particular ‘level’ in the forest ecosystem and thrive symbiotically and harmoniously. Plants that are grouped together, take advantage of niches and microclimates, and complement each other. These plants increase the biodiversity of the planet and ensure healthy soil and plants. Of course, they look decorated and beautiful, as well as provide food and nourishment for Man and Wildlife.
Hart envisioned using modern science and technology for futuristic farming methods, such as solar power, that employ refined elements of technology. He discouraged monoculture farming methods that go against nature to produce ‘high-yield crops’ that have a limited amount of vitamins and minerals due to depletions within the soil.
Hart, in his book, writes, “To live with the forest is to reap the rewards of the forest – the medical, economical, and personal. The forest garden is far more than a system for supplying mankind’s material needs. It is a way of life and it also supplies people's spiritual needs by its beauty and the wealth of wildlife that it creates.” To know more about his revolutionary concept, please watch this informational video where Hart explains the benefits of and how to get started with Food Forestry and Permaculture.
Upon further research, I chanced upon another former scientist, Masanobu Fukuoka, who believed that gardeners and agriculturists should be a part of the symbiosis process of gardening as ‘helpers and observers’ of the natural order, and not ‘interveners’ trying to dominate and control. He believed that science should create ways of natural farming by focusing on Nature’s existence and sustainability rather than producing machines and chemicals. Fukuoka quoted, “We need to stop ‘eating with our minds.’ Natural farming is the most direct path toward making this country a happy, pleasant land. If the people were practicing natural farming, this would leave plenty of time for family, community, and leisure time.” Fukuoka has given us a new system to work with based on Mollison’s and Hart’s theories, which is economical for the farmers as well as sustainable for our environment.
The Basic Architecture Involved in a Typical Forest
Each layer of a rainforest is distinct and inextricably connected as animals disperse seeds and plants cycle nutrients up to the canopy and back down again. Research has proved that trees communicate with each other via mutualistic relationships with fungi. Thus, damage to one segment of the forest ripples down and outward, often having broader impacts than are immediately visible. – Global Forest Watch
Although I am always in awe of the pristine green wilderness of a forest, truly speaking, I never looked deep into Nature to learn about the existence of varied plant layers and plant types – why and how they dwell and support each other – until I started my research on ‘Food Forestry.’ Although a typical economical food forest, as explained by Hart, is supported by seven layers of vegetation, however, practically speaking, you can decorate and develop your own forest garden by using only three or four layers. We will learn more about the various plant layers and plant types necessary for the successful development of a food forest in our next blog ‘Fast Forest Food: The Layers of Greenery.’
Nevertheless, before we start devising ideas for developing a food garden in our own space, we have to acquire basic knowledge about certain aspects of ‘forest life’: How does a typical forest thrive? What are the various plant layers and plant types that coexist on the forest floor? Why are they important? How do they support each other and the wildlife? How can we create our own food forest garden by mimicking the natural aura of a forest? And so on… So, let’s get started!
As experts claim, a typical rainforest can be of three types: Tropical forests, Temperate forests, and Boreal forests.
Although these rainforests’ structures can be complex, a typical Temperate food forest (like the ones in western Washington in the US Pacific Northwest) has a very basic and simple structure. Most forests have several but similar layers:
The tall ‘Emergent’ or ‘Overstory’ layer: Here, the tallest trees provide habitats for wildlife.
The ‘Canopy’ layer: It occupies 50–90% of rainforest species.
The ‘Understory’ layer: This is a good nursery to plant saplings.
The ‘Forest floor’ layer: Here, microbes decompose organic matter and recycle nutrients for use by other organisms.
A natural forest also tends to have a decent amount of woody debris (both standing (snags) and fallen (logs)) along with rocks, and it occupies an important central part of the forest structure. Based on the idea and principles of how forest vegetation dwells in layers, gardeners design their own food forest gardens.
Create Your Own Beneficial and Sustainable Terrestrial Paradise
Forest gardening is a promising alternative to industrial farming as it imitates and works with Nature to create high-quality produce that does not harm the environment. If we start questioning modern consumers and agriculturists about their current practices, the various success of alternatives, such as forest gardening, could truly be judged and prioritized.
A few key notes worth citing while creating your edible food forest are:
Choose your plants considering the height of the plants and the direction of the Sun. The tallest trees generally occupy the North direction followed by the smaller ones in the South direction. If you wish to include the annual plants, consider them planting along the edges of the food forest. Mushrooms can be planted when the tallest trees mature so they get shade, and edible vines and creepers should be grown on fences, walls, or trees – just be mindful that the tree is mature enough to hold the vine and avoid getting itself smothered.
Consider the Winter season to establish your garden as most edible trees can be planted while being dormant, which is better for plants as well as for your bank account.
Prepare the ground with high-quality soil and compost prior to planting as it will enhance soil fertility and help plants grow and bear fruits well.
‘Sculpt’ the Earth into long linear ‘swales’ instead of ‘tilling’ the soil. It will be consisting of a raised berm for proper drainage of the planting location and a broad, shallow ditch to help rainwater runoff percolate into the soil.
Mulch the soil deeply before you start planting to prevent weeds or grass, conserve soil moisture, and boost organic matter.
Furthermore, I would ask you to please watch this motivational video on food forestry (Food Forest Fundamentals – Gardening Australia) where the guest presenter, Ms. Hannah Moloney, shows and explains how she created an exemplary, lush green, full-bloom, and diverse edible garden at the Hobart garden in Muwinina Country by layering fruit and nut trees with shrubs, groundcovers, vines, root crops, and herbaceous plants by mimicking the forest vegetation for sustainable and organic food production throughout the year.
However, in some cases, you might not be able to choose and grow all seven layers of vegetation to develop your food forest. As you can see in Hannah’s garden, there is no room for a canopy; however, each plant is still chosen to provide at least three uses in a garden – for example, the plum tree she planted provided fruits for people and wildlife, food for the bees, and wind shelter for other plants. In addition, Hannah displayed how to develop a three-layer donut-shaped mini forest, which can even fit into a pot of a small courtyard!
In conclusion, I would like to add that a dedicated food forest will share a sustainable, mutualistic bond like best friends – no one is stealing anything from one another, instead, they are growing together and maturing to reproduce and provide for each other, humans, and even animals. The main idea is to maximize production while minimizing maintenance. Interesting, right? To gain further knowledge of the exciting journey of various pioneers of Food Forestry and be a part of our team, I would request you to read the next blog and Go Green!
