Constant Edible Plants: The Foundation of Permanent Cultivation Diet
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A food forest is not your typical orchard. Instead of just one type of fruit, a food forest is teeming with a variety of plants, creating a diverse and productive space. Here's how to turn a traditional orchard into a thriving food forest.
The Process
- Assessing Land and Climate: Understanding the soil quality, water availability, and topography of your land is crucial. This information will guide your planting and water management strategies.
- Selecting Diverse Perennial Species: The key to a successful food forest lies in its diversity. Incorporate a variety of trees, shrubs, and groundcovers, such as fruit trees, nut trees, nitrogen fixers, and native species suited to your region.
- Designing the Agroforestry System: Arrange your plants in a way that maximizes sunlight, improves soil fertility, and conserves water. Techniques like the keyline design optimize water flow. Don't forget to include companion planting and space for wildlife and livestock if desired.
- Soil and Nutrient Management: Transition from conventional methods to organic practices like vermicomposting and mulching to boost soil health and microbial activity.
- Increasing Biodiversity and Wildlife Support: Attract beneficial insects and wildlife by adding features like butterfly gardens and integrating native plants.
- Monitoring and Adaptive Management: Continuously observe the system’s development and adjust the mix of species and care strategies accordingly to build a self-sustaining ecosystem.
The Backbone of a Food Forest
Perennial vegetables are the backbone of a food forest, offering a lasting way to grow food and care for the environment. They include perennial greens and herbs like salad burnet, lovage, sorrel, mache, chives, garlic chives, Welsh onions, herbs like mint and thyme, as well as vegetables like sunchokes, skirret, sea kale, oca, and arrowhead. These plants offer unparalleled diversity, resilience, and long-term productivity.
Strawberries, both perennials and self-seeding annuals, add to the food forest's ground cover. Rhubarb is known for its tart stalks and is one of the first plants to grow in spring, producing for decades. Asparagus takes a bit longer to grow but offers delicious spears for 20 years or more. Currants and raspberries are hardy perennial berry crops that thrive in food forests.
The Benefits of Food Forests
Food forests give more food in less space and help the soil. They attract good bugs and create strong systems that grow many foods. By using perennial vegetables in a permaculture garden, you create a diverse and easy-to-maintain space that provides a steady supply of food for years.
A Success Story
Swechha Farm is a prime example of this transformation in practice. A barren land was planted with 3000 trees and various fruit and native species alongside permaculture systems over three years, successfully turning it into a lush food forest with sustainable agricultural practices.
[1]: Swechha Farm's Journey [2]: Designing a Permaculture Food Forest [3]: Choosing the Right Plants for Your Food Forest
