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Consultation and Design

Edible Landscape Store

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Consultation and Design

Edible Landscape Store

Fill Out our Questionnaire to Get Started

Consultation and Design

Edible Landscape Store

Fill Out our Questionnaire to Get Started

Fancy Deer Fence on Country Estate

Greenhouses

Food Forest Resources

Food Forest Workshop - Resources List

1. Books & Guides:

“Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture” by Toby Hemenway
“The Permaculture Handbook: Garden Farming for Town and Country” by Peter Bane
“Edible Forest Gardens, Volume 1 & 2” by Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier
“The Food Forest Handbook: Design and Manage a Home-Scale Perennial Polyculture” by Darrell Frey
“The Urban Food Forest Handbook” by Autumn Blum
The Future is Abundant: A guide to Sustainable Agriculture Tilth
Permaculture Resources

2. Online Resources & Websites:

Plants for a Future Data base (https://pfaf.org/user/Default.aspx)
Permaculture Research Institute (https://www.permaculturenews.org/)
The Permaculture Institute (https://www.permaculture.org/)
Food Forest Abundance (https://www.foodforestabundance.com/)
The Edible Landscape Project (https://www.ediblelandscaping.com/)
Forest Garden Network (https://www.forestgardens.org/)
Permies.com in general and Fruit Tree Guild support https://permies.com/t/1475/fruit-tree-guilds

3. YouTube Channels:

Permaculture News
A Greener Life, A Cleaner World
Kirsten Dirksen – showcases sustainable living and food forest setups
The Edible Garden
Food Forests and Edible Landscapes

4. Tools & Materials for Designing and Planting:

Design Software:
- SketchUp (for 3D visualization of the food forest)
- iScape (for mobile-based landscape design)
- Garden Planner (for creating a garden design)
- Dynascape
- ChatGPT for broadstrokes
Plant Nursery
Seed Providers:
- Fedco Seeds (https://www.fedcoseeds.com/)
- Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (https://www.rareseeds.com/)
- Seed Savers Exchange (https://www.seedsavers.org/)

5. Local Resources & Communities:

Local permaculture design courses and certification programs
Local plant nurseries that specialize in native and edible plants
Community food forest projects
Online forums (e.g., Permies.com, Reddit’s r/Permaculture)

6. Templates for Planning and Implementation:

Design Templates for creating a layout for your food forest (can be found online or created in design tools)
Maintenance Plans for food forest management
Planting Guides for choosing species based on your climate zone and soil conditions

Food Forest Workshop Slideshow Outline

Slide 1: Introduction to Food Forests

Definition: What is a food forest?
Benefits: Sustainability, biodiversity, and food security
Key components: Layers of a food forest (Canopy, understory, ground cover, etc.)

Slide 2: Understanding Permaculture Principles

Key Principles of Permaculture
- Work with nature, not against it
- Think in terms of whole systems
- Use and value renewable resources
How food forests align with permaculture principles

Slide 3: Design Considerations

Site analysis: Climate, soil, water, and topography
Zoning: How to zone your property for maximum productivity
Microclimates: Identifying and utilizing different microclimates

Slide 4: The Seven Layers of a Food Forest

Canopy: Large fruit or nut trees
Sub-Canopy: Smaller fruiting trees
Shrubs: Berry bushes, currants
Herbaceous Layer: Edible herbs and vegetables
Groundcover: Low-growing edible plants
Rhizosphere: Root crops, tubers
Vertical Layer: Vines and climbing plants

Slide 5: Selecting Plants for Your Food Forest

Native vs. non-native plants
Companion planting and biodiversity
Edible perennials vs. annuals
Examples of plants for each layer (e.g., oak trees, blueberries, mint, garlic, etc.)

Slide 6: Implementation Strategies

Starting small: How to begin with a small-scale food forest
Planting techniques: Soil preparation, mulching, and watering
Successive planting: Staggering the planting of different layers
How to manage and maintain your food forest over time

Slide 7: Troubleshooting and Common Mistakes

Pests and diseases in a food forest
Soil management tips
Balancing plant competition and spacing
Dealing with excess or insufficient moisture

Slide 8: Case Studies & Success Stories

Examples of successful food forests around the world
Local community projects
Lessons learned and tips from experienced food forest creators

Slide 9: Resources & Next Steps

Books, courses, and community groups for further learning
Getting started with your own food forest
Q&A and discussion

Slide 10: Conclusion

Encouragement to start small and grow over time
Final thoughts on the potential for food forests to improve food security and the environment

Food Forest Link thanks to PFAF.org

Eat Your Yard (TM)

Re-build in progress 11/12/24

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