If there is one production system that in my mind is characteristically identifiable as 'permaculture' it is the food forest. These systems characteristic of a regenerative system in the inter-connection to other systems (via swales, grazing by animals, addition of compost and excess production of fruit), harmonies effortlessly with natural systems, build healthy soil, are resilient and (fairly) stable, are diverse and produce a variety of nutrient dense and organic foods.
The variety of produce from a food forest can also well-serve out dietary requirements when they include tree nuts, fruit, perennial herbs and greens and bi-annual vegetables. In addition, other productive elements like geese, chicken and ducks can be incorporates within movable tractors that maintain the composition of vegetation while maintaining access along pathways, recycling resources, adding fertility and providing additional yields.
Or if teemed up with other vegetable producing systems, animals can be used more liberally and incorporate larger grazers with production restricted to trees, hardy shrubs and vines.
Some overlying design consideration are explored in the resources below - with special attention given to establishing benefial plant guild plantings.
The variety of produce from a food forest can also well-serve out dietary requirements when they include tree nuts, fruit, perennial herbs and greens and bi-annual vegetables. In addition, other productive elements like geese, chicken and ducks can be incorporates within movable tractors that maintain the composition of vegetation while maintaining access along pathways, recycling resources, adding fertility and providing additional yields.
Or if teemed up with other vegetable producing systems, animals can be used more liberally and incorporate larger grazers with production restricted to trees, hardy shrubs and vines.
Some overlying design consideration are explored in the resources below - with special attention given to establishing benefial plant guild plantings.
When you have finished reviewing the content on this page - return here to learn about biodynamic techniques.
Design Readings
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Ordering Plants
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Plant Guilds
Plant guilds are groups of plants that share a space and function together in collaborative ways that represent the kind of emergent tree layer (with associated under story and shrub plants) you would encounter on the edge of the forest. Large mature trees are not well suited to this system (because they dominate the space and do not provide an environment for under story plants to thrive) but coppiced nut and nitrogen-fixating trees (which also act as great trellises fro vines) and small fruit trees (which can be achieved by grafting onto dwarf rootstock) are perfect. These can be incorporated with a wide variety of productive shrubs and under story plants in diverse planting that supply a wide variety of products.
As a note - New Zealand trees are not well suited for a food forest because they come from a very different forest community than the northern hemisphere plants that offer the foods we consume (and from the habitats we evolved within). But food forest planting can be placed alongside edges of native forest plantings as they are not so close the the different soil ecosystems can have space to develop and that the food forest plantings are not shadowed by the native trees.
Also food forests do best when grouped together. Mixed pasture grasses/herb can be effectively used as browsed pathways between food forest plantings - but it is best to avoid planting surrounded by large areas of grass.
Below are some resources to further explore some examples of plant guilds that can be established around specimen trees or within more extensive food forest plantings.
As a note - New Zealand trees are not well suited for a food forest because they come from a very different forest community than the northern hemisphere plants that offer the foods we consume (and from the habitats we evolved within). But food forest planting can be placed alongside edges of native forest plantings as they are not so close the the different soil ecosystems can have space to develop and that the food forest plantings are not shadowed by the native trees.
Also food forests do best when grouped together. Mixed pasture grasses/herb can be effectively used as browsed pathways between food forest plantings - but it is best to avoid planting surrounded by large areas of grass.
Below are some resources to further explore some examples of plant guilds that can be established around specimen trees or within more extensive food forest plantings.
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Management of An Orchard
There are a wide range of actions required to maintain a healthy orchard system - from setting it up, propagating and planting, pruning and training, pest management, adding fertility and more. Below I will explore some of the key practices involved:
Establishing an orchard site: Orchards a best suited to Zone 2 areas - where they are close enough to the house for frequent monitoring and because the size of the average orchard is likely only to cover 1-2 acres - which in a larger farm can be positioned in a suitable area by the house. An ideal location would be one that is sheltered form the main destructive winds, but is still open enough to allow a breeze to flow through the planting to avoid mould diseases becoming established (especially on stone fruit). Other consideration are how an orchard planting can be incorporating into a swale system to maintain hydration and how it fits into the topography of the surrounding landscape. Ideally an orchard is positioned mid-slope on the landscape - with the ability to capture store and divert water to the orchard via uphill swales and other more intensive systems positioned downhill from the orchard. The slope ideally would also be facing towards the main path of the sun (ie facing North in the Southern Hemisphere).
Propagating plants: Becoming experienced with propagating techniques will allow you to diversify and expand upon your orchard planting more easily (and cheaply). Developing these skills will enable you to collect plant stock from good looking plants you encounter (with permission....), graft trees to grow different cultivars of fruit and select for beneficial traits within your plant stock to reproduce from seed.
Planting: You plants are best planted in winter/spring when the ground is well hydrated and the sun has yet to establish the intensity that would stress the young plants. This enables the plants to establish their root system in anticipation of the stressed of dehydration and over heating from summer the summer sun. It is recommended to set up a watering system in the first summer in which you plant an orchard. In areas that have frequent drought it is beneficial to establishing a permanent drip watering system to maintain the health of your plants. This is highly influenced by the surrounding land use and how much that land use adds or detracts from soil hydration.
Pruning & training: Without pruning and training your main productive trees will be harder to harvest fruit from and branches will not be optimally positioned to fill the available spaces. Also branches become over crowded and fruit quality will be diminished due to producing too much fruit. Other factors are pruning allows for better air circulation (which reduces the incidence of mould diseases attacking the tree and better fruit quality). Selection of plant stock will go a long way to make these tasks easier - selecting for plants on dwarf root stock ans suitable companion shrubs (less than 2 m in height) and under story plants. Companion nitrogen fixating plants can also be coppiced (which makes for a good source of mulch) as can shrubs producing berries and nuts. A simple way to train fruit trees is to gently manipulate and 'crack' the branches to orientate them in desired positions (see Murray's video below).
Managing fertility: Healthy growing orchard plants will establish beneficial association with soil microorganisms which will deliver most of the nutrients required by the plants from the soil. Addition nutrients can be effectively applied as foliar sprays by creating probiotic fertilisers. Biodynamic preparations can also be used as a foliar sprays or soil amendments. Lastly soil can be further enhanced addition of compost, rock salts and incorporating the function of animals to add fertility and recycle plant matter to manures.
Incorporating animals: Animals play may beneficial roles in the maintenance of a healthy orchard and provide a wide range of additional yields of interest, eggs and meat. See the page of incorporating animals for more information.
Managing successional changes: The plant community within an orchard will always be undergoing subtle changes as new plants are introduced via bird dropping and the orchard plants grow towards maturity. These successional changes in the plant community need to be held back to maintain the desired state through active management (unless you intentionally develop an old growth orchard food forest).
Establishing an orchard site: Orchards a best suited to Zone 2 areas - where they are close enough to the house for frequent monitoring and because the size of the average orchard is likely only to cover 1-2 acres - which in a larger farm can be positioned in a suitable area by the house. An ideal location would be one that is sheltered form the main destructive winds, but is still open enough to allow a breeze to flow through the planting to avoid mould diseases becoming established (especially on stone fruit). Other consideration are how an orchard planting can be incorporating into a swale system to maintain hydration and how it fits into the topography of the surrounding landscape. Ideally an orchard is positioned mid-slope on the landscape - with the ability to capture store and divert water to the orchard via uphill swales and other more intensive systems positioned downhill from the orchard. The slope ideally would also be facing towards the main path of the sun (ie facing North in the Southern Hemisphere).
Propagating plants: Becoming experienced with propagating techniques will allow you to diversify and expand upon your orchard planting more easily (and cheaply). Developing these skills will enable you to collect plant stock from good looking plants you encounter (with permission....), graft trees to grow different cultivars of fruit and select for beneficial traits within your plant stock to reproduce from seed.
Planting: You plants are best planted in winter/spring when the ground is well hydrated and the sun has yet to establish the intensity that would stress the young plants. This enables the plants to establish their root system in anticipation of the stressed of dehydration and over heating from summer the summer sun. It is recommended to set up a watering system in the first summer in which you plant an orchard. In areas that have frequent drought it is beneficial to establishing a permanent drip watering system to maintain the health of your plants. This is highly influenced by the surrounding land use and how much that land use adds or detracts from soil hydration.
Pruning & training: Without pruning and training your main productive trees will be harder to harvest fruit from and branches will not be optimally positioned to fill the available spaces. Also branches become over crowded and fruit quality will be diminished due to producing too much fruit. Other factors are pruning allows for better air circulation (which reduces the incidence of mould diseases attacking the tree and better fruit quality). Selection of plant stock will go a long way to make these tasks easier - selecting for plants on dwarf root stock ans suitable companion shrubs (less than 2 m in height) and under story plants. Companion nitrogen fixating plants can also be coppiced (which makes for a good source of mulch) as can shrubs producing berries and nuts. A simple way to train fruit trees is to gently manipulate and 'crack' the branches to orientate them in desired positions (see Murray's video below).
Managing fertility: Healthy growing orchard plants will establish beneficial association with soil microorganisms which will deliver most of the nutrients required by the plants from the soil. Addition nutrients can be effectively applied as foliar sprays by creating probiotic fertilisers. Biodynamic preparations can also be used as a foliar sprays or soil amendments. Lastly soil can be further enhanced addition of compost, rock salts and incorporating the function of animals to add fertility and recycle plant matter to manures.
Incorporating animals: Animals play may beneficial roles in the maintenance of a healthy orchard and provide a wide range of additional yields of interest, eggs and meat. See the page of incorporating animals for more information.
Managing successional changes: The plant community within an orchard will always be undergoing subtle changes as new plants are introduced via bird dropping and the orchard plants grow towards maturity. These successional changes in the plant community need to be held back to maintain the desired state through active management (unless you intentionally develop an old growth orchard food forest).
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