Photo by Skyler Ewing: https://www.pexels.com/photo/adorable-chipmunk-with-peanut-in-nature-5627781/
The idea of the food forest have been around for a while and it's been a bit romanticized also. With that the volume of practical 'how to' information that's available for anyone who wants to do it themselves is growing daily. Yet it's not strange to hear someone ask: 'How do I create a food forest? Where do I start?'
Sometimes there I just to much information to get you started.
Before you start, there are three things you should adress. What you answer to this will dictate the direction your planning takes.
Before you even start on planning. Before you even think about what you should order first, be clear on why you want a food forest? I know everyone has their own reasons but consider this: You are going to invest at least four years of your life into this before you start getting decent regular show harvests.
If you want a food forest to supplement home use, your selection of plants will be leaning more toward fruit and vegetables you eat. Should you be more interested in having it as a commercial venture your decision will lean more toward high value fruit and vegetables, fruits preferably the tipe restaurants will buy it at a premium.
The main idea behind the food forest comes from the need to to use space optimally. As the idea got shape, the réalisation came that à food forest can be really low maintenance. Trees bear fruit for years without interference. The bushes, srubs and other plants are either perennial or self seeding. The work of man is simply to keep things neat and tidy and to gather the harvest.
Thus the next point to adress is; how much do you want to be involved. One man boasted that, by grafting on his apple trees he now has 40 apple varieties. If I am doing it for fun, but I'd propably be tempted to do the same. If I want to spend plenty of time to 8n the forest. Apple trees needs pruning and are very sensitive to pests. The natural pest control found in the food forest your may not be enough.
You may possibly have to adjust some of the your expectations but decide beforehand if you want to do be hands on or if you want nature to do the work.
The last point to consider before even starting your design is animals. There are two kinds of animals, the one that visits your forest to feast and the one that is part of your pest control and most times also productive.
The visiting animals are usually vermin coming from adjoining fields or birds passing through. Depending where you are, but a vermin proof fence and measures to control the birds may be a good investment in some way cases.
The resident animals, requires a different approach. Firstly, you have to decide, do you want animals in your food forest. Ducks may be excellent at controlling slugs and snails and an owl great for rats and small vermin. You still have to decide what will be there and how they will get to be there.
That, in short, is three things that will give you direction when you start planning and decide on plants and trees to include in your forest.
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