EDIBLE FOREST GARDEN · Grow Food & Heal the Earth · Lessons Learned
Forested・2 minutes read
The project focuses on cultivating a diverse range of plants, including persimmons, black locust trees, passion fruit, and acorns, to enhance soil fertility and food production in different growing conditions. Collaboration with various specialists and strategic planting of nitrogen-fixing species aim to create a sustainable forest garden with comfortable trails and a pond to support a rich ecosystem.
Insights
- Collaboration with beekeepers, herbal medicine practitioners, and basket weavers enhances the forest garden's diversity and strength, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary partnerships in sustainable agriculture projects.
- The project involves two locations: a high-end dry hilltop area for growing fruits and a new wetland location in the woods for plants that thrive in wet soil and water, showcasing a holistic approach to ecosystem management and maximizing productivity through strategic site selection.
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Recent questions
What types of plants are grown in the forest garden?
Various persimmon varieties, red and white clover, black locust trees, thornless blackberry varieties, yaupon holly, native passion fruit, acorns, hickory nuts, smooth alder, butternut, American elderberry, pomegranates, pickerel weed, American lotus root, ostrich fern, paw paws, aronia, and swamp oaks are grown in the forest garden.
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Summary
00:00
Diverse forest garden thrives with unique plants.
- The land indicates persimmons should be grown on the property, leading to a focus on various persimmon varieties.
- The site transitioned from a cornfield to a forest, with a focus on ecosystem succession and soil improvement.
- Nitrogen-fixing species like red and white clover were seeded to enhance soil fertility.
- Black locust trees were planted as pioneer species to aid in soil building and forest development.
- Dead black locust trees were used to construct a rot-resistant deer fence.
- Collaboration with beekeepers, herbal medicine practitioners, and basket weavers enhances the forest garden's diversity and strength.
- Mowing is essential to maintain comfortable trails in the forest garden for visitors.
- Thornless blackberry varieties are grown for better fruit quality and ease of management.
- Yaupon holly, a caffeine-containing plant, is utilized for tea production and wildlife support.
- Native passion fruit, may pops, is grown for its edible flowers, tips, and fruit, covering fences annually.
18:13
Native American Acorns: Key Food Source, Versatile Options
- Acorns, often overlooked in America, were crucial to Native Americans and have high food production potential.
- Various acorn-based dishes like falafel, granola, noodles, bread, and jelly have been created.
- A variety of oak species are being grown to enhance the human food supply.
- Hickory nuts, like shell bark hickory, take time to produce but are valuable for transitioning forested areas.
- Smooth alder, a nitrogen-fixing plant, is beneficial for soil health and can be easily regrown.
- Butternut, or white walnut, offers pleasant fruit quality and is native to the region.
- American elderberry, with edible flowers and medicinal berries, is well-adapted to the environment.
- European scythes are used for maintenance like cutting vegetation around plants like pomegranates.
- Mimosa, an invasive nitrogen-fixing plant, is cut down for soil fertility enhancement.
- Bradford pears, invasive in the area, are top-worked with fruiting pear varieties for a productive crop.
36:38
Ecosystem restoration through innovative plant cultivation.
- The project involves two locations: a high-end dry hilltop area for growing fruits and a new wetland location in the woods for plants that thrive in wet soil and water.
- The wetland portion includes a pond with varying depths to accommodate different plants like pickerel weed and American lotus root, as well as provide habitat for frogs and crayfish.
- The project aims to experiment with growing conditions for various plants like ostrich fern, paw paws, aronia, and swamp oaks in the wetland area to contribute to ecosystem restoration and better food production.
