Use of Biological Resources in Establishing a Food Forest

Part of our Food Forest.

Tom has been planting out our Food Forest over the past few years. We use a Chook Tractor to prepare the soil, they get rid of the weeds and grass seeds for us, and dig the soil up and fertilize (and they still lay eggs too!!). When the soil is prepared enough we move the chook tractor to another spot in the Food Forest that needs to be prepared.

The Food Forest will supply an enormous amount of food, as well as stopping the need for a lawn mower. Grass can't grow where other plants grow, thus reducing root competition between unwanted grasses and the fruit and nut trees we want to promote. Tom plants the borders out with Arrowroot, Lemongrass, Citronella Grass and Galangal, to provide buffers from Bush Turkeys and borders for areas the lawnmower still needs to get to. The borders also provide protection from the elements for the fruit and nut trees.

The prepared soil planted out

Today we planted a mulberry tree, taro, arrowroot, ginger, galangal, tumeric, strawberries, sweet potato, tulsi, pineapple sage and several nitrogen fixing plants, like pinto peanut (ground cover), pigeon pea, ice cream bean tree and cassia. The plants will be chopped and dropped once they have grown a bit, which will supply mulch for and help establish the fruit trees, which are slower growing.
Most of these plants are edible (hence Food Forest) and perform multiple functions. We are directing and accelerating the growth of the Food Forest by planting a variety of plants in addition to fruit and nut trees. The idea is that once the fruit trees have grown up, most of the ground cover and smaller plants will disappear due to lack of light, but they will have created the ideal circumstances for the Food Forest to thrive. The plants stop other invasive, non-beneficial plants from growing and taking the nutrients from the fruit and nut trees. Some plants are planted to house insects which will get rid of other insects that are harmful to the Food Forest trees and plants. Other plants are planted to fix the nitrogen in the soil. Others are there to provide the ideal fungal environment that Food Forest trees thrive on. These fungal conditions remain after some of the smaller plants and ground cover have disappeared.

Of paramount importance is the diversity of our Food Forest. By planting mutually beneficial plants and attracting insects that are beneficial, we will create a micro climate which will be highly productive.

Our happy chooks in tractor

The chooks are happy in their new spot, where they have plenty of grass, seeds and insects to thrive on. In another 3 weeks we will move the tractor again and plant out more seedlings.
We try and propagate our own seedlings from plants we already have on the property, without bringing in any external aids. We do buy some seeds and occasional seedlings at the moment, but we hope that in the future that will not be necessary due to our seed saving and propagating.
Things like pineapple sage and tulsi can be planted directly into the ground by just cutting some stems off an existing plant. They are very hardy and are quick growing in this area. They are very useful herbs (and incredibly easy to plant, just stick them in the ground...)

Our Food Forest in progress, awaiting the next planting in three weeks!!