Our Food Forest
Our kaupapa for the food forest was different perhaps to other food forests. The primary aim was not to see how productive it could be per se, but rather to see what could be grown without irrigation, and how we could create a space that felt natural as well as productive. We wanted to be able to grow food, fibre, medicine, fuel and firewood in a setting where we could go foraging rather than systematic harvesting. And we wanted to create a space that could be used for recreation and education too, even for living – something to satisfy the primeval forest-dweller instinct within us!
We started planning our food forest in 2007 and started work in 2008 by putting in two swales (water harvesting ditches on contour). We seeded the banks and proceeded to plant fruit trees and nitrogen-fixing support species. The food forest area covers nearly 3 acres and is a north-east-facing U-shape with a shelterbelt protecting the site from the cold southerlies. We planted marginal value hedgerow fruit and nuts on the north west to protect from our prevailing hot dry wind. The U-shape slopes into a gully which is dry in summer and wet in winter so we created a pond at the bottom. This gives us several microclimates to work with.
We have planted a wide range of productive trees and shrubs over the years. These include apples, crab apples, pears, apricots, peaches, plums, gages, cherry plums, quince, japonica, nashi pears, grapefruit, oranges, mandarins, medlars, mulberries, sweet and sour cherries, persimmons, feijoas, loquats, silverberries, rowan, himalayan strawberry, sea buckthorn, cornelian cherry, irish strawberry (arbutus), aronia berries, serviceberries, elder, currants, worcesterberries, highbush cranberry, blueberries, avocado, casimiroa, manuka, hazels and chestnuts. The ground cover and herbaceous layers consist of medicinal herbs, pollinator plants, nutrient cyclers, biomass plants and this continues to be a work in progress. Of course many of the species we have planted are available for you to purchase through our online shop too!
What is a Food Forest?
A food forest, or forest garden, is a way of growing food and other plants for human use in a way which mimics a natural forest. So we follow the principles that are at work in a forest but substitute plant species (and perhaps animals) which are most useful for our needs. These plants are layered or ‘stacked’ from the canopy trees down through the small trees, shrubs, ground cover and roots, and also include vines and fungi. Plants for cycling nutrients, deterring pests and attracting beneficial insects are designed into the system. Plants are chosen for their multi-functionality wherever possible. And although the scale sounds grand, it need not be – it is perfectly possible to design a food forest in a small urban garden. If you don’t believe us, come and do one of our courses!
Syntropic Agroforestry
In 2019 we started learning about syntropy from the amazing team at Permadynamics in Northland. Syntropy is the concept of ‘abundance brings abundance’ and involves implementing and managing a complex design of species over time and space to maximise photosynthesis. Although we are certain that it is the best way to achieve a highly productive and regenerative system, there is a big clash for us in terms of timing, with our heavy nursery work load in spring. Nonetheless we are trying to implement some key syntropic aspects such as adding in more woody biomass plants and increasing the intensity of planting. We still have lots to learn but we’re excited about the impact of these techniques on our food forest.
“…it was a tangible taste of something altogether new and wonderful, yet also instinctively familiar. This seeming riot of plants and trees, when explained, proved to be an intelligently designed, three dimensional food system…it created an extraordinary space – with height, with colour, with scents and wildlife, yet one in which one instinctively felt at home. Perhaps what Hart created was the closest to what we imagine the Garden of Eden as being.”
Rob Hopkins on his visit to Robert Hart’s forest garden in Shropshire
Another Way of Growing
Forests don’t need us, but it turns out that we need them – and that has never been more true than in these times of climate change and resource depletion. Forests provide all their own fertility, they grow their own soils, they don’t produce any waste, they are resilient to extremes of weather, they support a whole eco system of micro and macro organisms, they use only rain water, they don’t need any humans to work them, and they have a multitude of outputs. How different to our modern system of farming food, which often uses fossil fuel powered machinery, requires intensive cultivation (which depletes soils), needs fossil fuel powered irrigation, uses chemical fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides (which are trucked in from outside, contaminate ground water and kill beneficial as well as ‘pest’ organisms) …. and at the end of it all this ‘modern’ system usually only provides one crop!
But can they feed the world?
Forest gardens have been common for centuries in many parts of the world. However, they are often discredited by proponents of industrial agriculture who say that these ‘primitive’ systems cannot feed the world’s growing population. We would argue that they are the only systems that can feed the population sustainably. The combined yields from a food forest are far higher and the inputs are far lower. They are more resilient to natural disasters, and are not based on finite fossil fuels. They would require some tweaks to our diet, and they do need management, but both these factors could also improve our health! Combined with other regenerative farming techniques such as holistic grazing and silvopasture systems, and community and urban farms, we could reduce food waste and feed ourselves healthily and sustainably.
Want to Learn More?
We run courses during winter because it’s our quiet time in the nursery, and tours through spring when it all looks a bit more interesting! We also take on volunteers spanning the seasons so you can get much more of a feel for the design process and mahi required. Check out our education and volunteering pages if you are interested!