A few years back, a neighbor invited me over to “pick dessert off the trees.” I thought they meant mangoes.
Instead, we wandered through what looked like a mini‑jungle in the backyard and plucked kale, nibbled strawberries, and mango from the dwarf trees.
That chaotic-looking space was her food forest, and it felt surreal. I went home determined to grow one of my own. While I can’t say I succeeded instantly, it’s still a work in progress and getting better by the day.
If that sounds familiar, stick with me. Establishing a food basket is one of those fun gardening activities that you can involve everyone, including your kids.
So, What on Earth Is a Food Forest?
Picture a forest that swapped its typical oak and pine residents for fruit trees, berry bushes, culinary herbs, and edible groundcovers.
Technically, a food forest (or “forest garden”) is a multilayered planting that mimics a natural woodland while focusing on species we can eat or otherwise use.
Permaculture designers talk about seven classic layers:
- Canopy: These are plants that rise above the rest. For example, tall fruit & nut trees (think avocado, pecan).
- Sub‑canopy: These include dwarf or semi‑dwarf trees like citrus or apples.
- Shrub layer: There are so many shrubs to consider, but common ones include berries, coffee bush, and pomegranate.
- Herbaceous layer: Planting perennial herbs and veggies such as comfrey and lemongrass.
- Ground cover: For the groundcovers, strawberries, sweet potato vines, and creeping thyme are all great options.
- Root layer: You can plant ginger, turmeric, and Jerusalem artichokes.
- Climbers: Crops such as beans, peas, and passionfruit snaking up trunks.
Some folks add an aquatic layer if they have a pond, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Benefits of a Food Forest Garden
- Less work long‑term. Once established, a food forest largely weeds, mulches, and fertilizes itself through fallen leaves and plant diversity.
- Year-round harvest. By stacking plants vertically and mixing bloom times, something’s nearly always in season.
- Biodiversity boost. A 2022 meta‑analysis found that agroforestry systems host up to 45 - 60% more species than monoculture orchards. That means more pollinators and fewer pests.
- Climate resilience. Trees shade tender crops, mulch conserves moisture, and deep roots ride out droughts better than annual lettuce beds.
- Serious carbon storage. According to the FAO, agroforestry sequesters 1.1–2.2 tons of CO₂ per acre each year. That’s not shabby for a backyard project.
How a Food Forest Garden Works
Nature abhors bare soil and single‑crop boredom. Forest gardens copy three natural principles:
- Succession: Pioneer plants (fast-growing nitrogen fixers like pigeon pea) prepare the ground; slower, high-value species follow.
- Guilds: Each “star” tree is surrounded by helpers. That is the pollinator flowers, nutrient accumulators, and pest decoys.
- Stacking functions: Every plant does at least two jobs (edible + nectar, mulch + medicine, etc.). The result is a self-balancing ecosystem.
Ready to start one?
Here’s How to Start a Food Forest Garden Step by Step
1. Dream & Observe
Spend a week just watching your site.
Where does sunlight hit in July vs. January? Does rainwater pool after a heavy downpour? Take notes. They’ll come in handy later on.
2. Sketch a (Messy) Plan
Grab graph paper or the back of an envelope.
Mark existing trees, the patio, and the clothesline you keep tripping over. Draw rough circles for future canopy trees; give them room to spread. Instead of starting everything a fresh, incorporating existing fruit trees will be more valuable.
3. Love Your Soil First
Dig a few holes, sniff the earth, and maybe spring for a soil test. Add compost, rotted manure, or leaf mold. If your clay makes pottery jealous, toss in coarse sand or biochar.
4. Choose Your Layers
Start with the anchor trees you adore eating. Here are some examples for a warm climate:
- Canopy: Mango
- Support: Pigeon pea (adds nitrogen)
- Shrub: Surinam cherry
- Herbaceous: Lemongrass (pest repellent)
- Ground cover: Sweet potato
- Root: Turmeric
- Climber: Passionfruit up the mango trunk
Cooler climate? Swap mango for apple, passionfruit for hardy kiwi, and lemongrass for mint.
5. Plant in Phases
First Year: Pop in your canopy and sub-canopy trees, plus quick-growing nitrogen fixers.
Second Year: Slip in shrubs and vines.
Third Year: Fill gaps with herbs and groundcovers. Phasing saves money and lets you learn as you go.
6. Mulching is key
Wood chips, straw, even shredded cardboard. Pile the materials on 4‑6 inches deep. Mulch suppresses weeds, feeds soil life, and keeps moisture where roots need it.
The good news is that you only need to do this once. Subsequently, the crop cover will be too dense to keep mulching.
7. Watering
Young trees need regular watering in their first two seasons.
After that, deep roots and thick mulch cut irrigation needs way down. In dry zones, consider a simple drip line or ollas (those buried clay pots).
8. Invite Wildlife (the Helpful Kind)
Plant yarrow, nasturtiums, and native flowers to lure predatory wasps and ladybugs. A small birdbath handles pest patrol, too.
Here’s a complete list of the plants that attract helpful bugs and wildlife.
9. Harvest, Observe, Tweak
Here’s the exciting part.
Pick what you planted and what volunteered. Maybe that self-sown pumpkin stays because it shades the soil. Adjust spacing, chop‑and‑drop overzealous shrubs, and plant something funky each season.
Let your forest garden evolve as you do.
Common Questions
“Do I need a huge yard?”
Nope. I’ve seen thriving food forests on townhouse patios using dwarf trees in half‑barrels. Think vertically and layer small species.
“How long till I’m eating from it?”
Herbs and groundcovers can be on your plate in months. Shrubs bear in 1–2 years, and many fruit trees in 3–5 years. Meanwhile, you’ll snack on pigeon pea soup.
“Isn’t this just an orchard with extra steps?”
An orchard plants one layer and relies on fertilizers and sprays. A food forest stacks layers and lets biodiversity handle the heavy lifting. Fewer inputs, more outputs.
Conclusion
Starting a food forest feels like hosting a potluck for plants. You pick the venue, send invitations, and then let guests mingle and feed each other.
Sure, the first season might look messy, but give it time. One day you’ll step outside, coffee in hand, pluck a handful of berries from the “understory,” and wonder how you ever settled for lawns and lone tomato beds.
So, grab a shovel, sketch that dreamy plan, and let your yard get a little wild.
Featured image: Reddit