The Food Forest
Growing fruit, nuts and edible plants together.
Forest farming, put to work
Inspired by permaculture, the Food Forest brings trees and smaller plants together in layers. It is a working trial: can this way of growing produce good food, care for the soil and prove useful on other farms?
What we’re exploring
The soil
How a varied planting can support the ground it grows in.
Plant health
Ways to care for trees and plants with fewer synthetic inputs.
The harvest
What grows well here, and what might be useful to other growers.
GROWING / LAND
Many plants, shared ground
The Food Forest brings together fruit, nuts and native plants across 2.5 hectares. More than 50 species have been planted here, with different heights, growing habits and harvests sharing the same ground.
The plan was developed in 2021. We plant, observe and adjust, looking at how the different layers grow together and what it takes to make the system productive at farm scale.
01
A mix of plants
Different heights and growing habits create shade, shelter and ground cover. We follow how the plants establish, flower and fruit alongside one another.
02
Care for the soil
Trials with biological inputs are part of the work. The aim is to support plant growth while building our understanding of the soil beneath it.
03
Follow the seasons
Plant health, seasonal harvests and the work needed to tend the planting all matter. A useful trial has to make sense on the ground.
DRAFT / COPY TO COME
Latest from the project
The latest planting, harvest and soil observations; the people involved; and what the team wants to try next.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.