Starting your own "Food Forest"

Heather

Dagobah Resident
As per @avia's suggesting, I'm posting this material here, copied from a post I'd originally written on the Caronavirus thread:

... people are coming to the conclusion that the best way to fight this tyranny is to act to create the reality that they want to be a part of. Ideas like "food forests" are coming to bear. This uses the idea that many home owners have land -- even an unused front yard -- that could be used in a sustainable, well thought out way in order to provide fruit, berries and vegetables, etc.-- all in abundance. It's based on how a forest works. You can have large fruit trees, or just dwarf fruit trees, surrounded by berry bushes of different kinds; perennials like asparagus, different kinds of onions, garlic, even ginger -- oh, and the robust herbs that can handle the winter, depending on where you live. You can add to that annuals, which, if you harvest them correctly, provide the seeds for the following year. If this idea catches on -- note: there are financial entities buying up single family homes en masse in some places, in order to force would-be home owners to become renters, so there are some serious problems with home ownership -- but if families who own their own homes start to use even their small plots of land wisely, who knows what could be possible. We're talking about A LOT of unused land that could suddenly be sustainably developed for food production, and which will be contributing to a "true" greening of the suburban environment; land that could be providing food to share with the community during increasingly uncertain times.

Briefly, here's some info on food forests. There are many people talking about this on Youtube, actually; people who are sharing their own experiences with doing this type of gardening. The following was sent out regarding something called the TexasNexus Event:

Hello Food Forest Abundance Family!

Food Forest Abundance Founder Jim Gale shared the stage in front of a packed crowd of 450 at the TexasNexus Event:

Integral Foundations: Systems Architecture For Humanity With Dr. David Martin in Spiceland, Texas

What is The Texas Nexus? The Texas Nexus is a network of individuals who value personal freedom.

Top Ten reasons to grow your own food and medicine...

🍒 Convenience - It is EASY! Perennials (fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, etc.) take less maintenance than lawns. You do not have to become a "farmer" (in the traditional sense) to grow a lot of food. Think of a cherry or apple tree... These trees will provide hundreds of fruits per year with almost no effort.

Now, instead of 1 or 2 fruit trees, imagine 10 in a suburban yard, all different species. Now, add to that perennial roots and tubers, like ginger, turmeric, sweet potatoes, add grape vines and 3 types of berry bushes, add medicinals like elderberry and lavender, herbs like rosemary and thyme... The list goes on and on!

🍈 ROI… The average return on investment blows away any other market sector! Let's take a peach tree for example. A healthy peach tree will produce 150 lbs of peaches per year... $3 lbs x 150 = $450. Well over 100% $ROI annually once mature, and that's just $ ROI!

🍇FOOD SECURITY... The food supply chains are failing. Most of our food comes from 1,500 miles away, is handled by 6 to 7 people, and requires 4 to 5 vehicles. Unsustainable!

🍓 TASTE... Ripe fruits = much better taste and more nutrition.

🍌 ANXIETY and STRESS... are more prevalent now than ever. Gardening is found to be as effective as prayer/meditation for helping with these ailments.

🍊 REVERSE DEFORESTATION... When we transition 20 to 50% of our lawns into Food forests, we reverse deforestation.

🌱 REVERSE MASS EXTINCTION... As we transition our lawns into foodscapes, the industrial monocrops farms will go back to nature.

🍍 SOIL... We are currently destroying our topsoil at a rate of 10 to 40 x the rate of replenishment, "we only have 2 generations of soil left." If this were the only stat, would it not be enough?

🍑 Disease and DIS-EASE... This is because of the poisons we consume. No more poisons!

🥑 FREEDOM… All paths to lasting freedom (from everything from tyranny to cancer) must include a decentralized. regenerative and local food supply.

Jim Gale has a website, foodforestabundance.com (which I am going to check out after finishing this post). In the following video he's talking about the TexasNexus event he just spoke at. He has some inspiring things to say about.. really the "people's" movement against tyranny that's springing up across the country in differing ways. He gets choked up as he speaks. It's rather touching to watch. And hopeful.


[end: TexasNexus event copy]

I'm not a rose-colored glasses type of person, but I do think that in focusing on some of the positive counter measures going on we are supporting this idea of creating a better reality in a "real" sense, not a wishful thinking sort of way. It's really a down here on the ground sort of way.

[end my own excerpt]

I wanted to insert two more follow-up posts related to this topic. I'm not sure if I know how to do this. I'd like to see the posts themselves, not just a link, but I may have to be satisfied with just the links since I'm unsure of how to go about this. Okay, here goes:

Coronavirus Pandemic: Apocalypse Now! Or exaggerated scare story?

Coronavirus Pandemic: Apocalypse Now! Or exaggerated scare story?
 
Hello Heather, I fully agree with this and try to be self sufficient however it is difficult for those living in apartment in big cities. I can still grow aromatic plants though.
Hi Cass.

My husband rented a tractor last fall, did the drainage system we needed, but we were not able to start anything food forest wise before wintertime. Now this spring is really taking its sweet time. We're experiencing another cold snap, and so the ground is too frozen for us to proceed with preparing it properly. We'd like to rent a wood chipper too since there is a lot of forest around us with dead branches, etc., and wood chips are recommended as the top ground cover.

As for your situation, maybe there's a way to make use of your windows? If you have even one window with a lot of sun you may be able to grow some fresh herbs at least. I brought some inside this winter. The heartiest were peppermint and basil. I wasn't using potting soil, which would have helped the soil to maintain moisture, so that might have been why I lost my thyme and oregano plants -- that, and not watering them enough. I didn't have much sun either. I plan on planting herbs in the yard this year, but may want to try again with indoor herbs as well since it's so nice having them all year round. For me the lack of sun is the biggest problem though, even in our yard.
 
Hi Cass.

My husband rented a tractor last fall, did the drainage system we needed, but we were not able to start anything food forest wise before wintertime. Now this spring is really taking its sweet time. We're experiencing another cold snap, and so the ground is too frozen for us to proceed with preparing it properly. We'd like to rent a wood chipper too since there is a lot of forest around us with dead branches, etc., and wood chips are recommended as the top ground cover.

As for your situation, maybe there's a way to make use of your windows? If you have even one window with a lot of sun you may be able to grow some fresh herbs at least. I brought some inside this winter. The heartiest were peppermint and basil. I wasn't using potting soil, which would have helped the soil to maintain moisture, so that might have been why I lost my thyme and oregano plants -- that, and not watering them enough. I didn't have much sun either. I plan on planting herbs in the yard this year, but may want to try again with indoor herbs as well since it's so nice having them all year round. For me the lack of sun is the biggest problem though, even in our yard.
Make that hardiest. Although heart is involved as well. Ha! 🌿
 
This website has a lot of resources on permaculture, mostly DIY stuff, frugal heating methods and so on. permies.com
I have just under an acre at my new (old) home. I've been working with a permaculture consultant to get a plan for making the most of my space in terms of self-sufficiency for my family. She knocked it out of the ball park with this design. It might take some years to make it all happen, but work is beginning slowly. There is planned a root cellar and geothermal tubing to help with heating/cooling. I also have a small solar system from Inergy that can be expanded considerably. I'm leaning my plant choices to being more cold tolerant. The greenhouse will be designed for heat collection and retention in winter. I might be able to get 4 kinds of meat in discreet production.
 
Hi Cass.

My husband rented a tractor last fall, did the drainage system we needed, but we were not able to start anything food forest wise before wintertime. Now this spring is really taking its sweet time. We're experiencing another cold snap, and so the ground is too frozen for us to proceed with preparing it properly. We'd like to rent a wood chipper too since there is a lot of forest around us with dead branches, etc., and wood chips are recommended as the top ground cover.

As for your situation, maybe there's a way to make use of your windows? If you have even one window with a lot of sun you may be able to grow some fresh herbs at least. I brought some inside this winter. The heartiest were peppermint and basil. I wasn't using potting soil, which would have helped the soil to maintain moisture, so that might have been why I lost my thyme and oregano plants -- that, and not watering them enough. I didn't have much sun either. I plan on planting herbs in the yard this year, but may want to try again with indoor herbs as well since it's so nice having them all year round. For me the lack of sun is the biggest problem though, even in our yard.
Thanks Heather for sharing your tips, the lack of sun is a problem indeed, I grow some rosemary indoors (in my closed balcony) and it works. Maybe you could also use artificial light if you lack of sunlight?
 
Thanks Heather for sharing your tips, the lack of sun is a problem indeed, I grow some rosemary indoors (in my closed balcony) and it works. Maybe you could also use artificial light if you lack of sunlight?
Yes, that's a good idea. I'd have to have it hanging in my porch, I guess.

Thanks, Cass... I love rosemary, only there was none where I shopped for my herbs, and I never got around to buying it elsewhere. Need to get some going in the garden this year.
 
Back
Top Bottom