If you’re looking to create a delicious, sustainable food source in your backyard, a food forest can be a great way to do just that. A food forest is an edible ecosystem made up of various plants, trees, and shrubs that can provide you with a steady supply of fruits and vegetables. But what types of plants should you include in your food forest? Read on to find out!
Fruit Trees
Fruit trees are the cornerstone of any successful food forest. With their low maintenance requirements and high yield potential, fruit trees are an excellent choice for the main canopy layer of your food forest. Some popular varieties for temperate regions include apple and pear trees. For tropical climates, mangoes and papayas are great options. Citrus trees such as oranges and lemons are also great choices no matter where you live.
Berries and Vines
Next up is berries and vines! Berries such as raspberries or blueberries make a great addition to any food forest due to their small size but high yield potential over time. Vines like grapes or kiwis also work well in this type of system since they require less space than fruit trees while still providing lots of delicious fruits for many years to come.
Herbs & Vegetables
Herbs and vegetables can also be included in your food forest design. Herbs such as basil, oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme and mint all make excellent options for adding flavor to whatever dishes you choose to create with your harvest from the garden! Vegetables like squash, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant can also be grown alongside other plants without taking up too much space or resources from other elements within the system.
Creating a beautiful edible ecosystem doesn’t have to be hard or expensive – all it takes is some planning before hand! With these tips in mind (and maybe some help from Google!), you can easily put together the perfect combination of plants for your unique food forest that will provide fresh produce year round! So go ahead – get planting!