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Food Forest Help Needed

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Coconut Cream:

--- Quote from: K-Rimes on January 18, 2025, 12:09:34 PM ---In my case, I maybe had .25 of an acre DENSELY planted, and I really regretted how haphazardly I put stuff in the ground. I didn't even think about it. I just put in the ground.
--- End quote ---

I applaud you for just planting stuff, and trying to figure out what you want. I've pulled out and replaced at least 75% of what I originally planted and I just see that as the cost of an education. When you learn to cook, the first few times you make a dish, you almost ruin it. By the 5th or 6th try you are starting to figure out what you want and how to pull the strings to make that work. Nobody plants a perfect food forest on the first try, it's just not possible.

A food forest is an open-ended process and very personal. What distinguishes a food forest from a straight up orchard (to my understanding) is using all the space you can for as much of the time you can. And that means planting early "pioneer" species that won't be there down the road. But you get production from all of the land starting from day 1 while building the soil and microclimate in the process. I don't have the patience to leave empty space for something that might grow into that space 10 years from now. I also love the look of a dense planting, I want a lush tropical jungle that is 15 degrees cooler than my neighbor's lawn but full of color, fruit, butterflies and life.

Rob, the anchor tree spacing you choose will depend on how much space you have and how many anchor trees you think you need. I have a small lot so I used very tight spacing with plans to just prune more and make adjustments as needed. I can't afford to waste a full-size slot on a Guava or Loquat or Papaya so those trees have to compete in the margins. I have one main winding pathway down the center of the jungle. I also selected dwarf/compact cultivars where possible.

Make sure you plan for plenty of groundcover, support plants, grasses, flowers, pollinators and vining crops to fill up the ground around the anchor trees and build the soil. Here are a few videos to give you inspiration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSBp2_keAz0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpGzYlkIB1Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daSb5or7Sc0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRC3aJG9PM8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaMdJe7hL3M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26VXsWiejg0

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