I am a pensioner living in Cape Town, South Africa. No mulch available so I dug up the grass to start my veggie garden (2021), then I covered it with cardboard, I cut holes in the cardboard and inserted "grow tubes" (soda bottles cut into tubes) I planted my veggies inside the grow tubes and only water inside the grow tubes with a soda bottle with a hole in the lid. This cuts down on water use as we almost ran out of water 2 years ago. I planted 6 trees also in grow tubes from cuttings from my neighbors, one died and the avo tree was started from a pip. I have harvested a lot in my first season and in time as the trees grow will add their fruit. I am also digging a trench to harvest rain water in my front yard, next year I hope to harvest 35% of my food.
This is a great video and a beautiful yard transformation! A few small additions: (1) If you have *heavily* compacted dirt or clay, it can be very beneficial to break up the soil and till in amendments before starting your garden. The purpose of no-till gardening is to not disturb the soil life (insects and microbes), but if you have lifeless, degraded soil, there's nothing to disturb. Sand, expanded shale, and compost will all help to loosen up your topsoil and give you a better starting point. But after that, no more tilling; just add organic matter in successive layers and let nature do the work. (2) If your yard is infested with rhizomatic weeds like Bindweed or Bermuda Grass, you will need to *completely eradicate* them before laying down organic matter, otherwise you're just going to be feeding the monster. I would never advocate for pesticides but cardboard and wood chips won't cut it; those weeds will just push right through them. You'll want to lay down black plastic sheeting to completely smother them until the root system dies (this may take multiple years). *Do not* start your garden until you're certain these guys are gone for good, otherwise you will spend the next 5-10 years pulling them out by hand! Ask me how I know.
Daniel, I KNOW how you know! I learned that same lesson many years ago. I put down much cardboard and newspaper, compost/topsoil, and 6" of wood chips. Log story short, it is now a beautiful "lawn".
Growers planning a food forest garden should take care to plant semi drwaf trees & large shrubs more to the north-northwest side of any site so they don't block available sunlight to other plants. There are only so many perennial food producing plants that like heavy shade & that's all you'll get if you don't place the trees & shrubs in the right place to begin with. Over time, too much shade becomes a real problem.
Thanks for your input. There are actually many regions (including my own) in which certain plant varieties greatly benefit from growing fully or partially under trees. This is part of the reason that regenerative food forest systems work so well. It is about strategic placement based on plant species, sun exposure and climate, which is why the permaculture principle of slow and careful observation (and learning about these factors for your area) is such a good one. Thanks again.
Planting "overstory" plants on the north side is great for cooler, more northerly regions like my own (Rhode Island). So this is precisely what I do. Many people think that a "food forest" has to look like a forest. It does not. Mine looks more like a forest edge (which catches the maximum sunlight) with lots layers and very little canopy.
@@karlsfoodforestgarden6963 Agreed. I've used abbreviated U & L shaped with the more open area to the S, SE & SW for annual vegs & lower growing perennials. Also eliminates having to cut out trees & large shrubs that have shaded out other growth.
Its wonderful to see your success with woodchips on damaged soil! I have found the no-dig method very effective using a thick layer of free wood chips to protect and enrich the soil life. However, while it makes sense in design to start with planting trees and shrubs, brand new gardeners should start small with annual veg and fruit they love to eat. It takes time to observe the land and develop skills--and confidence--in growing plants. Trees and shrubs are long term plants that need more research and consideration before making such a big commitment.
Just found your channel and wanted to take a minute to say that I truly hope you continue making videos and sharing your experiences. You do a very good job of explaining things in a way that even beginners can understand. I'm not a beginner by any means but I really enjoyed seeing what you are doing and learning about your experiences in a different area from my own. We are not in the mountains but we have our own challenges here in Texas (summer sun, high winds and extreme heat).
Glad I found this! I just had a load of tree mulch dripped from a tree company and hope to be able to plant next spring. My plan is to let the grass dry out, torch it, lay down contractor paper, compost, then the mulch. I’m excited to see what happens to my soil. I know that the best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago, but the next best time is now! So with inflation coming, food security is my peiority for my family. Thanks❤️✌️
What a nice random RUclips recommendation. We started our forest (still prefer the term orchard lol) during the lockdown here in Melbourne in our Autumn. So far so good, 7 dwarf fruit trees to start with, and a bramble front fence, this winter in the next 4-5 months we will add the grapes to close off the front yard. What amazes me, is the number of people who stop, have a look, a talk, and take a berry with them as they leave. I do agree with you in regards to knowing your area. We are in a unique position in our city, one where I can grow mangos/dwarf bananas, nearby to a 1000 chill our blueberry etc. We get the cold but lack any real frosts to worry about, benefits of being between two bays. But if you didn't know this you would miss out.
@@karlsfoodforestgarden6963 Yep, the drawback is it's a south-facing wall (the equivalent of a north-facing wall in the northern hemisphere) so during winter half the garden is in nearly full shade. But we are still getting pretty good growth.
Thanks for the video. I am in Northwest corner of Kansas very dry. And lots of chemical farming. But I am going to do my best to grow a food forest. Thanks for sharing
I appreciate that Covid got more people gardening and improving their health with organic foods. A healthy immune system will always be our best defense against all illness. Tfs!
For people who are new to this concept, make sure to thoroughly moisten the cardboard and all the layers and KEEP them moist for the biodegrading process.
Yes, yes, yes. I live in a wet, temperate climate and I have still had my wet cardboard dry out when I don't get a heavy enough layer of wood chips down or keep watering it until I do. I like sheet mulching in the wet months because of this. And it's very hard to rehydrate cardboard once it's down and you've already placed plants and such.
Yes -- and you can even graft multiple fruit trees into one if you are limited in space! I did a video on this here, in case interested: ruclips.net/video/SwLFedH0spk/видео.html
You can! I also prune them to fit the space. If you use techniques like espallier and pollarding (when appropriate) you can put SOOOO much tree into a small space. In fact, if you use these techniques, you don't even have to buy dwarf trees because, with most types, you can simply keep them pruned to the right size. This would be a lot of work if you had tons of space but, if you are dealing with only a few trees, it's a matter of only minutes per year!
This video was very helpful; thank you! I'm in the process of building my own food forest and was looking for inspiration. I have a raised bed area that is very tidy and structured, so I love the unruly look of the food forest in contrast.
I am fighting alfalfa in my garden soley from horse manure. If you grow it thickly, how do you stop it from taking over? Do you till it under to kill? Mow & wait over the winter?
Thanks for sharing your gardening methods and philosophy. And congratulations on your success. I have applied similar ideas to my very small urban front yard garden. I've used mostly fallen oak leaves (abundent and free in my neighborhood) for soil building. The wild space of my food forest grows mangos and macadamia, avocados, persimons, longan, olive, peach, carambola, ackee, jaboticabas, atchachairu, pitangatuba, coffee, miracle berry, acerola, black pepper, gingers, turmeric, and a wide variety of other exotic fruits and both perineal and seasonal vegetables. Unlike your garden, my food forest is nestled within an overall design of hard concrete and rigid euclidean geometry that incorporates walkways and curbs, controls water and weeds, prioritizes sun exposure for each main fruit tree, minimizes maintenance, and creates an attractive outdoor environment for a variety of beneficial organisms, including and especially me. It really is possible to apply permaculture principals to any aesthetic style of garden and to any climate.
Indeed! haha! Sometimes it's just a matter of out-planting those weeds with more desirable plants. I also make use of logs and pieces of wood to cover spaces that would, otherwise, get overgrown faster than I can plant them.
Your food forest is beautiful!! Thank you for putting this super informative & inspirational video together. I am in Lakewood and looking to start transforming the front yard of my home to something like this. So glad I found this video!!!
What a beautiful garden and space you have. I wish more people with manicured lawns can appreciate this type of beauty of natural nature that’s usable and productive and enjoyable. Here in South Florida we have a few people in my neighborhood that have Front Yard with a more natural look but still quaff. Lots of different variety of plants mixed together to create border instead of fences and open grass space instead of lawn but yet it still mowed and looks really nice. Same as my yard. I don’t have an automatic irrigation system and I definitely do not water my grass and everything is green and lush and take care of itself.
Fun fact….overstory trees you can keep them at a manageable size. Pruning is key. I have a walnut tree growing in a 65 gallon container. It’s almost 15 years old and I kept it pruned to about 8 ft tall. I get a smaller harvest but the nuts are healthier and bigger…better quality.
I love this garden. You broke it down and made it seem so simple- I'm going to expand my garden and try your techniques Your garden looks great I know how much the weather can change quickly there. I grew up in Colorado but now live in the Sierra Nevada's in California.
Great video, thank you. How do you manage irrigation/watering? What kind of frequencies and systems do you have set up? Thanks for the great information
How are you watering it? I planted my first ever orchard and love the idea of adding mulch all around them and throwing in strawberries and doing food forest. I love permaculture and admire your skills demonstrated in this video! Cheers
I’ve watched a lot of food forest videos and yours is so clear and concise! I’m saving it aside as the first place to begin. Would just add that almonds and hazelnuts aren’t too big. Thank you 🙏🏻
Just starting out on 1/3 acre plus some. First six fruit trees in including two mulberries for height. Thanks for all the info. Soil not too bad but will get to manure and mulching with wood chips.
Yes food forest is also a way better use of farmland and better for the soil and would eliminate the use of fertilizers I wish more farmers would do this instead of monoculture
@@justinriegel1850 you don’t even need to be on farmland! This is so much of a better use of yards. Grass is so sad to see in a country that used to be filled with biodiversity and could be filled with food
@@noahbio true with grass lol, especially that the idea of using it as a lawn came from monarchs in the 1600s using them as a status symbol. Nothing wrong with having a cover though, just that there's much more useful ones out there like clovers.
Thanks for sharing ! I am clearing up my friend's backyard to plant edible food. This backyard been neglected for decades and was full of Ivy and black berries. I'm going to follow the instruction of this video to put up cardboard, compost and mulch one on top of the others. I just wonder if I could start growing trees / shrubs and veggie right after laying down the foundation or should I wait some months until the foundation to become better decomposed
You can, actually. I especially like to get trees and large shrubs in the ground right away if the ground is workable so that they can begin rooting out and getting established. You can always make slits or holes in the cardboard for these plants that you want to get going right away. Just water them in good, and make sure subsequent waterings are getting to your plants (into the holes in the cardboard where you planted them, etc.) that first season before the cardboard breaks down completely. :)
I've always planted the trees right away. Just make sure you have a good, thick layer of wood chip mulch before you put them in. And be careful that the mulch doesn't cover the graft on the trunk of the tree. Too much mulch right next to certain trees can cause issues, but most don't mind it. Plus, the water retention in 6 inches of mulch is phenomenal. That's really important for getting trees started!
I love the approach you took of explaining and the diagram. The leave dropping trees like lemon trees and others have made me not want to lay mulch due to the hassle of raking leaves through mulch. I've considered other areas of the property with that in mind. I welcome your thoughts.
This is so nice. I wish I could do the same thing. Here it's so windy, I've tried using different mulch but it justs blows out before it's broken down, not sure what to do.
Just to add, be careful with lemon balm or any kind of 'mint'. They're extremely invasive and they'll eventually take over the entire area. I found that out the hard way. I kept some of the lemon balm when I was cleaning it all out, and keep it contained in a pot instead. One plant is sufficient to provide all the lemon balm I could need for teas.
Hi there!! Would you still lay the foundation of cardboard compost and mulch before you plant trees? Don’t they need to go down a ton deeper, past the cardboard? Thanks this is a great video!!!
I dug into my straight up clay, removed and mixed in sand, cocoa fiber, leaves. I then mulched in exactly how he said around. In another area, I prepped the ground 2-3 years and then planted the tree. Obviously the second was better, but both grew from 2.5 ft whips to 7-9 foot trees in less than2 years ( both semi standard or semi dwarf)
Looks great! Sounds like we're on the same page. I've been using this same style of gardening for the past 7 years - but only 3 years at my current location. I prune my fruit trees a little more aggressively, because I like to keep them on the northern edge of my guilds, but it's very similar to what you've been doing. I'm looking forward to seeing more!
I would argue to plant the fruit trees first, then the mulch, because they take so long to get established. And that is what I did. Not only fruit trees but N fixers like Black Locust, Siberian Pea Shrub, and Seaberry. I have many of each plus over a dozen fruit trees and many berry bushes and strawberries. Still adding mulch though. I have Jerusalem Artichoke, hops, garlic, comfrey, runner beans, squash, fava beans, wild roses, wild flowering honeysuckle, and decorative flowers like Nasturtium, wild flowers like tansy and yarrow, all planted or growing in random places. It looks like total chaos but that's how I like it. But I still need more mulch.
Thanks for this video. Would this be considered a back to Eden method for growing a food forest? I'm wanting to experiment with the BTE method and see how much yield we can get from it vs our traditional row garden. I'm also interested in reducing watering and suppression of weeks. Would you need to stake things like tomatoes and beans, or do you plant near a companion that they can climb?
Yes! It is very much BTE style. You can find some older videos I did where I reviewed how effective BTE is if you would like. Yes, I have staked plants (like tomatoes) in this garden, AND have had companions for climbers (like beans in corn). :)
Great video! I've converted our acre property into a food forest. Love videos like yours, very concise & to the point. How do you go with snail/slugs with ground cover like strawberries. Mine got decimated the first year I tried. Have resorted to setting traps & manual control, my chickens seem to be happy with this arrangement. I've subbed to your channel & am looking forward to watching your other vids. Greetings from Oz 😁🇦🇺
Thank you, friend! I had bad slugs for a few years, but resorted to getting rid of them by hand (AND CHICKENS :). I found that my garden also needed a few more years to adjust to all of the positive changes I made to my yard's environment and growing culture, and after a few years it seemed to gain balance and less slugs than ever. I acknowledge that your situation might have different outcomes though. Sometimes nothing works better, however, than good old manual control, like you said (YOU become the predator). Hope that helps at all.
Man I've been watching lots of videos about food forestry in farms etc, but your video was the one I got the most. We have a small farm in Argentina at the foot of the Andes, climate is semiarid, heavy frosts in winter, lots of sun and wind, very little rain if any, biweekly water irrigation coming through canals from the mountains, the soil is quiet good. My question is: once you set up you nitrogen and carbon, all the mulch and stuff, do you need to keep it moist for certain time to get it going or does the system releases all it needs if you put the right ratio (I would say 1:3 eyeballing). Thanks again for your video and your time.
Hey Antonio! That's awesome. Thanks for reaching out with that! I find that the system (organic matter, water naturally present in the "green" stuff, the microbes, worms, etc.) is enough, BUT, it will go faster the more moist it is! Hope that helps!
5b. We supposedly can't, but I've been determined to do so, and I have had them overwinter successfully, thanks to the mulch! Always worth a shot, especially if you don't mind taking the risk. :). The trick is protecting the roots from deep freeze by HEAVY mulching. Also, people do grow them as an annual here and produce fruit in one season before dying off. As long as you start them indoors early.
I notice you have comfrey in your food forest. I was going to add it but read that it's extremely invasive and hard to get rid of once established. Have you found it to spread and smother out some of the more desirable plants?
Great question. I grow Bocking 14 -- a sterile hybrid that does not reseed which, from the sounds of it, is key, because like you said, these otherwise have a tendency to take over! It is worth noting that these individual plants do get quite large too.
Like many other plants it can spread. As long as you cut the flower stocks before the flowers start to dry out you won't have that problem. Of course the more you cut this triggers the comfrey to produce more flower stalks. That's a good and bad thing I guess. If you do end up with dry flower heads loaded with seeds you could always dump them in abandoned areas or on the sides of the road. Probably not a good idea to do that on your neighbor's property though lol
Actually, not really (any times of the year to avoid). Technically the most ideal time to lay it is in the Fall, as this will allow your winter season (hopefully!) rains to break it down and do it's magic. But really, you can do this anytime. Is this the Sacramento Valley?
Om Ah Houm Great showing! Lots of great info! First episode, just curious if you were planning to use aquaponics into this food forest? Then adding a worm farm or bug farm to feed the fish... lol
Thanks so much for this video. I found it really easy to follow. I'm trying to do what you've shown but I can't get my little annual vegetable seedlings to grow in the woodchips. They are very stunted and yellowing. I assume you pull back the woodchips and then do you add extra compost or something? I'm pulling back the big wood bits but can't pull it all back, as they seem mixed in with the compost/dirt. Could you please do a video on how you plant your baby annuals?
Hey there! Thanks for the input, and I will try and keep that in mind for when I can get another video going on this. In the meantime, yes, especially in the early stages of the mulching process (i.e. first year or two) I am careful to pull back the wood chips and plant in soil. It sounds like you have a combination of poor soil to start with, compounded by the fact that some wood product mixed into your soil, which robs it of nitrogen -- hence the stunted growth and yellowing. In this case, if you can get yourself some rich compost and add a layer the bottom of your trench you dug by separating the wood chips (so, the closest to soil you can get to, then topped with a little bit of compost) it would be highly beneficial. You won't have to do this forever, because the decaying matter and soil will only improve over time though! Even the wood product that got mixed into the soil (that is robbing nitrogen currently) will break down eventually. One last thought, though: if your mulch was very wood-heavy, and didn't have much green matter (leaves, etc), it might be very beneficial for you to keep layering, as shown in the video. In other words, before next growing season perhaps, add a layer of rich green matter (manures, rich compost, green leaves, grass clippings, etc), followed by another thin layer of mulch. Do not mix. I find that this really speeds up the process and builds soil beautifully and quickly. Just be encouraged that you are doing the right thing and adding organic matter, so the more time goes by, the more results you are going to have. Moisture is also a factor in acceleration as well. If kep nicely moist, things will break down quicker. Hope that helps!
@@TheIntegratedGarden Thanks so much for your time and thought going into such a great response. Just subscribed. And I will try those things. You're right - the wood chips didn't have any green material, and aren't properly broken down yet. I'll make a compost trench like you suggest and keep layering:)
Destiny, you can start a food forest in any part of the country. You simply need to do some research on perennials that grow well together in your region. I am in Rhode Island. There weren't very many food forest enthusiasts here when I started, but now they're starting to get the idea. 🙂
Ahh, Zone 9. Amazing zone! 🙂 Similar to most other irrigation systems for other gardens you can do anything from drip to hand watering to a sprinkler. I actually do have a cheap drip system in that food forest. Last year I used mostly a sprinkler and hand watering though. Most importantly to note, however, is that you do not have to water nearly as often with deep mulching and a food forest ecosystem, which is one of the things that makes this so amazing.
Yes and no. You can, but you definitely want to age it first with moisture and plenty of time until it starts changing it's color and texture. Otherwise saw dust dries things out like crazy, and it really absorbs and robs nutrients easily. So, you can use the aged product, but the thing is that at that point it is a better soil amendment then a mulch because it is fine and broken down.
@@TheIntegratedGarden Well, we have plenty of wet sawdust just lying around in bags outside becouse my uncle is a carpenter and I was thinking of making it useful! :) Thank you
It is hard to say because there are multiple factors such as general moisture and climate. The more moist the better. Typically if I got something like this started towards the end of summer and we had a relatively moist winter, it should all be broken down and ready by spring planting time. Hope that helps.
I would. Another awesome trick (if possible) is to water it real thorough, then tarp the area for a little bit. That barrier and moisture trapping can really get the bacteria and especially fungi going. I just don't recommend doing that with a black tarp, as it will heat things up too much. The lighter color and shinier the better. Furthermore, hopefully you guys get a nice rainy winter like your area is supposed to, being in the Mediterranean climate. I absolutely love your area, by the way, and can't wait to get back over there again. I do understand that you have your set of challenges though. Blessings.
@@TheIntegratedGarden thanks a lot, very helpful, hoping to get a spot fixed up for next spring, making a community garden! Also hoping for rain here haha! Have a great day!
If you've got a bigger space, one way to have a less impactful appearance from the outside is to use a mix of native trees / shrubs to screen along the outside edge of your yard. We're using that to help with all the spring time wind and hopefully have less trouble from a HOA. Mixing in a ton of flowering plants has been really beneficial for staying on top of pests. Most of our fruit trees don't seem to get bothered as bad by aphids if we have a lot of plants for the predatory insects. I've had a bunch of trouble trying to grow some "full sun" annual or even perennial plants without some shelter from the elements. I'm really hoping that we get some really good shaded areas developing over the next 5 years (we're at 7k feet elevation in northern NM). One of my best greens that really tolerates both cold and intense has been orach, just let some go to seed at the end of a year and you'll have seedlings everywhere. For, berries, I can't seem to go wrong with gooseberries / jostaberries / red currants. They're attractive shrubs and grow really well in full, harsh sun. Will have to try out some elderberries, I've always assumed they need quite a bit of water.
Do you have to put cardboard or layering on top of grass 1st. Reason for asking is because the grass is thin and full of worms in this soil birds love this yard..
Don't have to. Especially if the mulch is very thick. If you do not put the cardboard, the grass will likely grow through the mulch. It is also worth noting that the cardboard breaks down usually within a year or less, so you will still have your good soil. It will be even better, in fact.
Usually seeds. Really like Baker's Creek and Botanical Interests. Live plants for trees, shrubs and berries. These come from wherever I can find varieties that I have researched and know are good for my climate type and zone... Mostly online. Hope that helps.
Hello! I have some areas that I can't plant trees on (septic areas, view, passive solar, etc)- can you still build a "mini" food forest without the trees? Just shrubs, herbs, etc?
Not necessarily. The canopy layer (trees) is functionally important, even if not edible, and it takes newly planted trees a while to get large. Ultimately it is up to you though. if you want that real estate to be only taken up by edible trees, you can always plant them and have them slowly replace your old ones (aka cut the old ones down when the new ones are bigger). Or just work with what you have permanently.
I am a pensioner living in Cape Town, South Africa. No mulch available so I dug up the grass to start my veggie garden (2021), then I covered it with cardboard, I cut holes in the cardboard and inserted "grow tubes" (soda bottles cut into tubes) I planted my veggies inside the grow tubes and only water inside the grow tubes with a soda bottle with a hole in the lid. This cuts down on water use as we almost ran out of water 2 years ago. I planted 6 trees also in grow tubes from cuttings from my neighbors, one died and the avo tree was started from a pip. I have harvested a lot in my first season and in time as the trees grow will add their fruit. I am also digging a trench to harvest rain water in my front yard, next year I hope to harvest 35% of my food.
Excellent and resourceful. Thanks for the input.
Lord bless you.
I'm in Aurora good to see Colorado gardening
This is a great video and a beautiful yard transformation! A few small additions:
(1) If you have *heavily* compacted dirt or clay, it can be very beneficial to break up the soil and till in amendments before starting your garden. The purpose of no-till gardening is to not disturb the soil life (insects and microbes), but if you have lifeless, degraded soil, there's nothing to disturb. Sand, expanded shale, and compost will all help to loosen up your topsoil and give you a better starting point. But after that, no more tilling; just add organic matter in successive layers and let nature do the work.
(2) If your yard is infested with rhizomatic weeds like Bindweed or Bermuda Grass, you will need to *completely eradicate* them before laying down organic matter, otherwise you're just going to be feeding the monster. I would never advocate for pesticides but cardboard and wood chips won't cut it; those weeds will just push right through them. You'll want to lay down black plastic sheeting to completely smother them until the root system dies (this may take multiple years). *Do not* start your garden until you're certain these guys are gone for good, otherwise you will spend the next 5-10 years pulling them out by hand! Ask me how I know.
Daniel, I KNOW how you know! I learned that same lesson many years ago. I put down much cardboard and newspaper, compost/topsoil, and 6" of wood chips. Log story short, it is now a beautiful "lawn".
Growers planning a food forest garden should take care to plant semi drwaf trees & large shrubs more to the north-northwest side of any site so they don't block available sunlight to other plants. There are only so many perennial food producing plants that like heavy shade & that's all you'll get if you don't place the trees & shrubs in the right place to begin with. Over time, too much shade becomes a real problem.
Thanks for your input.
There are actually many regions (including my own) in which certain plant varieties greatly benefit from growing fully or partially under trees. This is part of the reason that regenerative food forest systems work so well.
It is about strategic placement based on plant species, sun exposure and climate, which is why the permaculture principle of slow and careful observation (and learning about these factors for your area) is such a good one.
Thanks again.
Or, for southern hemisphere viewers, on the south and southwest.
Planting "overstory" plants on the north side is great for cooler, more northerly regions like my own (Rhode Island). So this is precisely what I do. Many people think that a "food forest" has to look like a forest. It does not. Mine looks more like a forest edge (which catches the maximum sunlight) with lots layers and very little canopy.
@@karlsfoodforestgarden6963 Agreed. I've used abbreviated U & L shaped with the more open area to the S, SE & SW for annual vegs & lower growing perennials. Also eliminates having to cut out trees & large shrubs that have shaded out other growth.
@@flatsville1 Nice!
Its wonderful to see your success with woodchips on damaged soil! I have found the no-dig method very effective using a thick layer of free wood chips to protect and enrich the soil life.
However, while it makes sense in design to start with planting trees and shrubs, brand new gardeners should start small with annual veg and fruit they love to eat. It takes time to observe the land and develop skills--and confidence--in growing plants. Trees and shrubs are long term plants that need more research and consideration before making such a big commitment.
Just found your channel and wanted to take a minute to say that I truly hope you continue making videos and sharing your experiences. You do a very good job of explaining things in a way that even beginners can understand. I'm not a beginner by any means but I really enjoyed seeing what you are doing and learning about your experiences in a different area from my own. We are not in the mountains but we have our own challenges here in Texas (summer sun, high winds and extreme heat).
Beautiful garden!
Glad I found this! I just had a load of tree mulch dripped from a tree company and hope to be able to plant next spring. My plan is to let the grass dry out, torch it, lay down contractor paper, compost, then the mulch. I’m excited to see what happens to my soil.
I know that the best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago, but the next best time is now! So with inflation coming, food security is my peiority for my family. Thanks❤️✌️
Yea, right on. That sounds like a great plan.
Your food forest is beautiful!! Way prettier than traditional gardens in my opinion.
Beautiful transformation!
What a nice random RUclips recommendation.
We started our forest (still prefer the term orchard lol) during the lockdown here in Melbourne in our Autumn. So far so good, 7 dwarf fruit trees to start with, and a bramble front fence, this winter in the next 4-5 months we will add the grapes to close off the front yard. What amazes me, is the number of people who stop, have a look, a talk, and take a berry with them as they leave.
I do agree with you in regards to knowing your area. We are in a unique position in our city, one where I can grow mangos/dwarf bananas, nearby to a 1000 chill our blueberry etc. We get the cold but lack any real frosts to worry about, benefits of being between two bays. But if you didn't know this you would miss out.
Nice! There are benefits and drawbacks to just about every area, but it sound like you have a real sweet spot!
@@karlsfoodforestgarden6963 Yep, the drawback is it's a south-facing wall (the equivalent of a north-facing wall in the northern hemisphere) so during winter half the garden is in nearly full shade. But we are still getting pretty good growth.
@@matthewfarrell317 Glad you weren't dissuaded by the challenges!
Love the wild west look! Nice garden
This is a beautiful garden❤️🇨🇦👋
Do you have that white butterfly on the payroll, or does she do the informal tours as a volunteer?
Thanks for the video. I am in Northwest corner of Kansas very dry. And lots of chemical farming. But I am going to do my best to grow a food forest. Thanks for sharing
Love your garden, it's beautiful!
This year i been working on my food forest and this is the best video by far thanks helped alot
Thank you, and glad it was helpful.
Zone 3 here. Love listening to people talk about their harsh environments. Lovely garden
I appreciate that Covid got more people gardening and improving their health with organic foods. A healthy immune system will always be our best defense against all illness. Tfs!
For people who are new to this concept, make sure to thoroughly moisten the cardboard and all the layers and KEEP them moist for the biodegrading process.
Yes, yes, yes. I live in a wet, temperate climate and I have still had my wet cardboard dry out when I don't get a heavy enough layer of wood chips down or keep watering it until I do. I like sheet mulching in the wet months because of this. And it's very hard to rehydrate cardboard once it's down and you've already placed plants and such.
Awesome, very enlightening. thanks for sharing.
For small areas you can plant semi-dwarf fruit trees for your fruit tree guild's.
Yes -- and you can even graft multiple fruit trees into one if you are limited in space! I did a video on this here, in case interested: ruclips.net/video/SwLFedH0spk/видео.html
You can! I also prune them to fit the space. If you use techniques like espallier and pollarding (when appropriate) you can put SOOOO much tree into a small space. In fact, if you use these techniques, you don't even have to buy dwarf trees because, with most types, you can simply keep them pruned to the right size. This would be a lot of work if you had tons of space but, if you are dealing with only a few trees, it's a matter of only minutes per year!
Thank you for this beautiful video
Love it!!! Thank you for sharing your garden. It it my hope to have such a beautiful back and front yard one day soon.
Awesome transformation ! Extremely informative and valuable information . Thank you for sharing .
Thank you! Your explanation of a food forest is so helpful. The best explanation on RUclips!
Thank you, and glad it helped you.
great video; fantastic, very inspiring. thank you !
Excellent video, thanks!
You did an excellent job of explaining everything. I love it so much fun !what a lovely space you have created.🎉
Many thanks. :)
This video was very helpful; thank you! I'm in the process of building my own food forest and was looking for inspiration. I have a raised bed area that is very tidy and structured, so I love the unruly look of the food forest in contrast.
I enjoyed your video and growing food forest. I feel very inspired to grow my very own edible forest. Many thanks for all information!
It's so beautiful 😍
Thanks for sharing. I like starting with hay and a cover crop like alfalfa seed
I am fighting alfalfa in my garden soley from horse manure. If you grow it thickly, how do you stop it from taking over? Do you till it under to kill? Mow & wait over the winter?
I didn't know that information about mulch. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing your gardening methods and philosophy. And congratulations on your success. I have applied similar ideas to my very small urban front yard garden. I've used mostly fallen oak leaves (abundent and free in my neighborhood) for soil building. The wild space of my food forest grows mangos and macadamia, avocados, persimons, longan, olive, peach, carambola, ackee, jaboticabas, atchachairu, pitangatuba, coffee, miracle berry, acerola, black pepper, gingers, turmeric, and a wide variety of other exotic fruits and both perineal and seasonal vegetables. Unlike your garden, my food forest is nestled within an overall design of hard concrete and rigid euclidean geometry that incorporates walkways and curbs, controls water and weeds, prioritizes sun exposure for each main fruit tree, minimizes maintenance, and creates an attractive outdoor environment for a variety of beneficial organisms, including and especially me. It really is possible to apply permaculture principals to any aesthetic style of garden and to any climate.
Thank you so much for that information, very easy to follow and understand 👍😉🇮🇪🍀
Gorgeous. Well done.
Beautiful, I started my food forest last year and it's going well except so many weeds here in Central Florida.
Indeed! haha! Sometimes it's just a matter of out-planting those weeds with more desirable plants. I also make use of logs and pieces of wood to cover spaces that would, otherwise, get overgrown faster than I can plant them.
i like how you simplified it and for us who don't know anything about perm. or gardening it's really easy to get.
Great info and concise presentation
Your food forest is beautiful!! Thank you for putting this super informative & inspirational video together. I am in Lakewood and looking to start transforming the front yard of my home to something like this. So glad I found this video!!!
Awesome. You should come by and see us sometime in the growing season!
@@TheIntegratedGarden That would be phenomenal!!! 🙏🌻
@@TheIntegratedGarden got it! Thank you so much! I am really grateful to connect with such a knowledgeable gardener locally 🙏💓
That's awesome, Emily! I've been planting food in my front yard for many years. My neighbors love it!
We just moved to New Port Richey, FL, And I’m started to do this here. I’d love to come by and learn, and be a community.
This is brilliant!!!
thank you, this was practically useful. first time viewer
Glad it helped you, and welcome! :)
What a beautiful garden and space you have. I wish more people with manicured lawns can appreciate this type of beauty of natural nature that’s usable and productive and enjoyable. Here in South Florida we have a few people in my neighborhood that have Front Yard with a more natural look but still quaff. Lots of different variety of plants mixed together to create border instead of fences and open grass space instead of lawn but yet it still mowed and looks really nice. Same as my yard. I don’t have an automatic irrigation system and I definitely do not water my grass and everything is green and lush and take care of itself.
Fun fact….overstory trees you can keep them at a manageable size. Pruning is key. I have a walnut tree growing in a 65 gallon container. It’s almost 15 years old and I kept it pruned to about 8 ft tall. I get a smaller harvest but the nuts are healthier and bigger…better quality.
Nice food forest, great plants, lotta hard work
I love this garden. You broke it down and made it seem so simple- I'm going to expand my garden and try your techniques Your garden looks great I know how much the weather can change quickly there. I grew up in Colorado but now live in the Sierra Nevada's in California.
Thank you, brother, thank you.
Oh yeah ! great infos in here ! awsome man ! très très bien ! la magie est en toi ! "Pour moi et plus que moi"..
Great video, thank you. How do you manage irrigation/watering? What kind of frequencies and systems do you have set up? Thanks for the great information
I call my garden the "wild west "!😂. Thank you for making this video.
How are you watering it? I planted my first ever orchard and love the idea of adding mulch all around them and throwing in strawberries and doing food forest. I love permaculture and admire your skills demonstrated in this video! Cheers
Thank you for the kind words. For a while I was wearing it by hand with a hose.. Now have a drip system. MUCH less watering necessary though! :)
You did a great job. I'm building soil continuously, when we started the garden there was only sand and stones.
Thank you! This is so informative and helpful for my growing urban food forest!
I’ve watched a lot of food forest videos and yours is so clear and concise! I’m saving it aside as the first place to begin. Would just add that almonds and hazelnuts aren’t too big. Thank you 🙏🏻
Gorgeous elderberry bush!
Just starting out on 1/3 acre plus some. First six fruit trees in including two mulberries for height. Thanks for all the info. Soil not too bad but will get to manure and mulching with wood chips.
Sounds like a great project!
This is very inspirational!! 🙏
if all of us would do this we could actually increase biodiversity
If we ALL did this, it could end hunger and poverty...
Yes food forest is also a way better use of farmland and better for the soil and would eliminate the use of fertilizers I wish more farmers would do this instead of monoculture
@@justinriegel1850 you don’t even need to be on farmland! This is so much of a better use of yards. Grass is so sad to see in a country that used to be filled with biodiversity and could be filled with food
@@noahbio agreed but what I was saying is farmland poisons the water and a food forest would be more sustainable economically and environmentally
@@noahbio true with grass lol, especially that the idea of using it as a lawn came from monarchs in the 1600s using them as a status symbol. Nothing wrong with having a cover though, just that there's much more useful ones out there like clovers.
Thanks for sharing ! I am clearing up my friend's backyard to plant edible food. This backyard been neglected for decades and was full of Ivy and black berries. I'm going to follow the instruction of this video to put up cardboard, compost and mulch one on top of the others. I just wonder if I could start growing trees / shrubs and veggie right after laying down the foundation or should I wait some months until the foundation to become better decomposed
You can, actually. I especially like to get trees and large shrubs in the ground right away if the ground is workable so that they can begin rooting out and getting established. You can always make slits or holes in the cardboard for these plants that you want to get going right away. Just water them in good, and make sure subsequent waterings are getting to your plants (into the holes in the cardboard where you planted them, etc.) that first season before the cardboard breaks down completely. :)
Also, in case helpful, I demonstrate how to do the cardboard and mulch thing in depth here: ruclips.net/video/g864EbfsIRU/видео.html
Thanks for your advice !
I've always planted the trees right away. Just make sure you have a good, thick layer of wood chip mulch before you put them in. And be careful that the mulch doesn't cover the graft on the trunk of the tree. Too much mulch right next to certain trees can cause issues, but most don't mind it. Plus, the water retention in 6 inches of mulch is phenomenal. That's really important for getting trees started!
thank you for taking the time and explain this.. thank you
I love the approach you took of explaining and the diagram. The leave dropping trees like lemon trees and others have made me not want to lay mulch due to the hassle of raking leaves through mulch. I've considered other areas of the property with that in mind. I welcome your thoughts.
nice work!! I love urban food forests. Most people look at my farm and say they could never apply it to their yards.
Absolutely! People don't have any idea of what we can do when we put our minds to it!
Thanks for the great idea.
This is so nice. I wish I could do the same thing. Here it's so windy, I've tried using different mulch but it justs blows out before it's broken down, not sure what to do.
Just to add, be careful with lemon balm or any kind of 'mint'. They're extremely invasive and they'll eventually take over the entire area. I found that out the hard way. I kept some of the lemon balm when I was cleaning it all out, and keep it contained in a pot instead. One plant is sufficient to provide all the lemon balm I could need for teas.
Good video 👍
Hi there!! Would you still lay the foundation of cardboard compost and mulch before you plant trees? Don’t they need to go down a ton deeper, past the cardboard? Thanks this is a great video!!!
I dug into my straight up clay, removed and mixed in sand, cocoa fiber, leaves. I then mulched in exactly how he said around. In another area, I prepped the ground 2-3 years and then planted the tree. Obviously the second was better, but both grew from 2.5 ft whips to 7-9 foot trees in less than2 years ( both semi standard or semi dwarf)
Looks great! Sounds like we're on the same page. I've been using this same style of gardening for the past 7 years - but only 3 years at my current location. I prune my fruit trees a little more aggressively, because I like to keep them on the northern edge of my guilds, but it's very similar to what you've been doing. I'm looking forward to seeing more!
I would argue to plant the fruit trees first, then the mulch, because they take so long to get established. And that is what I did. Not only fruit trees but N fixers like Black Locust, Siberian Pea Shrub, and Seaberry. I have many of each plus over a dozen fruit trees and many berry bushes and strawberries. Still adding mulch though. I have Jerusalem Artichoke, hops, garlic, comfrey, runner beans, squash, fava beans, wild roses, wild flowering honeysuckle, and decorative flowers like Nasturtium, wild flowers like tansy and yarrow, all planted or growing in random places. It looks like total chaos but that's how I like it. But I still need more mulch.
Thanks for this video. Would this be considered a back to Eden method for growing a food forest? I'm wanting to experiment with the BTE method and see how much yield we can get from it vs our traditional row garden. I'm also interested in reducing watering and suppression of weeks. Would you need to stake things like tomatoes and beans, or do you plant near a companion that they can climb?
Yes! It is very much BTE style. You can find some older videos I did where I reviewed how effective BTE is if you would like.
Yes, I have staked plants (like tomatoes) in this garden, AND have had companions for climbers (like beans in corn). :)
Great video! I've converted our acre property into a food forest. Love videos like yours, very concise & to the point. How do you go with snail/slugs with ground cover like strawberries. Mine got decimated the first year I tried. Have resorted to setting traps & manual control, my chickens seem to be happy with this arrangement. I've subbed to your channel & am looking forward to watching your other vids. Greetings from Oz 😁🇦🇺
Thank you, friend!
I had bad slugs for a few years, but resorted to getting rid of them by hand (AND CHICKENS :). I found that my garden also needed a few more years to adjust to all of the positive changes I made to my yard's environment and growing culture, and after a few years it seemed to gain balance and less slugs than ever.
I acknowledge that your situation might have different outcomes though. Sometimes nothing works better, however, than good old manual control, like you said (YOU become the predator).
Hope that helps at all.
Very nice!
Looks great!
Man I've been watching lots of videos about food forestry in farms etc, but your video was the one I got the most. We have a small farm in Argentina at the foot of the Andes, climate is semiarid, heavy frosts in winter, lots of sun and wind, very little rain if any, biweekly water irrigation coming through canals from the mountains, the soil is quiet good. My question is: once you set up you nitrogen and carbon, all the mulch and stuff, do you need to keep it moist for certain time to get it going or does the system releases all it needs if you put the right ratio (I would say 1:3 eyeballing). Thanks again for your video and your time.
Hey Antonio! That's awesome. Thanks for reaching out with that!
I find that the system (organic matter, water naturally present in the "green" stuff, the microbes, worms, etc.) is enough, BUT, it will go faster the more moist it is!
Hope that helps!
Wait! You grow artichokes as a perennial in colorado?? What zone are you in? I had no idea we can grow those here.
5b. We supposedly can't, but I've been determined to do so, and I have had them overwinter successfully, thanks to the mulch! Always worth a shot, especially if you don't mind taking the risk. :).
The trick is protecting the roots from deep freeze by HEAVY mulching.
Also, people do grow them as an annual here and produce fruit in one season before dying off. As long as you start them indoors early.
Want to come and do my front and backyard I love here in Colorado
Thank you!
I notice you have comfrey in your food forest. I was going to add it but read that it's extremely invasive and hard to get rid of once established. Have you found it to spread and smother out some of the more desirable plants?
Great question. I grow Bocking 14 -- a sterile hybrid that does not reseed which, from the sounds of it, is key, because like you said, these otherwise have a tendency to take over! It is worth noting that these individual plants do get quite large too.
Like many other plants it can spread. As long as you cut the flower stocks before the flowers start to dry out you won't have that problem. Of course the more you cut this triggers the comfrey to produce more flower stalks. That's a good and bad thing I guess. If you do end up with dry flower heads loaded with seeds you could always dump them in abandoned areas or on the sides of the road. Probably not a good idea to do that on your neighbor's property though lol
Planning and research is its own step in the process.
When is the most ideal time to start laying the foundation? Any times of year to avoid? I live on the valley of California, Zone 8
Actually, not really (any times of the year to avoid). Technically the most ideal time to lay it is in the Fall, as this will allow your winter season (hopefully!) rains to break it down and do it's magic. But really, you can do this anytime.
Is this the Sacramento Valley?
🙏thank you 💞🌱😊
Om Ah Houm
Great showing!
Lots of great info!
First episode, just curious if you were planning to use aquaponics into this food forest? Then adding a worm farm or bug farm to feed the fish... lol
Good information
How do you harvest the root crops without damaging the other plants
Thanks so much for this video. I found it really easy to follow. I'm trying to do what you've shown but I can't get my little annual vegetable seedlings to grow in the woodchips. They are very stunted and yellowing. I assume you pull back the woodchips and then do you add extra compost or something? I'm pulling back the big wood bits but can't pull it all back, as they seem mixed in with the compost/dirt. Could you please do a video on how you plant your baby annuals?
Hey there! Thanks for the input, and I will try and keep that in mind for when I can get another video going on this.
In the meantime, yes, especially in the early stages of the mulching process (i.e. first year or two) I am careful to pull back the wood chips and plant in soil.
It sounds like you have a combination of poor soil to start with, compounded by the fact that some wood product mixed into your soil, which robs it of nitrogen -- hence the stunted growth and yellowing.
In this case, if you can get yourself some rich compost and add a layer the bottom of your trench you dug by separating the wood chips (so, the closest to soil you can get to, then topped with a little bit of compost) it would be highly beneficial.
You won't have to do this forever, because the decaying matter and soil will only improve over time though! Even the wood product that got mixed into the soil (that is robbing nitrogen currently) will break down eventually.
One last thought, though: if your mulch was very wood-heavy, and didn't have much green matter (leaves, etc), it might be very beneficial for you to keep layering, as shown in the video. In other words, before next growing season perhaps, add a layer of rich green matter (manures, rich compost, green leaves, grass clippings, etc), followed by another thin layer of mulch. Do not mix.
I find that this really speeds up the process and builds soil beautifully and quickly.
Just be encouraged that you are doing the right thing and adding organic matter, so the more time goes by, the more results you are going to have. Moisture is also a factor in acceleration as well. If kep nicely moist, things will break down quicker.
Hope that helps!
@@TheIntegratedGarden Thanks so much for your time and thought going into such a great response. Just subscribed. And I will try those things. You're right - the wood chips didn't have any green material, and aren't properly broken down yet. I'll make a compost trench like you suggest and keep layering:)
What part of the United States is good to start a small 2 acres food Forrest. I want a small amount of land to do a food Forrest.
Destiny, you can start a food forest in any part of the country. You simply need to do some research on perennials that grow well together in your region. I am in Rhode Island. There weren't very many food forest enthusiasts here when I started, but now they're starting to get the idea. 🙂
So are you saying to put down your weed barrier then compost and mulch on top of that? Great video, btw, thanks!
Yes -- if possible. That is correct. Thanks
Nice!!!
How does watering happen in the food forest? I'm zone 9 and all I could think was where's the drip?
Ahh, Zone 9. Amazing zone! 🙂
Similar to most other irrigation systems for other gardens you can do anything from drip to hand watering to a sprinkler. I actually do have a cheap drip system in that food forest. Last year I used mostly a sprinkler and hand watering though.
Most importantly to note, however, is that you do not have to water nearly as often with deep mulching and a food forest ecosystem, which is one of the things that makes this so amazing.
@@TheIntegratedGarden Nice! That sounds amazing!
is it possible to use sawdust for mulch?
Yes and no. You can, but you definitely want to age it first with moisture and plenty of time until it starts changing it's color and texture. Otherwise saw dust dries things out like crazy, and it really absorbs and robs nutrients easily.
So, you can use the aged product, but the thing is that at that point it is a better soil amendment then a mulch because it is fine and broken down.
@@TheIntegratedGarden Well, we have plenty of wet sawdust just lying around in bags outside becouse my uncle is a carpenter and I was thinking of making it useful! :) Thank you
Do fruit trees need to have a mate to produce fruit?
It depends on the fruit tree variety. When ordering/purchasing one, they will usually let you know if it is "self fertile" or needs a pollinator.
@@TheIntegratedGarden ah makes sense! Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.
How often would you water the layers of cardboard, compost, and mulch to break down the mulch into soil?
It is hard to say because there are multiple factors such as general moisture and climate. The more moist the better. Typically if I got something like this started towards the end of summer and we had a relatively moist winter, it should all be broken down and ready by spring planting time. Hope that helps.
@@TheIntegratedGarden thanks for the reply appreciate it, so if I'm in dry Socal I'd have to water pretty often right?
I would. Another awesome trick (if possible) is to water it real thorough, then tarp the area for a little bit. That barrier and moisture trapping can really get the bacteria and especially fungi going. I just don't recommend doing that with a black tarp, as it will heat things up too much. The lighter color and shinier the better.
Furthermore, hopefully you guys get a nice rainy winter like your area is supposed to, being in the Mediterranean climate.
I absolutely love your area, by the way, and can't wait to get back over there again.
I do understand that you have your set of challenges though.
Blessings.
@@TheIntegratedGarden thanks a lot, very helpful, hoping to get a spot fixed up for next spring, making a community garden! Also hoping for rain here haha! Have a great day!
Love it
Can you suggest a free landscaping software for Permaculture?
If you've got a bigger space, one way to have a less impactful appearance from the outside is to use a mix of native trees / shrubs to screen along the outside edge of your yard. We're using that to help with all the spring time wind and hopefully have less trouble from a HOA. Mixing in a ton of flowering plants has been really beneficial for staying on top of pests. Most of our fruit trees don't seem to get bothered as bad by aphids if we have a lot of plants for the predatory insects.
I've had a bunch of trouble trying to grow some "full sun" annual or even perennial plants without some shelter from the elements. I'm really hoping that we get some really good shaded areas developing over the next 5 years (we're at 7k feet elevation in northern NM). One of my best greens that really tolerates both cold and intense has been orach, just let some go to seed at the end of a year and you'll have seedlings everywhere. For, berries, I can't seem to go wrong with gooseberries / jostaberries / red currants. They're attractive shrubs and grow really well in full, harsh sun. Will have to try out some elderberries, I've always assumed they need quite a bit of water.
Do you have to put cardboard or layering on top of grass 1st. Reason for asking is because the grass is thin and full of worms in this soil birds love this yard..
Don't have to. Especially if the mulch is very thick. If you do not put the cardboard, the grass will likely grow through the mulch.
It is also worth noting that the cardboard breaks down usually within a year or less, so you will still have your good soil. It will be even better, in fact.
@@TheIntegratedGarden thank you.. have a great day.
Do you start with seeds or live plants? Where do you source them?
Usually seeds. Really like Baker's Creek and Botanical Interests. Live plants for trees, shrubs and berries. These come from wherever I can find varieties that I have researched and know are good for my climate type and zone... Mostly online.
Hope that helps.
Hello! I have some areas that I can't plant trees on (septic areas, view, passive solar, etc)- can you still build a "mini" food forest without the trees? Just shrubs, herbs, etc?
nevermind, you answered that for me in the vid!
What if I already have trees on the property but they are not fruit or nut trees. Do I want to have them removed?
Not necessarily. The canopy layer (trees) is functionally important, even if not edible, and it takes newly planted trees a while to get large. Ultimately it is up to you though. if you want that real estate to be only taken up by edible trees, you can always plant them and have them slowly replace your old ones (aka cut the old ones down when the new ones are bigger). Or just work with what you have permanently.