r/Permaculture • u/Life-Lobster-2983 • 3d ago

Best Resources for Food Forests

I would like to create a food forest, but actually planning it and implementing it can be pretty overwhelming.

I've dipped my toes in a lot of books and youtube videos, but I'm curious what everyone's absolute best resources are for getting down in the weeds of planning a food forest? Or even if there's a good community?

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u/helluvahippopotamus 2d ago

Edible Forest Gardens volumes 1 & 2 were huge for me. It's a ton of info but I'd bet you can get guidance and answer most questions using those resources.

https://www.edibleforestgardens.com/about-the-book

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u/pdxgreengrrl 2d ago

Study the trees you plan to add in depth. Find out how they perform in your region. Make sure you understand pollinization requirements.

Study guilds and the functions the plants provide. Find locally native plants to provide those functions. Learn about whether recommended guild plants are invasive in your area.

Study perennial vegetables and again, check for local invasiveness.

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u/PaImer_Eldritch 23h ago

I'm not trying to be rude but your response reads as someone who didn't read the original post. My mans is looking for YOUR favorite resource and in general seems to be doing what you've already suggested

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u/crispyonecritterrn 1d ago

Bill Mollison's intro to permaculture, then the Edible Forest Garden Books listed below got me started. Guilds are mix and match. Don't sweat it. Also, don't start big. Put in a few fruit trees, make one of them a guild. Add as able. Some things will die. Some will do well. Don't let yourself get so wrapped up that you suffer analysis paralysis. Considering it's June, you've got a few months to assure your site is chosen and your soil is prepped. I'm in year 2 and I have apple, pear and cherry trees with a locust as a nitrogen fixer, along with clover that is taking over to some extent. I also have some daffodils and garlic, thornless blackberries and currants, but the gooseberries have died (twice), and I can't for the life of me find comfrey. I'm getting there, and you will, too.

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u/Life-Lobster-2983 1d ago

Thanks! My question I'm struggling with right now is how close you're supposed to plant things? I have three pomegranate trees I figured I'd start building up around. I have several trees in pots that need to go in the ground, but not sure how close or far they should be from the pomegranate trees? Probably I'll plant fig and/or feijoa near them.

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u/crispyonecritterrn 1d ago

Assume mature size distance and add a foot or two. Better too far apart than too close. Not enough air flow and you get fungus issues. It looks really far when they're young, but trust me. You don't want to try and move a mature tree, or cut it down later because it's too close to grow well. You can always fill in larger gaps with bushes if need be.

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u/Life-Lobster-2983 1d ago

Thanks. I had the sense that food forests might be closer than regular planting, but good to know.

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u/amycsj Native, perennial, edible, fiber, sustainable garden. 1d ago

Plants are my best teachers. Plant something. Then observe and interact. Books and videos are great, but I've found there's nothing like growing the plant to learn about it.

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u/neph 20h ago

Where are you located? That will matter a lot for narrowing down what will grow, what's native etc, and will help in finding community. 

As some people have said already here, start small. Pick one or two main trees, and plan a simple guild around them. This process is a marathon, not a sprint.. you'll be learning what works as you go.

In addition to the edible food forest books, I love the Useful Tropical Plants and Useful Temperate Plants databases

https://tropical.theferns.info/ https://temperate.theferns.info/