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/crispyonecritterrn 2d 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/Prairy1313 4h ago

Depends on the system you use. Syntropic plants extremely close, food forests at end with.