How To

How to Plant an Edible Forest Garden

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Edible forest gardens make use of the natural interdependency of different types of plants with each other and with the nutrients in the soil. The advantages of a forest garden include, but are not limited to, an efficient use of space, natural usage of shade-mimicking natural forests, and a garden that needs little tending from year to year yet will continual produce an edible harvest year round.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Step 1

Start by planting fruit or nut trees in your garden. These should spaced so that each gets plenty of sun as trees require a lot of energy to thrive.
Step 2

Plant perennial shrubs and shade grown flowers near the bases of your previously planted trees.
Step 3

Find fruit-bearing vines, such as kiwis or flower bearing vines, such as morning glories and plant them at the base of the trees.
Step 4

Use plants that are both edible and beneficial to the soil, such as comfrey and dandelions for ground cover.
Step 5

Consider using some flowering or inedible plants in your forest garden to attract bees and butterflies to help fertilize the plants.

Tips & Warnings

It can take a number of years to successfully begin an edible forest garden.
Perennials work better in the shade than annuals. An annual's life cycle takes place within one growing season, this is very energy intensive and requires a lot of sunlight.
Use your forest garden's waste to help nourish it by collecting up the fallen leaves and fruits from the plants and composting them, then spread that rich compost over the area of your garden.

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