Why start with a design?
Did you know?
Food forests incorporate 7 layers of edible plants including fruit and nut trees, shrubs, herbs, vines, rhizomes, mushrooms, and perennial vegetables.
This is the largest layer of a food forest system and acts as a productive windbreak crop. It is composed of trees that are typically 40+ feet once fully mature.
This layer is made up of small productive trees, or large shrubs, designed to increase crop yield. This layer is usually 10-25ft once fully mature.
An additional layer of productivity, the vining layer is vertical grow space. This increases yield and pollinator attraction as they climb through the larger layers of the food forest system.
A perennial crop, consisting primarily of berries and medicinal varieties but also used to build habitat and pollinator support. These plants are usually kept at 10ft once mature.
A mix of annuals and perennials, this layer is smaller plant varieties that die back in Winter but return in Spring. These are generally culinary and medicinal herbs used to confuse pests and minimize disease.
An underground layer of edible plants is used to increase soil texture and fertility. These are usually medicinal and culinary roots and tubers.
This is an underground communication network which ties all of the layers together. The mushroom is the fruiting body, while the mycelium assists in carbon sequestration, is a decomposer, and builds a dynamic community of essential microorganisms in the soil. This is the foundation of the whole system.
Creeping, living mulch layer. These plants are an essential part of the forest floor and are implemented to increase yield diversity, soil protection, and habitat for insects and wildlife.
Start with a Design
If you are ready to get started with a design
click the button below to head over to our shop and purchase a design for your property.
Top 10 reasons why you should start with a professional design.
Get it Right, the FIRST Time!
Buying and placing perennial plants on your property is a big investment of your time and money to begin with, and you often won’t know if you were successful until at least a year or more has passed. Our Designers thoroughly evaluate your property when considering what plants are selected, how they are placed, and how water and people move through the landscape for ongoing growth and abundance.
PLAN for Success
Did you know the most common reason homesteads fail is going in without a plan? You wouldn’t build a house without a plan, would you? Having a clear plan will help you develop a budget, phase your implementation, and manage your time so that you can enjoy the fruits of your labor.
We Turn Problems Into Solutions
You don’t have a surplus of Grasshoppers; you have a deficiency of Chickens! You don’t have a drainage problem; you have a water retention opportunity. Permaculture designers are trained to turn limitations into opportunities, creatively using and responding to change and integrating multiple design elements to work together harmoniously.
Obtain a Superior Yield
There is a difference between a tree surviving and THRIVING. Our designs begin with restoring healthy soil as the foundation on which layers of plants are stacked that work together in close proximity, creating ultra-abundant ecosystems. This means we can pack more food into less space, and no yard is too small for us to generate a yield.
We Know Plants…and The Company They Like to Keep!
Not only will we help you select varieties of edible plants that will flourish in your climate, but we will select “companions” to create communities of plants that are stronger together than they would be alone. Pest & Weed deterrence, Nitrogen Fixation (improving soil fertility), Pollinator Attraction, Habitat, Mulch, and Compost Production are just some of the functions happening in these thoughtfully designed systems.
Use Your Resources Wisely
Your Design is thoughtfully created to eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides; conserve water usage; and be low maintenance. They can also thoughtfully moderate energy usage by being conscious of plant placement in relation to the sun and heat sinks on the property.
Let Your Livestock Work for You
Without a Design, it is all too common for homesteaders to become slaves to their livestock, spending considerable time and money to sustain their animals and leaving their land extracted. This is all backwards; it is the livestock that should providing a yield and leaving the land regenerated! Our Homestead Designs ensure you have the right space, water, pasture, fodder, infrastructure, and strategies in place to seamlessly integrate livestock onto your property and into your lifestyle.
GROW Your Assets
Support and Mentoring
Designed for YOU
LET US HELP
Free Strategy Session
Sign up for a free strategy session to learn about how a food forest design can help and get all of your questions answered.
What people are saying.
