Layers of a Food Forest's Composition
A food forest, or forest garden, is an innovative approach to gardening that mimics the natural layers of a woodland, but with edible and useful species. This low-maintenance, high-yield system can transform a modest UK garden into a resilient, productive, and beautiful space that supports local biodiversity and can provide for future generations.
The typical seven-layer model includes:
1. **Canopy Layer (tall trees):** Mature fruit and nut trees, such as apple, pear, walnut, and sweet chestnut. 2. **Sub-canopy/Low tree layer (small trees):** Smaller fruit trees, like cherry, plum, and dwarf fruit varieties. 3. **Shrub Layer:** Berry bushes and other productive shrubs, such as currants, gooseberries, raspberries, and blackberries. 4. **Herbaceous Layer:** Perennial vegetables and herbs, including kale, chard, mint, rhubarb, and various ornamental edibles. 5. **Groundcover Layer:** Low-growing, spreading plants like strawberries, clover, creeping thyme, and wild strawberries, which suppress weeds and protect the soil. 6. **Root Layer:** Edible roots such as garlic, onion, salsify, and Jerusalem artichoke. 7. **Vertical Layer (climbers and vines):** Plants that grow upwards, using trees, fences, or trellises, such as grapes, hops, and kiwis.
An optional eighth layer, **Mushrooms**, can be cultivated on logs or in shady, moist areas.
Implementing a food forest in a UK garden begins with careful design and plant selection. Assess your space, choose suitable species that thrive in the UK climate, maximise vertical space with fences, trellises, or existing structures, and incorporate support species like nitrogen-fixing plants and dynamic accumulators to improve soil health.
Planting and maintenance involve layering plants from tallest to smallest, focusing on perennial plants, mulching heavily, and managing water effectively. Small-space strategies include starting simple with a mini food forest on a patio or balcony, stacking functions by choosing plants that offer multiple yields, and collaborating with neighbours to create a larger, shared food forest in a communal area.
With thoughtful selection and layering of plants, even a modest UK garden can become a productive, low-maintenance food forest that yields a diversity of foods year after year. Some additional root and tuber options include skirrets, oca, potatoes, radish, dandelions, beetroot, yacon, horseradish, Apios americana, and turnips.
Creating a food forest doesn't require transforming the entire garden overnight; it can be started small and gradually built up. Researching plants that are well-suited to your specific soil type and local microclimate is essential when creating a food forest.
By embracing the principles of a food forest, you'll be on your way to a sustainable, productive, and beautiful garden that not only feeds you but also supports local wildlife and provides for future generations. For more inspiration, watch the video "A Food Forest's Seven Layers" which explains the layers visually.
- Incorporating a food forest into a UK home-and-garden can transform it into a sustainably productive space that not only offers a variety of food-and-drink options but also supports local biodiversity, following the global-cuisines approach by growing a diversity of edible species.
- Adopting the principles of a food forest can lead to a lifestyle where gardening becomes an integral part of cooking, as you tend to perennial vegetables, herbs, and fruit trees, while also enjoying the beauty of flowers and other ornamental edibles.
- By researching suitable plants for the UK climate and thoughtfully layering them according to the seven layers of a food forest (canopy, sub-canopy, shrub, herbaceous, groundcover, root, and vertical), you can create a low-maintenance food-and-drink haven that, with time, may also include additional root and tuber options like skirrets, oca, potatoes, radish, dandelions, beetroot, yacon, horseradish, Apios americana, and turnips.
