I was just reading an article about planting a food forest by a farmer whose philosophy I share. And it reminded me that I’ve been doing a variation on this with my property for about 10 years. I call it creating “Snacking Stations.”
I started doing this with an eye toward building in “passive food providers” onto my property so that even if I might not have time for a large garden every year, I would still be able to enjoy fresh food provided by nature. It’s all part of my growing interest in sustainability–a way of thinking that seems more appropriate than ever.
The idea was to plant fruit trees and bushes, and weed herbs, and then mostly neglect them to see what would naturalize and thrive on its own. Mother Nature is an amazing thing!
Here’s what I’ve basically just thrown in the ground. Cherry trees doing great. Plum trees mixed results. And, surprisingly (for where I live in Zone 5) Asian Pears are doing fantastic. Raspberries, blackberries, concord grapes flourishing. Blueberries and strawberries mixed results. I’ve done the same with weed herbs like mint.
This photo is of one of my cherry trees in bloom with grapes growing over fence.