I could envision my Edible and Herbal Food Forest from the very beginning! 

Besides wanting the actual food and medicinal plant aspect of a garden, I absolutely knew that I wanted to create a magical wonderland with MANY different hidden surprises & features. I wanted more than just a backyard filled with food; I wanted there to be hallways, doors, and rooms, made out of the very plants I was growing! I never wanted a section to be void of something intriguing. I wanted a “house-of-plants” right beside my actual house, equipped with a master bedroom area and a private/hidden getaway suite!

I knew in order to accomplish this, I really needed to get to know and become in tune with my backyard surroundings! In other words, I knew that I would not succeed at this massive endeavor if I did not take it seriously and learn each and every inch of my landscape! You MUST have a handle on Mother Nature in your area, and know exactly what you are working with, otherwise this will NOT WORK! Let me assure you, this is not at all as hard as it may sound.

You can create all kinds of interesting walkways and turning points, just keep everything FUNCTIONAL!

 

ALLOW YOUR LANDSCAPE TO TELL YOU WHERE TO PLANT

I spent a lot of extra time down on the ground observing the soil, identifying bugs, and following deer paths. I certainly wasn’t going to place a row of tulips, their favorite food, in a known deer path, if you get my point here! 

I promise you, the more you pay attention, the easier it will become to place everything and create your EDIBLE & HERBAL paradise. You will start to get a feel for your land and you will make better choices and decisions based on your findings! You will plant your sun-loving plants, like lavender and echinacea, in true, full sun, because that’s what they desire! You will make sure something like lettuce or arugula, is planted behind some afternoon shade!

Through your observations, you will know pretty quickly if you have dry areas, super sunny areas, or boggy, wet areas. As many times as you will stand there with plants in front of you, trying to pick that perfect spot to place them, sometimes you just need to set your plant list down and pay attention to the soil and the lay of your land first! Then, go to your plant list and pick one to match the needs of that soil. That way you know exactly where that plant is going once you have it in your hands. There is no second guessing, waiting, or stalling.

THE KEY IS TO PLANT ALL 4 SEASONS IN EVERY SINGLE SECTION

I realized quite quickly, to meet my vision, that I was going to have to plant all 4 seasons of interest…everywhere. But I didn’t let that intimidate me, because I was already breaking things down into sections! 

If you think ahead, you can create each section with all 4 seasons of plants! That’s easy! In a Food Forest setting, whether you have one small section, or 20 large sections, you don’t want one overflowing with plants galore, while the one beside it looks sad and empty, right?

Let’s say you planted daffodils, a whole bunch of hyacinths, and a few crocus, all in one section. Well, that section will be gorgeous—until spring is over, then what? Is that section done for the year? Overcome this from the very beginning by thinking ahead.

 

EXAMPLE:

Say you have identified all the full sun, wide open, well-draining sections, and you have figured out that ALLIUMS from your list would make great flowers in these exact sections during the spring & early summer. But, you should also remember that alliums will not take up that space for all 4 seasons. In fact, certain months will have absolutely nothing at all where the alliums are placed. So that’s when you need to think of the next season of interest in that same section. 

What can I plant next to alliums that will create more interest? Maybe some echinacea, because they will be leafing out and growing beautiful stalks of flowers all summer? Maybe really close by you plant some hyacinths and a few crocuses? And then, maybe right beside that is where you place a small, lower-growing, blueberry bush, so that when fall comes around, there is a beautiful reddish/yellow hue coming from that section. 

Don’t forget to MARK all your sections and plants. If you forget to mark something like alliums, you could mistakably plant something new right over top of it the following year! I used a lot of rock borders and hand written labels so there was no question about what I planted and where. Then, move on to a new section, and do the same thing all over again!

CREATING SPECIFIC “THEMED” SECTIONS

One of my favorite activities during this whole process was creating “uniquely fun & practical” sections. It was a great way for me to allow my imagination to run wild, and helped me to quickly decide where I was going to plant something!

For example: One section I created is nothing but “sleepy-time,” relaxing herbs—valerian, chamomile, lavender, passionflower, lemon balm, and skullcap! I thought it would be practical to have them all in the same section, close to the house, so I could locate them quickly, especially at night with a flashlight! 

Another fun section I created is my “Christmas” section. All the flowers are colors of red, green, and white, plus I added a Christmas pine tree, and fall colored leaves that turn RED, not yellow! I have an “Easter” section filled with blues, pinks, yellows, and lavender. Lastly, of course, a “Halloween” section, filled with black and orange fall colors! Have fun with this and get creative!

If you ever need step-by-step help, I have laid out EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW about this topic, AND MORE, inside my Edible & Herbal Food Forest Guide. Go grab your copy today! 

Always remember:

The Future Is Worth The Patience Of The Present

-Michele

The Homemade Gardener