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Forest Garden Designer.
Forest Garden / Food Forest Designer
A 7-layer perennial polyculture inspired by natural forest structure. Higher productivity per area, lower long-term labor, regional native + edible plant suggestions.
The 7 layers
| Layer | Role | Examples | Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Canopy (30+ ft mature) | Tall fruit + nut trees; main light + structure | Walnut, chestnut, apple (standard), pecan, pear | 30-40 ft spacing |
| 2. Sub-canopy / low tree (15-30 ft) | Small fruit trees + understory tolerant | Persimmon, pawpaw, pluot, dwarf apple, mulberry, hazelnut | 15-20 ft spacing |
| 3. Shrub layer (3-12 ft) | Berry shrubs and N-fixing | Blueberry, currant, gooseberry, elderberry, seaberry, autumn olive | 4-8 ft spacing |
| 4. Herbaceous (1-4 ft) | Perennial herbs, vegetables, flowers | Comfrey, asparagus, rhubarb, sorrel, sage, mint, sea kale | 2-3 ft spacing |
| 5. Ground cover (under 1 ft) | Living mulch; suppresses weeds | Strawberry, creeping thyme, white clover, alpine strawberry | 1 ft spacing |
| 6. Root layer | Vegetables and dynamic accumulators | Garlic, onion, jerusalem artichoke, daikon, ground nut | Interplanted |
| 7. Vine / climber | Vertical use of canopy + structure | Hardy kiwi, grape, hops, scarlet runner bean, passionfruit, hardy banana | 1 per 10-20 ft trellis |
Design principles
- Stack functions. Each plant should serve 2-3 purposes (food + N-fix + pollinator forage; or shade + fruit + bird habitat).
- Plant relationships matter more than individual plants. Comfrey under fruit trees mines minerals; chop-and-drop fertilizes.
- Year 1-3 is establishment. Heavy mulch, weed control, watering. Don't expect big harvest yet.
- Year 5-10 the system matures. Canopy closes, soil builds, plant communities self-organize. Maintenance drops dramatically.
- Year 10+ it's net-positive labor. Less work than vegetable garden, more food per area than orchard alone.
- Plan succession. Fast pioneers (autumn olive, mulberry) cover ground while slow primary trees (walnut, chestnut) establish. Cull pioneers as primary trees mature.
- Don't crowd. Perennial polyculture beats monoculture, but only if root + canopy zones don't fight. Spacing applies even more strictly than typical orchards.
- Match plants to your specific microclimate. Low spots = wet-tolerant; south slope = sun-loving; east of structure = shade-tolerant.
Regional plant guilds (canonical examples)
| Center plant | Companion guild |
|---|---|
| Apple tree | Comfrey (ring under canopy; chop-and-drop) + Daffodil (pest-deterrent under canopy) + Chives (deters apple scab) + Yarrow (insect attractor) + White clover (ground cover, N-fix) |
| Pawpaw | Pawpaw (need 2 cultivars) + Pawpaw understory + Wild ginger + Mayapple (shade-tolerant herb layer) |
| Walnut | Walnut (juglone-tolerant only!) + Black raspberry + Persimmon (juglone-tolerant) + Mints + Daffodil (juglone-tolerant) |
| Chestnut | Chestnut + Hazelnut + Currant + Comfrey + Lupines (N-fix) |
| Perennial vegetable patch | Asparagus + Strawberry (under) + Comfrey (border) + Sea kale + Sorrel |
Free under CC BY 4.0. Cite as "OAT Forest Garden Designer (openagriculturetechnology.com)". Design framework drawn from Robert Hart, Martin Crawford, Eric Toensmeier, and Dave Jacke (Edible Forest Gardens).