Page 19 - Issue-137

FEATURE

Tamarind trees bear continuously for over 35 years and provide Passion fruit or granadilla is a fast-growing vine suitable for food forests or any fence line.
a mild, tasty spice from their pods. istockphoto.com wikifarmer.com
Make use of natural plant associations or
guilds of plants. A good example is a pawpaw
and banana circle. A shallow pit is dug and
filled with compost and prunings. The fill from
the pit creates a berm into which the trees
are planted. Water collects naturally in the
middle of the circle, trapping it and making it
available to the root zone of the trees.
Prune as needed, rotate and change
planting according to space and light
requirements
In the tropics, prune during the wet and rainy
season. Off-cuts may be chipped and used
as a mulch or over soil to prevent weeds.
Pruning opens up more light for new species
and prevents one species from becoming
dominant and taking over the food forest.
When the top portion of woody plants are
cut, the root ball will also shrink and release
nitrogen back into the soil for use by other
Comfrey or Symphytum officinalis helps make nutrients available to other plants. iNaturalist plants. This process provides a loose and
aerated soil with lots of organic matter.
Heavy pruning of support species trees is
Imitate nature Remember, roots need oxygen so never called pollarding. They are able to withstand
This is achieved by copying these same forest water soil that is already moist. Do, however, the process and coppice or bush out stronger
ecological processes on your garden site and water before stress sets in. Water thoroughly than ever.
choosing the correct plants for your region. and less often. If leaves are starting to wilt, the As the support species that have
There is no one size fits all – it depends on plants need watering… fast. conditioned the soil and provided shelter
your climate type and bio region. Selecting age and are pruned and removed, so too will
the right plants is crucial - find out what Maintaining your food forest the productive food species increase in both
plants occur naturally in your area as these are Plan for the future – succession number and diversity.
the ones that will grow best. Another tip is to planting
plant what you want to eat! Permaculture makes use of ‘time stacking’ or Water management
succession planting and food forest design Directing water in an optimum way around
Encourage optimum plant growth will provision short, medium and long term the food forest site does two things: firstly,
Learn what plants really want and give it nitrogen-fixing plants for enriching the soil. it prevents storm damage, soil erosion and
to them. Like different people, each plant Short term plants refer to annuals and short- wash-aways and secondly, directing the water
type has its own preferences. The more lived perennial peas and beans; medium term toward a destination such as a small wetland/
time and attention you put into researching plants are perennials with a five to ten year dam/pond means the water is available for re-
appropriate species, the better. Seasonality lifespan, and long term plants would include use. So, observing how rainwater moves on
also plays a huge role. Lettuces are grown in trees such as Acacias and Moringa. These your site is an important first step. Obviously,
early spring and autumn since they dislike plants are ‘chopped and dropped’ seasonally water is to be directed away from buildings /
the heat and will become bitter and milky. or annually, depending on their growth rate. structures but never into stormwater drains.
Vegetables generally like at least six to Acacias are especially effective as they drop By directing the water to run into grassed
eight hours of sun daily, therefore they are their own leaves in autumn and therefore swales or ditches, more water is made
planted in clearings. Herbs like some shade. require even less maintenance. available to the root zone of plants. n

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