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Food Forest Update: New Fruit Trees Planted for 2023
Why Planting Fruit Trees First is Essential in Building a Food Forest
When establishing a food forest, planting fruit trees first is a crucial step because they form the foundation of the ecosystem. A food forest is a layered, self sustaining system designed to mimic natural forests while providing food, medicine, and habitat.
Creates the Canopy Structure
Fruit trees establish the upper layer of the food forest, providing shade, wind protection, and microclimates that support the growth of smaller plants like shrubs, herbs, and ground covers.
Sets the Soil Ecosystem
Tree roots improve soil structure, enhance microbial activity, and promote fungal networks essential for nutrient cycling. As trees mature, their leaf litter decomposes, enriching the soil with organic matter.
Provides Long Term Stability
Fruit trees are perennials, meaning they will produce food for decades. By planting them first, you establish a reliable food source that improves over time, requiring less maintenance as the ecosystem matures.
Helps with Water Retention and Wind Protection
Larger trees reduce evaporation by shading the soil, while their root systems help retain moisture. They also act as windbreaks, creating a more sheltered environment for delicate understory plants.
Guides the Rest of the Planting Design
Once fruit trees are in place, other layers of the food forest, shrubs, vines, herbs, and ground covers can be planted strategically based on available sunlight and root space.
By prioritising fruit trees, you set the stage for a resilient, abundant, and self sustaining food forest that will thrive for years to come.
In 2023 we added 7 more trees
1 Pear – Pyrus Beth Pear
2 Apple -Malus Cox’s Orange Apple
1 Plum – Prunus Victoria Plum
We also just planted out 3 more Cherry varieties in this area too bringing it up to 15.
3 in each section.
Now we have finished extending this area, added in the borders to deepen the mulch & stop it moving down the slope and added the paths in, so now we can concentrate on filling this area up
Where Is Each Tree Located?
Along the bottom section, our NEW EXTENDED AREA there was a tree added in each section. The further two trees added next to the large square fruit cage section
We planned it out so there are different fruits in each section and next to each other but still in close enough proximity to pollinate if required
What Is Next To Plant Out In The Food Forest Area?
It is very exciting now we can start properly adding in more fruit bushes, herbs & beneficial flowers
Everything from now on will be grown from seed, divided from other plants we already have or propagated from what we have to start doubling, tripling our yield. To fill the rest of this space will be from zero to pennies.
So far we have in here
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blackberries
Honeyberries
This year we will be adding
More Blackberries that we have propagated from our 1 plant
Moving the Redcurrant & Blackcurrant from the top of the house to down here too
More strawberries runners & crowns that are in the vertical garden right now will be moving down here
Herbs: Chives, Coriander, Rosemary are all being grown from seed atm to move down here
Flowers: Lupins for nitrogen fixing, Sweet-peas to attract more bees are all being grown from seed atm to move down here too. Daffodils have been dug up & moved into this area from other locations in the garden to deter the Deers
Lots going on in preparation for Spring/Early Summer placement
New Fruit Trees Delivery From Direct Plants Video Reel
Planting Out The Last Of The Fruit Trees Video Reel
Happy Gardening!
Katrina & Clayton and family live in East Ayrshire and share their daily life in the garden on instagram. They practice permaculture principles in the garden, reducing & repurposing waste whenever they can. Katrina shows how home educating in nature has helped Clayton thrive.
Clayton Completed The 2 Grow and Learn Courses with the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society. He is Autistic, Non Verbal & has been Home Educated since 2018. Katrina & Peter hold their PDC & PDC PRO Permaculture Design Course from Oregon State University
They featured on BBC Beechgrove Gardens Ep23 2022 and returned in 2023 for an update,Katrina & Clayton are also columnists for ScotlandGrows Magazine, Guest Blog for Caledonian Horticulture as well as working with Gardeners’ World Magazine and many other brands. They are also Authors of the new children’s book: Clayton’s New Garden Journey: A Story of Autism and Growing available on Amazon & Kindle. Listen in on our Guest Podcast to learn more about us.
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