My great-grandfather started planting something very similar to a food forest several decades ago. Sadly, it was neglected for a while, but now I'm trying to restore it. Overall, it looks like a very small forest with a few clearings.
The canopy layer has quince, plum, cherry, apple, sour cherry, pear, mulberry and cherry plum trees. There are also three large Carpathian walnuts, which provide most of our nuts, and a small black walnut I planted from seed a few years ago. I'm also trying to grow pecans, but so far only one seedling survived, and pecan nuts are pretty hard to find around here.
The second layer has edible shrubs and bushes which tolerate some shade: hazelnuts, currants, juneberries, honeyberries, blackberries, raspberries, aronia and elderberries. There's also a patch of Alpine strawberries, and some wild garlic (Allium ursinum) in more shaded areas.
Most annuals and sun-demanding perennials like grapes were actually planted in the clearings, not in the ”forest” itself, although beans and potatoes seem to tolerate some light shade, while squash can grow very well at the forest edge. In one of the clearings, the ground is almost completely covered by creamy strawberries (Fragaria viridis) and musk strawberries (Fragaria moschata). I think comfrey was first planted in the garden for its medicinal use, but now it's also growing vigorously in many places.
The property is on a sunny south-western slope, which definitely helps many plants adapt to shady conditions better. On the other hand, the soil tends to dry out faster, and drought is often a problem in late summer and early fall.
