Mediterranean Tree Guilds - need help please! (:

Hi everyone!

I am completely new to this website, it literally took me half an hour to find out how to post!

I moved to North Eastern Spain last year and live in a zone 9 region. I have some experience with permaculture (PDC, travelling to various permaculture farms, read many books) but am diving straight into the deep end as I am designing a friends permaculture farm. His property lies on the hillside of a valley. He has an enormous area of the hillside that is bassicly shrubs, cork trees, firm clayish soil. As he already has a space prepared for his zone 1 & 2 vegetable garden and broader crops I thought it would be a good idea to turn this land into an food forest and gradually over the years be able to adapt and better the soil through planting specific tree guilds and plants.

I have bought many books on food forests and understand how they work but really need some help on specific tree guilds for the mediterranean! I have found some good information on here but if there is anything you can help me with or tree guilds for mediterranean climate/ zone 9 would be very much aprecciated!
Especially would love to know about mediterranean NFT's! (nitrogen fixing trees)

Thanks in advance!

Olivia (:

Hola Olivia. Welcome to permies.
I live north of the Pyrenees, very different here  but i would check out Robinia Pseudo Acacia.
It has huge spikes, suckers like crazy, stinks when burned, and makes the best fence posting possible. Ideal!
I tried Italian Alder which is said to be more drought resistance but most died after last scorching summer. So i can’t say it’s a must have. It could be my tree planting skills or the nursery as well though.
These two popped to my mind.
Broom is a nitrogen fixing shrub as well. No idea if it grows that far south but here it does!
Hope someone with more experience down south pops up to point you in the right direction.
Best of luck

Thanks so much Hugo!

Yes actually so much broom growing here!! but didn't know it as a nitrogen fixer so awesome news!
I will have a look into the other two!!

hopefully I can find some north-eastern mediterranean tree guru living around the corner hehe

Hi there from southern Catalonia.
Here we have plenty of broom (good) Andi have been successful in sowing a form of native gleditsia , another nitrogen fixer.
Once established, they grow well as do almonds, and do not need much water. Almonds need more to provide a good crop, but I am happy for them to grow first, and crop later.
Also nisperos (loquat) need little water once they get going and I have successfully germinated them from seeds.
Hope that helps and good luck.

You may find the plant search functions on The Ferns website and pfaf useful.  The fewer constrainsts, the more results.  At least that might give you another starting point.

Following and hello!

I don't have Mediterranean NFT expertise to offer per se...I've read something about symbiotic bacteria, but uh...;) Just thought I'd mention a few of the popular food bearing trees that grow in my in-laws' community in Cubelles, up mountain (in the hills to anyone who has seen a real mountain - that's just how they say coastal, but not at the beach).

Carob, mulberry, quince, apricot, fig, almond, pomegranate, loquat, strawberry tree, and of course, various citrus and olives.

Heads up - pines are protected by law in some parts of Spain/Catalunya and their removal is prohibited. Tread carefully there.

Good luck!
E