posted 7 years ago
I wouldn't get too fussy about getting everything just perfect. I've seen people lose sight of the big picture as they try to get all 7 layers of the forest working in perfect harmony and trying to find a little niche for every little plant. Don't sweat it and become frozen in your need to make it perfect.
1. Start with the big stuff. What are the trees you want or absolutely must have? Will it be apples? Avocados? Nut trees? Get the big stuff planted first, and then look to see what kinds of understory plants will work within that framework. Its like packing the trunk of your car: you put the big stuff in first (suitcases) before you put the little stuff. A lemon tree usually gets massive, so give the trees the space they'll need in 10 years. I've found that the whole "backyard orchard culture" thing is more work than it's worth, as is the practice of planting 2 or 3 or more trees in a single hole. Let the tree be a tree -- let it grow.
2. Your forest will change from year to year. What you are able to grow beneath your canopy layer will differ significantly from year 1 to year 5. By year 10, it'll be far different still. So planting an understory of perennial plants may work short-term, but long-term, there may not be enough sunlight to support productivity. I wouldn't spend a lot of money on understory perennials unless you are sure they'll thrive. Annuals, on the other hand, are cheap and easy to located in micro-climates around your food forest. The commitment to a package of cabbage seeds is far less than the cost of expensive bushes.
3. The whole "vining layer" thing: it's really much more complex than just letting vines run up and over whatever they want to grow on. Vines are tremendously heavy as they grow. They can break branches and created a tangled mess, so I keep those plants to a minimum. I train vines to cover shade structures around my house, but don't let them climb into my fruit trees. I've got passion fruit on a pergola right outside my back door. But I don't want vines growing in my pom fruits or stone fruits.
4. There is a spectrum of management with the whole food-forest thing. My food forest is highly managed. Nothing is left to just go wild. I prune my trees annually, plant veggies and other crops throughout the system, and I'm even careful about where I let the chickens scavenge. I mulch aggressively with wood chips and pull weeds as they emerge. Others plant a food forest and then, basically, walk away. They select plants that don't need much ongoing care and supervision. You may find yourself somewhere between these two ends of the spectrum. Make it work for you: don't be a slave to someone's vision of a 7-layer forest. If you've only got 4 layers, but you are growing what you want, that's fantastic.
Best of luck.
"The rule of no realm is mine. But all worthy things that are in peril as the world now stands, these are my care. And for my part, I shall not wholly fail in my task if anything that passes through this night can still grow fairer or bear fruit and flower again in days to come. For I too am a steward. Did you not know?" Gandolf