To grow a food forest now and design a Permaculture system with multiple yields we must first discuss WHO will use the food forest and WHAT they like to EAT. Take on the perspective of the various humans and animals, visualize their preferences and needs. Now focus first on establishing the trees and shrubs the humans and animals will graze on and use for cover.

Choose Perennials which are easy to clone or multiply with seed. Produce a constant stream of food abundance such that something is always in season on your tiny lot. Find and build community to power this craft. Share plants and observations, teach and learn. Share freely with those who reciprocate and appreciate the knowledge and abundance that this sort of wealth generating system has to offer. Give ASSISTANCE to those serious enough to journey on this path freely, and who you think could take the torch to highest heights, such that you live on forever.

This Zone 6b, 7 year old Food Forest has filled in very nicely as we have replaced this lawn turf hill with hugelkulture and fruit trees like apples, pears, and pawpaw! How to grow a lot of food on a little bit of land, the best system and design is one that let's nature take control and produce multi yield. After the initial planting I have not added much in the way of inputs.

We also have raspberry and strawberry on these contour hugel beds. Permaculture means working with nature to create a surplus yield. No fruit yet but plenty of root clone we may graft onto and with 5 established variety we will have plenty of biomass to work with my propagating trees in the future!

Pawpaws grow in semi shade on natural environments near wetlands and floodplains. Pawpaw use a single tap root to dive very deep onto the ground and spread both via root cloning and from the large seeds found in fruit.

The flowers appear in spring/summer - are said to have a slight rotten smell (I never noticed and I've given a few good sniffs before) the flowers are pominated by flies. I've not had any fruit yet.

As for aspects related to sun, they grow under and near bigger trees. If I had a perfect plot I would put my tallest trees to the north and pawpaws just in front similar to a large shrub layer (pawpaw can reach 15-25 feet high and expect to grow in a forest with peers and other trees.

The tree appears tropical and the branches leaves snap when flexed beyond their breaking point, I've broken branches just leaning wrong against a branch enough to snap it, for example while harvesting raspberries. This fragility appears to be why they like to grow in the protection of a forest.

I've notice my trees in full sun will appear to drupe down when the sun is acting overbearing and they have had enough, otherwise the large leaves cast darkness underneath the tree.

The trees love to grow with a nurse tree or nurse log which is why I think hugelkulture is key!

This 7 year old Polyculture Food Forest grows Food Vegetable Annuals, Bi-Annuals, and also Perennials like Apples, Peaches, Grapes, all in Zone 6B using Hugelkulture and Permaculture principles to work with Nature to Produce Food, Wealth, Grocery, and Financial Independence and ultimately my own and hopefully others, Early Retirement through Regenerative processes using 3 personal pillars or ethics of FREEDOM, LOVE, TRUTH a Trivium to guide not only moral Agriculture but also a complete mindset and way of living our best lives!

It's all a natural process and we need to find a way to fit in and cause the least amount of pain for the most amount of bountiful surplus without causing pollution. I think a future looks something like my backyard and I would urge more people to start progressing their lawn from from monoculture toward polyculture with human food being important as well as animals.

Zero waste, zero miles, chickens eat the old peaches and the fertility stays on site to nourish the next crop, growing the soil layer by layer; instead of degrading the soils of eons past we are regenerating new soils, while producing food!

Permaculture

Permaculture Designer's Manual, Bill Mollison: https://www.tagaripublications.com/product/permaculture-a-designers-manual/

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FoodForest