Urban Tilth

Edible Forest Gardens are becoming the rage in permaculture circles. The idea is to create a self-maintaining forest ecosystem in which all 7-layers of plants (from canopy to root crops) are either edible and/or provide an ecosystem function (such as nutrient cycling or beneficial critter habitat). Edible forest gardens hold much promise as a low-cost way of converting sections of our commons to food production—adding a delicious edible dimension to schools and parks. Most of the work in an edible forest garden occurs in the design and installation phase; ideally, once the edible forest garden is established the bulk of the maintenance is in the harvesting! The City of Richmond, Parks and Landscaping Division has already given the initial go-ahead to develop an Edible Forest Garden in at least 2 locations and is open to more if we can secure funding.