Create a Forest Garden with these 5 Plants

It All Starts with an Apple Tree

If you have an apple tree in your yard, chances are you’re like most people and haven't put a lot of thought into what grows underneath its canopy. Grass, perhaps, or some decorative flowers?
Instead, consider creating your own little permaculture system by adding plants directly beneath the tree that would work to benefit one another.

Red Clover: The Nitrogen Fixer

One of the first steps is to plant a “nitrogen fixer” such as red clover (Trifolium pratense), which takes nitrogen from the air and adds it to the soil, giving your forest garden the nitrogen it needs to stay green and lush. But that’s not all you can count on red clover for.   The ground cover also attracts pollinators, which are necessary to fertilize your plants, and its leaves and flowers are edible and medicinal.  The young leaves and blossoms are nutrient-rich and can be eaten in salads or infused in vinegar.

We Love Chives, But Pests Don’t

While red clover attracts pollinators and fixes nitrogen, chives (Allium schoenoprasum) will help your tree by repelling pests such as apple scabs and apple maggots.  Hopefully the scent doesn’t deter you, too, because the same sulfur-rich smell that drives away pests also gives chives some of it antioxidant and detoxification properties when we ingest them.   And don’t forget their beauty: Just as they serve as an enticing garnish to almost any savory dish, chives also will complement your forest garden with their tall green leaves topped with spicy but edible lavender flowers.

Keep Out Weeds with Comfrey

Need to keep grass and weeds out of your new forest garden? Planting a ring of comfrey (Symphytum officinale) underneath the outer edge of your tree’s circumference, or the drip line will keep the weeds at bay.  The perennial’s deep taproot pulls up nutrients most roots can’t reach, giving it mineral-rich leaves that can be used throughout the growing season as mulch.  But don’t mulch it all! Your tree guild also can benefit from comfrey leaf tea, a natural fertilizer or foliar feed that will provide your plants with sufficient amounts of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium.  The dried leaves also can be used therapeutically. Infused in olive oil, comfrey can be used topically to heal broken bones, sprains and strains, or the infused oil can be added to face creams or salves as a healing agent for minor scrapes.

Wild Yam Adds a Vertical Layer

Although we most often think of plants on a horizontal plane, permaculture also takes advantage of plants that can soak up the sun vertically, such as vines and climbers.  Consider adding shade-tolerant wild yam (Dioscorea villosa or Dioscorea opposita) to your forest garden, which will provide you with edible tubers in the fall and a beautiful climbing vine in the summer.



Article adapted from the Bastyr University Website