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
