top of page
Food Forest
Food Forest was created in 2015 for an ecologically minded catering company over a 6.5 acre property. The goal is to enhance the natural environment and its beauty, while on-site agriculture products provide for at least 50% total food products needed for catering business.
 There is direct sun exposure in the open field making the soil fairly dry in the summer months. The south side of the carriage house receives full sun as well. In the upper left corner there are a bunch of scattered hardwood trees, creating a very moist, damp and shaded region perfect for mushroom production. On top of driveway, land slopes down creating wet conditions right outside kitchen entrance. |  The driveway is at a gradual slope and rainwater runoff is high. I decided to add Hazelnut trees and Paw Paw trees to the driveway's sides. Hazelnut trees are perennial and have a massive root system, and work to reduce soil erosion. The PawPaw plant needs lots of irrigation and full sun exposure. While helping to capture the water, it is also producing delicious fruits to be used in many desserts or fruit salads. |  Natural garlic fence used to deter deer & other animals from eating crops |  Pear trees are used as natural fencing, and raspberry bushes thrive in the full summer sun. Behind the raspberry bushes will be the Shiitake mushroom station- I wanted to utilize the natural pond as a source of water to shock the logs into fruiting. Follow the dirt path to the mushroom shed - used to dry, store or continue to fruit the mushrooms. |  |  South-facing side of kitchen is covered by passive solar greenhouse. (13ft wide & 41.2 ft long) Its constructed so full summer sun won't fry crops, but solar panels will take direct rays. Low lying rays in winter months will heat inside greenhouse to be absorbed in thermal mass foundation. Insulation between kitchen and greenhouse consists of straw & clay matrix, sandwiched by lime plaster or Earth render. (2ft diameter). R-value is 40-60, which is just as good as conventional insulation systems |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 This is what is would look like in December- using the compost heated water to keep the soil beds nice and toasty, as well as using the thermal mass that’s heated by the low lying winter sun. The water will be sourced from rain coming off of the roof, calculated as ~900 gallons of water/inch of rain |  |
bottom of page