The Guardian: Using food forests to prevent floods and hunger

Permaculture in Malawi: using food forests to prevent floods and hunger

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"Permaculture projects in Malawi are developing sustainable food systems. It is time the development sector took this ‘marginal hippy movement’ seriously."

"Forests regulate water flow and protect topsoil. Restore the forests and you will go a long way to preventing flooding. Design the forests along holistic permaculture principles and you will achieve much more: water harvesting, fuel wood, high-quality timber, indigenous forest restoration and highly diverse food production. In a country where almost half the children under five are malnourished and chronic hunger is common, any holistic solution must consider food sovereignty."  

Phil Dudman spoke on Pruning and Propagating Fruit Trees at The Fernmount Food Forest

Phil Dudman presented on a large screen TV

Twenty Bellingen Seedsavers had an excellent guest speaker experience when Phil Dudman (writer and presenter from the Organic Garden and ABC Garden Show) visited the Fernmount Food Forest to speak on Fruit Tree Pruning, propagating fruit trees, and much more.

Very early Summer in the Fernmount Food Forest

A wander in the Fernmount Food Forest at present is refreshing. We have had some good falls of rain and the weather is regularly between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius.

Cranberry Hibiscus

 The Cranberry Hibiscus is putting out new growth. In very wet weather a pruning cut will quickly turn rotten. Some complain that this plant seeds wildly, but not here. Only a few seedlings pop up close by and they are welcome. The raw leaves add a lemon taste to salads. This plant can grow to three metres tall in our food forest.

Fruiting and flowering in a late Spring (November) garden on mid north coast NSW

The ten year old purpose built house is designed for comfort, space and to save energy wherever possible. It has 2.5kw of solar power facing north and is fully insulated.

Planting at the front gate in Spring (Furcrea, Pentstemon and Bismarck Palm)

The rooms are spacious with high ceilings. The three bedrooms are roomy. Each room has a garden outlook and privacy. The large master bedroom has an ensuite and walk in robe and opens on to the north facing terrace.

The Music Room provides a nook to escape from the Family Room.

A hot water pump circulates hot water to the taps with the push of a button saving on cold water. An instant hot water tap save energy, no kettles are needed. A filtered water tap is situated alongside.

Although the house is connected to the mains water supply a 25000 litre tank collects rain water for the garden taps, the laundry and toilets.

A worm farm sewerage system deals with all black and grey water and pumps water to a thrid of the orchard.

View from the front entrance

Across the quiet rural road Fernmount Cemetery is rarely used.

Brunsfeldsia near the spa (under sail) on western terrace.

Walking iris and pool garden below spa terrace

The huge hardwood back western facing deck has blinds.

There is space for a plant nursery and worm farm under the excavated corner of the house.

Steps lead up from the main path, past raised vegetable beds (right) to the north facing terrace.

North facing terrace

North facing lawn with main bedroom window

Front entrance with extra large double garage on left

Front entrance with coreopsis in gravel garden

Music room looking to the north terrace and dining room

Family Room looking to the back deck

Spa and back deck

Bedroom 2

Phil Dudman presented on a large screen TV

Twenty Bellingen Seedsavers had an excellent guest speaker experience when  Phil Dudman (writer and presenter from the Organic Garden and ABC Garden Show) visited the Fernmount Food Forest to speak on Fruit Tree Pruning, propagating and much more.

Early Spring in the Fernmount Food Forest

We need to clear under these trees so that the falling Macadamia Nuts are easily visible. I have made a start by clearing the Pepinos also a useful fruit that flourishes here in our wetter months. So far we have no diseases or major pests attacking the trees. Let's hope the Cockatoos don't find them.

 This pink flowering Macadamia looks to produce a great crop. 'There are two varieties of Macadamia, M. tetraphylla with pale pink flowers, and M. integrifolia with cream flowers.'

Choko or Chayote? - An unappreciated vegetable or fruit?

Chokoes or Chayotes (Sechium edule) grow so easily in our subtropical/warm temperate climate and like many plants that grow easily and fruit prolifically we tend to overlook them as valuable sources of food.

A Winter Solstice Stroll in the Fernmount Food Forest

It is always cheering to suddenly finding an unexpected harvest. 

Last week's rain plumped up some Cherry Guavas. I wasn't expecting this harvest for a while.  I allow a few self-seeded bushes to thrive because they tend to fruit at slightly different times, probably depending on location but perhaps because of genetics.

Self seeded White Guava

This White Guava has a slight lemony flavour. 

Have you tried Jicama aka Yam Bean?

Yam Bean (Jicama) has a delicious and useful tuber that flourishes in our climate zone.  Its crisp white flesh can be used in stir-fries or as a Crudité. Always skin the root.

This plant is easy to grow and self-seeds easily if the pods are allowed to stay on the vine. Prune your bean pods and increase your crop. We don't bother and there is always plenty of yams underneath our Macadamias.

Note: Its seeds are poisonous containing rotenone so only eat the skinned tubers.

AA

Yam Bean (Jicama) has a poisonous seed and seed pod

Ornamentals in our Fernmount Food Forest

Ornamentals ensure the Fernmount Food Forest is not just an unattractive, utilitarian source of food.
Of course many food producing plants are also ornamental and many plants we consider only as ornamentals are also edible. Ornamentals also attract bees and other beneficial insects and of course many birds, especially small insect eaters. There is no reason that a food producing garden can't also be attractive and a delight to explore.

In our climate foliage provides much colour so gold, yellow, orange, copper, silver and bronze foliage plants feature. The advantage is that foliage colour is so easy to provide compared to the work and time required to grow annual flowers. Trees and bushes also contribute many flowers and contrasting leaf shapes also contribute to visual interest.

Large Bromeliad

This Bromeliad looks green now but will turn gold again once gradually exposed to more sun.

How the Fernmount Food Forest Developed

This path, seen here in the morning mist, was the first piece of infrastructure placed on the block. The edges required a concreted gutter to prevent road wash-outs, we had two, from heavy rainfalls. An Eastern low can dump 46mm in an hour.

Some perennial food plants for our Coffs Coast climate

We try to grow perennial vegetables to supply our needs, not only because they are less work but also because many perennial vegetables suit our climate and many of the annual vegetables we have traditionally eaten better suit climates with cold winters. This may also mean we need to change our diet a little so that we eat more green vegetables. Certainly we need to experiment with preparing our perennial vegetables so that they are as attractive to eat as the vegetables we may have traditionally eaten at our parents' table.

Eating local is also better for the planet.

Kang Kong

Kang Kong grows well in water or moist ground.  Here its broad edible leaves are shown with Lebanese Cress growing in a small pond.

Some of our food forest trees

Why catalogue these trees in this fashion?

If you are searching for suitable fruit and nut trees for a similar climate then this lengthy list may just spark your interest. This food forest is situated on the border of warm temperate and subtropical climate zones. It is only ten kilometres from the NSW coastline and in a river valley,

Of course we have some failures but it has been surprising what subtropical trees will grow on our north facing slope. Indeed our Apple and Apricot trees struggle the most because our winters have insufficient chill factor. I hope the large pics assist with identification.  

Persimmon Fuju (Diospyros variety)  (right) and Apple trees in the lowest, therefore coldest in winter, south west corner.


Fuju is a dwarf variety of Persimmon that does not need bletting. We also grow Tropical Apple (Anna), Pink Lady and Granny Smith apples. We grow Crab Apple (Malus Golden Hornet) as a universal pollinator. It is extremely slow growing.

Eating our Fernmount Food Forest weeds.

Take Care: Please ensure you know your weeds before consuming them from your garden. Roadside weeds may have been sprayed or polluted.

 These are common edible weeds in the Fernmount Food Forest and the local area.

Ragweed aka Thickhead

 

Ragweed aka Gynura crepidioides aka

Thickhead

Ragweed, Gynura crepidioides

Some online articles conflate Okinawa Spinach (Gynura bicolour)) with Ragweed (Gynura crepidioides) and sometimes both plants are depicted, cut and bundled, in Asian vegetable markets.

Okinawa Spinach (Gynura bicolour)

Gynura crepidiodes, a common weed in the Bellingen valley

Thickhead

"Gynura crepidioides Benth. is a synonym of Crassocephalum crepidioides"

"Crassocephalum crepidioides, also called ebolo, thickhead, redflower ragleaf, or fireweed, is an erect annual slightly succulent herb growing up to 180 cm tall. Its use is widespread in many tropical and subtropical regions, but is especially prominent in tropical Africa. Its fleshy, mucilaginous leaves and stems are eaten as a vegetable, and many parts of the plant have medical uses. However, the safety of internal use needs further research due to the presence of plant toxins. ^{[2]" Ref: Wikipedia}

Chinese Raisin Tree (Hovea Dulcis)

The Chinese Raisin Tree has produced a plentiful crop this season. Last year it fruited, after 7 years, and produced about 20 of its sweet peduncles attached to the inedible seeds. The fruit is quite fibrous but still very useful and as sweet as grape raisins.

The Chinese Raisin Tree, planted for seven years.

Permaculture Zones applied to the Fernmount Food Forest

Aloe Vera in Zone 1

On a large property it might be easier to designate clearly the various zone related to permaculture principles. On the one acre (0.4 hectare) land of The Fernmount Food Forest zones tend to blur. Our Zone 4 area is tiny and we don't have a Zone 5 with original native bush. 

However, we are surrounded by patches of native forest and situated near the Tarkeeth Forest, part native timber plantation and part almost original forest so we regularly see bandicoots, goannas, pythons, Black, Brown and Tree snakes, lizards and plenty of native birds.

Late Autumn, walking in the rain in the FFF.

We had a nice Autumn rain period last night. This wheelbarrow leaks but still has a fair haul of water.












The stream that carries water from two drainage holding ponds was flowing.

Morning Autumn Walk

8.30 AM and its time for a stroll with Nick's dog. Down the central path from the house at the front of the block to these indigenous Tree Ferns midway and at a small culvert bridge over a stream bed. We have massive storm events and Easterly Lows can dump a couple of metres of rain over a few days. This bridge has been replaced twice and finally with larger 30cm diameter pipes.

The Tree Ferns are self seeded and I must keep pruning the roots out of the nearby storm-water drain to keep the water flowing.

Annual Edibles, Mainly Vegetables

Giant Russian Cucumbers can be very productive in our climate.

 In this climate annual vegetables that flourish in a colder climate's Spring and Summer are often best planted in our cold season. Coriander and Brassicas prefer our cold season.