The Food Forest Handbook: Design and Manage a Home-Scale Perennial Polyculture Garden

by Darrell Frey, Michelle Czolba

A food forest is a  permaculture system, a productive landscape developed around a mix of trees and perennials. Rooted in permaculture principles, this integrated approach to gardening incorporates a variety of plants such as fruit and nut trees, shrubs, vines, and perennial herbs and vegetables. Food forests can help increase biodiversity, protect valuable habitat for beneficial insects, and promote food security and resilience, all while providing an abundant harvest.
The Food Forest Handbook is a practical manual for the design and management of a home-scale perennial polyculture garden. Simple, straightforward instructions guide the reader
Getting started - site assessment and planning Tending the forest garden - maintaining soil health, succession planning, , mulching, pruning and more The fruits of your labor - crop profiles, harvest, storage, nutrition and recipes.

This timely book makes the concept of food forests accessible to everyone. Focusing on the potential of perennial polyculture to enhance local food systems, The Food Forest Handbook shows the reader how to mix and match plants in unique combinations to establish bountiful landscapes and create genuine self-reliance in years to come.
Darrell Frey is the owner and manager of Three Sisters Farm, a five-acre permaculture farm, solar greenhouse and market garden located in Western Pennsylvania. He has been permaculture teacher for thirty years, and is the author of Bioshelter Market A Permaculture Farm .
Michelle Czolba is co-owner of Pittsburgh Permaculture and co-founded the Hazelwood Food Forest. She has extensive experience in the design and maintenance of perennial polyculture.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Nature, Plants

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 10, 2016

Reviews

[Kali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of useful, detailed info . I got this from the library but it’s one that would be worth owning to revisit the content and ideas.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Permaculture and food forests can be complicated systems to understand. Fry and Czolba do a good job breaking down the process of setting up your own sustainable food forest. They go over designs, companion planting, and the theories behind putting together a working food forest. They use their own real-life examples to show how it can be done. They even include examples from all different growing environments.

I enjoyed this book and all of the information and ideas it contains. I walked away with a more thorough understanding of the ins and outs of a food forest. I also realized that I have a lot to learn when it comes to permaculture design, yet I didn’t feel overwhelmed by their terminology.

If you want to add a food forest to your homestead (big or small), I recommend checking out this book.

[Felicity Fields · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading a lot of permaculture theory books, so this was a pleasant switch to a more practical handbook style. Easy reading style, but I found my previous theory reading was necessary to fill in some of the needed background information. If you're looking for a primer, this would be a great fit!

[Marin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a dense, well-researched book which lays out in clear steps both the rationale behind a 'food forest' and how to design and benefit from one. The information given is well-expressed and carefully laid out. All the stages of designing, building, growing, harvesting and using/preserving the produce are described clearly and in detail, with valuable references to other books and material that could be of assistance.

The book does acknowledge that it does not enter into a discussion of city planning and the challenges of establishing an urban food forest, which must necessarily be grown over a period of years, in a setting where the constraints of urban planning and the demands of developers may at any time put an end to the experiment--as so sadly demonstrated by the fate of the Hazelwood Forest. As the authors note, this is the subject for another book. Such a book is urgently needed, both as a guide to urban farmers and as a source of information for city planners, most of whom are (I suspect) unaware that urban food forests can and do exist, and may be of considerable benefit to urban dwellers--particularly those who live in inner-city food deserts. The inclusion in Chapter 7 of the description of a small ‘urban farmstead’ in Pittsburgh gives an encouraging taste of what is possible. If urban food forests and neighbourhood food gardens could be made an integral part of city planning, they would provide both nourishment for citizens and the many mental and social benefits of living close to plants and trees.

The Food Forest Handbook must be highly recommended for doing an excellent and very complete job of meeting its declared goal as a manual to guide those who have the time, energy and resources to work towards building food forests, urban or otherwise. Hopefully by providing such useful encouragement for the development of these vital areas, the book will also be successful in stimulating further discussion of sustainable food production generally, and in particularly urban food production--discussions which are desperately needed.

[cellomerl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mostly well-written book with lots of interesting tips on how to design and build a multipurpose perennial garden, and even how to graft plants onto rootstock, a topic with which I have no experience. The authors provide some real life examples of working food forests, albeit mostly in Pennsylvania or Mexico. While it does skate rather close to making things too complicated, the book could have been three times longer and still only scratched the surface of the permaculture topic.
This book has two strikes against it, in my opinion. Firstly although there are photographs and diagrams, they’re not very compelling. The photos in particular are black and white and too small, which is disappointing in a gardening book. Secondly it does not cite many sources and relies almost entirely on the authors’ opinions. There is an appendix explaining how to decontaminate lead from soil, which was completely unsupported. I stopped reading at the statement that what amounts to a so-called “Mediterranean Diet” (low fat, lots of grains) reduces the chance of lead poisoning.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Way more than a beginner book, but simple enough for those who still have a lot to learn about permaculture! “The Food Forest Handbook” lays out an organized process for designing, establishing, and maintaining a food forest, and while I haven’t had a chance to implement a lot of what I learned, I think the process laid out in the book could help readers avoid a lot of costly (in time, effort, and money) and discouraging mistakes on their property. I particularly like that many properties discussed in the book weren’t large—the principles are scalable to average sized yards. I also like that there’s plenty of useful information in the book that can be put to use without going ‘full food forest’—things like shade tolerant perennial food plants and basic information on how to maximize the use of water available on the site, through rain barrels, rain gardens, swales, etc. Great resource for both inspiration if you’re thinking about perennial polyculture on your property, or a reference if you’ve already started to transition your land!

[Juanita Wierzba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having recently purchased a rundown homestead in a difficult climate for growing, I was pleased to read this book in prder to figure out what to do to ensure a sustainable and regenerative practice in direct opposition to the agricultural practices around us.

The book is well researched and I enjoyed reading about ancient food forest practices as well as current successful food forests throughout varying climatic conditions across North America - we live in a semi arid climate zone which is tricky for growing but as shown in the book - not impossible.

The information packed guide to design and planning and the different processes for achieving good permaculture and polyculture practices is well explained and envisioning a food forest packed with nature's bountiful gifts is really a pleasurable experience.

I will need to refer to this book again and again during the process of turning our dryland into a lush sustainable food forest over the coming growing seasons.

[DeAnne Pelchat · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Food Forest Handbook is a great introduction to understanding perennial polyculture. If building a food forest is something that interests you and you are uncertain where to start gathering information, you have come to to right spot. Not only do the authors give you plenty of information within this book, they also point you in the direction of other sources to help deepen your knowledge if you want to know more about certain topics.
I particularly enjoyed how we followed a couple of gardens throughout the entire book and the process of how they were made. They also provide you with lists of plants and examples of layouts. I will be making reference to this book when I take a closer look at some future projects.
Lastly, the language throughout the book was easy to understand. So, if you are new to gardening you can still understand the terms and techniques used.

[zeknir · Rating 1 out of 5]

just not impressed. i really didn’t think i knew very much about permaculture and food forest planting, but holy cow this was basic. it lightly touches a vast array of topics, jumps around quite a bit, repeats information (there was even one bullet-pointed section that was nearly copy-and-pasted, with only a few words changed), and doesn’t give you specific enough information to get you started. there is nothing actionable, with plenty of plant lists but no ‘why’ behind the plants! this may be an inspirational read to get your mind going, but don’t expect it to be your guide; it’s no handbook. you’ll need to find other sources to put literally anything that’s mentioned here into action.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the standout features of The Food Forest Handbook is its holistic approach. The authors emphasize the importance of observing natural ecosystems and mimicking their patterns to create a self-sustaining garden. They also highlight the benefits of biodiversity, showcasing how a variety of plants can work together to enhance soil health, control pests, and maximize yields.

Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a complete novice, this book offers valuable insights and step-by-step guidance. Frey and Czolba's passion for permaculture is evident throughout, and their practical advice is grounded in years of hands-on experience.

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about the book, however all in all I think it is most definitely worth having on your reference shelf if you are planning to include permaculture design on a property. I think it well explains all the steps involved from designing the property through to preserving harvests for beginners to seasoned designers, however I thought it lacked a bit of heart in explaining the philosophies of permaculture and the importance of that method in these troubled times. Saying that though, it is a trove of other information explaining guild design, plant selection, maintenance and propagation. It's definitely going to have a place on my shelf to reference time and time again.

[Jesse Winkiewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

From traditional indigenous forest cultivation to examples of present-day forest gardening, Frey and Czolba describe a possibility of abundance within our home and community landscapes. This book will guide your though goal setting, site assessment, designing, planning, maintaining, and propagating a food forest, with plenty of plant resources to research your design. As a permaculture designer, I recommend this book to anyone new to permaculture or food forest gardens. It offers a wealth of knowledge in an easy-to-read format.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone with little knowledge about food forests, I thought this book offered a solid introduction to the topic. I have come away with a greater understanding of what food forests are, the underlying permaculture principles and how to go about creating my own. I particularly liked the showcasing of different food forest projects in different climates around the globe. Overall, I found this book easy to read and enjoyed it.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book for beginners. As someone more familiar with food forests, this book did not provide much additional information. But it was interesting to read about the urban considerations for food forests.

[Matthew Royal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting bits of information in this book, yet I have the feeling it's not complete -- it's not everything you would need to know to create your own polyculture food system. Still one I feel I'll keep around for reference, or until I can completely adsorb everything presented.

[Juli Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me ideas on how to add layers to the many fruit trees and gardens we have growing in our yard. I think it is a practice that we can slowly continue to use. I will be referring back to it I am sure.

[Donna Hickling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend for beginners, it has great examples and good information. I found myself needed paper and pen so I could plan my food forest. Also recommend reading on-line as an ebook; there are many links that access more details.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Bad

I didn't learn much from this as an experienced gardener. It really lacked focus to be great: maybe I would categorize this as a beginners book on small-scale food forests, but it wasn't exceptional at that.

[Sheri Bauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one that will be close at hand as I plan this year's garden expansion.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview, but lacking the level of detail I'd like

[Astrid Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful for designing guilds, but somewhat lacking on the philosophies behind permaculture. Other books do better with that aspect of food forest design.

[Annette McIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

A handy guide to those planning a food forest style garden for food production for themselves.

[Juli Anna]

I've skimmed this, but I'll be putting it aside until I am in a position to start planting!

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good introductory text with nice diagrams, plant lists for North America, and introduction to permaculture as it relates to Food Forest gardening.

[Crystal (Goddess in the Stacks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book in my permaculture research, this in-depth guide is definitely going on my To-Buy list. (I always check these out from the library before spending money on personal copies.)

There is SO MUCH information in this book. Unlike some of the other books, there's no big spreads of full-color, glossy photos (which can be useful, I'm not digging on those); The Food Forest Handbook is mostly text with a few black-and-white photos tucked in. There are spreadsheets and diagrams and lists, sidebars of useful information, how-to walkthroughs and case studies of specific plants. I'm not sure how they packed so much into a little over 200 pages, but this book is a treasure trove of permaculture strategies.

The book starts with a chapter on why permaculture is important; they explore past examples of permaculture, some present food forests, and why it could be useful to us going forward. The second chapter gets into designing a food forest to fit your needs - scoping out your site, determining what resources you have, all of the planning aspects. Then we have a short chapter on putting all that knowledge together and going "from concept sketch to detailed designs" - how to refine your research and plans into something you can work off of. Chapter 4 is about selecting the specific plants; going from "okay here I want a fruit tree and a nitrogen fixer" to "a peach and comfrey." Plant varietals are discussed here, as well as the different needs of tree guilds.

The rest of the book gets into maintenance, harvesting, and propagating the food forest, and the last chapter is on a tour of established food forests in various climates, to see what's possible.

This is definitely a book I want on my resource shelf; it can get a little dry at points, but there is so much knowledge here. One thing I really liked was the diagram of tree shapes - if one tree says it has a conical shape when full grown, and one has a pyramid shape, there's a diagram that shows what exactly the difference is.

Overall an excellent, information-packed book, if a little difficult to read straight through.

You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.