Grow Your Own Food Forest: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Imagine stepping into your own lush, self-sustaining food forest, where fruit trees, shrubs, herbs, and fungi work together in harmony. Unlike conventional orchards or gardens, food forests mimic natural ecosystems, producing an abundance of food while regenerating the land.

If you’re starting from a blank field—or even an overgrown pasture—this guide will take you through the process from the very beginning. We’ll cover site preparation, soil building, plant selection, and cost-effective ways to get started, with real-world insights from food forests in Ireland, Australia, Jordan, and beyond.

Step 1: Understanding Your Land

Before planting, spend time observing your land and the natural processes at work. Understanding how water flows, how the soil responds to weather, and what plants are already thriving will help you make informed and more effective decisions later. Key factors to assess include:

• Soil type – Is it sandy, loamy, or clay-heavy? A simple soil test can reveal nutrient levels and pH.

• Water flow – Does your site have good drainage, or does water pool in certain areas? Consider swales or other earthworks to manage water.

• Existing vegetation – What’s already growing? Early succession species like hawthorn, blackthorn, gorse, and broom indicate healthy soil-building conditions.

• Sun and wind exposure – If your site is windy and exposed, plant windbreaks before introducing delicate fruit trees.
  

Example: Earthling.com’s food forest in Ireland started as a rocky, sloped field used for sheep grazing. By identifying existing species (hawthorn, gorse, and blackthorn), the landowner was able to use them as a foundation—grafting fruit trees onto hawthorn and incorporating natural windbreaks.

In Australia, food forests in dry regions often integrate wattles and acacias as windbreaks and nitrogen fixers, while in Jordan’s arid climate, permaculture pioneer Geoff Lawton has successfully transformed desert landscapes into lush, food-producing forests using strategic water harvesting techniques.

Step 2: Preparing the Site and Building Soil

Healthy soil is the foundation of a thriving food forest. If your land has compacted soil, thick grasses, or erosion issues, start with these regenerative techniques:

Sheet Mulching

Suppress weeds and grasses by layering organic materials like:

• Cardboard (removes light, killing grass)

• Sheep’s wool (adds nitrogen and retains moisture)

• Woodchips and leaves (increase organic matter and encourage fungal networks)

• Comfrey leaves (a nutrient powerhouse that enriches soil)
  

Adding Pioneer Species

Fast-growing trees and shrubs improve soil structure and create shade for future plantings. Good options include:

• Temperate climates (Ireland, UK, Europe): Alder, willow, poplar, broom, gorse

• Mediterranean and dry climates: Acacia, honey locust, carob

• Tropical climates: Gliricidia, pigeon pea, nitrogen-fixing legumes
  

Tip: Chop-and-drop these pioneers regularly to build organic matter and protect the soil. In Jordan, nitrogen-fixing trees like mesquite are crucial for desert restoration, while in Australia, farmers incorporate wattles to improve degraded soils.

Step 3: Water Management & Swales

If your site is on a slope, swales (shallow ditches following contour lines) help slow water flow and reduce erosion. In Ireland’s wet climate, swales are more about preventing runoff than storing water. In drier regions like Australia and Jordan, swales are essential for rainwater harvesting, helping to maximize water retention in the soil.

This is also the time to do any significant earthworks that might be required, such as removing rocks, making paths, or building sheds, as these tasks will become more problematic once trees are planted. Adding a small pond can also boost biodiversity, attracting pollinators and beneficial insects.

Step 4: Introducing Fruit & Nut Trees

After 1-2 years of soil improvement, it’s time to introduce fruit and nut trees. Bare-root trees are a great way to start, as they establish quickly. If budget is a concern, start trees from seed—this takes longer but ensures deeper-rooted, resilient trees.

Good starter trees by climate:

• Temperate (Ireland, UK, Northern Europe): Apples, plums, pears, quince, hazelnuts

• Mediterranean & arid climates: Olives, figs, almonds, carob

• Tropical & subtropical: Mango, jackfruit, cashew, cacao
  

In Jordan’s desert food forests, date palms and figs thrive with deep mulching and careful water management, while in Australia, macadamia trees and finger limes are popular choices for food forests in subtropical regions.

Step 5: Filling in the Layers

A food forest has multiple layers that work together:

1. Canopy trees: Tall nut trees (e.g., walnut, chestnut, macadamia)

2. Sub-canopy: Fruit trees (e.g., apple, plum, peach, fig, date palm)

3. Shrubs: Berry bushes (e.g., currants, gooseberries, bush tomatoes in Australia)

4. Herbaceous layer: Perennials (e.g., comfrey, mint, lemon balm, native Australian mints, yarrow, sorrel)

5. Ground cover: Living mulch (e.g., clover, strawberries, creeping thyme, purslane, sweet potato in warm climates)

6. Root crops: Perennials (e.g., Jerusalem artichoke, skirret, oca, yacon)

7. Vines: Grapes, kiwis, passionfruit, chayote
   

Creating Guilds

A plant guild is a grouping of plants that support each other. Example guilds:

• Temperate Apple Guild: Apple tree, comfrey, clover, hazelnut, daffodils (to deter pests)

• Mediterranean Fig Guild: Fig tree, rosemary, lavender, thyme, nitrogen-fixing acacia

• Tropical Mango Guild: Mango tree, ginger, turmeric, pigeon pea, sweet potato ground cover
  

Step 6: Maintaining & Expanding

A food forest evolves over time. In the first few years, focus on:

• Regular chop-and-drop pruning to build soil

• Mulching to retain moisture and suppress weeds

• Encouraging biodiversity with wildflowers, ponds, and beneficial insect habitats

• Introducing animals like chickens and ducks to assist with pest control and soil fertility
  

Conclusion

Starting a food forest is a long-term investment in food security and ecosystem regeneration. With patience and observation, your site will transform into a self-sustaining system, requiring less input over time. No matter where you are—whether in the rainy climate of Ireland, the dry landscapes of Australia, or the arid conditions of Jordan—these principles can be adapted to create a thriving, regenerative food forest.