Dave Jacke & Eric Toensmeier: Edible Forest Gardens Guide
TL;DR: Design and implement resilient, edible ecosystems by mimicking natural forest patterns with permaculture principles and diverse perennial plants.
- Mimic natural forest structures for abundant perennial food systems.
- Utilize permaculture principles: sector analysis, zoning, plant guilds.
- Design across seven layers: canopy down to fungal networks.
- Select plants based on climate, soil, and functional roles.
- Emphasize observation, low-input methods, and pathways.
Why it matters: Implementing forest gardens offers a regenerative approach to food production, increasing biodiversity and long-term food security while minimizing external inputs and fostering ecological resilience.
Do this next: Begin a site assessment to understand your microclimate, soil, and existing conditions before selecting any plants.
Recommended for: Dedicated permaculture designers, serious ecological gardeners, and those planning large-scale regenerative food systems.
Edible Forest Gardens, a seminal two-volume set by Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier, offers a comprehensive blueprint for designing, implementing, and managing temperate-zone perennial polycultures that mimic natural forests while producing abundant human food. Volume 1 focuses on ecological vision and theory, detailing design principles like sector analysis (mapping energies like wind, fire, wildlife), zoning for efficiency, and guild creation where plants mutually support each other—nitrogen-fixers aiding heavy feeders, dynamic accumulators mining deep nutrients. It introduces the forest garden layers: canopy trees, low trees, shrubs, herbaceous, groundcover, vining, root, and fungal, with real-world examples from North America. Volume 2 shifts to practical implementation, providing 500+ plant profiles with cultivation details, yields, functions (e.g., pest control, pollination), and site requirements. The authors emphasize observation-based design, starting with site assessment to match species to microclimates, soils, and goals—food, medicine, crafts. Case studies illustrate successes and pitfalls, like overplanting invasives or ignoring paths, underscoring accessibility's role. Pathways, though not the sole focus, are integral for harvest, maintenance, and evolution, often organic-shaped to blend with contours. The books advocate low-input systems post-establishment, using chop-and-drop mulches and natural succession. Permaculture roots shine through ethics of earth care, people care, fair share, integrated with ecology. Over 700 illustrations, charts, and appendices (plant matrices, resources) make it accessible yet rigorous. Published around 2005, it remains foundational, influencing global food forest movements. Redemption Permaculture's review praises its detail for serious designers, bridging theory-practice gap. For planning, use templates for sun maps, yield projections; for maintenance, sector-driven pruning and succession planting. Complements modern hacks like David's mowing paths by providing species depth. Challenges addressed: deer pressure (thorny barriers), soil building (sheet mulching), scaling (micro to acres). Yields potential: nuts, fruits, berries, greens rival annual farms long-term. Authors' Vermont projects exemplify resilience, diverse outputs buffering failures. Educational value high for workshops, with exercises fostering designer mindset. Critiques note temperate bias (adapt for tropics), density overwhelming novices—but volumes guide phased rollout. Integrates economics: value-added products like syrups, medicinals. Biodiversity boosts ecosystem services: carbon sequestration, water purification, habitat. Future-oriented, addressing climate via resilient perennials. Essential for regenerative agriculture, inspiring projects worldwide. Paired with field trials, it empowers self-reliant food systems.