Food Forest Planning and Planting

This event listing details a comprehensive 2-day Food Forest Course held at Korito Education in Upper Hutt, Hutt Valley, NZ (e.g., Nov 29th 9am-5pm), costing $200/person or $300/couple, limited to 12 participants. It covers end-to-end food forest creation on a 4ha self-sufficient organic permaculture property. Key topics include: what a food forest is and its benefits for low-maintenance, high-nutrition yields; products like fruits, nuts, herbs, and medicinals; 7-layer structure (canopy, sub-canopy, shrubs, herbs, groundcover, vines, roots); planting for fertility via nitrogen fixers and dynamic accumulators. Site analysis methods: assess soil, aspect, wind, water flows. Ground prep: sheet mulching, no-dig beds. Maintenance: pruning guilds, chop-and-drop. Propagation techniques: seed saving, cuttings. Timing: plant in layers progressively, starting with pioneers. Site-specific plant ID for NZ conditions (frost-tolerant, wind-resistant varieties). Design tools usage and creating basic layouts. Practical projects: build from scratch, soil building with compost teas, planting demos, propagation stations, pruning sessions. Detailed handouts provided, plus personalized property consultations. Insights emphasize self-regulating systems post-establishment (3-5 years), mimicking natural forests for biodiversity and resilience. Concrete takeaways: layer spacing (e.g., 5m canopy, 2m shrubs), guild examples (apple + comfrey + daffodils), fertility cycles (legumes upslope). Links to www.korito.co.nz for full curriculum, feedback, permaculture tab. This hands-on workshop delivers practitioner-level skills for implementing productive food forests, with theory balanced by real-world application on a proven site.