Edibles & Permaculture

Gaining in popularity and practice, permaculture involves creating a 'permanent' food supply through strategic planting of mixed food crops in arrangements called 'guilds'. Guilds aim to be self-sustaining, meaning that once established, intervention with watering, fertilization or maintenance is much less than with a monoculture crop; instead production relies on the relationships between the mature plants, and the existing ecological conditions of the landscape.

You don't have to be out in the country to start your own guild, or to incorporate aspects of permaculture or perennial edibles into your garden. Fruit trees, berry bushes, nut trees, fiddleheads, hardy herbs, rhubarb and other edibles can be great additions to your plantscape. Nothing beats having your own raspberries free for picking every summer! We encourage you to consider adding permanent and/or annual edibles to your garden, and would love to help you ensure they flourish with proper planting and care. Also check out our Community page for more info on local organizations that are promoting food gardening!