Food Forest Plan

8/9/2019 Food Forest Plan

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&rip irrigation is a highly e1cient system that uses low water volumeand low pressure to deliver water directly to the root one. )ith dripirrigation, water is applied within rows, directly to the soil surace, andgradually over extended periods o time 2e.g., 3, 4, or 5 gallons perhour6. &rip irrigation results in less water lost to evaporation or run o#.

"n addition, weed seeds are not irrigated by water distributed overlarge areas, which results in ewer weeds in the nursery.

Nursery Site Selection

&evelop the current site o the animal7chicken house.

Bareroot Nurseries

'ow big a nursery site 8 )ell, it depends on how many seedlings we plan togrow. Plan on growing about 45 seedlings per s9uare oot using beds : eet

wide 2so you we reach the centers6. hereore, each lineal oot o nursery bedwill yield 3 seedlings. (or example, i you want to grow 3, seedlings, thelength o bed re9uired would be 3, divided by 3 < 3 eet. =o a : x 3oot bed would be su1cient. Plan on adding about 5> more space orwalkways between beds.

(or the germination percentage o our seedlot, and assuming we sow 3>extra or losses and that our rows are ? inches apart, this table provides anestimate o how many seeds to sow per s9uare oot and how ar apart thoseseeds should be in each row.

@erminationPercentage =eeds to sow pers9uare oot =eeds to sow assuminga 3> loss during therst year

"nches between seedsin row

to 3 B4 to 45 B5 to 4C 3 to 3D? to :4 to B4 :? to B5 E to 3: to ? ?4 to :4 ? to :? F to E

4 to : 345 to ?4 3B to ? D to F

Water is the most important chemical for growing native plants. eep,infrequent irrigations

promotes a strong,well!developed root system . We will need to chec" our

soil to determine when irrigation is necessary and, if using a sprin"lersystem, chec" water distribution with a grid of small cans or jars.

Container Nurseries

#ontainer nurseries can be located on land with low agricultural value thatwould be unsuitable or bareroot seedling production.-ecause containerseedlings are grown at high densities, considerably less land is re9uired thanwould be needed to produce a similar number o bareroot seedlings.


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%ontainer plants can have high growth rates, especially in ully controlledenvironments, and so many crops can be produced in one growing season.

Factor Container Nursery Bareroot Nursery $and Ge9uirement $ess land needed *ore land needed=oil 9uality +ot important because

articial growing mediaare used

%ritical H sandy loams arepreerred

)ater 9uality $esser amounts re9uired @reater amounts re9uiredPropogation structures &epends on location, sie

and complexity o thenursery

+one

!9uipment &epends on sie andcomplexity o the nursery

ractors and specialisede9uipment or sowingand harvesting.

&uration o %rop %ycle : H 34 month to severalyears depending oncontainer sie

3 to B years

%rop =torage andransportation

@reater volume re9uired $esser Iolume re9uired

Plant 'andling Goots are protected inplug

Goots are exposed andare oten treated oradditional protection

=eason =eedlings %an -eJutplanted

Kearround i soil moistureis good

=pring or sometimesAutumn

*any actors should be considered when deciding whether to start a bareroot or containernursery.

hese plants must have conditions mophological very strict and are producedin a signicant amount, by which apply specic cultivation techni9uesL bareroot; container ; cuttings.

ypes o propagules used to grow native plants include ruits; containingseeds, stem cuttings; root sprouts , layers, divisions, bulblets, and stolons.

$ successful native plant nursery is based on proper planning and many factors must beconsidered.

Crop Scheduling

Jnce the best propagation techni9uea are identied, then we must do someplanning and consider several di#erent actors. 2see above table6

plants propagated rom seeds are always less expensive to produce


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than those rom cuttings.

(or nursery planning purposes, plant growth and development during theyear can be divided into threeconsecutive growth phasesL establishment,rapid growth, and hardening. -ecause cultural obMectives are di#erent or

each phase, the growing environment and perhaps even the type opropagation structure may be di#erent. he amount o time re9uired or eacho these growth phases varies depending on species, the propagule collectionlocation 2that is, the /seed source06, type o propagation environment, andcultural practices.

Seedling Growth Phases

stablishment ! "n the case o seed propagation, the establishment

phase begins when seeds are sown, continues through seedgermination and emergence, and generally ends when the young

seedlings develop true leaves. (or vegetative propagation, the phasebegins when the cuttings are struck into the container and ends whencuttings have rooted.

"apid Growth !he rapid growth phase is sonamed because it is

during this period that young nursery plants increase rapidly in sie; ingeneral, most o this increase in biomass is shoot tissue with relativelyless root growthNsome native plants, especially those adapted toharsh, dry sites, may do Must the opposite, growing more roots thanshoots . )ith seedlings, this phase begins ater the cotyledon stagewhen the new shoot begins to grow at an accelerated rate and ends

when plants have reached their target sie.

#ardening ! &uring the hardening phase, plants divert energy rom

shoot growth to stem diameter and root growth, and gradually becomeconditioned to withstand cold temperatures and the rigors oharvesting, transportation, and outplanting.

Crop Production Schedules

%he &rst and most long!term type of growing schedule is the crop productionschedule, which is designed to help nursery managers visualie /the big

picture.0 hese schedules typically are designed on a monthbymonth timescale, cover at least 3 year, and include all phases o nursery production romcrop planning to outplanting 2see chart below6. *any o us ail to appreciatehow long it really takes to grow native plants crop, so crop productionschedules are particularly useul or explaining all the various steps in thenursery process and the time involved. (or example, a crop productionschedule will illustrate that it will be necessary to transport seeds to the


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nursery several months prior to sowing, especially i germination tests andpresowing seed treatments are necessary. hese growing schedules are alsouseul in illustrating how di#erent seedling stocktypes are produced, the timere9uired to grow them, and when they would be available or outplanting.

Solar Timing

-ecause o seasonal changes in the emperate Oone, native plant crops areusually scheduled around the solar cycle 2(igure 3.6. -oth light intensity anddaylength vary considerably during the year, so nursery managers plan theircrops around the summer solstice to take ull advantage o available sunlight.

his is particularly critical or container nurseries that grow two crops perseason. he rst crop must be sown very early so that they can be largeenough to move out o the greenhouse in time to allow plenty o sunlight orthe second crop. Planning around the solar calendar also ensures that cropsperceive the naturally shortening daylengths that 9ueue them to prepare orwinter.

$he "ight Plant %or the "ight Place

Although many people think that all plants o the same species are alike, theycan be very di#erent.

he best nursery stock has the proper morphological characteristics 2such asheight, stem diameter, and root volume6 and physiological characteristics2such as dormancy status and cold hardiness6 to have maximum survival andgrowth or a particular outplanting site. =eedlings being grown or a very dryplace need thicker stem diameters, shorter shoots, and more roots than thosebeing grown or a very moist place. =eedlings being grown or a very

mountainous site must survive colder temperatures than seedlings beinggrown or valley locations.

#rop production schedules give a chronological view of the necessary steps to produce anative plant crop, and how long it ta"es to complete each of those steps. 'chedules are usefulplanning aids.

(ative plant crops should be scheduled around the annual solar cycle to ta"e advantage ofavailable sunlight.

&btaining and Perparing Seeds

'mportant Seed Concepts

Seed (ormancy !Although native plant seed can be categoried in

many ways, its ability to germinate promptly is the most importantrom our standpoint. +ondormant seeds are those thatwill sprout in a relatively short time ew days, weeks, months but


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generally less than 3 year ithout any special treatments.!xamples include willow, aspen and aster. +ondormant seeds do notre9uire any presowing treatment other than soaking in water, andthey are usually sown in the nursery soon ater collection. =torage andhandling o nondormant seeds is critical because they must be kept

moist. emporary storage should be in a shaded, cool location. $argeseeded, nondormant seeds, such as acorns and nuts, must be keptully moist by keeping them in trays under damp burlap bags or inplastic bags lled with moist sand or peat moss. ust prior to sowing,seeds are usually soaked in water or a ew hours to a ew days,depending on species. &ormant seeds re9uire some sort o presowingtreatment, but store easily or long periods and can tolerate drying.*ost coniers and many other native species all into this category.Presowing treatments to overcomeseed dormancy will be discussedlater. &ormant seeds retain viability or periods longer than a year andcan be dried to low seed moisture levels and stored under lowertemperatures."t is important to remember that dormant seeds need tobe spread evenly and dried completely beore storage, while nondormant seeds need to be kept moist and in a high humidityenvironment until they are sown. #ontrolling moisturecontent is the most critical aspect of seed storage, so place seeds in

airtight bottles or in )ip!loc"!type plastic bags in a protective bo*.

+a"e sure all storage containers are properly labeled.

Seed Source ! -enecial "nsect Attractors, %ompanion Plants,

%ompost Activators, %ulinary Q *edicinal 'erbs, &ye Plants, !dible

(lowers, !dible =eeds, (ruit and +uts, @round %over, +itrogen (ixingPlants, Perennial Iegetables, rees,=hrubs and Iines.he process ogrowing any native plant begins with procuring a supply o high 9ualityseeds or other propagules.%ollecting seeds rom a wide genetic baseosters a more diverse gene pool at the outplanting site. his canprotect a planting against unoreseen biological and environmentalstresses, and it also protects aggainst potential genetic problems inuture generations. (or restoration and conservation proMects,maintaining genetic diversity is a key proMect obMective. Plants aregenetically adapted to their environment, and this adaptation is knownas eed sourceRin nursery Margon. " and when we plan to collectseeds locally, grow plants, and outplant them in the same climaticregion, then our plants will be adapted and seed source isn criticallyimportant." we need a small 9uantity o seeds or don have the timeor resources to spend collecting all types purchasing rom a local seeddealer may be more appropriate.

Collecting Nati)e Plant Seeds! %ollecting seeds may be


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appropriate when we want seeds rom a specic location or romspecic plants. ust like people, plants o a particular species come indi#erent shapes and sies and, young plants usually resemble theirparents. hereore, only collect seeds rom healthy and vigorousplantsNones that look like we want our plants to look. =ome seeds are

large and easy to collect while others will re9uire special procedures ore9uipment. Annual plants, and perennial grasses and orbs, producesome seeds every year but the seed crops o perennial woody plants,such as shrubs and trees, can vary considerably rom year to year. (orexample, trees like aspen produce seeds in 3 year, but others likepines and oaks can take 4 years or more to produce seeds.

Collecting Seeds and Fruits -

+ative plants produce a wide variety o seeds and ruits that oten need to becleaned and processed beore sowing.

Coni%er Cones ! %onier ruits are woody cones that contain many

hardcoated, winged seeds, can take 4 H 33 years or crop cycle.-asedon the number o lled seeds per cone, we can determine how manycones we will need to collect. %ones can be collected with pole prunersor by climbing the trees. Place cones in burlap or nylon screen sacks,and donSt contaminate the cones with needles, branches, and dirt thatcould introduce damaging molds. %ones have a high moisture contentso ll sacks only hal ull to allow or air circulation and cone expansionduring drying. +ever toss or drop a bag o cones. $abel each sackimmediately with species, elevation, collection location, date, and anyother pertinent inormation. =tore sacks on open racks in dry, wellventilated shelters, such as opensided sheds or wellventilated barnlots. )e can also hang sacks rom raters. !ither way, sacks should beseparated to permit good air circulation. =tored this way, cones will drygradually with a minimum o overheating and mold damage. %heckcones oten and inspect them or mold. " mold is present, rearrangesacks to improve air circulation. " we picked cones with mature seeds,cones should dry satisactorily in a ew days, depending on theweather. " we picked green cones, it may take a ew weeks or monthsor seeds to nally mature.

(ry and Fleshy Fruits ! (ry and Fleshy Fruits*&ry ruits are

those that are woody or papery at maturity and examples are haelnuts and capsules. =ome dry ruits will split open at maturity. )e willneed to harvest these Must beore the ruits begin to split open andseeds disperse. Jther dry ruits have structures where both the ruitand seed are used together and do not split open at maturity. &ryruits can be collected like cones. +uts and acorns can be harvested


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ater they drop rom the tree as long as they are handled and cleanedimmediately ater collection 2described later6. (leshy ruits are thoseusually comprised o three layersL the skin, the oten feshy middle,and the membranous or stony inner layer. &epending on species,feshy ruits can contain many seeds per ruit or they can bear a tough,

stony pit that encloses only one seed. hereore, the amount o ruitswe have to harvest to obtain a desired number o seeds will varygreatly rom species to species. )hen collecting and handling feshyruits, it is important to keep them cool and out o direct sun. 'eatbuildup and subse9uent ermentation can damage the seeds inside theruits. "t is also important not to let the ruits dry out, because this canmake cleaning more di1cult. %ollect feshy ruits in white plastic bags,and store them in a cool place or a rerigerator until they are cleaned.

Grasses and Forbs ! =eeds o native grasses and orbs 2herbaceous

plants6 are not contained in dry or feshy ruits, and they can be

collected directly rom the plants. @rass seed heads orm at the top othe plants and the seeds are contained in a papery sheath. (orb seedheads orm directly rom the fowers; seed heads are thereore variablein sie and shape and the seeds can be handcollected.

#andling Seeds and Fruits A%ter Collection

Ater harvest, begin drying cones, ruits, and seed heads as soon as possible.

(reshly collected ruits, whether they are dry or feshy, have high moisturecontent and will mold i stored inappropriately even or a ew days. &ryingreduces the moisture content o the seeds, helps open dry ruits, andprepares seeds or urther cleaning.

Seed Cleaning and +traction , =eed cleaning is necessary so that

seeds can be sown or stored properly. "n some cases, seeds will ail togerminate i they are not removed rom their ruits. he seed cleaningarea should be well ventilated because some ruits can cause allergicreactions and ne dust can irritate eyes and lungs."t is important toremember that dormant seeds need to be spread evenly and driedcompletely beore storage, while nondormant seeds need to be keptmoist and in a high humidity environment until they are sown.

Cleaning Non-ormant Seeds - $arge seeded, nondormantseeds are typically cleaned rom other debris by foating them in waterimmediately ater collection or example nuts and acorns, soak largeseeds in water overnight to allow enough time or good seeds tohydrate and sink.


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Cleaning ry

Fruits! Capsules! and Seed "eads -he rst step in cleaningseeds is to remove them rom the cones, capsules, or seed heads. )ecan extract small 9uantities o seeds and clean them reasonably wellwith simple, lowcost e9uipment. As cones and capsules dry, they openand seeds all out. Properly dried ruits will partially open inside thesacks and some seeds will all out. o remove all the seeds, however,they may need urther drying.hey will dry best i placed in windowscreenbottomed trays, which are placed in warm locations with goodair circulation. Adding wooden spacers at each corner allows the boxesto be stacked, and ans will accelerate drying.he next step is toseparate seeds rom cones, ruits, and other debris. =eparation is

typically accomplished with a combination o screening and airseparation. *ove the dry ruits and seeds to another screen box with amesh sie large enough to permit the seeds to all through. Gepeat thescreening process again with a mesh sie that retains seeds but allowsthe smallest debris to pass through.he nal step in the seed cleaningprocess is anning or winnowing, which separates detached wings,hollow seeds, and seedsied impurities rom good seeds. )innowingcan be done outside on a breey day or, or smaller batches, Must cupthe seeds in our hands and blow through them while gently bouncingthe mixture.(or larger batches, winnow in ront o an electric an, whichseparates seedsrom the lighter debris. *ost heavy, sound seeds willcome to rest near the base o the an, and hollow seeds, wings, and

lighter impurities will tend to blow arther away.

Cleaning Fleshy Fruits - (leshy ruits should be processed soon

ater collection to avoid ermentation, mummication, heat buildup, ormicrobial damage. ust beore cleaning, soak feshy ruits in water tosoten the pulp. (ruits can be soaked or a ew hours to a ew days,


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depending on the species.

Storing Seeds , *ost seeds can be sown immediately ater

cleaning. (leshy ruits should be processed soon ater collection toavoid ermentation, mummication, heat buildup, or microbial damage.

o properly store seeds, they must be mature and ree o mechanicalinMury. he key to good seed storage o nondormant is to controlmoisture content and temperature2 up to 3year unless roen thenupto 3 years6 . &ormant seeds, however, can be dried, whichincreases the amount o time they can be stored..

$ransplanting emergents: =mall or ragile seeds @ood growing space ransplantingre9uires utiliation skill and is

labor=eeds are sown into trays =eeds o unknown

or pots lled with medium; 9uality or low purity !1cient use o seeds &i1cult to controldensitya ew days or weeks ater in seed trays so diseasegermination and when leaves Ialuable or scarce seed %an adMust or unknown potential canbe highare present, seedlings are lots seed 9ualitytransplanted into growth Goot deormation possiblecontainers 2/pricking out06 *ore uniorm crop i poorly transplanted

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