The Community Food Forest Continues to Grow

The food forest has trees!

In October, the Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture class from College of Lake County volunteered to plant over 40 trees and shrubs in a habitat buffer along the southern edge of the food forest. This strip will buffer against anything sprayed in the neighboring field as well as provide habitat and food for pollinators and other wildlife. The species planted include Hazelnuts, American Plum, Basswood, various Viburnums, Elderberry and Ninebark, all of which were selected for their resilient growth habit and ecological benefits.

When planting, we amended the soil with mycorrhizal fungi and added in a generous amount of compost to each hole in order to give each plant a fertile place to thrive. After planting, we were able to water each of the new trees and shrubs with water from our new yard hydrant! After watering, we laid cardboard and wood chip mulch around each plant to protect them from encroaching weeds and keep the soil moist. All of these added steps will help ensure the success of each tree and shrub!

If you would like to become involved with the Food Forest, contact Gretchen at [email protected].