Spearheaded by volunteer Sima Usvyatsov, we are working on a new and exciting project - an expansion of our young urban orchard into a full-blown food forest thanks to a recent Community Food Action grant. This new garden will offer a wide variety of edible fruit, nuts, and vegetables to our Garden visitors.
We're now asking for any comments and suggestions you may have to the plan we have developed. In addition to any comments or suggestions, we're also looking for donations of any edible perennials or self-seeding annuals.
The attached pictures show two versions of the plan - one is high-level, placing the overall food forest components. The other one is a tree-level plan, detailing each tree within each component. The bluish areas in the map show wet soil spots, white lines are paths, black thin segments are 1 m elevation changes. The orchard portions are then colour-coded with their names. In the tree-level plot, the greenish trees are those already planted as part of our urban orchard. The names of the trees are specified below by component. Note that we'll also have perennial vegetables and herbs as part of the food forest, although their exact location is not on the map yet.
Guide to map codes.
Main orchard:
A = apple (already planted)
P = plum
Pe = pear
AP = Asian pear (already planted)
Q = flowering quince (already planted)
H = haskap
G = gooseberry
C = cherry (zone 4), 14-20’ height
SC = sour cherry
BC = black currant (zone 3), 6’ spread
RC = red currant (zone 3), 6’ spread
Gu = goumi (zone 4/5), 6’ height, 6 spread
Sb = sea buckthorn
Gj = goji (zone 3), 6’ spread
E = elderberry (zone 3), 6-10’ height
Sa = saskatoons (zone 2), 10-14’ height
Rp = Russian pea shrub (zone 2), 3’ height, 3’ spread
B = Highbush blueberry (zone 4), 6’ height and spread
Pw = Pawpaw
Wildlife hedge:
NC = nanking cherry (zone 2), 6-9’ height
CHC = chokecherry
HB = highbush cranberry,
MA = mountain ash (Evan’s edible); 16’ tall, 6’ spread
SS = Staghorn sumac, 16’ tall
R = Rugosa rose (rosehips)
Grape arbor (all table grapes):
Cn = Concord (seeded, blue, zone 4)
Sm = Somerset – seedless, reddish-golden (zone 4/5)
Hi = Himrod – seedless white/green (zone 4/5)
Tr = Trollhaugen – seedless blue (zone 4)
So = Sovereign – seedless blue (zone 4/5)
Raspberry / blackberry
Pr = red, Prelude (mid-late June), zone 4
Ed = red, Eden (mid-July), zone 3/4
BP = red, BP-1 (late Aug-Sep), zone 4
An = yellow, Anne (late Aug-Sep), zone 4
Ro = purple, Royalty (mid-late July), zone 4
Ch = Chester, thornless blackberry (mid-Aug), zone 4/5
Nut orchard (sun trap)
HC = Hybrid chestnut (zone 4), 50-80’
Butternut (zone 3), 50-80’
Hazelnut (zones 3), 12’
Rare fruit
Sh = Shipova (zone 3/4); 18’ tall
Pc = Peach (zone 4/5); 13-16’
Ap = Apricot (zone 4); 13-16’
Pr = American persimmon
CC = Cornelian cherry, 10-20’ tall, zone 4
Mu = mulberry (black); 20’ tall, zones 3/4, 4
