Our food forest is still very young. We have only really put effort into it since April this year, even if we moved here a little under two years ago.
And still, we are seeing a lot of changes. Where it was barren with only a few pioneers, we now have lush plant life. Where it was dry, we now have mulch, moisture, and a variety of fungi. Where the soil was hard and barren, it’s now gradually becoming more porous and healthier.
One of the things we noticed this morning was the presence of volunteer plants. Just looking at a small area in front of the house, we found agraz (native blueberries) and a small carob tree, likely introduced by birds.
The birds are attracted to the increased diversity and the food and shelter available, they offer seeds in return, and the improved soil gives these seeds a better chance to sprout and grow.
This is an example of how food forests increasingly take care of themselves as they mature, and also how they produce more and more abundance. In this case, the changed environment invited birds, these birds brought seeds, and these seeds are giving us plants we didn’t already have and are very welcome.
The first two photos are of the carob tree, the third is the agraz (mostly not ripe yet), and the fourth is of Daniel who has helped us develop the food forest for the last several months.