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Crowdsourcing A Hardy Food Forest Plant List

June 28, 2018 by Dustin Bajer

A crowdsourced list of hardy food forest plants. Zone 4 or colder. Permaculture plant list.

Food Producing Forest Gardens

A food forest is a food-producing model that seeks to mimic the patterns of a natural forest ecosystem. Ecosystems are incredibly diverse and primarily made up of perennial plants.

The following project is an attempt to crowdsource a list of plants (according to layer) ideal for food forests in cold hardy, zone 4 or colder, climates.

A Quick Acknowledgment

Before we move on, I want to acknowledge that this is a crowdsourced project and that its development and success is made possible by the individuals who are continuously editing it – not the least, The Urban Farmer, Ron Berezan, whose “Edible Plants For The Prairies” list has been the jumping off point of this project.

Layers of a Forest

One way to think about the structure of a forest is by describing it in layers. Each layer of a forest occupies a different space in the system – each plant carving out a niche and contributing to the whole.

1. Overstory/Canopy Layer

The tallest plants in the forest make up the canopy layer. Canopy plants reach for the light and thus shade much of the forest below.

2. Understory and Shrub Layer

While the understory and shrubs are thought of as separate layers, I have brought them together as a single group. This layer is typically made up of small trees, and multi-stemmed woody-shrubs. Shrubs and understory plants that have evolved the ability to live beneath the canopy or at the margins of forests.

3. Herbaceous Plant Layer

Herbaceous plants have non-woody stems and usually die back to the ground each fall. As a result, they tend to be shorter than most woody shrubs.

4. Ground Cover Layer

Ground covers are short, crawling, or clumping plants that may be woody or none-woody. They protect the forest floor from the elements.

5. Root Zone Layer

As is the case above ground, the roots of each plant occupy various depts of the soil. However, when talking about food forests, the root zone is usually taken to mean plants whose roots are edible.

6. Vine Layer

Vines are long, spindly, climbing plants that are capable of occupying the vertical spaces within a forest. They can be herbaceous and die back to the ground each year (hops) or woody (clematis and grapes).

Using the Hardy Food Forest Plant List

The following plant list is an open Google document. As a result, anyone can access and edit its contents. The list is edited by myself and backed up periodically to ensure quality.

Editing The Plant List

Follow this link if you wish to view the plant list in a separate page or edit its contents. Here are a few guidelines when editing the document.

  • Do not delete or move existing plants
  • Incomplete information is fine. Don’t know the Latin name? Not a problem.
  • Perennials. This list is meant to have an emphasis on perennials plants.
  • Cold Hardy. Please add plants that will survive in Zone 4 or colder.
  • Link when possible. If you know the botanical name of the plant, feel free to link it to a reputable source such as Plants For A Future Database.

Using The Plant List

At the bottom of the window, you will see tabs corresponding to the various food forest layers mentioned above. Within each layer, you will see a curated list of plants, their common name(s), botanical family, botanical name (Genus species), as well as plant notes.

If you’re looking for a food-producing ground cover, select the ground cover tab at the bottom and browse through the list of suitable plants. If the botanical name is blue than it has been linked to an external page with more information. See the list by clicking here or on the image below.

Cold Hard Food Forest Plant Document Dustin Bajer

Cold Hard Food Forest Plant Document

Filed Under: Dustin Bajer's Projects Tagged With: Food, Food Forest, List, Permaculture, Urban Agriculture

9 School Urban Agriculture Projects With The Power To Kickstart The Local Food Scene

April 17, 2017 by Dustin Bajer

9 Urban Agriculture Projects Schools Can Do Right Now To Support The Future of Local Food

One of the best ways to kickstart a local movement is to provide early access to training. I saw this firsthand while watching Jasper Place High School’s Culinary and Pastry Arts students. Under the guidance of teacher and Pastry Chef, Kelly Hobbs, JP culinary arts students won more over 28 awards between 2009 and 2017. But what happens when these students leave school? A sizable number of them head to programs like NAIT or SAIT, pick up jobs in local restaurants, and gradually transform the local food scene. There are local food benefits to graduating even one new local chef each year.

Ryan Mason and Cathryn Sprague of Reclaim Urban Farm showing off their herb and microgreen operation.

Ryan Mason and Cathryn Sprague of Reclaim Urban Farm showing off their herb and micro-green operation.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Dustin Bajer's Articles Tagged With: Education, List, Sustainable Food Edmonton, Urban Agriculture

What Grows In Edmonton? 100 Years of Backyard Experiments

February 26, 2017 by Dustin Bajer

What Grows Here? Donald Ross with a vegetable display. Edmonton.

Donald Ross (“Rosedale” neighbourhood) with one of his famous  vegetable display.

Edmonton Gardeners Have a Long History of Pushing the Limits

A grafted combination Spartan, Honeycrisp, and Fuji apple tree trained espalier along the West fence my yard in the Edmonton neighbourhood of McCauley.

What Grows Here? Spartan, Honeycrisp, and Fuji apples in Edmonton.

One-hundred years ago, Edmontonians longed to grow apples. Today, the City has so many apples that not-for-profits like Fruits of Sherbrook and Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton (OFRE) work with the community to save fruit that would otherwise go unharvested. So what happend? In short, 100 years of backyard tinkering.

The plant varieties we currently enjoy are the result of thousands of formal and informal experiments; often performed in backyards by amateurs and hobbyists. In her book, “Why Grow Here: Essays on Edmonton’s Gardening History” Kathryn Chase Merrett outlines Edmonton strong history of backyard experimentation, plant breeding, and pushing the horticultural limits.

Edmonton’s Global Gardeners

Goerges Bugnet (1879 – 1981) famously developed hardy rose varieties that are now enjoyed all over the world. Robert Simonet (1903 – 1989) made a fortune breeding double flowering petunias, apples, apricots, lilies, strawberries, and corn varieties (among others). And gardener and community advocate Gladys Reeves (1890 – 1974) “may have done more than any other Edmontonian to promote tree-planting and gardening as an expression of citizenship” (link). But why so much experimentation and why Edmonton? I suspect that immigration is a one piece of the puzzle. As a young city, many of us are only a few generations removed from the farm. For others, especially new immigrants – who bring with them their horticultural practices – trying to grow plants from “back home” expands our collective sence of what’s possible; think Edmonton early Italians immigrants trying to grow Mediterranean grapes varities or Vietnamese refugees growing Cai Lan.

Edmonton Gardeners Are Still Pushing The Limits

Edmonton gardeners are experimental optimists and always looking for new things to grow and ways to extend the growing season. Personally, I can’t resist trying new things – Last spring, I planted hardy pawpaw, persimmon, and magnolia trees in my backyard. It’s now February of the following year and things are still looking good for these Edmonton oddball plants.

Top: #Persimmon Bottom: #Pawpaw . . . #yegtrees #yegplants #yegarden #zone4 #usdazone4

A post shared by Dustin Bajer (@dustinbajer) on Feb 11, 2018 at 4:42pm PST

Share Your Backyard Experiments!

Are you working on your own backyard experiment? Do you have an Edmonton oddball plant? Maybe you inherited an interesting perennial, shrub, or fruit tree? A peony you got from your Grandmother? Perhaps you’ve been saving seeds or were given something special by a friend or family member? I’d love to hear and share what you’re working on!

Filed Under: Dustin Bajer's Articles Tagged With: Edmonton, Gardening, List, What Grows Here?

13 Steps to Start Beekeeping in Edmonton

January 2, 2017 by Dustin Bajer

A Step-By-Step Guide To Beekeeping In Edmonton

If you’re thinking about keeping honeybees you’ve probably come across the City of Edmonton’s Urban Beekeeping Page. If so, you’ve read about four steps, city guidelines, swarm plans, PID numbers, and provincial agriculturalists. And if you’re like me, you’re probably a little confused, overwhelmed, and still unclear about what to do. Do not worry. For clarity, I’ve deconstructed and reassembled the Edmonton Beekeeping application process into a dozen baby-steps. By completing the following checklist, you’ll have everything you need to start beekeeping in Edmonton. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dustin Bajer's Articles Tagged With: Beekeeping, Edmonton, How To, List, Urban Agriculture

11 Beekeeping Tips Every Beginner Should Know

December 17, 2016 by Dustin Bajer

Storing water in healthy soil has the potential to mitigate climate.

Backyard Beehive in Edmonton, Alberta

Beekeeping Tips I Wish I Had When I Started Keeping Bees

When it comes to keeping honeybees, there’s a lot of contradictory advice. There’s an old saying that if you ask 100 beekeepers a question, you’ll get 101 answers. A longtime beekeeper even told me that honeybees could not survive off of honey – so I’m not sure why they’re making so much of the stuff. So how do you cut through the noise to find the beekeeping tips and tricks that will work best for you? Careful research and some trial and error. Here are 11 beekeeping tips I’d give anyone interested in keeping bees: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dustin Bajer's Articles Tagged With: Beekeeping, How To, List

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  • Pineapple Pits – How 18th Century Gardeners Turned a Shitty Situation into a Tropical Treat
  • Crowdsourcing A Hardy Food Forest Plant List
  • McCauley is Edmonton’s Gardening Community
  • Don’t Wait. Plant Your Garden Early.
  • We Are Not A Disease

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Dustin Bajer

Teacher, permaculture designer, master gardener, hobby beekeeper, consultant, and network nerd living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Read More

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Recent Posts

  • Pineapple Pits – How 18th Century Gardeners Turned a Shitty Situation into a Tropical Treat
  • Crowdsourcing A Hardy Food Forest Plant List
  • McCauley is Edmonton’s Gardening Community
  • Don’t Wait. Plant Your Garden Early.
  • We Are Not A Disease
  • School Container Gardening
  • Northlands Youth Beekeeping Club
  • Urban Food as a Response to Climate Change
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