Adventures in a Food Forest

I’m an amateur gardener who’s constantly learning. For me, the idea of planting a few tiny seeds of lettuce, carrots and beans and watching them grow until they land on my plate is fascinating.

When I first heard about the Food Forest concept, the idea immediately appealed to me. Instead of planting vegetables, we were going to plant fruit trees and all sorts of edible perennials: berries, herbs and various plants that I was more or less familiar with, but which could also be eaten!

Of course, the first few years would be hard work. But after a while, we could take advantage of this forest-sized garden to pick all sorts of things, with minimal maintenance. That’s what permaculture is all about. What a great idea!

A Brief History

Back in time. In 2018, Ville de Québec acquired land on the western shore of Lac Saint-Charles, on the city’s northern outskirts. This lake is an important source of drinking water. Agiro, the organization responsible for the Saint-Charles River watershed, was commissioned by Quebec City to develop filter marshes to protect the lake’s water. The land was large enough for another project, and the idea of the Lac-Saint-Charles Food Forest was born.

But a food forest is both a horticultural and a social project. Agiro knocked on the door of Rafal, a community organization that helps families in the area. Rafal agreed to take on the project and implement it in the community. After all, a food forest is first and foremost a citizens’ project, aimed at providing access to healthy, free local food.

That’s the story.

A Gardener’s Faith

It was in 2020, at the local community garden, that I met Mélissa Petit, Rafal’s coordinator. The organization had just received a mandate to support the food forest, and Mélissa, along with director Nancy Desharnais, were diving into the adventure. The enthusiasm was palpable and contagious; but the months and years ahead would – let’s be honest – put that enthusiasm to the test!

This forest first had to be designed, and Agiro had already entrusted the task over the winter to consultant Vincent Galarneau, who put the first draft on paper. Wen Rolland, Quebec’s leading authority on permaculture and food forests, was also involved.

Recruitment and Initial Plan

Rafal then recruited a dozen citizens interested in the concept. A series of Zoom meetings, due to the pandemic, allowed them to imagine and discuss what they hoped for the forest.

The planting was due to take place in spring 2020, but the pandemic forced its postponement to the end of August.

The job was an imposing one. The 2,500-square-meter (26000 ft2) area had been stripped beforehand, and all that remained was the planting. Between 30 and 40 citizens got down to the task. Over the course of a week, they spread compost, planted the 468 plants, then spread mulch.

According to the original plan – which has always been followed – the forest is divided into guilds. Around a central fruit tree, perennial and often edible shrubs and herbaceous plants are planted, chosen for what they can contribute to their neighbors.

An example of a guild: in the center, a plum tree, surrounded by chives, daisies and wild indigo. The chives act as a repellent, particularly for ants; the daisies attract pollinators, essential for fruit production; finally, the lupines act as nitrogen fixers in the soil, making this element more readily available to our plum tree. And, last but not least, it’s pretty!

Towards an Autonomous Ecosystem

The result is an ecosystem that will become self-sufficient over time.

The forest’s fruit trees are mainly pear, plum, cherry and apple. Around them, we’ll find a multitude of plants: sea buckthorn, yarrow, asparagus, daylilies, staghorn sumac, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, asparagus… in fact, over 150 varieties.

At the end of this planting, and for the next three years, it will take the eyes of faith to speak of the forest! It will also require the endurance, perseverance and patience of a gardener, because the challenges will be many.

One of these challenges is both agricultural and budgetary. The space is immense. The budget is respectable, but has a limit. The 468 plants were planted fairly widely apart, so that undesirables had plenty of room to settle in… So, as with any landscaping, it took hours and hours of weeding and mulching.

What’s more, some plants didn’t survive the winter, and had to be replaced the following summer.

When it comes to disease and pests, the permaculture concept has proved effective. Indeed, having a wide variety of plants has a protective effect against diseases and pests.

Finally, this area of the lake presented a particular challenge: deer are at home here, and we’d just installed a new larder for them. Great! In the first autumn, a hedge of hostas was devoured, but as time went by, we realized that it was a blessing in disguise: by devouring them, they left the rest of the plantations alone…

The Years of Establishment

The years 2020 to 2023 were therefore years of hard work, and the reward was meagre. But we were encouraged: it takes between five and seven years to establish a nurse forest.

Each year, a horticultural manager was hired to supervise the work and guide the amateur gardeners. But the big challenge was to get the citizens involved in the project. Without their work, the future forest would quickly turn into a vulgar wasteland… Rafal therefore used his rallying skills, and his list of volunteers, to motivate the troops.

In 2024

But here we are in 2024, in the fourth summer of the forest, which I would now describe as adolescent. We’re not yet a mature forest, but we’re clearly on the right track. This summer, we picked a few blackcurrants, more blueberries and lots of cherries. You can come and pick the herbs you need. The forest is open to all.

A small innovation: the herbal tea area, where agastache, lemon balm, borage, chamomile and mint can be dried and infused.

Above all, we’re getting our first taste of “public relations”. In addition to being in charge of maintenance this year, Sylvie Crousset organizes activities three times a week. She prepares tastings: monarde lemonade, mint syrup, agastache infusion. She has concocted a delicious zaatar, a blend of fine herbs with which she garnishes focaccia. The blackcurrant coulis was a big hit, as was the hostas and lovage salad.

It also offers brainstorming sessions and family quizzes. Participation is good, with new people showing up regularly… and coming back, often to get more involved.

There’s no shortage of ideas for development. Plant identification posters are in the works, to enable visitors to enjoy the forest on their own. Sylvie plans to create a “nursery” area for plant cuttings. Eventually, an arbour will mark the entrance to the forest.

Dream Big

Of course, we dream big. We want our forest to be beautiful and attractive. But permaculture is an apprenticeship. The aim is to establish a forest that will be self-sufficient within a few years. And you know what: we’re nearing our goal and, quite frankly, we’re getting back to our original enthusiasm!