A Food Forest in Your Backyard

Imagine stepping into your yard to harvest fruit, berries, herbs, and perennial vegetables from a landscape that also supports pollinators, builds soil, and becomes more resilient over time. FOOD FORESTS are inspired by the structure and relationships found in natural forests, combining trees, shrubs, groundcovers, and other edible plants into productive ecosystems. While they may look complex, creating one can be surprisingly achievable for home gardeners. In this workshop, we'll cover: What food forests are and what they are not The benefits and outputs food forests can provide The building blocks of a food forest Choosing plants for Ohio gardens How to combine plants into a cohesive design Example food forest designs for different spaces What to expect during the first three years, from site preparation and planting to maintenance, pruning, and harvest Whether you're hoping to add a few edible perennials to your landscape or create a larger backyard food forest, you'll leave with practical tools, plant ideas, and a pathway for getting started. INSTRUCTOR: Ayla Bella seeks to address climate change and food insecurity through permaculture and urban food forests. She founded Rooting Resilience, a local nonprofit working to establish forest gardens on public land, and Nourish: Ecologically Thoughtful Gardens, a garden consultation business to help people create yards that are beautiful, sustainable, and edible. She is a certified permaculture designer, a Master Gardener Intern, and a Stinner Climate Ambassador.