Food Forest for Vincent!

by Tanvier Fowler

It seems that Food Forests are difficult to establish in Perth. I was very happy when Transition Town Vincent (TTV) contacted me in March about finding PDC graduates to help them with their new community food forest. They had just got the nod from the City of Vincent, on a 600sqm section of land adjacent to the Floreat Athena Football Club, and things were moving pretty quickly. TTV were looking for design and species selection advice.

I met with knowledgeable volunteer Helen, on a nice sunny afternoon, at the site of the to be planted Food Forest. What fun we had exploring and imagining! We talked about what was there, what was already planned and the vision for the Forest. A garden that was accessible and to be enjoyed by all. Some of our ideas were a bush food wind break, sheltered tropical zone protected by a giant fig with bathtub frog ponds and a deciduous vined gazebo with a table.

Two maps were created for the group, a template of what exists now and one with a possible planting zones. Both were to scale. In the photo below Helen is using the laminated template to plan with other volunteers.

The template is a useful tool to explore and adapt designs. There is something about using coloured pens that is much more enjoyable than being on the computer!

Planting has begun! And they are waiting on more trees. You will find an article by the City of Vincent here. We can all keep track of their progress at their Facebook page. If you live in the area, get in touch, and get involved!