Life can turn out strange sometimes. In this thread we experienced quite a bit of pushback from Israelis and zionists. However now on a visit to New Zealand on invitation of our Kiwi friends, I met some interesting Israelis or ex-Israelis who have immersed themselves into the very ideal lifestyle that the OP recommended. Food forests!

I have to thank my Kiwi hosts who took me to recover from jetlag visiting wonderful green gardens about to burst from the dreadful winter. Young shoots and buds, just like our awakening amid the big waves of incoming cosmic energies.

[link to thisnzlife.co.nz (secure)]

A food forest can take up half a lifestyle block or be as small as an urban backyard, but the combination of fruit trees, berries, vines and vegetables – and in some cases animals – can create a resilient, self-sufficient garden that will feed you and your family all year-round.


When you arrive at the Koanga Institute, hidden in a remote valley an hour’s drive south-west of Gisborne, it’s a wild-looking place.

The beds where the Institute’s precious heritage seeds are grown is easily identifiable as a ‘normal’ garden with plants in neat rows, the corn standing in groups, the seedlings sitting in uniform trays under nets to stop the birds getting in first.

But all around it is a wilderness that seems bewildering in contrast, seeming to make no sense, until your guide arrives.

Shaked From (pronounced Shar-ked) grew up on a kibbutz in Israel. He looks a little wild, a bit like the garden he cares for, but you can feel your enthusiasm begin to bubble as he talks you through what is the beginning of a substantial forest garden around the big old villa that is the headquarters for Koanga.

If you’ve ever wanted to plant a food forest but found the whole concept daunting, or think your garden is too small, we look at how Koanga are doing it, plus see what can be achieved over 5, 10 and 20 year periods in some other forest gardens from around the world.

WHAT IS A FOREST GARDEN OR FOOD FOREST?

The concept of the forest garden or food forest comes from nature.

People living in tropical rainforests would have identified edible crops such as fruit trees, vines, bushes, ground covers and roots, then cultivated more.

Forest gardens in cooler, temperate climates have to be more carefully designed as the sun doesn’t penetrate through the layers to provide the same amount of light and heat as tropical forest gardens receive. This means you need to either carefully choose shade-tolerant perennials for your garden, or create open, light-filled glades to allow the lower levels of canopy to grow.

There’s no one type of food forest, as the trees and plants will vary depending on where you live, your climate and what does best in your region. However, the basic design is made up of seven layers: canopy trees, shrubs, perennial vegetables and herbs, root crops, ground covers and vines/climbers.

While most of the plants provide food, some are included purely for their nitrogen-fixing abilities, shade and shelter, flowers for pollination, and habitat. Most forest gardens include large amounts of medicinal herbs too.