The 7 layers of a Food Forest Explained | A List of Plants for a Food Forest

This post was most recently updated on January 26th, 2021

Designing a food forest from the ground up can be an overwhelming and seemingly insurmountable task at the beginning. Working out what plants are good food forest plants, and even understanding what exactly is a food forest.

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I have created a series to help you in the design process. I will hold your hand while you get the hang of it all. I am right there beside you growing my own food forest from scratch with you.

First I suggest you read my post about designing your yard the permaculture way if you haven’t already.

Next I show you the steps to designing and creating a permaculture food forest. Below is a deeper explanation of the 7 layers of a food forest, and a list of food forest plants to get you started in your planning.

I have put together a book all about growing a food forest – you can check it out here

Obviously you can plant any plant you choose in your own forest garden, but the rule of thumb I like to go by, is that every plant needs to fulfill at least 2 roles to qualify to being planted at my place.

A food forest plant might provide flowers for the bees, fruit for me and leaf mulch for the soil. Or it might fix nitrogen and provide a climbing frame for a fruiting vine.

You will need to use plants that are best for your gardening zone, I suggest that you talk with your neighbors and the friendly people at your local plan nursery. The food forest plants listed are hardy to about USDA Zone 5, some even lower.

The plants on my perennial vegetable list are perfect plants for your food forest!

The Tall-Tree Layer.

This the canopy – It is made up of full-sized fruit, nut, or other useful trees, with spaces between each tree to let plenty of light reach the lower layers.

Dense, spreading species like the classic shade trees such as maple, sycamore, and beech don’t work well in the forest garden because they cast shadows over a large area.

Better choices are multifunctional fruit and nut trees. These include standard and semistandard apple and pear trees, European plums on large rootstock, and full-sized cherries.

Chestnut trees, Chinese chestnuts, Walnut trees are excellent options, especially if they are pruned to be open to let the light through.

Nitrogen-fixing trees will help build soil, and most bear blossoms that attract insects. These include black locust, mesquite, alder, and, in low-frost climates, acacia, algoroba, tagasaste, and carob.

Since much of the forest garden lies in permaculture landscape zones 1 and 2 (close to the house), timber trees aren’t appropriate as felling trees there would be dangerous.

The canopy trees will define the major patterns of the forest garden, so they must be chosen carefully and planted with plenty of space to let the light through.

Alder	Alnus
American Persimmon	Diospyros virginiana
Apple	Malus sylvestris
Arazole / Mediterranean Medlar	Crataegus azarolus
Black locust	Robinia pseudoacacia

Carob	Ceratonia siliqua
Cherry	Prunus avium
Chestnut	Castanea dentata
Chinese Chestnut	Castanea mollissima
Cornelian cherries	Cornus mas
European Plum (Myrobalan)	Prunus domestica
Hawthorn	Crataegus spp.
Highbush cranberries	Viburnum trilobum
Honey locusts	Gleditsia triacanthos
Japanese Walnut (Heartnut)	Juglans ailantifolia
Korean Stone Pine	Pinus koraiensis
Northern Pecan	Carya illinoinensis
Pear	Pyrus communis
Siberian Pea Tree	Caragana arborescens
Stone pine	Pinus pinea
Tagasaste/ tree Lucerne	Cytisus proliferus
Walnut	Juglans
Hawthorns	Crataegus monogyna
Medlar	Mespilus germanica
Mulberry	Morus spp.
Quince	Cydonia oblonga

The Low-Tree Layer.

Here are many of the same fruits and nuts as in the canopy, but on dwarf and semidwarf rootstocks to keep them low growing. Also naturally small trees such as apricot, peach, nectarine, almond, medlar, persimmon, pawpaw and mulberry work well here.

In a smaller forest garden, these small trees may serve as the canopy. They can easily be pruned into an open form, which will allow light to reach the other species beneath them.

Other low-growing trees include flowering species, such as dogwood and mountain ash, and some nitrogen fixers, including golden-chain tree, silk tree, and mountain mahogany.

Almond dwarf	Prunus dulcis
Apple Dwarf	Malus domestica
Apricot	Prunus armeniaca
Australian Round Lime	Citrus australis
Banana (Lady Finger)	Musa acuminata
Beech	Fagus sylvatica
Cherry Dwarf	Prunus avium
Citrus Dwarf	Citrus spp.
Crab Apple	Malus sp.
Date-plum	Diospyros lotus
Dogwood	Cornus
Elderberry	Sambucus nigra
Japanese peppers	Zanthoxylum spp.
Fruit Salad Plant	Monstera deliciosa
Nectarine	Prunus persica v. nectarina
Olive	Olea europaea
Pawpaw, Papaya	Carica papaya
Peach Dwarf	Prunus persica
Pear Dwarf	Pyrus communis
Persimmon Dwarf	Diospyros spp.
Plum Dwarf	Prunus domestica
Service Tree	Sorbus domestica
Tamarillo, Tree Tomato	Cyphomandra betacea
Tree mugwort	Artemisia arborescens
Bamboo ‘Gracilis’	Bambusa textilis ‘Gracilis’
Serviceberry	Amelanchier spp.
Silverberry	Elaeagnus
Acacia/Wattles	Acacia spp.

The Shrub Layer.

This tier includes blueberry, rose, hazelnut, butterfly bush, bamboo, serviceberry, the nitrogen-fixing Elaeagnus species and Siberian pea shrub, and many others.

There are a huge range of shrubs available – try to lean towards ones with beneficial qualities – attracting insects, birds, provide food, mulch, nitrogen etc.

Acacia/Wattle	Acacia spp.
Austral Indigo	Indigofera australis
Blackberry	Rubus fruticosus
Blueberry	Vaccinium spp.
Cape Gooseberry	Physalis peruviana
Currants	Ribes spp
Curry Plant	Helichrysum italicum
Edible Savlias	Salvia spp.
Goji berries	Lycium barbarum
Gooseberry	Ribes Uva-crispa
Guavas	Myrtus spp.
Jostaberry	Ribes x culverwellii
Large Kangaroo Apple	Solanum laciniatum
lavender	lavandula angustifolia
Lemon Verbena	Aloysia triphylla
Mountain Marigold	Tagetes lemmonii
Nodding Saltbush	Einadia wutans
Perennial Basil	Ocimum gratissimum
Perennial Chilli, Rocoto Chilli	Capsicum pubescens
Raspberry	Rubus spp.
River Mint	Mentha australis
Rose	Rosa
Rosemary	Rosmarinus officinalis
Scented Geraniums	Pelargonium graveolens
Southernwood	Artemisia abrotanum
Tomatillo	Physalis philadelphica
Wormwood	Artemisia absinthium

The Herb Layer.

Herbs in this layer simply means non-woody vegetation: vegetables, flowers, culinary herbs, and cover crops, as well as mulch producers and other soil-building plants.

Emphasis is on perennials, but we won’t rule out choice annuals and self-seeding species.

Asparagus	Asparagus officinalis
Balm	Melissa officinalis
Borage	Borago officinalis
Broad bean	Vicia faba
Buckwheat	Fagopyrum esculentum
Calendula	Calendula officinalis
Comfrey, Knitbone	Symphytum officinale
Dill	Anethum graveolens
Fennel	Foeniculum vulgare
French Sorrel	Rumex scutatus
Garden Mint	Mentha sachalinensis
Garlic Chives	Allium tuberosum
Globe Artichoke	Cynara scolymus
Hyssop	Cynara cardunculus
Lemongrass	Cymbopogon spp
Lovage	Levisticum officinale
Marigold	Tagetes
Mint	Mentha spp.
Oregano	Origanum vulgare
Parsley	Petroselinum spp.
Pepino, Pepino Dulce, Melon Pear	Solanum muricatum
Perpetual/Perennial Spinach	Beta vulgaris var. cicla
Phacelia	Phacelia Tanacetifolia
Rhubarb	Rheum rhabarbarum
Sorrel	Rumex acetosa
Stevia	Stevia rebaudiana
Tansy	Tanacetum vulgare
Yarrow	Achillea millefolium

The Ground-Cover Layer.

These are low, ground-hugging plants—preferably varieties that offer food or habitat— Sample species include strawberries, nasturtium, clover, creeping thyme, ajuga, and the many prostrate varieties of flowers such as phlox and verbena.

They play a critical role in weed prevention, occupying ground that would otherwise succumb to invaders.

Alpine Strawberries	Fragaria x vesca
Sweet Alyssum	Lobularia maritima
Basil Thyme	Acinos arvensi
Black Cumin	Nigella Sativa
Clover	Trifolium
Coral Pea	Hardenbergia violacea
Corsican Mint	Mentha requienii
Cranberry	Vaccinium Oxycoccus spp.
Creeping Oregon Grape	Mahonia aquifolium
Creeping Snowberry	Gaultheria hispidula
Creeping Thyme	Thymus serpyllum
Fat hen	Chenopodium album
Ground Elder	Aegopodium podagraria
Kamchatka Bilberry	Vaccinium praestans
Lingonberries	Vaccinium vitis-idaea
Lowbush Blueberries	Vaccinium angustifolium
Marshmallow	Althaea officinalis
Miner’s Lettuce	Claytonia perfoliata
Nasturtium	Tropaeolum majus
Pigface	Carpobrotus modestus
Prostrate Rosemary	Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’ or ‘Huntington Carpet’
Roman Chamomile	Chamaemelum nobile
Running Postman	Kennedia spp.
Rosemary	Rosmarinus officinalis
Sweet Violets	Viola odorata
Vervain	Verbena officinali
Warrigal Greens	Tetragonia tetragonoides
Wintergreen	Gaultheria procumbens

The Vine Layer.

This layer is for climbing plants that will use the trees as their climbing frame. Here are food plants, such as kiwifruit, grapes, hops, passionflower, and vining berries; and those for wildlife, such as honeysuckle and trumpet-flower.

These can include climbing annuals such as squash, cucumbers, and melons. Some of the perennial vines can be invasive so they should be used sparingly and with caution.

Cantaloupe	Cucumis melo reticulatus
Chokos	Sechium edule
Climbing peas	Pisum sativum
Coral Pea	Hardenbergia violacea
Cucumbers	Cucumis sativus
Grape -Sultana	Vitis vinifera
Grapes	Vitis spp
Honeydew Melon	Cucumis melo inodorus
Honeysuckle (Blue-berried)	Lonicera caerulea
Hops	Humulus lupulus
Kiwi Berry / Hardy Kiwifruit	Actinidia arguta
Kiwi fruit	Actinidia spp
Malabar Spinach	Basella alba ‘Rubra’
Maypop	Passiflora incarnata
Nasturtium (Climbing)	Tropaeolum majus
Passionfruit	Passiflora edulis
Perennial bean (scarlet runner bean)	Phaseolus coccineus
Pumpkin	Cucurbita pepo
Soybean	Glycine max
Squash	Cucurbita
Sweet Potato (‘Bush Porto Rico’/’Centennial’)	Ipomoea batatas
Watermelon	Citrullus lanatus
Wild grape	Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris
Zucchini	Cucurbita pepo

The Root Layer.

Most of the plants for the root layer should be shallow rooted, such as garlic and onions, or easy-to-dig types such as potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes, otherwise you disrupt the other plants roots too much.

Arrowroot	Maranta arundinacea
Beetroot	Beta vulgaris
Carrot	Daucus carota sativus
Cassava (Tapioca)	Manihot esculenta
Chicory	Cichorium intybus
Chives	Allium schoenoprasum
Daikon	Raphanus sativus L.
Daylilly	Hemerocallis fulva
Echinacea	Echinacea angustifolia
Garlic	Allium sativum
Ginger	Zingiber officinale
Ginseng	Panax spp.
Groundnut	Apios americana
Horseradish	Armoracia rusticana
Jerusalem artichoke	Helianthus tuberosum
Liquorice	Glycyrrhiza spp.
Native ginger	Hornstedtia scottiana
Oca, New Zealand Yam	Oxalis tuberosa
Onion	Allium cepa
Parsnip	Pastinaca sativa
Potato	Solanum tuberosum
Salsify	Tragopogon spp.
Sweet Potato	Ipomoea batatas
Tree/Egyptian Walking Onions	Allium cepa var. proliferum
Welsh onion	Allium fistulosum
Yacon	Smallanthus sonchifolius
Yam Daisy	Microseris scapigera