By: Jillian Zimmer, Follow South Jersey Intern
WOODSTOWN, N.J. – Woodstown’s own Matt Scheeper partnered with Food Forest Abundance Co-op (FFA), expanding food forests to the South Jersey region. Their mission is to build a free, healthy, and abundant society for generations to come.
“Humans have extraordinary abilities and we can create a world of abundance if we set our mind to it. The power of plants, soil, seeds, and water can create so much abundance if you design it in the correct way,” Scheeper explained.
A food forest is a diverse, perennial garden that mimics a forest ecosystem and patterns found in nature. Through layers of design, life extends in all directions producing food, medicine, sanctuary, and habitat.
By creating a food forest, people are not only helping the environment, but saving money on groceries in the long run. They can be placed in backyards, businesses, schools, anywhere.
Food forests are completely customizable depending on wants/needs. The design team can strategically place plants to create a system to where it self regulates, creating systems of fertility to where they regenerate much faster than in a natural setting.
To get started creating a food forest, the process is simple and easy:
Step 1) Go to foodforestabundance.com
Step 2) Select ‘Buy a Blueprint’ in the drop down menu
Step 3) Purchase a Food Forest Landscape Blueprint
Step 4) Share your food forest ideas and space details
Step 5) Get your customized Food Forest Landscape Blueprint
Step 6) Prep and plant your food forest or hire local installer, Matt Scheeper
Step 7) Enjoy your abundance
The FFA design team has a catalog of over 6,000 different plants to choose from. The team breaks down each food forest into seven layers. The seven layers of edible plants include fruit and nut trees, shrubs, herbs, vines, rhizomes, mushrooms, and perennial vegetables.
Laura Gilson, FFA landscape designer, said, “I’ve gardened for years, but the idea that I could maximize production, reduce water usage and minimize labor was so appealing.”
Food forests integrate and draw from the disciplines of permaculture, regenerative agriculture, ecology, biology, and other natural sciences.
More additions can be added to a food forest like chickens or bees. Food forests can be installed indoors for year-round food production. Harvest can also be stored and used throughout the year.
Food Forest Abundances is sticking to their vision of food forests growing in every community and in every yard. Since soil can be regenerated in as little as one year, there is a clear ability to bring unwavering abundance and fertility anywhere and everywhere.
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