Small plots and a forest of choices
Creating an edible forest in which multiple species of plants help nurture each other can also repair the psyche of people who have lost touch with nature, says the co-ordinator for ReThink Red Deer.
Working from a two-acre garden plot at Edith Shaeffer’s Spruce Lane Garden, just north of Blackfalds, ReThink Red Deer is creating a demonstration plot in which various species of edible plants co-exist — to the benefit of each other and the people looking after them, says Rene Michalak.
Results from the “permaculture” demonstration plot will be shared with urban gardeners and could play a role in shaping the future of the City of Red Deer’s park system, says Michalak.
“Permaculture is a design philosophy that encompasses many things. So basically, it’s creating agricultural eco-systems that have the resiliency of a forest eco-system (so) we can design our food producing systems to be self-sustaining and very low input and high yield,” he says.
“We’re hoping to use this example for municipalities and their park systems to do more than just playgrounds and skating rinks. It makes a sustainable, long-term resource for the community.”
Considerations in setting up the site and deciding which species to plant and where to plant them will be based on a number of factors, including wind direction, soil types and the effects of changes in sunlight throughout the day, says Michalak.
“Once you have that intimate relationship and understanding with the land and how it functions and how the soil has built up . . . then you have a better sense of what soil you have and what you can grow on it, so you’re basically tailoring the system.”
ReThink Red Deer hosted courses and workshops during May to analyze its site and then develop its design.
The relevance of such a program stems from attempts to repair the philosophical disconnect between people and the food they eat — and the damage the has occurred as a result, says Michalak.
“What we’re trying to do with ReThink Red Deer and these urban agriculture projects is give us more options,” he says.
The global food system, because it is based on profit, has eroded social structures and created a food source that is based on convenience, appearance and ease of shipping, rather than taste and nutrition, says Michalak.
Projects like the edible forest attempt to restore a sense of community while offering people some alternatives in the sources of their food and their connection with land upon which it is produced, he says.
“It’s almost a rebirthing of the farm mentality. The positive benefits from growing your own food include reconnecting with the various things that give us life — the land, the air, the water. We’ve kind of neglected our relationship with those things.”
bkossowan@reddeeradvocate.com
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