If your food forest is struggling to meet the expectations for annual food production, it is often beneficial to step back and analyze the system. No one wants a "food-less forest" when the initial goal was abundance. In this permaculture podcast episode, we will have a lengthy chat about what can cause a slowing of production and what can be one to bring back the abundance.

Whether your new system (< 3 years old) has never started producing OR your mature food forest (5+ years) has stopped or slowed in its production - there is a solution. So, before we solve the problem, let's figure out what is causing the bottle neck.

It's time to go from a food-less forest to productive abundance.

Native species of plants are a multi-layered gift to the ecosystem. Not only are they hardy and resilient, but they also support soil life, insects, and songbirds. In this episode, your hosts (David and Kris) will interview Chris & Christie Leibner from Wild Garden Co. Chris and Christie specialize in Florida native plants and garden design, and have served many families in Central Florida by integrating natives into the food forest and home landscape.

This episode will focus on each of our favorite “native forward” plants that we suggest people integrate into their food systems. So, if you are looking for our favorite recommendations – this episode will give you plenty. This episode will cover some powerhouse natives spanning multiple layers of the food forest, including top story trees, bushes, flowering plants, vines, and more! Get ready to take notes, because you might learn about a new plant or two to add to your shopping list.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we each had $500K to get started on our dream property and food forest? Better yet, wouldn’t it be nice if we had $1M and could retire and just become full time farmers on that land? Well, unfortunately many of us need to start on either a limited budget or limited time constraints, however – we can still take steps forward.

In this episode, David and Kris will share not only how they got started planting their food forests, but also give tips on how to make progress right where you are. Whether you are starting with .22 acres in suburbia or 22 acres in the country, it’s time to plant those trees. You will learn not only some practical tips for immediate success and gratification, but also some of the pitfalls that many people face.

Learn how to start a food forest on a budget and be sure to have a notebook ready, this episode is packed with some real gold nuggets for both new and experienced gardeners. It’s time for abundance.

Welcome to the Obsessed with Plants podcast with David Starbird and Kristofer Edler. This deep-dive podcast will cover some of the nerdy topics that need a little more attention in the permaculture community. Both David and Kris have extensive backgrounds in regenerative agriculture with years of growing experience. In this introductory prelude to the podcast, you’ll have the opportunity to get to know your hosts a bit and learn about their passion and experience.

David, the host… (obsessed with plants). I’ve been practicing regenerative farming for 6+ years. And In 2021 I took Kris’s Pdc corse. I have a love for tech and filming. Before my passion of plants my background was in equine riding education so I like the ponies and love to share information. I grew up on my family’s citrus orchard, when the citrus greening virus whipped out my family orchard that made me realize that farming without giving back to the land will not last.

And designing your land around how nature functions is a fascinating and crucial step.

Kris is the Founder of PermacultureFX and has been practicing regenerative agriculture for 20+ years. Edler has lived in multiple growing zones from the snowy winters of Northern Michigan to the extreme seasons of Kansas City. He was a founding teacher of a private school in Kansas City, which taught permaculture to K-12 students on an 18-acre property. As a business owner, his former wedding venue also practiced permaculture with community garden connection and compost production from post-event food waste. Currently, Edler is actively practicing and teaching permaculture in Central Florida and has a background in regenerative agriculture, syntropic systems, and silvopasture farm and pasture management. He is a certified instructor and was trained by Geoff Lawton (and other permaculture patriarchs), and is especially passionate about making permaculture principles palatable for those in suburban settings and enjoys finding ways to integrate sustainable practices into many diverse scenarios. Over the last few years, he conducted hundreds of property consultations across Florida to help new homesteaders get started on their land. All this to say - Edler is a nerdy dirt ninja with a passion for humans, feathered friends, and all things food forests.

Thanks for taking time to join us on the Obsessed with Plants podcast. The videos of these episodes will be found on Youtube, and audio versions on other podcasting platforms.

One of the initial hurdles to creating an abundant permaculture property is choosing the planting style. Do you want the space to be neat and formal with repeating colors and patterns? Or, would you rather your space be like a woodland forest covering a larger area? In this episode, David and Kris will talk about some of the options for planting styles, the benefits and drawbacks of each, and how these styles can impact overall yield.

Among the many planting styles, some of the ones being covered include agroforestry, silvopasture, food forests, wild spaces, and formal designs. When listening to this episode, be sure to take mental notes on which areas of your property may be the most suitable for each expression. Whether you are going to hire someone to help jumpstart your property or you are planning on tackling it on your own, the tips given in this episode will help you navigate through the process of getting started. Let's get planting!