The 6 Plant Categories Every Food Forest Needs
A food forest isn’t just about planting fruit trees and edible shrubs; it’s a carefully orchestrated, multi-layered ecosystem where every plant plays a specific role. Think of it as nature’s answer to sustainable landscaping. By mimicking the structure of a natural forest, food forests require less maintenance over time while yielding abundant food and fostering biodiversity.
At the heart of a food forest lies the concept of a plant guild. A guild is a thoughtfully designed group of plants that work together symbiotically to support a central fruit tree. These connections improve soil health, repel pests naturally, attract pollinators, and reduce the time and effort required to maintain the space.
If you want to create a thriving food forest around your fruit trees, focusing on six key plant categories will set you up for success. Below, we’ll explore how each one contributes to the ecosystem, complete with examples for Zone 8b (a common growing zone in Kitsap Washington), so you can start building your own backyard food haven.
1. Dynamic Accumulators – Nature’s Nutrient Cyclers
Dynamic accumulators are the nutrient powerhouses of your food forest. These plants have deep roots that mine for nutrients like potassium and phosphorus buried beneath the soil surface. Once they grow, they become a renewable source of “chop-and-drop” mulch, enriching the soil for surrounding plants.
Examples for Zone 8b:
- Bocking 14 Russian Comfrey (Symphytum × uplandicum ‘Bocking 14’): Known for its deep taproots, comfrey is rich in nutrients like potassium and phosphorus.
- Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale): Dandelions aren’t just for salads; their strong taproots break up compacted soil while tapping into vital minerals.
- Yarrow (Achillea millefolium): Besides cycling nutrients, yarrow attracts beneficial insects like ladybugs to your garden.
- Borage (Borago officinalis) – A potassium and calcium accumulator that attracts pollinators.
Why they’re essential: They feed your soil, improve its structure, and lower your need for external fertilizers.
2. Mulching Plants – Living Mulch & Biomass Creators
Mulching plants play two roles. First, they protect the soil by covering it, reducing evaporation and suppressing weeds. Second, by growing fast and abundantly, they create biomass that can be used as mulch.
Examples for Zone 8b:
- Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa): Not only does this ground cover produce sweet, edible fruit, but it also suppresses weeds effectively.
- Clover (Trifolium repens): Nitrogen-fixing and hardy, clover creates green mulch while feeding the soil.
- Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum): Its broad leaves shade the ground, reducing dehydration and discouraging weeds.
- Bocking 14 and Borage make an appearance here as well— perfect for chopping and dropping around your fruit trees.
Why they’re essential: Mulching plants are multi-taskers that maintain soil health and reduce your manual labor.
3. Nitrogen Fixers – The Soil Builders
Nitrogen is one of the most critical nutrients for plants, but many soils lack it naturally. Nitrogen-fixing plants “pull” nitrogen from the air and store it in their roots. These plants create a reservoir of nitrogen that nearby crops can use as they grow.
Examples for Zone 8b:
- Goumi Berry (Elaeagnus multiflora): A nitrogen-fixer that rewards you with tart, edible berries.
- Lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus): Deep-rooted and great for improving poor soil conditions.
- Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum): A vibrant cover crop that prevents soil erosion, fixes nitrogen, and adds beauty with its rich red blooms.
Why they’re essential: They enrich the soil naturally, reducing your reliance on chemical fertilizers.
4. Guardian Plants – Natural Pest Control
One of the keys to maintaining an organic and healthy garden is to use plants that either repel unwanted pests or attract beneficial predatory insects to maintain balance. Guardian plants create these defenses for your food forest.
Examples for Zone 8b:
- Marigold (Tagetes spp.): Perfect for repelling nematodes and other insect pests.
- Garlic, Onions & Chives (Allium spp.): Natural deterrents for aphids, rabbits, and even deer.
- Dill & Fennel (Anethum graveolens & Foeniculum vulgare): These attract beneficial insects like predatory wasps and lacewings to keep pests in check.
- Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) – Strong scent deters cabbage moths and carrot flies.
Why they’re essential: They naturally protect your food forest, minimizing your need for synthetic pesticides.
5. Pollinator Attractors – Essential for Fruit Production
Without pollination, there’s no fruit. Pollinator-attracting plants are crucial to any food forest, ensuring pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds come and do their vital work.
Examples for Zone 8b:
- Borage (Borago officinalis) – Excellent for attracting bees with its bright blue flowers.
- Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia): This fragrant herb thrives in well-drained soil and bees adore it.
- Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium): A native plant that’s evergreen and excellent for native pollinators.
- Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum) – Tiny flowers attract pollinators while acting as a living mulch.
Why they’re essential: They ensure your fruit trees produce a bountiful harvest each year.
6. Weed & Grass Suppressors – Low-Maintenance Helpers
These ground covers outcompete weeds, reducing the time you need to spend weeding and maintaining paths and areas beneath your food forest canopy.
Examples for Zone 8b:
- Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum): Dense, fragrant, and a strong suppressor of weeds.
- Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum): Quick to spread and ideal for shady spots under trees.
- Wild Ginger (Asarum caudatum): A native, shade-loving plant that thrives in damp areas.
- Dwarf Comfrey (Symphytum grandiflorum): A dense ground cover that suppresses weeds and improves soil with deep roots. Great for edges and partial shade.
Why they’re essential: They reduce competition while giving your food forest a polished, cohesive look.
Creating a Mini Food Forest (Fruit Tree Guild)
Now that you’re familiar with the various types of plants, let’s explore how to mix them together to form a fruit tree guild—a small-scale food forest designed for collaboration and productivity. A fruit tree guild focuses on planting arrangements that mimic natural ecosystems, where every plant has a role to play.
Designing an Apple Tree Guild in Zone 8b
To bring all these categories together, let’s design a guild for a Zone 8b apple tree:
- Main Tree:
-
- Apple Tree (Malus domestica): The centerpiece of the guild.
- Support Plants:
-
- Dynamic Accumulators – Comfrey (nutrient cycling & mulch).
- Mulching Plants – Strawberries & Rhubarb (ground cover & food).
- Nitrogen Fixers – Lupine (soil builder).
- Guardian Plants – Garlic & Dill (pest control & insect attraction).
- Pollinator Attractors – Borage (essential for fruit set).
- Weed Suppressors – Summer Thyme (living mulch and edible).
Why this works: The apple tree benefits from nutrient-rich soil, pest protection, and increased pollination. Meanwhile, the supporting plants thrive in a balanced ecosystem, making the entire system resilient and self-sufficient.
A fruit tree guild is the cornerstone of a flourishing food forest. By grouping plants with complementary roles around a central tree, you create a self-sustaining ecosystem that can be tailored to suit any space or vision. Whether you establish one large interconnected guild or several smaller ones around individual trees, the principles remain the same: working in harmony with nature to cultivate balance and abundance.
The beauty of guilds lies in their accessibility and scalability—anyone can begin with just a single tree. In fact, my own food forest started modestly with a Japanese plum surrounded by a few supportive plants. From that simple foundation, it has grown into a diverse and resilient oasis of life.
If you’re just starting out, take heart—every great forest begins with a single tree. Each one you plant brings you closer to sustainability, abundance, and self-reliance.
Build a Resilient Food Forest Today
Creating a food forest is all about being intentional with plant choices. By incorporating these six categories into your design, you’ll build a thriving, low-maintenance ecosystem that supports your fruit trees and produces an abundance of food for years to come.
Ready to grow your dream garden? Like our Facebook page to follow along and see everything we’re cultivating! Stay updated with step-by-step guidance, expert tips, and timely insights for all kinds of crops. Let’s grow together!
