Choose the right species for your BC climate zone, plan your canopy layers, and calculate spacing — all based on what actually grows here.
A food forest is a multi-layered perennial food production system modeled on natural forest ecology. Instead of annual rows that need replanting every year, a food forest stacks seven layers of productive plants — from tall nut trees down to root crops — into a self-sustaining system that builds soil, produces food, and requires less maintenance over time. Once established, a food forest can produce fruit, nuts, berries, herbs, and ground covers for decades with minimal inputs.
Vancouver Island is one of the best places in Canada to grow a food forest. Mild winters (Zone 7b to 9a depending on location), a long growing season on the coast side, and abundant rainfall from October through April mean most temperate food forest species thrive here. The challenge is the summer dry season — and that is where earthworks come in. Swales between tree rows passively capture and infiltrate winter rain into the root zone. Keyline ripping distributes moisture evenly across sloped sites. Combined with deep mulch, these techniques can carry a food forest through July, August, and September without irrigation infrastructure.
Tell us about your property so we can filter species and calculate spacing.
Select the layers you want to include, then choose species within each layer. Species unsuitable for your climate zone are dimmed.
| Species | Layer | Qty | Spacing | Zone | Est. Cost/ea | Harvest |
|---|
We handle the earthworks — clearing, grading, swales, and keyline ripping — so your food forest has the foundation it needs.