Crafting Edible Ecosystems

A food forest is built in layers, and understanding those layers is the starting point for designing one.

At the top, emergent trees break through or near the canopy, large species like coconut palm that need full sun and provide structure to the whole system. Below them, canopy trees, fruit and timber species, create the main overhead cover. Under the canopy, sub-canopy trees and large shrubs fill the mid-level, where many of the most productive fruit species live.

Closer to the ground, a shrub layer holds berry-producing plants, medicinal herbs, and smaller productive species. The herbaceous layer covers the soil with culinary herbs, leafy greens, and perennial vegetables. Ground cover plants protect the soil surface, keeping it moist and shielding the organisms living just below. Root crops anchor the underground layer, adding productivity beneath the surface while stabilizing soil structure.

Running through all of it are the vines, which use vertical space and often connect layers that would otherwise be separate. In wet areas, aquatic plants add another dimension. And underneath everything, mycelium forms the network that ties the whole system together, moving nutrients between plants and facilitating communication across the forest floor.

In Cap Rouge, we work with native and locally adapted species wherever possible. The design adapts to the elevation, the rainfall, the soil, and what the community actually eats and needs. No two plots look exactly the same. But they all follow this layered logic, building complexity in a way that makes the whole system more resilient than any single part.