With all in order in the vegie patch, Amy Willesee turns her attention to the farm's fickle orchard. If only she could see the food forest for the trees...

The garlic is in, the garden is lush with leafy greens and the weeds are in hiatus. Which means it's time for a winter project, and first on the list is fruit trees.

When we moved to the farm four years ago, we inherited a 90-year-old mixed orchard – mixed in both fruit and blessings. Some of the trees, such as the persimmons, bear prolifically and ask nothing of us in return. Others bear fruit with varying success: plump, juicy peaches that are soon riddled with fruit fly, pears so hard that not even stewing softens them. Then there are trees that don't fruit at all.

The orchard is 100 metres away from the house, so it doesn't enjoy the benefits of the daily walk-through that the vegie garden does. But each winter, when everything else slows down, we pay it the attention it deserves.

This year, our first job was to build a fence and move the chooks and ducks into the orchard for pest control, fertilising and lawn mowing. The morning feeding and nightly lock-ups added a whack of work to Mark's rounds, but it improved the health of the trees. The citrus in particular seemed reinvigorated: the sooty mould disappeared and the mandarins grew bigger and sweeter. Only the lawnmowing aspect failed: we'd need 10 times as many chooks to keep the grass under control.

The first couple of winters, we undertook some hardcore pruning and selective culling. But when it came time to fill the gaps, we didn't replant in neatly spaced rows. Instead, we took our inspiration from what permaculture calls a 'food forest'.

Unlike traditional orchards, a food forest is closely planted and trees compete for space and light. There is a top storey, a middle storey and an under storey, and animal life is welcomed. It is intended to mimic a natural ecosystem – just like in a forest, the shade and under storey eliminate the grass so there's no need to mow. Deciduous trees provide the mulch, the animals the fertiliser. Well, that's the theory and we're willing to give it a go, but it's a long-term project and a lot of maintenance is required in the meantime.

Our first priority was to get in some height, so we added pecan trees, a pine nut and a bunya nut. Then we went big on citrus, adding new varieties to extend their seasons. Then there were the experiments: a coffee tree (carked it at the first frost), cool-climate bananas (growing but not yet fruiting), and figs (fruiting but feeding only the birds).

Ultimately, the plan for our food forest takes its cues from author and gardener Jackie French. She claims there's enough fruit in a food forest for humans to share with wildlife. For now though, the birds are racking up a lot of IOUs.

Food for all

These resources inspired our food forest project:
Jackie French's website, particularly her piece on groves.

Introduction to Permaculture by Bill Mollison (Tagari Publications).

How to Make a Forest Garden by Patrick Whitefield (Permanent Publications).