As we get more summer days in the high 90's, with less potable water available, and more expensive water bills, I'm looking more into Food Forest gardening.

What is Food Forest gardening?

Imagine being in a forest with tall trees and small trees, shrubberies, ground cover. It does not get watered. The leaves fall on the ground and act as mulch. The animals and other organisms digest the the mulch and turn it into fertilizer. It's a sustainable way of existence. Now imagine if all those plants are edible. That is Food Forest Gardening.

According to Wikipedia, Forest Gardening in the temperate climate was pioneered by horticulturist Robert Hart. He did not invent the system, but was inspired by those who came before him. In turn, he inspired Bill Mollison, one of the pioneers of the term permaculture, to adopt Hart's seven-layer system as a common permaculture design element.

So we ask, what is the seven-layer system?

It starts with the ‘Canopy layer' consisting of the original mature fruit trees; then the ‘Low-tree layer' or under story, of smaller nut and fruit trees on dwarfing root stocks; ‘Shrub layer' of fruit bushes such as currants and berries, and so on... Below is a an image I found on the Permaculture Research Institute website showing the 7-Layers.

Image source: Permaculture a Beginner's Guide, by Graham Burnett

I still have a lot to learn about food forest gardening. Here's another useful link I found from Cornell University. http://www2.dnr.cornell.edu/ext/info/pubs/FC%20factsheets/FCFSforestgardening.pdf

Meanwhile, here's my attempt on creating a food forest in my own backyard. I don't quite have the seven layers covered but it's still a young food forest.

In the Center is a 3-year old Fuyu persimmon tree (Diospyros kaki) to the left is a Florence fennel  (Foeniculum vulgare), to the right of the persimmon are some walking onions (Allium ×proliferum), in the front is a sorrel (Rumex acetosa) and a few other struggling herbs and a couple of fertilizer makers.