How to Build a Food Forest

Register here at: www.austinperm.com/#foodforest

This November 18, 20, 22-23 join us in planning out your first food forest! Austin Permaculture Guild’s Co-Director Taelor Monroe will be teaching an in-depth workshop on how to design interconnected fruit tree guilds and build the perfect foundation for these perennial plants to thrive-berms & swales.

This workshop is for both beginners and seasoned gardeners. You will learn how to build a very efficient and productive permaculture garden for annual food production, with medicinals and culinary herbs. This type of garden is naturally pest resistant and brings in beneficial insects, keeping the pests at bay. You will learn specific varieties that are naturally more productive in our unique Central Texas Climate.We are what we eat, same goes for plants. So we will begin with the soil and the bed space. A successful and productive garden always starts with the home in which these plants live. Without a happy home and community of plant friends, you will not have a thriving productive garden. We will also cover different aspects of watering and irrigation, what is most beneficial for your plants, and how to decide what makes the most sense in your own space.

Class Structure

This workshop is a four part event, covering the specifics of companion planting, plant selection, plant placement, integrated pest management, how to prevent weeds, feeding the biology in the soil, water, and maintenance.
The first two lessons are via zoom on Tuesday and Thursday from 12-2:30pm. These will cover the classroom instruction, the raw material. These zoom lessons will be recorded so that you may view them on your own time. But please watch all lessons before our hands-on day!

Then on Saturday from 12-3:30pm we will actually build one of these types of gardens from start to finish.
Come out to this dynamic, holistic garden management design workshop, to build a better Fall garden! There will be a focus on the design of Fall Companion Planting but these methods can be applied to any season.

Schedule & Tuition

Tuesday, November 18th, 2025 via Zoom

12:30-3:30pm: Earthworks

-Berms & Swales
-Contours
-Soil Biology
-Sun, Mulch & Water
-Choosing the right spot
-Composting (brief)

Thursday, November 20th, 2025 via Zoom

12:30-3:30pm: 7 Layers of a Food Forest

Overstory Trees: Pecans, Walnuts, Natives, etc.
Small Tree Layer: Fruit Trees, Nitrogen Fixing Farmer’s Trees
Shrub Layer: Perennial natives, Pollinators
Herbaceous Layer: Perennial Vegetables, Medicinals, Tea Herbs
Ground Covers: Natives, Culinary Herbs, Cover Crops (annual and perennial)
Roots: Starchy tubers, Cover Crops
Vines: Natives, Nitrogen Fixers, Veggies, Fruits

*Specific species, Varieties, Planting wants/needs for all plants in all layers*

-Timing
-Plant Placement
-Root Depth and Structure
-Support Species
-Dynamic Accumulators
-Seasons, with a focus on Fall
-Integrated Pest Management
-Specific conditions for Central Texas but most information can be adapted to any location

Saturday, November 22nd, 2025 Hands-On at Cosmos Ranch Foundation 78617

10am-4pm: Building Earthworks

-Use laser level and water level to mark out contours
-Dig/Smooth out Berms & Swales (some work previously done by machines)

Sunday, November 23rd, 2025 Hands-On at Cosmos Ranch Foundation 78617

10am-4pm: Planting Food Forest

-Plant all 7 layers of a Food Forest
-Add mulch & drip irrigation

*All Hands-on activities will take place outside in person.
COST: Sliding Scale, $111-$222

Register here at: www.austinperm.com/#foodforest