Guild-To-Go

If you are interested in integrating some easy food production and permaculture into your property but don't want to dive into a full design for your space the 'Guild-To-Go' is for you! A Guild in permaculture speak is an assembly of plants that help support a central element, generally a fruit or nut tree. As a mini-ecosystem these supporting plants provide nutrients, mulch, pest control and attract pollinators for the central tree. Planting a guild on your front lawn or in a corner of your backyard is a quick and easy way to beautify your landscape with edibles and medicinals that come back every year and are low maintenance.

The Guild-To-Go lets you select the species of tree you would like for your central element and Wild Craft will plant this tree along with approximately 30 supporting plants in a 100 sq.ft. area of your lawn. Orders placed before Sunday March 31 will get bareroot trees which will adapt readily to their new home. Orders placed after April 1 will get potted trees and may not have the same selection available.

Tree options include: apple, pear, plum, cherry, apricot, peach, nectarine, mulberry, quince, persimmon, paw paw (only for shady property), hazelnut, northern pecan, heartnut, butternut, buartnut, hickory, oak. If you are thinking of something not on the list just ask.

Supporting guild:
4 nitrogen fixers (ex. false indigo, bayberry, new jersey tea)
6 aromatic pest confusers (ex. thyme, anise hyssop, chives, oregano, sage)
4 pollinator attractors (ex. bergamot, echinacea, yarrow)
10 dynamic accumulators (ex. chamomile, bloody dock, sorrel, strawberry)
6 other (ex. hollyhock, lavender, tulip, daffodil)

The Guild costs 375$ + tax for all your plants, materials, labour and the application of a soil inoculate to help the plants get established.

Fresh Fruit at your Door

Imagine biting into a piece of juicy, fresh fruit picked moments ago from your own yard. What could be more delicious? Wild Craft has a variety of fruit trees, shrubs and berries that we will deliver right to your door. Just select what you'd like from this order form and email it to us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

We can help you pick the best spot for your new edible and for a fee of 25$ will plant it for you using Myke® Grow, a mycorrhizal fungi inoculant that will help the roots establish healthy soil relationships immediately. Large trees are 50$ or 3 for 130$, tax included. Most shrubs are 25$ each or 3 for 70$, tax included.

 

Permablitz

London's first permablitz was facilitated by Wild Craft Permaculture on May 12, 2012! After a morning workshop more community members joined us to transform Rebecca Croden and Jessica Conlon's front yard into an edible landscape. Everybody had lots of fun, learned a lot, and got lots of curious looks from the neighbours - some of whom stopped by to chat and learn about what we were doing.

If you would like to host a permablitz at your house and get a team of volunteers to convert your lawn to an edible eden let us know and we can arrange one with you. Please note you are expected to keep the cycle of community giving going by participating in 2 to 3 other permablitz if you will be hosting one yourself.

Example Workshops

Introduction to Permaculture: Jessica Roder led a 1 day introductory course at Everdale Environmental Learning Centre on May 28, 2011. A good mix of theory and hands on learning in the field led to tired and happy participants. One even gives us a nod in her blog Kitchen Vignettes. Attendees enjoyed “Jessica’s presentation style. Lots was covered in a condensed and engaging manner”, “the mix of hands-on and theory, with lots of laughter”, and felt “it was very stimulating and got me thinking about what I want in the future”.

Introduction to Food Forests: Jessica Roder and Rob Cordy led an Introduction to Food Forests workshop at Everdale Environmental Learning Centre on August 21, 2011. Participants hailed from both dense urban areas and rural farms. Despite a torrential downpour right after lunch, the lightening passed from overhead and we were able to get outside and get our hands dirty. See the slideshow for some pictures of the sheet mulching we did around an existing asian pear tree and a newly planted stella cherry tree and its guild. Everyone left having learned a lot and wanting to delve deeper into the world of forest gardening. Feedback about what people enjoyed most included: “Interesting and relevant lectures and being able to do hands on work.”, “Simplicity.”, “Building guilds and understanding the full concept of food forests.”, and “Everything - even the rain!.”

Example Designs

Small urban rental property: This design was for someone renting a house and will be implemented by her over time. We built the swale (passive rainwater catchment) system and sheet mulched the entire area in the fall of 2010 with her and some friends to prepare it for spring planting. Her annual vegetables are doing well this year and are arranged into companion plantings so that they play supportive roles for each other. The trees and perennials will be planted over time by the resident. As Wild Craft will not be doing the installation a variety of options were provided in an information package so that the tenant can adapt to particular plant availability and budget as she is able to implement the long term plan.

1 acre suburban property: This large property will be implemented in phases over several years. When complete there will be an area of self-watering raised beds (wicking beds) for annual vegetables, a meditation labyrinth with herbs, a dry creek bed running through a large naturalized forest, a food forest with a large variety of fruits, nuts and perennial foods, and a greenhouse to extend the seasons.  The food forest was begun in the summer of 2011 and will be filled out in future years. Nut trees and the wicking beds will be the next phase of the project.