The Food Forest Handbook: Design and Manage a Home-Scale Perennial Polyculture Garden

Grow a Thriving, Edible Backyard Ecosystem
Turn any yard into a productive, low—maintenance food forest that produces fresh fruit, nuts, and vegetables year after year—while regenerating soil, attracting pollinators, and building climate resilience. Perfect for urban lots, suburban yards, or rural homesteads.

What You'll Learn

Grounded in permaculture principles and decades of hands—on experience, The Food Forest Handbook gives you the tools to: Plan and design your forest garden for any space—from tiny urban plots to sprawling rural yards. Choose perennials, fruit and nut trees, shrubs, and vines that maximize biodiversity and ecological balance. Build healthy soil naturally using composting, mulching, and succession planning. Manage your food forest year—round with pruning, water systems, pest management, and maintenance strategies. Harvest and preserve your bounty with crop profiles, storage tips, and delicious recipes.

Why It Matters
Food forests work with nature, not against it, giving you sustainable abundance, beauty, and resilience for generations. By following these strategies, you'll grow your own food, support local ecosystems, and create a backyard that benefits people, wildlife, and the planet.

About the Authors
Darrell Frey — Owner of Three Sisters Farm, author of Bioshelter Market Garden, and permaculture teacher for 30+ years. He has inspired thousands of gardeners to create regenerative, productive landscapes.

Michelle Czolba — Co—owner of Pittsburgh Permaculture and co—founder of the Hazelwood Food Forest. With decades of experience in perennial design and sustainable systems, Michelle brings deep practical knowledge to every step of creating a food forest.

Call to Action
Start your edible ecosystem today—get The Food Forest Handbook and begin creating a regenerative, resilient backyard that feeds your family and nurtures the planet.