Back in 2019 I receive Joan Starr at my horticulture talking inThe Great South Florida Food Forest Projectdown in Ft . Lauderdale . She invited me to visit Snyder Park and give some stimulation on a food forest labor they were launching . Though I was excited about the musical theme , I only had a few mean solar day in town and was living in the Caribbean , so I did not make it over there .
When I was a kid , I celebrated multiple birthdays at Snyder Park . It was one of my preferent parks because it had an unreal lake where we could swim . On one birthday there we had hot frump . I eat too many of them and ended up laying on a picnic tabular array with a stomach ache while my acquaintance swim .
subsequently , my now - wife Rachel worked at Snyder Park as a lifeguard when she was a teenager . When we were date stamp , I would occasionally beat back over and bring her lunch . She was all tanned and attend astonishing in her red lifesaver washup lawsuit with the white cross on the chest …
Man , good memories .
Where was I ?
Oh yes . Food forest .
When I was in Ft . Lauderdale for New Year ’s a couple weeks ago , I gave a little intellectual nourishment forest talk of the town at the Riverland Preserve and was able to meet up with Joan again . Unlike the previous time we ’d meet , I was able-bodied to set aside some metre to visit the task she was working on at Snyder Park – and I was more than impressed !
Meet Joan :
This woman has spearheaded something beautiful . She is a master copy gardener and an artist and told me that she had been planting gardens for bees and birds , but after read my books , she thought “ why are n’t we set garden for hoi polloi to eat ! ? ”
Joan has a few acres being converted to edible and medicinal plants right now by volunteers at the park . At the entrance to the food forest area are some improbable raised bed that are handicapped accessible .
And behind there is an exposed field load with young yield tree that were planted about a year ago :
These trees are from the Rare Fruit and Vegetable Council of Broward County , whichI have visited before .
I spotted mango , loquat , June plum , Jamaican cerise , Genip , mammee tree sapote and other tropic delights .
Because of the irrigation organisation , these trees are growing tight . The soil has a decent amount of constitutive matter in it and as you may tell by the lush surrounding woods , it is n’t poor . I ’d say it ’s much unspoiled than the “ soil ” in my South Florida solid food forest .
Once you go past the first field arena of the food wood , there is a burrow cut through the vines and brushwood of the existing forest into a wide , undecided path .
To the left side is an area that was originally found with plants to fertilise and attract razz – a bird bema – but it has been overgrown with sess and wild flower . I tell Joan that it looked like a pretty right bird sanctuary just as it is . Who cares what was in the first place planted – I like the weeds , and I ’m sure the chick do too . Not to note the bee and butterflies .
Along the pathway there are a variety of interesting and utilitarian flora , including chaya , cassava , avocados and more .
I also spotted one of my favorite tree diagram – the black sapote , AKA the chocolate pud fruit tree :
A compost big money was also build for demonstration function :
I said to Joan “ Why would you require a compost heap in the food woodland ? Just throw material on the ground ! ”
She replied that it was there for learn purposes , as they contrive to do educational event and having a good compost pile design will be helpful for people with city backyards .
Also , not that the front slat on this compost atomic reactor have not been installed yet – this is all still a work in progress .
As you come around through the walk , you meet an area of shade with some break up shrubs :
In this area there are a kind of utilitarian and edible species already , include Surinam cherries and fantastic citrus fruit . Joan and her military volunteer are save them while clearing out some of the less utilitarian and more invasive species . Like line white potato , of which there are many !
By the entrance to the food woods is a big atomic reactor of aviation murphy bulbil that lie on the ground like a crushed rock drive :
In just a short menses of time this project has really taken off and I am honored to have been the inspiration for creating a Florida food wood of this size , and in a Mungo Park I loved as a child !
Good body of work , Joan !
Next time I head south , I ’ll have to give a talk at Snyder Park . It ’s shaping up to be a lovely food timber .
If you ’d care to get tortuous or discontinue by for a visit , you ’ll findmore info on Snyder Park here .
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