What Grows in a Prairie Food Forest?

Putting the terms prairie and forest together in the title of this piece may seem like (and is) a contradiction. To be clear, I’m not talking about or advocating for finding a piece of virgin prairie on which to plant fruit, grains and vegetables; nor am I proposing that my objective is to grow a forest. What I’m talking about is growing food, including fruit trees and shrubs but also herbs and vegetables together on ground that happens to be located in the prairie region and is subject to its sometimes brutal climate and weather. The forest can be rural or urban, large or small. Specifically, I’m talking about south and central Saskatchewan, but the principles and plant selection is valid for other prairie provinces and northern plains states.

Think about the “forest” as a variety of fruit and nut trees and shrubs, along with herbs and vegetables, all grown together in a mutually beneficial way, on a prepared plot of land.

What follows is a list of plants that will grow and thrive in the prairie region, and provide food for people (and some other animals). There is no one perfect way to combine the plants. For example, you could row plant a monoculture apple or saskatoon berry orchard. Much better though, from an ecological and diet point of view, is to plant a polyculture or guild comprised of, for example, an apple tree or two, a few saskatoon, haskap and raspberry bushes, with an understory and groundcover layer of vegetables like potatoes and beans and herbs like dill, wild ginger and oregano. A healthy polyculture food forest can also include plants that don’t feed people but do attract pollinators like bees and also the beneficial insects including predators like hover flies, lacewings and ground beetles that will eat pests that threaten your food forest. Some plants such as clover will build soil fertility. Healthy soil is critical. Of course, most of your plants will need sunshine, and water. See some of my previous postings for information on how to build healthy soil and attract and support pollinators and beneficial predators.

This is a list of trees, shrubs and plants that grow well in the prairie climate zones 2 and 3. Supplemental watering will be necessary when establishing the forest, and then in drought periods. The list is not all inclusive. These are my recommendations because I know they grow in the prairie climate and are available for purchase in most local garden centres. Your research may inspire you to try other fruits and vegetables.

Trees:

  • Apple: there are many suitable varieties for fresh eating and cooking, including Prairie Magic and Prairie Sun;

  • Plum: several suitable varieties, including Patterson Pride, Prairie, Superb, and Supreme.

Shrubs:

  • Saskatoons: several suitable varieties;

  • Sour Cherry: several suitable varieties;

  • Haskap: several suitable varieties. Very nutritious. Require two or more different varieties for pollination;

  • Chokecherry: several suitable varieties;

  • Nanking Cherry: very productive. Similar in use and taste to sour cherry;

  • Golden Currant: also consider the related red, white and black currants, and gooseberries;

  • High Bush Cranberry: for jelly and sauce - taste improves if harvested after frost;

  • Hazelnut: the nuts are nutritious and delicious when roasted;

  • Raspberry: many varieties, very tasty, productive and nutritious, but need room to spread;

  • Blueberries: delicious and nutritious but need acidic soil and will fail in prairie areas like southern Saskatchewan where soil is alkaline.

Perennials: (these can be planted in sunny areas under and around trees and shrubs)

  • Rhubarb: an under-appreciated very nutritious food plant;

  • strawberry: many varieties, including wild and cultivated varieties. Need room to spread;

  • Herbs like chives, oregano, dill, coriander are not technically perennials, but their seeds will overwinter and sprout in the spring. They are excellent for flavour and nutrition and also for attracting beneficial insects. There are many herbs, both native and introduced, that grow well on the prairies;

Annuals: (these include vegetables and flowers for planting in sunny areas of the forest as space and enthusiasm allows)

  • Many choices, including garlic, beans (bush and climbing), tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, squash, peas, potatoes, etc.

Groundcovers: (these are forbs and grasses planted in the food forest to cover and improve the soil, preserve moisture, prevent weeds, provide habitat and pollen and nectar for beneficial insects, and provide seeds for overwintering birds). Note: Never use landscape fabric as a groundcover in the food forest or around shrubs or vegetables because it restricts natural soil building processes.

  • groundcovers include clover, creeping thyme, pasture sage, wild bergamot, anise hyssop, little bluestem grass, goldenrod, sunflower, aster, wild ginger, Western Canada violets, three-flowered avens, etc.

There are some excellent reference books available:

- Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens, by Sara Williams and Bob Bors.

- Gaia’s Garden, by Toby Hemenway. Describes polyculture and guild food forests in detail.

- Vegetable Gardening for Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, by Laura Peters.

- Herbs & Edible Flowers, by Lois Hole.

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