By Margaret Roach
Published July 26, 2023
Your first taste of a ripe pawpaw or persimmon can leave you hungry for more. That’s why Michael Judd is confident that he can persuade you to make room for several of these trees in your front yard — or even to surrender your lawn altogether.
Every September, Mr. Judd and his wife, Ashley, hold a pawpaw festival at their permaculture homestead in Maryland.
Credit…Lindsey Welsh
Homegrown success begins with choosing the right cultivar, and the release of Mr. Judd’s new Fruit Patch App helps users do that, and find other guild components, as well.
At a permaculture site planted by Michael Judd, an edible landscape designer, each fruit tree is underplanted with beneficial companion plants, so “you’re not leaving your poor little fruit tree in a sea of grass,” he said.
Credit…Michael Judd
Mr. Judd recommends a “one-patch-at-a-time” approach to food foresting, keeping each guild well mulched to support the soil. He hopes, of course, that as the plants grow, you’ll be tempted to connect the dots (or guilds).
Posted In: Edible and Ecological Landscape Design, Media