Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners to learn about 'food forests'

The Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners will hold its next monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 21, with a program on "Creating a Food Forest and a Permaculture Landscape."

It will begin with a social gathering at 6:45 p.m., followed by a business meeting and presentation at 7 p.m. at the Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave.

What is a "food forest" and does it have structure like the forests we know? What is "permaculture" and what are the principles of a "permaculture landscape"?

These are the questions Brian Winkelman will answer. His business, Freedom Foodscapes, is aimed at getting as much food in the ground instead of ornamental so people realize a massive return on their investment. He works in cooperation with the FFA and is trained in permaculture.

His mission is to replace as many lawns as possible in the Chicago area using permaculture landscape design to promote edible systems that are low maintenance, organic, and high in nutrient density, or to at least replace all lawns with micro clover. The implementation of this type of design concept is quite different from traditional gardening and farming.

Join the Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners to learn about food forests and permaculture landscape design.

If you have any questions, email BataviaPlainDirtGardeners@gmail.com.