What is permaculture and what is a food forest? Food forests are edible forests, a permaculture design system technically referred to as syntropic agroforestry food production systems.

Permaculture is gardening philosophy focused on sustainabile production and maximising efficiency. It is rooted in the words permanent and agriculture: Perma-agriculture, hence permaculture.

Many modern agriculture and gardening techniques to produce high yield mono-crops are unsustainable, wasteful and rely on heavy use of chemical fertilisers which ultimately deplete our soils. Planting mono crops reduces soil ecology and biodiversity, further straining the land and placing the environment at risk.

Permaculture aims to reverse this; making use of symbiotic relationships, biodiversity, recycling and zero waste concepts to enrich the soil and provide sustainable, ongoing yields. A concept originating in Australia, a global powerhouse of agricultural research and development thanks to institutions such as the CSIRO, Permaculture design principles are now widely practiced all over the world.

If you are wondering how permaculture design works and ways you can incorporate it into your garden. Here we have everything you need to know.

“Permaculture is a holistic approach to sustainable design of human habitat, based on principles derived from observation of natural systems. It incorporates the three ethics of Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share. Although permaculture first developed in Australian rural settings, it is now applied worldwide and its principles are as relevant to city living as they are in the bush.“

Nadja, from Nadjas Garden

Permaculture principle 1 – Observation First

Observe First, then interact. Do not make massive changes without first understanding the system; for example sunlight plot or shade diagrams, you must observe the light patterns in your garden so you can grow the most appropriate plant for that level of shade / sunlight.

Permaculture principle 2 – Energy

Catch and store energy wherever possible; for example solar energy can be both actively captured using solar panels, regulators and batteries. It can also be passively used through passive solar design; an example is house shading in summer with a deciduous grape vine which in winter drops its leaves and allows sunlight to come through and warm the house.

Permaculture principle 3 – Yield

Grow to obtain a yield; this can be a physical yield such as apples from an apple tree, or a yield effect such as pollination of food crops from planting a flower bed.

Permaculture principle 4 – Self-reflection

Self reflection means observing over a longer time period and then evaluating what has and hasn’t worked. It is important to undertake self reflection to avoid repeating mistakes, and also so you can tweak and optimise your system.

Permaculture principle 5 – Renewables

By switching to renewable resources we are removing the reliance on finite resources; for example using your own ‘green fertiliser’ by sowing and slashing lupins into a field you are able to fertilise the area without relying on harsh chemical fertilisers which may have second or third order unintended consequences. Similarly, by using interlinking principle 2 (Energy) to use renewable energy sources like solar, wind or hydro to provide our electricity we can avoid needing to use coal, gas or oil powered electricity.

Permaculture principle 6 – Recycle

By recycling we can dramatically reduce the waste we produce. Similarly, using principle 4 we can reflect on our own resource use and shift our consumption towards more sustainable practices. A simple example may be recycling planter punnets we use to germinate our seedlings, or reusing jars to store our food. One way I choose to recycle is to chip my orchard pruning / off-cuts and use this as the base for my garden paths and base of the orchard – this recycles the wood and keeps the carbon locked up (rather than burning it) and slowly it decays and turns into amazing soil. It also supreses weeds.

Permaculture principle 7 – Holistic design

Holistic design means looking at the bigger picture before getting bogged down into the details. This might mean trying to think more ‘out of the box’ and focus on what the system inputs and goals are before looking at specific design solutions. For example, before starting to plant out an orchard it would be prudent to consider what you are trying to achieve; how many people are you trying to support, what are the risks and local pests (and how will you protect them), what is your target fruit production, when do you want to harvest the crops, what will you do with excess production etc.

Permaculture principle 8 – Integration

Integration means having your systems work together. For example you may choose to create a compost heap on your property; this allows you to integrate your waste disposal (such as food scraps or green waste) system with your growing systems – as good quality broken down compost can be used to fertilise and provide organic matter for your garden. Another form of integration is I run the chooks through the orchard; the chickens keep pests, weeds and excess fallen fruit at bay, and provide the orchard with an ongoing source of organic compost – chook poo!

Permaculture principle 9 – Increments

Increments means valuing small progress or doing things with small, frequent changes rather than massive sweeping overhauls. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and in a similar concept neither will your system. Incremental change works with self-reflection to continually tweak and make minor adjustments to your systems. This provides much lower risk – For example when starting a chook run, perhaps you should just start with only a half dozen to test and adjust the process, and not a few hundred chooks! This can also apply to adopting the other 11 principles; don’t rush out to drastically change your lifestyle and drop everything – you will probably be overwhelmed and give it up, so just start with one small change at a time – when that works safely, you can incrementally change something else. Slow and steady progress!

Permaculture principle 10 – Diversity

similar to the principle of integration, diversity means to value a poly-culture. Mono-cultures such as fields of corn are susceptible to pest damage because the pests can easily find the scent of the corn and then gorge themselves. Inter planting with a diverse range of species improves the suitability and yield of your crops; for example companion planting Tomatoes with Basil has been known about for hundreds of years. Many herbs can be used as a natural pest repellent, and flowering plants interspersed with food crops allow for increased pollination and yield; which is why we often see roses or other flowers planted along and within orchards

Permaculture principle 11 – Zero waste

Permaculture means moving toward a zero waste lifestyle. This works in conjunction with principle 6 (recycle) but also refers to principle 9 (incremental change). An example could be a shady garden spot which is difficult to grow a particular sun loving crop; we can avoid wasting this space by selecting a shade loving plant that might need a bit more shelter (for example I plant out rhubarb in my shadier spots and they do just fine)

Permaculture principle 12 – Change

There is a funny quote about change that goes “There is only two things I don’t like – change, and the way things are”! Change is an inevitable fact of life, and understanding change is possibly one of the biggest parts of permaculture. We as custodians of the systems work to subtly mold the outcome of this change, and we can watch it unfold from day to day; weather patterns, plants growing and animals maturing. Permaculture means valuing change and accepting that our lives and systems will change and mature over time; including our knowledge, understandings and beleifs.

Permaculture principle summary

The 12 principles of permaculture can be used practically when designing and setting up your garden, growing or living space. By working with the natural environment and its strengths rather than trying to force it into something, you can unlock masses more potential and efficiency from your space; boosting your yield and cutting your operating costs.

Permaculture zones

To follow a sustainable and easy design for your garden, most permaculturalists focus on dividing their space into layers and permaculture zones to make managing it more efficient and productive. There are 7 main permaculture zones you need to know about. 

Zone 0: It is the home that provides indoor production to plants. Water, waste collection, processing of food, and repairs take place here. 

Zone 1: This area requires continuous observation. Besides that, it has extensive garden beds with access to keyholes. 

Zone 2: The area of permaculture design requires less intensive management. However, you have to pay attention to animals like rabbits, poultry, snail farm, worm farm, and more. 

Zone 3: It consists of season wide-ranging crops and self-fed animals. That is why it is occasionally visited. 

Zone 4: Area consists of wood for fuel, wild food gatherings, and self-seeding trees. 

Zone 5: Rarely visited the natural area. It has a link with wildlife corridors. Thus, it helps to reduce the risk of disasters like drought, fire, hurricanes, or pollution. 

Zone 6: It is a greater bioregion. 

“In the small garden some of these zones may be less relevant but it’s still worth following in principle. Trust me – on those grotty days when it’s freezing cold and chucking it down and all you want is a few salad leaves or a handful of chives, you’ll be much more inclined to harvest them if they’re in a pot by the kitchen door rather than against the back fence!”

Ann Marie Hendry from GrowVeg

Introduction to food forests

Food forests are a sustainable organic system that is designed in seven layers and feature a canopy, understory, bush, herb crops ground covers, vine and root crops layer

The tall trees protect the small trees, providing shelter from harsh sun and wind and allowing fruiting shrubs and ground cover plants to work together build a local ecosystem for food supply.

All of the plants in a food forest work together to help to prevent pests and diseases, cycle nutrients and on soil building, and they are supported by rich and diverse soil biota such as fungi and microorganisms. Food forests can be found all over the world from many tropical regions to arid to temperate climates, and they provide locals with fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and medicines.

In comparison to traditional agricultural systems for edible crops, food forests are more efficient as they mimic natural ecosystems and require less human intervention to obtain a maximum yield. There is virtually no limit to the number of edible plants that can be used in forest gardening for food production.

Why grow a food forest?

Food forests are an ideal way to cultivate and harvest your own food. They can be created in your backyard or on a larger scale, such as on farms. A food forest provides you with fresh fruit, vegetables and medicinal herbs for free. It is also great for the environment because it is organic and uses natural methods to encourage growth and prevent pests.

What are the benefits of a food forest?

Food forests have many benefits, such as: 

• Providing food security in a time of drought and rising food costs.
• It is an ecofriendly way to provide people with healthy organic produce without harming or depleting natural resources.
• A food forest incorporates biodiversity that can be enjoyed by both humans and wildlife 
• A food forest creates a microclimate within its borders due to the diversity of plants it contains; this means no pesticides will ever need to be used on your crops again as you harbor a diverse food chain of predators to control pests
• Food forests also improve soil health with their roots which prevents erosion from happening too often – food forests are a great way to prevent or reverse desertification.

What can you grow in a food forest?

A food forest is a mix of plants that grow symbiotically to be best suited in your growing location. In Australia, a food forest typically contains a mix of canopy trees, understory trees, bushes, shrubs, ground covers, vegetables, herbs and root crops including;

Pioneer and Legiminous trees for food forests

Pioneer trees are the first generation of hardy and vigorous trees that you plant in your food forest that grow out as canopy trees as you transform the area into a suitable microclimate for more delicate crop plants. They are often the tallest trees and the canopy trees grow first to protect the understory plants

Nitrogen-fixing (leguminous) trees fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil using their specialised root systems and symbiotic relationship with soil micro organisms and fungi. Leguminous trees include;

• Acacia, black wattle (Acacia mearnsii)
• Jumbay, river tamarind, white leadtree, Subabul, white popinac (Leucaena leucocephala)
• Casuarina, ironwood, beefwood, Australian Pine, she oak (Casuarina equisetifolia)
• Desert Ironwood, Arizona Ironwood, Palo-de-Hierro, Palo-de-Fierro (Olneya tesota)
• Velvet Mesquite, Common Mesquite, Arizona Mesquite etc (Prosopis velutina)
• Oak
• Pine trees

Fruit trees for food forests;

Fruit trees are one of the main crops in the food forest, providing the vector for output of the forest via manual food harvesting. By planting a huge excess, you will ensure there is enough for both yourself and local wildlife. To ensure blemish free fruit, you can use strategic netting, covering or even planting some inside an exclusion zone.

• Mango
• Avocado
• Banana
• Peach (White, Yellow, Gold)
• Nectarine (White, Yellow, Gold)
• Peacherine
• Apricot
• Plum (Black, Red, Satsuma)
• Apple (Green, Red, Jonathon, Gold, Ballerina, Granny smith, Sundowner, Opalescent, Pearmain, Rokewood, Summer strawberry, Prince Edward, Royal Gala etc – there are thousands!)

• Pears (Beurre Bosc, Giant Korean Nashi)
• Cherries (Lappins, Merchant, Morello, Bing, Lapin, Van, Sweetheart, Ron, Skeena, Regina, Staccato, Sequoia, Dawn series, Simone and Kordia to name a few)
• Figs (hundreds of varieties) Figs are very hardy and make a great choice
• Prickly pear cactus (watch this one doesn’t spread)
• Pomegranate
• Lemon (Eureka, Lisbon, Meyer)
• Lime (tahitian, Makrut – Kaffir)
• Orange (Washington, Navel, Blood)
• Grapefruit (Ruby Red, Blood, Pink, White)
• Mandarine (Emporer, Japanese, Gaypac)
• Cumquat
• Pomelo
• Tangelo
• Jujube (Chinese dates)
• Sapote (white and black)
• Mulberry (Black, White, Pakastani, Shatoot, King)
• Feijoa (Pineapple guava)
• Guava (Pink, Hawaiin, Strawberry)
• Loquat
• Persimmon
• Australian native finger lime (red and green)
• Lychee
• Papaya
• PawPaw
• Quince
• Lillypilly

As you can see, the possibilities are endless! The trick is finding the kinds of fruit you like,and that will thrive in your conditions. If the conditions arent right, continue with your pioneer species and chop and drop mulching and soil conditioning to improve the soil microbiota and micro climate.

Nut trees for food forests

Nut trees provide some of the most valuable harvests and are highly sought after. Just be sure to plant enough to feed yourself AND the local wildlife, as you may find them getting raided at certain times of the year. Strategic netting can help,as well as planting within netted areas of the food forest.

• Almond
• Walnut
• Macadamia
• Pistachio
• Pecans
• Hazelnuts

Fruit bushes, berries, vines and perennial vegetables for food forests

Fruit bushes, berries and vines are great for making up the intermediate levels in your food forest, gathering either full of dappled light through the main and upper canopies from your pioneer, shade and fruit and nut trees

• Raspberry
• Blackberry
• Goji Berries
• Grapes
• Kiwi fruit
• Passionfruit (Gold, Black, Banana)
• Gooseberry
• Currants (black, white and red)
• Jostaberry
• Cranberries
• Dragon Fruit
• Pepino

Herbs for food forests

Herbs are great in food forests and range from trees, bushes and shrubs to herbacious ground covers. Herbs make fantastic pollinators and companion plants and help promote a thriving and diverse ecosystem.

• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Mint (chocolate, peppermint, spearmint) – can be invasive
• Lemon grass
• Parsely (Flat, Curly, Italian)
• Basil (Purple, Thai, Sweet, Lemon, Italian)
• Sage tree
• Curry leaf tree
• Sugar Cane

Ground covers and flowers for food forests

A few example ground covers you can use to keep the soil protected and form the ground layer of your food forest include;

• Strawberries (although they only last a few years each due to fungal issues)
• Memory plant
• Native spreading daisies
• Pigface
• Creeping boobialla
• Sweet potato
• Wild Garlic
• Geranium
• Sweet violet
• Clover
• Comfrey
• Melons (watermelon, Rockmelon, Honeydew)
• Wandering / climbing Peas, Beans and Curcubits (cucumber, pumpkin etc)
• Lavender
• Ficus
• Jasmine
• Marigold
• Alisium
• Borage
• Petunias

Annual Fruit and Vegetables that can be grown in food forests

You can grow annual fruits and vegetables in food forests such as

• Tomatoes
• Potatoes
• Onion
• Garlic
• Peas and Beans (fantastic leguminous choice for aiding the soil)
• Cucurbits such as Cucumbers and Zuccini and pumpkins
• Leafy greens like Lettuce, Spinach and Beetroot

Animals for your Food forest

Animals actually make a crucial part of the ecosystem in a food forest. In addition to attracting native wildlife such as birds and insects, many people choose to introduce domesticated species to farm for a yield, which has the massive added benefit to turbocharge the soil health with their droppings and nutrient recycling via feeding them household scraps and plants grown in the food forest.

Common animals in food forests include;

• Chickens
• Ducks
• Quail
• Geese
• Goats
• Sheep
• Pigs
• Cows

Other flora and fauna for your food forest

You can also include Fungi and seed your own edible mushroom spores throughout your food forest design to help turbocharge the soil health and the speed at which wood is recycled on the forest floor.

For example, planting hazelnuts or silver oak can provide a suitable host for truffles if growing conditions (temperature, rainfall etc) are suitable, and mushrooms grow often in leaf litter or on decaying wood.

Introducing worms via having several worm farms within the food forest and spreading their egg-containing castings is a brilliant way to encourage healthy soil life throughout the food forest.

Furthermore, it is a great practice to help seed bacteria in the soil and you can do so by adding fermented homemade soil conditioners and compost in the root zone of your trees.

You can grow just about any other plants you like, such as medicinal plants.

How do I get started with my own food forest?

The first step is to assess your needs and the space you have available for growing.

You should draw up a scale diagram, and enlist the help of a permaculture specialist or surveyor to document what you are working with.

Once you have determined what you have, your rainfall level, your ability to landscape and would like to grow, you can begin to map out your food forest.

Mapping out your food forest using permaculture design principles

You will need to decide on the layout of your forest and what plants will go where. Be sure to take into account the sunlight requirements and water needs of each zone, and how they will interact with the landscape i.e. swale positions, fences and animal rotations.

Designing your forest farming layers

Food forest gardens are typically designed in seven layers with all of the plants working together as a giant permaculture garden or edible landscape;

• Canopy: The pioneer tall trees species grow to provide the canopy or overstory tree layer to provide shelter from the sun’s rays. These can reach great heights of over 5m
• Understory: Understory trees are smaller trees which fit under the canopy and typically under 5m tall
• Vines and creepers: Vines and creepers occupy vertical space, and vines grow in places such as on the trunk of the tall trees that provide the canopy.
• Small trees, Shrubs layer: Small trees, Shrubs and bushes which are typically under 2m tall make up the shrub layer
• Herbaceous layer: Herbs such as Basil and lemongrass which are typically under 1m
• Ground cover layer: The ground cover protects the soil, and grows in partial shade
• Root crop: The root crop layer is under the soil, such as where sweet potatoes and yam tubers grow.

Succession plan

Once you have planned out your food forest, you need to come up with a succession plan for how you will slowly convert the current land into a food forest. As an example, this might include planting very hardy pioneer species such as Acacia (black wattle) to provide shelter for younger, more delicate saplings such as fruit trees.

When plants die, or you need space, the initial pioneer species can then be cut down mulched, fed to animals or simply ‘chopped and dropped’ to provide nutrients to the soil. This will allow more sunlight once your young trees and fruit tree saplings have started to mature and don’t need as much protection.

Because the tall trees have deep roots, they will help stabilise and feed the soil long after they are mulched.

“A forest grows on a fallen forest”

Geoff Lawton

Landscaping your food forest

Once you’ve mapped out your food forest and succession plan, it is time to landscape.

You can use tools and machinery such as diggers to break up tough soil, and make mounds to provide shelter from winds, build raised beds, and direct water flows by building swales to capture and maximize use of rain.

Swales allow rain to soak into the land where plants can use it, rather than flow over the top of it and away from the property. Swales are simply mounds that run parallel to contours, helping slow water flow down slopes and directing it into the soil.

Consider the strategic use of Dams, bores (wells) for groundwater and rainwater tanks to capture and store water

Planting your food forest pioneers

You can plant your initial pioneer species (or hardy nitrogen fixing plants) saplings first, ensuring they have enough shelter to protect them whilst they are young.

Planting them with sufficient compost is a great soil conditioner and will help them get a headstart to grow as fast as possible.

A common technique is to provide a barrier from the strongest local prevailing wind direction using a number of stakes, wire and shade cloth

Mulching and feeding the soil of your food forest

Once you have planted your food forest pioneers, be sure to mulch heavily and provide regular watering until your plants are established. After that, they should require little maintenance aside from occasional pruning and slashing around them where you can simply chop and drop to feed the soil.

One way to get ahead and encourage the growth of grasses and groundcovers is to irrigate using large sprinklers, sprinkle seeds such as clover or grass, and apply a couple of initial rounds of fertilizer. The aim is to not rely on artificially introduced fertiliser in the long term, but kickstarting it can help the growth of perennial plants and groundcovers which you can slash and drop to help produce soil.

Planting your food forest crops

Once your food forest is established with the pioneers providing shelter in the form of shade and wind protection, your soil health has started improving and you have water security, you can begin slowly planting out your other food crops such as fruit trees, bushes, nut trees, specific groundcovers and veggies.

Annuals such as vegetables which require full sun can pretty much go in wherever, but you need to pay more attention to perennials and fruit trees which will need a bit more protection whilst they are young.

Again, use your tree shelters for the saplings to protect them from strong winds, give a healthy dose of soil conditioner and compost in the planting hole, mulch well and regularly water them.

Principles of a food forest

The principles of food forests include:

• A garden design that mimics nature
• Using passive design solutions such as swales to direct water flow and trap water in the soil, rather than let it run off your property
• Use hardy pioneer species to shelter more delicate fruit trees, bushes and other crops whilst they are young.
• Provide a rich source of nutrients for the soil and encourage the nutrient cycle by chopping and dropping pioneer species around younger saplings where possible.
• Encourage diverse flora and fauna, including native animals,

Why food forests?

There are many benefits of an edible forest for food production over traditional gardening and monocropping agriculture, including:

• An increase in yield due to complementary planting, companion planting, and polyculture – the mixing of plants for mutual benefit
• Greater resistance to pests and diseases as there are more plants present with different defenses, reducing or eliminating any need for pesticides
• Soil improvement as organic matter accumulates, thanks to the addition of mulch, green manures, leguminous trees and cover crops, compost, and nutrient recycling via animals and the chop and drop method. This reduces the need for artificially introduced fertilisers.
• Reduced need for watering due to the efficient use of rainwater capture and soil improvement with organic matter.
• Attract beneficial insects to protect fruit crops using a natural ecosystem of predators

Summary of food forests

Growing a food forest is a great way to sustainably implement the permaculture gardening design principles and become an environmental steward – it can allow you to produce masses of fresh produce in a much higher yield than traditional agriculture.

By following a few simple steps, you can be on your way to growing your own food in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way, in as little or as large of a space as you need. Why not give it a try?

Why Adopt permaculture design for your garden?

• It is easier to manage a huge variety of plants and crops in various permaculture zones. 
• All the plants function as one and they provide nutritional support to each other. 
• There is no waste in the entire that makes it a sustainable option. 
• A permaculture garden is perfect for the ecology of soil. Thus, it prevents the creation of barren lands. 
• It supports the growth of beneficial microorganisms. 

• The system can help in the development of a productive ecosystem.
• Regardless of the degradation of an ecosystem, you can apply permaculture design to it to help restore it
• It validates and values traditional experience and knowledge.
• The permaculture zones are an example of sustainable agriculture practice. 
• A permaculture garden design is a connection between emergent earth culture and traditional cultures. 
• The design promotes organic agriculture without the utilization of pesticides which pollute our environment.
• Permaculture design aims to maximize synergistic and symbiotic relationships between components of soil. 
• It is a site-specific, culture-specific, and client-specific design. 

Applying permaculture design to your garden

Having a permaculture garden design is not as tough as it seems. There are simple instructions that you need to follow to successfully grow a sustainable garden. These can easily be applied to even a small backyard garden.

Here we have 5 simple steps in which you can easily have your garden. 

Improve health of soil

For permaculture, garden soil is a valuable asset. Soil should have beneficial organisms and organic matter. Besides that, it can manage water and nutrients efficiently, resist pests, erosion, and diseases. Therefore, pay attention to the health of soil instead of decided the plants you want to grow. 

“Caring for and adding to the soil is perhaps the simplest and most profound piece of gardening advice I can give, and for me, as with many other practitioners, this is rooted in the implication of no-till and/or one-dig garden beds.“

Johnathon Engel from PermacultureNews

Appropriate use of water

Develop a plan for using water efficiently in permaculture zones. Assure that you do not waste wastewater. As well as there shall be no pooling or erosion. Besides that, you can use a variety of water management tools to work efficiently. 

Have multifunctional plants 

A variety of plants play various roles in the garden. For example, soybean can provide nitrogen to soil while cilantro can attract beneficial pollinators and insects. Besides that, both are not only edible but also beneficial for other plants. As well as, having a diverse ecological garden will be beneficial. 

Pay attention to edges

In permaculture design management, edges are very important. Thus, by defining edges you can easily control what can or cannot come into the garden. Moreover, it is like a complete system that will require proper attention and management.

Plant in layers

Create a proper grouping of plants – Try to apply the seven layers of your food forest in each zone. Central elements of your garden zones like fruit and nut trees will form the over story tree layer. Around this you can underplant a tree with smaller bushes and shrubs, herbs, ground cover and root crops.

You can even support vines like passionfruit, grapes or hops on the overstory, and these all work together to offer a better overall harvest. these seven layers work together, performing a supporting function of each other to improve yield and efficiency

Mulch, Mulch, Mulch

Mulch is critically important in permaculture and serves several purposes. Protecting soil, supressing weeds, diversifying ecology, protecting roots and preventing water evaporation are just some of its major benefits. Furthermore, mulches can be made by recycling waste products in the garden, improving efficiency and reiforcing nutrient cycles that are otherwise interupted by exporting ‘waste’ out of your garden and into landfil.

Whether it’s living or decaying, it improves so much of what is happening. It adds nutrients. It protects the soil from drying out. It prevents the rain from eroding the soil are pounding it into concrete. It provides habitat for microorganisms, insects and all sorts of other things that are living in and constantly improving the soil

Johnathon Engel from PermacultureNews

Mulches can be as simple as prunings, straw, lawn clippings, chipped wood or bark. Spread around the garden and plants, it works its magic.

Check out our dedicated review on the best mulch to work out what types might work best in your garden.