Beacon Food Forest

Volunteer opportunities: To receive notifications about weekly (socially distanced) work parties, please send an email to BFF-SpecialWorkParties+[email protected] and you’ll receive a sign-up link for our listserv. Our Story:

As one of the first large-scale public food forests, this garden has captured the imaginations of people all around the world with visions of how communities can come together in urban places to grow food and revitalize the landscape with community gardening. The Beacon Food Forest celebrates growing food for the benefit of all species, providing educational opportunities, fostering and serving a diverse community, improving public health by regenerating public land, reducing agricultural climate impact, and improving local food security.

*** History of the project
This project is a significant grassroots effort, initiated and driven by community members. A group of friends and neighbors initiated the idea of a food forest in this location. With funds from Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, the group launched a community design process and invited neighbors and food forest enthusiasts from around the region to participate. Hundreds of people have participated in all aspects of its vision, design, and construction. Hundreds more participated in work parties to build the food forest with tasks ranging from spreading woodchips to installing a water system. Community volunteers are responsible for ongoing stewardship and maintenance of the garden.

*** What is a food forest? A Food Forest is a gardening technique or land management system that mimics a woodland ecosystem but substitutes in edible trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals. Fruit and nut trees are the upper level, while below are berry shrubs, edible perennials and annuals. Companions or beneficial plants are included to attract insects for natural pest management while some plants are soil amenders providing nitrogen and mulch. Together they create relationships to form a forest garden ecosystem able to produce high yields of food with less maintenance.