1

Is there any good guidelines for how to space plants so that you can prevent plant diseases from being spread between plants, while still having them able to work together in order to pollinate each other?

My biggest fear is having one disease damage part of my "family orchard" (food forest) crop.

black thumb
  • 8,786
  • 2
  • 30
  • 67
  • Isn't that *exactly* what companion planting is for? To avoid monoculture or closely related plants that can harbour disease? – Stephie Jul 07 '16 at 21:56
  • @Stephie Yes, but how far should you space them to slow down disease spread on top of doing normal companion planting? – black thumb Jul 07 '16 at 21:59
  • 1
    A forest of food 'trees' is a long term investment. I would recommend becoming adept with a vegetable garden first. You'd learn so very much that will help with your...orchard. You won't have to learn so much by mistakes and with trees, kinda major. AERATION is something you should study...critical, critical and more critical. And, btw, pollinating happens without being cuddled up. By insects or wind, plants have devised ways to get pollinated at distances critical and necessary for aeration/ventilation. – stormy Jul 07 '16 at 22:01

1 Answers1

2

A food forest attempts to replicate the multi layer food producing elements the night be seen at the edge of the forest. Trees should be spaced according to their full grown sizes, and berries as well. Pollination should not be a problem since it's carried out by flying insects. Since you're planting different species of plants you don't have to worry about diseases that might affect a monoculture.

At the bottom of the food forest are your vegetables. You can either space traditionally ( see instructions on the seed packets), or grow closely together as in the French biointensive method. The later does give advantage of reduced watering due to the microclimate established, but does now readily allow pests to spread. However, proponents of this method says it results in strong plants that resist diseases.

Graham Chiu
  • 23,044
  • 5
  • 36
  • 92
  • Should I plant sunchokes (jokingly for nitrogen), chive (grass) seeds, or clover (grass), or something else underneath in the fall with a small layer of dirt on top for presentation in the spring? – black thumb Jul 08 '16 at 04:05
  • How far apart should the plants be to prevent easy species/plant hopping of diseases? – black thumb Jul 08 '16 at 04:11