FFG is an experiment in urban food forestry. Our city is host to a burgeoning population of urban food growing projects. This food forest is one additional inner-city resource whose goal is to provide food to the local community.
Fargo boasts 2,600 sq ft. and is located in inner North Portland. With 14 fruit trees and 1 nut tree in their 4th season (2011), this urban forest is in its earliest stages of forest succession. Many understory plants have taken hold, berries, herbs and bulbs with some little known edibles.
These first years have focused on infrastructure development, education and some donated plantings. If you'd like to donate please see list of desires below! This past year saw the curing of our first compost in our new compost bins. Richard Cawley built kiwi and grape arbors and a water overflow sculpture from the harvesting tanks and installed a pond in the catch basin. These were paid for by the PDC grant acquired last year.
Accepted into the Urban Farm Collective as their first permaculture site, Fargo received the benefits of a weekly intern for the Summer and Fall seasons. The site manager and intern worked closely together educating themselves on permaculture theory and principles, tree care, pest/disease control and composting technique. Also, in partnership the Portland Fruit Tree Project worked with the site manager to teach workshop participants how to prune and identify and control pest and disease.
As in any permaculture site, there is a lot going on! We look forward to having our first fruits from some trees this year! If you are interested in more information or wish to volunteer in the garden, send an e-mail to Angela Goldsmith, the Site Manager for Fargo Forest Garden and she will get you plugged into the urban farming movement.We are open to the public during daylight hours. Come by and see what's happening! Our newest addition this coming Winter will be an Olive tree donated in memorium to Susie Stephens. She was a bicycling and walking advocate hit by a bus in St. Louis Missouri. Her forest across the U.S. is growing with each tree planted in her honor.
Desire List: 2 stunted pine trees, small pine nut producing pine, artichoke seed
Check out Fargo's other supporters to see what good works they are up to:
Livingscape Nursery
Depave
The Audobon Society
Portland Development Commission
