This original design of the Hazelwood Food Forest has been perfected and changed over the last five years after the garden’s planting in 2010. Most of the fruit trees and shrubs are the same, though a few swales and a small vernal pond of sorts have been added to the eastern side of the property to direct, capture and store water flowing in from the alley uphill. The horseshoe shape of the garden was inspired by designs of Toby Hemenway and Bill Mollison of sun traps. The design works beautifully. With larger trees to the north of the property as to not shade out any shorter species. We have a windbreak of hazelnut, mulberry, elderberry, quince and blueberry on the western edge of the property to slow the cold winds that blow in off of the Monongahela River nearby.
