09/29/2026
🌱 Okay, THIS is why I keep saying there is so much more to an edible landscape than just planting edible plants.
We were helping a homeowner clean up an existing food forest today, and I found this around one of their beautyberry bushes.
This poor thing has struggled for YEARS.
As I started clearing things back, I found this green plastic mesh tangled up in the root zone. 😳
I don’t know exactly why it was used or how it was installed, and I don’t want to make assumptions about the original installation. But seeing this definitely got my attention.
Because this is the part of landscaping that you don’t see.
The roots.
Roots need room to grow. Soil needs to breathe. Water needs to move. And everything we put into the soil can potentially affect what happens underneath the surface for years.
This particular food forest was originally installed by a legitimate edible landscape company, which honestly makes finding this even more interesting.
I’m not sure yet if this beautyberry can be saved, but I’m going to carefully work around it and see what we can do. ❤️🌿
And THIS is exactly why I’m so passionate about what we’re building.
I don’t want to just plant things that look good when we’re finished.
I want to understand the land, understand the plants, and think about what that landscape is going to look like 5, 10, 20 years from now.
Because a food forest should become more established, more productive, and more alive with time.
Not just look good on installation day. 🌱