The Longwing 4-H Food Forest
2831 NW 11th Place, Fort Lauderdale FL 33311
The land for this garden was purchased in January 2017. It was intended to be a working garden where 4-H youth and adult volunteers could come, grow their own food, and share their knowledge and resources with neighbors and friends.
The space had been vacant for at least 20 years. When we started to work the land we were shut down by the county code enforcement as gardening was not a designated use. Thanks to the gardener Hermine Ricketts and the Institute for Justice, a state statute allowing gardening was passed into law in 2019. We resumed our activity, pulled all of the rubble and trash off the property, covered the entire lot with 18 inches of mulch, and drew out a shamrock shape to create planting areas.
Since then, we have planted hundreds of fruit and spice trees, perennial vegetables, and medicinal herbs. We were blessed with existing trees, including our legendary mango tree. We eat the produce and propagate cuttings, seeds, and seedlings to give away to neighbors and other 4-H club members.
Our vision is for the Longwing Food Forest to be a working laboratory for permaculture principles in South Florida. We experiment to learn what grows well here without irrigation or chemical fertilizers and pesticides. We have had good success with many fruits and vegetables. Our beekeeper manages hives at the corner of the property, which helps with pollination and provides honey to the gardeners.
In the Beginning…
we built planting beds from coconut husks using hugelkulture techniques
We built raised beds using logs and palm branches in the hugelkulture method.
We didn't want to throw out any organic matter.
An overview of the planting area.
Pineapple patch under the mango tree
Garden looking south with trellis made from horse panel.
Our permaculture class helped out as part of their practicum.
Harvesting Lemongrass
Surinam spinach in the front border.
Longwing Caterpillars
The little library.
The front edge with coontie, iris, and firebush.
The front gate looking north.
Plants and Trees
We have planted more than 400 plants and trees at Longwing. Here are a few selections.
We have planted over 400 edible trees and plants at Longwing. Our goal is to learn what grows well in our subtropical climate, its nutritional and medicinal value, how to propagate through air laying, cuttings, and seeds, and how to prepare and preserve the harvest. We especially focus on plants that are NUS: Neglected and Underutilized species. These plants may be unfamiliar to the average consumer because they are not a good commercial crop, but they can provide numerous benefits in terms of improved health and well being, as well as reducing the impact of transporting food thousands of miles, with its inevitable waste from spoilage.
Trees and Plants at Longwing.
We have planted over 100 native trees for our birds, bees, butterflies and other wildlife.nectar and host plants for
The legendary Mango Tree
Calamondin Oranges
Pineapple patch
Lemongrass harvest