Vendor Spotlight: Bouldin Food Forest

Permaculture is a methodology for designing ecosystems that closely mimic nature. At Bouldin Food Forest, farmer Ben McConnell follows these methods to create a sustainable farm that grows vegetables, greens, herbs and fruits. Located an hour northeast of Austin, Ben designed his farm to protect the health and well-being of the surrounding area. That meant developing and fostering a rich ecosystem of plants, trees and animals that work in harmony with one another.

As a food forest, trees govern the land. They capture and store harmful pollutants that contribute to global warming, produce their own mulch and compost, reduce the impact of high winds, prevent erosion of valuable topsoil, communicate with other trees via their roots and share resources when other trees are under stress or being attacked. That’s why Bouldin Food Forest plans to plant hundreds of trees over the coming years including delicious cherries, figs, limes, oranges, pomegranates, apples and a variety of nuts.

In addition, a series of ponds on the farm capture and store rainfall that is used for irrigation. And their growing plots follow the contours of the land to help prevent soil erosion. Ben also practice no-till farming so that the soil biology is largely left undisturbed. Soil biology provides nutrition to plants while bolstering their immune systems to attacks from pests. Everything working together! Taste the difference that conscientious permaculture makes with Bouldin Food Forest’s produce each Sunday at Texas Farmers’ Market at Mueller.

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