Meetings
August 20 Meeting: From Fruit Trees to Food Forests
How companion plants, healthy soil, and ecological design create healthier, more productive gardens.
Jeremy Elkin and Justin Sutherlin will explore how a collection of fruit trees can become a thriving, resilient edible ecosystem. Learn the principles of food forest design, including plant guilds, soil building, water management, and beneficial companion plants that work together to improve tree health, productivity, and biodiversity. Whether you have a single fruit tree or a backyard orchard, you'll leave with practical ideas you can apply at home.
Jeremy Elkind is the founder of Nature's Candy Fruit Tree Nursery and co-founder of Eden Food Forests in Southern California. A passionate fruit collector and food forest designer, Jeremy has spent years exploring the incredible diversity of edible plants and sharing his excitement for rare and exceptional fruit varieties with others. He believes every yard has the potential to become a productive, beautiful ecosystem, and his mission is to help homeowners create food forests that produce abundant harvests, build healthy soil, support biodiversity, and reconnect people with nature.
Justin Sutherlin is the co-founder of Eden Food Forests, where he combines a passion for regenerative landscaping with hands-on experience creating productive edible ecosystems. Specializing in hillside landscapes, Justin has designed and installed food forests throughout Southern California, giving him firsthand insight into the opportunities and challenges of creating resilient landscapes in our unique Mediterranean climate. He believes that every landscape has the potential to become a productive, beautiful ecosystem that benefits both people and the environment.
Together, Jeremy and Justin combine a passion for exceptional fruit varieties with the principles of regenerative landscape design to help homeowners transform traditional yards and orchards into thriving food forests.
For more information visit the Eden Food Forests website.This meeting can be attended in person and on Zoom:Thursday 8/20, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.*** Note our new meeting location ***Tustin Presbyterian Church225 W Main St, Tustin, CA 92780
Click here for a Google Map. We meet in the Fellowship Hall.Attendees are encouraged to bring fresh fruit from their garden and other snacks to share at the tasting table.Donations to the opportunity drawing are also appreciated.
Photos from the Eden Food Forests website
Join the meeting on Zoom at 7:00 pm (PST) with the following link: