Director of the Wellesley Botanic Gardens Kristina Jones on Edible Ecosystem Gardening

Kristina Jones, director of the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens and assistant professor of biological sciences, wrote a guest blog post for publisher and organic gardening enthusiast Maria Rodale. The blog appeared in The Huffington Post, Maria Rodale’s Farm Country Kitchen Blog, and Prevention Magazine.

The post, titled “Create an Edible Ecosystem: No Fertilizer or Pest Control Needed,”discusses the idea behind an "edible ecosystem" garden, which is a different but complementary approach to organic farming.

According to Jones, "Rather than make a traditional agricultural operation more ecologically sound by using organic methods, the edible ecosystem approach mimics a natural ecological system but swaps in food plants so that the system is particularly productive for humans..."

Jones and her team are working with permaculture experts Dave Jacke and Keith Zaltzberg to implement an edible ecosystem garden at Wellesley. The garden includes a nut grove, fruit thickets, a fruit woodland, and an edible meadow (or "eddow"), all in less than half an acre within the campus botanic gardens.

Maria Rodale, the blog owner, is CEO and chairman of Rodale, Inc., the largest independent publisher in America. Maria’s Farm Country Kitchen, offers a place for her to share organic recipes, thought-provoking ideas and issues, organic gardening tips and techniques, recommendations for happy and healthy everyday living.