guilds

guild ring around a fruit tree

effort: an afternoon

a circle of workers around one producer: feeders, protectors, and attractors.

underplant a young fruit tree to the drip line: alliums against borers and browsers, comfrey to mine minerals and feed the mulch, insectary flowers to bring in the pest-control air force, and a nitrogen-fixing groundcover as the living floor. the ring does the orchard maintenance you would otherwise do yourself.