Hi Everyone!!!

I sincerely want to thank you for checking out our website and what we are doing to change the landscaping industry, improve the soil and communities as a whole.  While we understand this concept isn’t for everyone, as some prefer their lawn space, there’s something about getting a full return on your investment like this, being more self-sustainable and increasing the value of your home that strongly resonates with a growing number of people.  This is obviously a time that has opened some eyes to the concept of more self-sustenance, but also in trying to bring communities closer together, which is our ultimate goal.

We can help you live more sustainably and save money, as well as minimizing the effort you need to put into plant care AND eliminate some, if not all of your effort in lawn care.  And for those that want to still maintain some greenspace, we do offer a MICROCLOVER lawn replacement option. Whether you are a DIY’er or someone that would like help throughout the installation process, we can help you with every goal you wish to achieve in your landscape.

Whether you’re just trying to figure out where to start or you know exactly what you’re looking for, Freedom Foodscapes aims to meet all of our clients at their comfort level to simplify the process throughout our relationship with you. The following steps are the typical process in planning your foodscaping installation.

1- If you’re not sure where to start or what your soil is like, you may consider a consultation to have us come out and review your property, measure, do some soil testing and take some notes.  Consults are $150 for the first hour, $75 each additional, but we do apply any consult fees as a credit on the installation if you have us do the work.  Consults can be scheduled any time simply by calling us at 630-360-6600.

2- Once you’re comfortable to move to the process of going with a design, you’ll first want to do some preplanning work that will help each step of the way.  Go to the FAQ/Resources link above and review with the “Preparing for Design” and “Preparing for Installation”.  Having some sort of a plan in mind will assist us in helping to achieve your personal Garden of Eden.

3- Once you determine the size of the property you’d like designed and have a list of answers/inputs from the step above, it’s time to pay for the design. We have several options for design purchase.  We are now incorporating designs locally in house, with beautiful aerial and 3D walk through capabilities.  Pricing is available on the “Buy a Design” page.

We also can provide some options for smaller, ala carte components available upon request.  These could be raised beds, herb spirals, single/double tree food guilds among others. A separate page will be created in the near future with these options and prices.

We also use Food Forest Abundance (FFA) as a cooperative “overflow” designer, which is available via the Purchase a Design link above.  FFA has a fantastic group of permaculture design experts that are a little more expensive, but they allow us the ability to manage the heavy amount of design requests, including out of state. Our team does travel, so we can even manage installation work wherever you need us, or we also have an extensive network of other food forest installers across the US that we would be happy to connect you with.

We usually suggest planning for your full property, if you eventually intend on adding more.  This can save you costs by planning ahead.  The blueprint design can take several weeks to complete with multiple meetings with the designer.  Be sure to have a good vision for what you’d like to see.  All inputs will help your designer make this exactly what you want.

3- Once your blueprint is completed, you can choose to DIY the project, or you can have Freedom Foodscapes implement the entire system for you.  We do have some financing options to help spread out the cost over time, or we can also work with you to take a phased approach of the installation to handle it as your budget allows.

4- If you have us install, keep in mind there may need to be soil amendment work, including sheet mulching, that could take 2-4 weeks to settle, prior to planting.

5- Installation can take a week or more, depending on the size of the installation and upgrades you choose to have us do. Some may be able to be subcontracted as well, should you require larger construction types of activities.

6- We love clients to be hands on in their food forest, as it can be highly meditative, but we do offer a maintenance option so we can help you to ensure that your forest takes hold and flourishes. These packages are customized to your needs and the elements we install. We want your “forest” to last several hundred years and feed generations, so if you’d like us to care for it, we can sit and discuss the options.

7- Enjoy your new yard and watch it grow. While it make take some time for larger fruit and nut trees to mature for harvest, you will begin seeing rewards from your garden in year 1.

As a small business, we love interacting with any one that we can. We offer speaking engagements and can meet with your village, church, HOA, business or group to spread the word on how we can transform greenspaces into massive food/medicine producing fields. All connections and referrals are welcomed and reciprocated!!