Plants For A Future (PFAF) is an online
not for profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
resource for those interested in edible and useful plants, with a focus on
temperate region
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
s. The organization's emphasis is on perennial plants, named after the phrase "plans for a future" as wordplay.
PFAF is a
registered educational charity with the following objectives:
The website contains an online
database
In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases s ...
of over 8000 plants: 7000 that can be grown in temperate regions including in the UK, and 1000 plants for tropical situations.
The database was originally set up by Ken Fern to include 1,500 plants which he had grown on his 28 acre research site in the South West of
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
Since 2008, the database has been maintained by the database administrator employed by the Plants For A Future Charity.
Publications
*Fern, Ken. ''Plants for a Future: Edible and Useful Plants for a Healthier World''. Hampshire: Permanent Publications, 1997. .
*''Edible Plants: An inspirational guide to choosing and growing unusual edible plants.'' 2012
*''Woodland Gardening: Designing a low-maintenance, sustainable edible woodland garden. ''2013.
*''Edible Trees: A practical and inspirational guide from Plants For A Future on how to grow and harvest trees with edible and other useful produce.'' 2013.
*''Plantes Comestibles: Le guide pour vous inspirer à choisir et cultiver des plantes comestibles hors du commun. ''2014.
*''Edible Perennials: 50 Top perennial plants from Plants For A Future. ''2015.
*''Edible Shrubs: 70+ Top Shrubs from Plants For A Future''
*''Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens.'' 2021.
See also
*
Forest gardening
Forest gardening is a low-maintenance, sustainable, plant-based food production and agroforestry system based on woodland ecosystems, incorporating fruit and nut trees, shrubs, herbs, vines and perennial vegetables which have yields directly us ...
*
Postcode Plants Database
References
Further reading
*
Plants for a Future: Edible and Useful Plants for a Healthier World'' by Ken Fern, published by
Permanent Publications
External links
*
{{Authority control
Online botany databases
Charities based in Devon
Vegan organic gardening
Permaculture organizations
Databases in England
Horticultural organisations based in the United Kingdom