Urban Insomnia

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Edible Forest Free For All in Seattle

Like the edible candy forest in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” a park in Seattle is designed to be eaten. But unlike the junk food forest of Wonka’s factory which only a few children got to taste, Seattle’s edible ecosystem will be all-natural, healthy, and free to the public.

Two acres of inedible grass in Seattle’s Beacon Hill area are being replaced with a forest of apples, plums, walnuts, and other food-bearing trees. Beneath the canopy of fruits and nuts, an understory of berry bushes will grow in partial shade.

“All of these plants work together like a forest ecosystem, but they are edible,” one of the park’s designers, Glenn Herlihy, told the Seattle Times.

Bee hives will help pollinate the plants and provide tasty honey. Other beneficial insects will be attracted by strategically planted flowers in order to combat pests without using poisons.

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