The Vision

Our vision is to have low maintenance food forests in every food desert in the city & beyond.

The Mission

Our mission is in activating & engaging community intergenerationally through food forests, permaculture education, & the arts to cocreate sustainable solutions to City food deserts.

Did you know?

The Southside Food Forest model has been recognized by the United Nations for scalability & replicability, actively elevating 10 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals as a specially-accredited invitee for the historic United Nations Summit of the Future (ECOSOC + UNFCCC recognized) & was invited as a presenting organization for United Nations COP29 & United Nations CSW NGO Beijing+30 Forum on the climate for ‘‘How Music & the Arts are Empowering Community-Driven Climate Solutions, Intergenerational Leadership & the Achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals’’

How we started…

Southside Food Forest | Winston-Salem, NC, USA

Southside Food Forest is a community garden, intergenerational learning & recreation hub minutes from downtown Winston-Salem in an area food desert. For the past five years, intergenerational & cross sector efforts by community members have planted fruit trees, herbs, flowers & berry bushes for the benefit of the community & ecosystem. Our members believe that eliminating food deserts in urban areas is essential to self-reliance & achieving prosperous, sustainable communities.

The Boy and Girl Scouts, Hispanic League, Arts Council of Winston-Salem Forsyth County, Spark Community WS, Piedmont Environmental Alliance, Winston-Salem State University, Young ECOS, Wake Forest University, International Human Rights Consortium, Sacred Spiral Holistics, DOSE Artist Collective, Activate Entertainment Winston-Salem Fashion Week, Sustainable Fashion Week US, Appalachian State University, Salem College, NC Cooperative Extension & more

...have ALL used this space for events, workshops, gatherings, internships, Eagle Scout Projects, & academic credit.

Follow us on our Instagram @southsidefoodforestwsnc

How its going…

Trees:

  • Black walnut*

  • pecan*

  • eucalyptus

  • pear

  • mulberry*

  • fig*

  • peach*

  • plum*

  • nectarine

  • apricot

  • pomegranate (seasonal addition in pot)

  • ginkgo (year round in pot)

  • persimmon

  • cherry

  • apple (multiple varieties)*

  • goumi

Shrubs:

  • elderberry*

  • blueberry*

  • blackberry*

  • milkweed*

  • hibiscus*

  • roses

  • raspberry

  • gogi berry

Vines:

  • muscadine grape*

  • passion fruit*

  • Malabar spinach

  • vining strawberry

Flowers:

  • sunflower*

  • verbena*

  • bee balm*

  • eastern columbine*

  • calendula*

  • cosmos*

  • white clover*

  • wild aster*

  • irises*

  • dandelion*

  • daffodil*

  • chrysanthemum*

  • black eyed susans* 

  • evening primrose

  • nasturim

  • marigolds

  • snapdragon

  • strawflower

  • zinnias

Herbs:

  • mint

  • bee balm *

  • lavender

  • thyme

  • rosemary

  • mugwort *

  • ginger

  • turmeric

  • comfrey

  • red+white yarrow *

  • chamomile

  • goldenrod*

  • echinacea*

  • st. johns wort

  • chives

  • borage

  • lemon grass

Ground covers:

  • clover*, crimson and dutch white

  • creeping thyme

  • strawberry

  • plantain*

  • wild violet*

Etc:

  • walking onion

  • yucca

  • prickly pear

  • rainbow chard

  • romaine

  • kale

* indicates a native plant

Future Places

In 2025 we re-launched the “Help a Neighbor Plant a Native Fruit Tree” program as well as our new greenhouse classroom and the launching of the new Cook Elementary Food Forest Garden.

Do you have ideas for a location of a Food Forest Community and Learning Garden?

Reach out to us at wspermaculturecollective@gmail.com