Hi all! I’m planning to have swales and berms in my design project and I want to have fruit tree guilds in one of the berms. Currently I am planning on planting these species for these (sometimes overlapping) qualities. You can see that I don't have many vegetable crops in the guild, these are going to be on the edge of the berm up against the swale to get the most water. The project property is in zone 5a in northern Illinois. Does anyone have any other recommendations for this zone? And anyone outside of this zone, I would be really interested to hear what guild pairings work in your area of the world.
Fruit/tree - apple, cherry, American plum
Nitrogen fixer- white clover, alfalfa, beans
Pests- nasturtium, marigolds, calendula, sage, basil, lemongrass, spearmint, lemon balm
Pollination- cardinal flower, joe pye-weed, prairie blazing star, new england aster, goldenrod, daffodil, marigold, calendula, chamomile
Compost/Mulch- borage, comfrey, yarrow, stinging nettle
Ground cover- oregano, creeping charlie, plantain, white clover, garlic chives, spearmint, lemon balm
Edible/Medicinal- beans, corn, apples, cherries, plums, sage, lemongrass, spearmint, lemon balm, oregano, garlic chives, alfalfa, sage, basil, tulsi, goldenrod, chamomile, borage, yarrow, comfrey, stinging nettle, plantain, calendula