Orchard & Food Forest Planner
Orchard & Food Forest Planner
The Orchard & Food Forest Planner helps you lay out productive orchards and multi-layer food forests suited to New Zealand climates. Browse 285+ edible and useful species, compare rootstock spacings, map canopy layers, and see harvest windows — whether you are planning a backyard guild or a community-scale plot. Born at Troppo‘s tropical urban food forest in Te Puke, Bay of Plenty, and free for everyone.
What it does
- 285+ species library — fruit trees, subtropicals, nitrogen fixers, groundcovers, and support plants relevant to NZ growers
- Canopy layer planning — stack emergent, canopy, understory, shrub, herbaceous, groundcover, root, and vine layers
- Spacing & rootstock guidance — compare planting distances for orchard rows vs. forest-garden density
- NZ climate zones — filter choices for your region’s frost, rainfall, and growing season
- Harvest timelines — see when crops and trees are likely to produce across the year
- Export & iterate — refine your plan as your site evolves; ideal alongside companion planting and succession harvest planning
Who it is for
Home gardeners converting lawn to kai, permaculture designers, school food-forest projects, community orchards, and nursery customers planning their first subtropical planting in the Bay of Plenty and beyond. Pairs well with Troppo’s online plant shop when you are ready to source trees.
How to use it
Click Open Orchard Planner below — no login required. Start with your site size and region, add layers and species, then adjust spacing until the layout feels right. Use it before you dig: it is cheaper to move plants on screen than in the ground. For teaching, combine with the 3D Layer Visualiser so learners see how strata fit together.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Orchard Planner free?
- Yes. The Troppo Orchard & Food Forest Planner is free to use, with no account required. It is part of the Vector Group Charitable Trust grower-tool suite shared via Kai Resilience.
- Does it work for subtropical plants in Te Puke?
- Yes. The species library includes subtropicals and exotics suited to warm Bay of Plenty conditions — the same palette Troppo grows and sells from its Te Puke food forest.
- Can I use it for a small backyard?
- Absolutely. Scale from a few square metres to larger blocks. Layer stacking works in compact urban plots as well as rural orchards.
Troppo is a tropical urban food forest and exotic plant nursery in Te Puke, Bay of Plenty — an initiative of Vector Group Charitable Trust (CC45966). These tools were built here and shared across the Kai Resilience network. Browse all Troppo tools · About Troppo · Shop plants