Plant Power Under High Voltage Cables

If you walk through the right-of-way under the power lines in Harwich, just north of Bay Road, you can leave the snacks at home and get your dose of antioxidants from a 600-feet food forest. The Food Forest Initiative of Cape Cod is bringing back a half century-old movement to Cape Cod's marginal lands.

What is a food forest?

A small stretch of Cape Cod's power lines cross Bay Road in Harwich. To the south of Bay Road are Harwich Water Department's water pumps providing residents with clean drinking water, and to the north Harwichers can get their antioxidants on with perennial crops constituting a food forest.

     The water department may own the land, but the power company Eversource has the right to keep the land directly under the power lines clear of any high growing vegetation to mitigate the risk of power outages. Normally they would use pesticides and herbicides to streamline the work, but not here as Cape Cod's sandy soil would allow it to pass right through to the drinking water source. This is something that gave Patrick Otton, member of the Food Forest Initiative Cape Cod, food for thought on his daily walks through Eversource's right-of-way. What if there were a group of farmers, landscapers and gardeners tending to the land, managing it for Eversource while providing food for animals and humans. Two birds, one... idea. Said and done, a symbiotic relationship between the three organizations, Harwich Water Department, Eversource and The Food Forest Initiative of Cape Cod, is now cultivating hazelnuts, pawpaws, chokeberries, beach plums and blueberries free for all.

What is permaculture?

The Food Forest Initiative is a volunteer group with several agricultural projects on Cape Cod, the food forest in Harwich being the largest. What started as a potluck in 2016 grew into 25 members applying onto Cape Cod land the ideas of permaculture – sustainable land management in accordance with the natural ecosystems in place – and restoration agriculture – perennial, self-sufficient agriculture imitating nature and cultivating biodiversity. Rand Burkert, another group member, believes that when hopelessness over the vanishing forests of Cape Cod seeps in, these principles can restore faith. Food forests have the potential to play into the local economy and possibly fill food pantries. To be cheerful about the future of Cape Cod, says Burkert, is to look at these marginal lands. Where can people feel some agency? The power lines are optimum choice, there is a lot of space, says Burkert.

What is restorative agriculture?

Eversource paid for the 300 plants for the 600 feet food forest, and provided 15 staff members to help plant them. Patrick Otton says Eversource would like for more people to tend to the land under the power lines where pesticides cannot be used such as drinking water sources and schools.

All it takes is willpower, adds Burkert, and the future of Cape Cod is bright and green.