The Perfect Guild

I am in search of the perfect guild for my fruit trees.  A menagerie of plants growing together, helping each other and the tree reach their full potential.  I started about a month ago digging out the encroaching grass and creating an air-barrier between the grass and the mulch surrounding the tree.  Grass feeds at the top of the soil, the same as fruit trees, and is not a good companion for them, even though many orchardists plant grass on purpose.  So far, I have found no good use for grass and would be happy to have none.  Then I planted onion and garlic bulbs to help keep the grass out.  These can go in early and need a long season to mature.  I came back later and planted some fava beans and bush peas to fix some nitrogen for the guild so I don't have to fertilize with anything.  I came back later to start planting some greens and flowers but I wasn't sure where I had planted the other stuff.  Hmmmmm.  Then, trying to scatter four or five different seeds evenly around a 10 square foot area was not the easiest task, especially since some of the trees still had a bunch of wood chips around them from last year.  As I went, I became more and more methodical about how I planted.  I started using a little potting soil to get the seeds off to a good start, and planting in designs around the trees.  I planted each tree a little different so I can see as the season wears on what works best.  A nasturtium or two for beneficial insects and edible flowers, an artichoke for mulch, and, cross your fingers, even maybe an artichoke to eat!   When all is said and done, I have dramatically increased my plantable area without much extra work, and the trees will be happier as well!