Living with the Land | Forest Gardening (Shot at Martin Crawford’s Forest Garden Spring 2015)
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"A Forest Garden is a garden modelled on the structure of a young natural woodland, using plants of direct and indirect benefit to people - most often edible varieties. Food is grown in many different layers consisting of trees, shrubs and non-woody perennials".
The primary aims for the system are:
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The crops which are produced will often include fruits, nuts, edible leaves, spices, medicinal plant products, poles, fibres for tying, basketry materials, honey, fuelwood, fodder, mulches, game, sap products. Forest gardens (often called home gardens) have been used for millennia in tropical regions, where they still often form a major part of the food producing systems which people rely on, even if they work elsewhere for much of the time. They may also provide useful sources of extra income. Their use is intimately linked with prevailing socio-economic conditions. They are usually small in area, often 0.1-1 hectares (0.25-2.5 acres).
In temperate regions, forest gardens are a more recent innovation, many inspired by Robert Hart’s efforts in Shropshire (UK) over the last 30 years. A major limiting factor for temperate forest gardens in the amount of sunlight available to the lower layers of the garden: in tropical regions, the strong light conditions allow even understorey layers to receive substantial light, whereas in temperate regions this is not usually the case. To compensate for this, understorey layers in temperate forest gardens must be chosen very carefully.
Text from: The Agroforestry Research Trust, Martin Crawford,
In temperate regions, forest gardens are a more recent innovation, many inspired by Robert Hart’s efforts in Shropshire (UK) over the last 30 years. A major limiting factor for temperate forest gardens in the amount of sunlight available to the lower layers of the garden: in tropical regions, the strong light conditions allow even understorey layers to receive substantial light, whereas in temperate regions this is not usually the case. To compensate for this, understorey layers in temperate forest gardens must be chosen very carefully.
Text from: The Agroforestry Research Trust, Martin Crawford,
An Article
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Telegraph article on forest gardening
Edible forest gardening Bunny Guinness 23 Oct 2007 Comment Bunny Guinness looks at the best way to cultivate your own edible forest garden Edible forest gardening was pioneered by Robert A de J Hart, a farmer and journalist, in the Sixties. He adapted African ideas for the English woodland, and was enthused by the concept of an easy-to-maintain garden that incorporated simple, natural elements in a highly productive space - not so much gardening in a forest as gardening like the forest. It is not necessary to have rolling acres to achieve this, as a suburban plot can be managed wholly or partly in this fashion. Do you need mature trees to create an edible forest garden? No. Edible forest gardening involves creating a garden where plants coexist in woodland patterns. This type of gardening mimics the structure and function of forest ecosystems, and requires choosing and planting a range of diverse and productive crops for food, wood, dyes, herbs and so on. It can also include spaces for relaxing and growing vegetables. Eventually most of our gardens would become a type of woodland if left untended for many years, as all our efforts at mowing lawns, weeding and other controlling routines are holding back the natural succession. The benefits of forest gardening are a relaxed, productive environment that takes less maintenance. For the time-pressed gardener who loves the idea of a bountiful garden but never gets round to sowing those lettuce seeds, this might well be the answer. It might also encourage a mind shift towards working with plants and animals, rather than spending your time dominating the natural world. If you are tempted and have a larger garden, why not test the principles by adapting part of your plot to this "green" approach? Which crops are suitable? There is a surprisingly wide range, as annuals and perennial vegetables can be cultivated in sunny glades. Fruit such as apples, pears and apricots can be interspersed between the taller canopies of trees such as alder, walnuts and sweet chestnut. Hazel and sweet chestnut are also good for coppicing, providing firewood, hurdles and stakes. More shade-tolerant soft fruit such as currants, Chinese dogwood and raspberries flourish on the woodland edge and ground cover can include mint and blackberries. Other options include mushrooms, plants grown for edible saps such as Eucalyptus gunnii, edible roots such as Eryngium maritima (sea holly) and edible shoots including bamboos, which taste like courgettes when steamed. The design of the planting is crucial in order to achieve a successful balance. The aim is to "exploit" the seven different layers: the root layer, ground cover, herb layer, fruiting shrubs, dwarf trees, tree canopy layer and the high canopy or vertical layer. In their book Edible Forest Gardens, David Jacke and Eric Toensmeier list a myriad of edible plants and planting patterns which can be used in a flourishing garden. What size and type of plot is necessary? Sizes can vary enormously. A plot of 10 sq ft, with a dwarf apple at its centre, can work. Alternatively, a two-acre plot can include a diverse range of plants and trees. Forest gardens have now been taken up internationally - some gardens are 7,000ft up a mountain, others are on coastal plains, or in a suburban or city plot with just three or four trees. How much maintenance do they need? As with most gardens, work is required in planting and establishing trees, shrubs and plants. However, once they are in full flow, the management of them takes less labour than conventional gardening. Weeding and pruning are still necessary to stop a jungle developing. However, by selecting the most suitable species, using mulching techniques and plants that colonise areas effectively, you are working with nature rather than against it. The hardest part is learning not to intervene too much, but to let the garden develop naturally. As the garden develops you could try exploiting different niches and microclimates for new delicacies, or replacing less-favoured crops with others that you wish to try. Where can I see an edible forest garden for inspiration? The Agroforestry Research Trust in Dartington, Devon, has a two-acre forest garden which was established 12 years ago (www.Agroforestry.co.uk). The trust runs two-day courses to show you how to design, implement and maintain a temperate forest garden, with information on tree and shrub crops, perennials and ground cover crops. They grow many unusual varieties, which you can taste, and have a huge range of plants for sale. Martin Crawford, who runs the course, will tempt you with his favourite plants. One of these is Elaeagnus umbellata, which fixes nitrogen, attracts helpful bees, and has fruit which makes fabulous jam. Another favourite is Claytonia, the miner's lettuce, whose leaves are tasty raw or cooked. The plant is superb winter ground cover and self-seeding. The small-leaved lime is another multi-purpose performer - the leaves are good in salads - as is Phormium tenax, which can be made into twine, useful for tying up unruly plants.
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