Creating a Forest Garden Working with Nature to Grow Edible Crops

About this book

Growing food sustainably is becoming more and more important in the light of our changing climate. Forest gardening is a way of working with nature that is not only productive and requires minimal maintenance, but also has great environmental benefits. A forest garden is a managed ecosystem modelled on the stucture of young natural woodland, with a diversity of crops grown in different vertical layers. Unlike in a conventional garden, nature does most of the work for you.

Creating a Forest Garden tells you everything you need to know – whether you want to plant a small area in your back garden or develop a larger plot. It includes advice on planning, design (using permaculture principles), planting and maintenance, and a comprehensive directory of over 450 trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials, herbs, annuals, root crops and climbers – almost all of them edible and many very unusual.

As well as more conventional plants you can grow your own Nepalese raspberries, chokeberries, goji berries, almonds and hops – while creating a beautiful environment that benefits both you and the ecosystem. Forest gardens offer one solution for a long-term, sustainable way of growing food without compromising soil quality, food quality or biodiversity.

Contents

Foreword by Rob Hopkins                                
Introduction                                                          

Part 1: How forest gardens work
1.  Forest gardens                                             
2.  Forest garden features and products          
3.  The effects of climate change                    
4.  Natives and exotics                                     
5.  Emulating forest conditions                        
6.  Fertility in forest gardens                            

Part 2: Designing your forest garden
7.  Ground preparation and planting                
8.  Growing your own plants                            
9.  First design steps                                        
10.    Designing wind protection                      
11.    Canopy species                                        
12.    Designing the canopy layer                     
13.    Shrub species                                           
14.    Designing the shrub layer                       
15.    Herbaceous perennial and ground-cover species         
16.    Designing the perennial/ground-cover layer    
17.    Annuals, biennials and climbers             
18.    Designing with annuals, biennials and climbers

Part 3: Extra design elements and maintenance
19.    Clearings                                                  
20.    Paths                                                            
21.    Fungi in forest gardens                            
22.    Harvesting and preserving                      
23.    Maintenance                                            
24.    Ongoing tasks                                          

Glossary                                                           
Appendix 1: Propagation tables                       
Appendix 2: Trees and shrubs for hedging and fencing
Appendix 3: Plants to attract beneficial insects and bees
Appendix 4: Edible crops by month of use       
Resources: Useful organisations, suppliers and publications

Customer Reviews

Biography

Martin Crawford has 25 years experience in horticulture and agriculture. He founded the Agroforestry Research Trust and is currently managing a two-acre forest garden in Dartington in Devon, which he planted 15 years ago.