Forest Gardening

A Forest Garden works with nature in a system designed to mimic the structure and layers of a natural forest. A diverse range of plants help each other, provide food and habitat for wildlife as well as being useful to humans.

The garden is planted in layers and the top layer is usually a fruit tree. Allowing light in for the plant layers below is important. Plants are chosen for uses such as dyes, soaps, basketry, firewood and food. Some plants fix Nitrogen, some attract pollinators, some provide shelter or ground cover.

Top 10 Forest Garden plants: Wild Garlic, Perennial Kale, Alpine strawberries, black/red/white currants, Nettles, Walking onions, Fruit trees, Broom, Jerusalem artichokes, Daylily (Hemerocallis).

Forest garden planting is mainly Perennial (plants that survive from one year to the next) to avoid disturbing the soil. This allows the soil carbon to be preserved as well as protecting the soil structure. It is also a lot less work!! Many plants that are common weeds can be eaten so it is all about encouraging biodiversity in the plants as well as the wildlife.

Once set up the Forest garden is a stable and sustainable ecosystem requiring very little labour input.  

Example of a small food forest 'guild' of companion plants

Top layer- Apple tree

Middle shrub-blackcurrant

Mulch plant- horseradish

Nitrogen fixer- climbing beans

Ground cover/pollinator friendly- Fennel

Bulbs/pest deterrent- welsh onions

Further Reading:  

The Plant Lover’s Backyard Forest Garden- Pippa Chapman

The Forager’s Garden- Anna Locke 

A Food Forest in your Garden- Alan Carter

Woodland Gardening- Plants for a Future (Ken Fearne)

How to Grow Perennial Vegetables – Martin Crawford

Creating a Forest Garden- Martin Crawford

How to Make a Forest Garden – Patrick Whitefield

https://www.foodforest.garden/

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