Food forests: An idea whose time has come?
Create an edible forest garden in your back garden
Whenever I sign up for insurance or anything official, I NEVER fit into any of the options on the 'what is your job?' box. The closest choices tend to be either gardener or teacher (I normally tick this one for car insurance as its cheaper than gardener, who are apparently not so sensible on the road!)
There's generally no option in the careers office for an edible gardener, a food growing mentor, a community gardener or designer of public edible space, although I've made a career out of this for the past 15 years.
And even within the garden world, I've been on the edge of commonly accepted methods and ideas. When I first went no dig about 12 years ago, people on my allotment looked at me as if I was completely crazy.
And as for permaculture, even the renowned no dig gardener Charles Dowding was not entirely convinced when we chatted during one of his no dig courses at his market garden ten years ago.
A lot of people are wary of new ideas, and hang on to the old and trusted ways of doing things. This was particularly apparent when I worked alongside the grounds and gardens team at Leeds Uni, some of whom had been there for decades. The idea that we might not only create edible spaces but also let people pick food from them was waaay out there!
I remember one of the older guys returned from a training course and he positively spat out the word 'biodiversity' as if it were some kind of swear word!
But amongst the resistance of some, I noticed enthusiasm growing. Bit by bit the tide was turning, and kinder and more earth friendly gardening methods were gaining in popularity.
In the last few years permaculture and ecological design methods have been hitting the mainstream big time, and Monty Don and some of the RHS gardens have embraced no dig.
And so a couple of years ago when I turned on the radio and heard the phrase 'forest garden' on Gardeners Question time, I knew that change was truly here.
A food forest is an idea whose time has come!
Edible forest gardening was practised by ancient peoples for millenia, and these people truly lived in harmony with nature, AS nature, and made small tweaks to the landscape to grow MORE food with LESS work and more FUN!
This form of gardening was so distant from the western ploughing of fields, that when explorers went to the Americas they didn't even realise that the native people WERE farming, they just saw forest. We've only discovered recently that the native people had created forest gardens!
After an age of separation, in which we've tried to control nature, with hard work, machinery and chemicals, we're now embracing new ecological growing methods (in our gardens at least), not only because they are more environmental friendly and better for wildlife, but also because if set up right they are a lot EASIER and more ABUNDANT.
What is a forest garden?
….and why do you need one in your garden, yard or even balcony?
A forest garden or food forest is a self sustaining eco system, modelled on a natural woodland, but with more food! It is the ultimate beautiful, sustainable, low maintenence and productive garden.
The land in temperate climates WANTS to become a woodland, just look at any abandoned piece of land or building and see how quickly shrubs and trees will take return. And a forest is a self sustaining eco sysystem- no inputs required, everything is recyled and used within the system.
So when we design our gardens and grow food CLOSER to the natural system, its a lot easier to maintain. A edible forest garden in modelled on a woodland, but with more edible plants.
Consisting of layers - tree, shrub, herbaceous, groundcovers, roots and climbers, effectively using all of your space, providing all of the nutrients needed and covering the ground to allow less space for weeds.
It’s MUCH easier and quicker than growing annual vegetables: perennial plants live for many years, and are much more tough and resilient to pests and weather conditions. You can also include areas for self seeding plants and annual veg within your food forest.
If you want to go deeper into this way of food growing then have a look at my upcoming:
Forest garden online workshop.
Who am I?
Hello! I'm Caroline Scott, and over the past 15 years I have helped hundreds of people to design and set up edible gardens.
I love to simplify food growing with easy practical steps, and help people to create gardens that work in harmony WITH nature, to grow MORE food with LESS work and more fun!
As an intuitive gardener I use food growing and foraging to connect to nature on a deeper level, which is healing to both body and mind.
I have a vision of cities overflowing with fruit and vegetables, and a patchwork farm of edible gardens, healing people and the planet, so please share this with your friends :-)