Forest Garden Plants
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Agroforestry and Forest Gardening is my passion. I work in researching and propagating edible perennial plants and also in designing forest gardens - an ingenious system of growing food through an interconnected perennial plant community, modeled on a natural woodland.
Forest Garden Plants
3y ago
Craetagus Azarolus
Forest Gardening certainly seems to be taking off in the UK right now, with new edible ecosystems cropping up all over the place... but it's still such early days and with few long established examples around, it can be hard to find many sources of information on many of the unusual plants that we're putting our faith in for future harvests. For me, the most important factor is what will actually taste good!
Of course everyone's palate is different, so lets share our experiences to get a better picture of what will be really worth growing. Please do ..read more
Forest Garden Plants
3y ago
Butterflies and Bees like Dandelions too
It's definitely dandelion season out there at the moment - everywhere you go at this time of year there's masses of yellow flowers dancing in the wind, like tiny reflections of the sun. Only a few weeks back they were all hiding away, difficult to spot but now they're forced to give away their location with their bright yellow beacons! I lick my lips and fetch my scissors....
Whereas most gardeners around these parts detest dandelions, I'm fond of them - mainly because I love eating them. I was lucky enough to go to Greece a few springs ago ..read more
Forest Garden Plants
3y ago
Another question frequently asked about growing crops amongst tall trees in a polyculture is: 'But what can you get to grow in all that shade?'
Sunlight must be our biggest consideration when designing an edible ecosystem and it certainly seems like a scarce commodity sometimes here in Devon. Firstly we must position the trees carefully to allow plenty enough light to penetrate through to the smaller shrubs and vegetables below. But of course there will still be places that'll see very little or no sun.
Luckily no sun doesn't have to mean no crops, and one perfect example of a shade loving c ..read more
Forest Garden Plants
5y ago
A couple of weeks ago, we organised a Foraging exploration of a very special piece of land, tucked away in a hidden valley, in the heart of Devon. When you descend the long, steep driveway into Coombe Farm, and step out onto its lush, verdant grounds, you immediately feel that this is a farm unlike the vast majority that surround. My late friend Michael Cole, the previous steward of this land, cared for His surroundings with a love and tenderness that I have rarely encountered - and a very inspiring man to be around he was. After nearly 30 years of his life here, Michael sadly passed aw ..read more