Creating a Forest Garden: Working with Nature to Grow Edible Crops

Filled with helpful tips and beautiful photographs, this guide contains everything you need to create your own forest garden. Forest Gardening, or agroforestry, is a way of growing edible crops while allowing nature to do most of the work. Species are chosen for their beneficial effects on each other, creating a healthy system that maintains its own fertility, with little need for digging, weeding or pest control. The result of this largely perennial planting is a tranquil, beautiful and productive space, where you can cultivate your own fruits, nuts, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms and even forage firewood and honey. Whether in a small back garden or in a larger plot, forest gardens really benefit the environment and are also a viable solution to the challenge of a changing climate. The soil thrives from being covered with plants all year round and is also able to store more water after heavy rains, minimising flooding and erosion and helping plants to survive through drought. Forest gardens also store carbon dioxide in the soil and in the woody biomass of the trees and shrubs. The mixed variety of plants further boosts the health of the ecosystem by ensuring a balance of predators and beneficial insects. Creating a Forest Garden is a bible for permaculture and forest gardening, with practical advice on how to create a forest garden, from planning and design to planting and maintenance. It includes a detailed directory of over 500 trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials, annuals, root crops and climbers. As well as more familiar plants such as fig and apple trees, blackcurrants and rosemary shrubs, you can grow your own chokeberries, goji berries, yams, heartnuts, bamboo shoots and buffalo currants. Grow a forest garden with this handy guide and become more self-sufficient while also enjoying the natural beauty and environmental benefits of these wonderful green spaces.

Table of 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

About the Author :
Martin Crawford has worked in organic agriculture and horticulture for many years. He is director of the Agroforestry Research Trust, a charity that researches temperate agroforestry and all aspects of plant cropping and uses, with a focus on tree, shrub and perennial crops.

Review :
"The ultimate book on the subject... extremely thorough and beautifully illustrated" Let's Talk (East Anglia) "This book is a magnificiently produced and massive tome that is sure to become every forest gardener's horticultural toolkit and bible." Grow It "Marting has produced a book that is not only visually beautiful but very practical, offering advice on planning, designing, planting and general maintenance." Positive News - Summer 2010 "If you are seriously considering the creation or maitenance of a forest garden then you would do well to have this book on your shelves. Even if you are only looking for novel ground cover suggestions in shaded areas or approaches to inter-planting trees, then this book offers bountiful food for thought." Green Prophet "Creating a Forest Garden is a fascniating read for gardeners interested in how to plant communities that work." Gardens Illustrated "Martin Crawford has produced a spectacularly useful guide to new horticultural and ecological terrain of great importance." Permaculture Activist "This semina piece of work is not only visually entralling, it's incredibly easy to use and it contains a level of detail and explanation that makes it, I believe, a must read for anyone who is serious about building a truly sustainable forest." WWOOF Ireland "Martin's book is visually stunning with beautiful photography and illustrations, accompanying very informative and well constructed text." Self Sufficient-ish Website - 11 June 2010 "This book is a must if you are interested in producing food from your garden, becoming more self-sufficient or just curious about plants and their uses." The Cottage Gardener - June 2011