Forest Gardens

Overview
Edible forest gardens are becoming an increasingly popular way for permaculture projects to grow food. Forest gardens are modelled on natural woodland. Like natural woodland, they usually consist of three layers:

• tree layer which contains fruit and nut trees
• shrub layer for fruit and nut bushes 
• ground layer for perennial vegetables and herbs.

The pioneer for forest gardening in Britain was Robert Hart who spent much of his life as a farmer and gardener searching for ways in which to grow food in accordance with permaculture ethics. Many people are following in his footsteps to create productive, beautiful spaces tailored to their needs.

Emerging Trend
Robert Hart's forest garden, the first of its kind in England, was popularised by  permaculture practitioners and teachers through permaculture design courses.

Many students from these courses decided to adopt Hart's gardening principles giving rise to a second generation of forest gardens. Examples include the Agroforestry Research Trust.
These gardens caught the attention of a wide variety of people including farmers, small holders,  market gardeners and TV presenters Alice Fowler and Rebecca Hoskins.

As a result a third generation of forest gardens is burgeoning. In 2010, the Permaculture Association were looking for permaculture projects who wanted to conduct research into forest gardens. The organisation expected about 10 smallholders to come forward, but in all 70 projects came forward. These projects are all in the process of planning and creating forest gardens, the association expects the number of projects to increase as more people understand the value of producing food using natural systems.

Forest gardens form part of an ecological gardening and farming approach and are used by people wanting to farm naturally.  Today forest gardens are being planted all over the country in both rural and urban locations, in a range of climates and in a variety of guises.

Forest gardens serve many functions. They are a productive way of growing food, fuel, fibres and medicines, they can be used as part of a growing business, as an educational tool, for therapy and as a way of bringing people together.
No two forest gardens are alike as each is one is tailored to the conditions of the land, and the needs of the individuals and communities that run them. The beauty of forest gardens is that they require minimal maintenance as they are essentially multi-layered ecosystems designed to mimic small woodlands.  

A successful forest garden requires planning, and so the Permaculture Association recommends attending a course on forest gardening, buying one of Martin Crawford's many books on the subject and visiting an existing garden at one of the Permaculture Association's LAND learning centres.


Examples
Old Sleningford Farm
Located close to the cathedral city of Ripon, Old Sleningford Farm manages 17 acres of land of which 1.5 acres are forest garden. The garden has developed incrementally which makes it a valuable learning resource as each phase in the garden's development can be seen clearly. The farm aims to provide a venue in which learning can take place by demonstrating self reliance and inspiring people to do the same.  

Backs Bottom Farm
Backsbottom Farm near Lancaster has been using a permaculture design approach for more than 20 years. The site is incredibly diverse both in wildlife and permaculture-related activities. The farm includes an established forest garden area a heritage apple collection, wild flower meadows, upland blanket bog and sheep. The farm also demonstrates various types of renewable energy including wind power, PV photovoltaics, hydro electric, rocket stoves, cob ovens, and solar kiln technology for drying timber and fruit.

The Apricot Centre
The centre, situated just outside Manningtree in Essex, is set in four acres of organic and permaculture designed gardens, growing fruit, flowers and salad for sale. Food and fuel is also grown for the centre and the home. The Apricot Centre runs courses on the farm and outreach work into schools.

Rifleman Cottage
Located close to the market town of Faversham in Kent, this site is by a pair of old farm workers cottages with six acres of Bramley apple orchard behind. The family have developed the site using permaculture principles over time and have invested in solar panels, solar voltaic panels, wood burning stoves and a WET system. They aim to grow as much of their own fruit and vegetables and sell any surplus during the Summer. They keep pigs and chickens and are looking to start keeping sheep in the future. Rifleman Cottage received funding from the Permaculture Association to develop their orchard into a forest garden.

Forest Garden at Alara Wholefood
A half acre strip of land at the back of the Alara factory site, adjacent to the high speed railway track from St Pancras Station. The forest garden is very much part of the company ethos. Staff are encouraged to work in and enjoy the garden, taking time off from the production line and local people are also welcome to enjoy the space. The overall vision for the site is to develop it as an educational space to teach people about the principles and potential of permaculture, healthy eating, food miles and the importance of food growing in tackling the issues of global warming and peak oil.

More Information
LAND Project – Learning and Demonstration Network
The LAND Project was set up in 2009 by The Permaculture Association as an England-wide permaculture learning and demonstration network. The network consists of learning centres, which are places where people can go and see how permaculture ethics and principles are applied in different situations. The network is growing constantly as more people start to adopt a permaculture design approach to their projects and business and more community groups become interested in forest gardening.

If you would like to get involved in the The Permaculture Association's forest garden research project, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it They are compiling a comprehensive list of projects, making research templates available and investigating a range of topics including crop yields, guild associations and social benefits. The association are keen to hear from both established and new projects.

The Permaculture Association
www.permaculture.org.uk
Tel: 08454581805
The national charity that supports members and the public with advice, support, information and training about the theory and practice of permaculture. The Association aims to help members share resources and practical solutions and collaborate on projects. They work hard to help people in specific sectors and professions understand the value of the permaculture design approach in relation to their activities. The Association started in 1983, so there is a considerable amount of skills, knowledge and experience within it.