A day course to introduce forest gardening. Growing to meet human need in a diverse set-up.
Saturday 7th October, 9:30-4:30.
At our garden in Crich. Within a paddock, we’ve a small, young forest garden just getting established.
Our courses here this year are helping the garden expand, feeding the soil food web and growing more food for people and wildlife.
What is forest gardening about?
You can use the forest garden approach at different scales – from a garden bed to allotment or field.
Imagine trees, shrubs, herbs, all growing supportively together providing abundance for us in the form of food, medicine, fuel, fibre and more. Forest gardens are beautiful and build a living soil while providing habitats and food for wildlife.
This course will show you principles that you can apply in your context.
Grow like nature
Forest gardening mimics a natural woodland edge. It integrates plants at different heights, using 7 ‘layers’ from canopy down to roots. A garden as a forest, rather than a garden in a forest.
This an efficient way to create a garden that produces many yields, for much of the year. There is resilience in diversity of crops.
Typically, the plants grown are mostly hardy perennials – ones that are around every year. And there’s an emphasis on using all space, up, down and around.
We can design the forest garden to be productive towards meeting our needs. We can grow plants for food, drink, medicine, fuel, fibre, wildlife value and more.
In a forest garden, plants are grown in polycultures, in a community with the other plants. The gardener works on co-operation with the soil food web, wildlife, and the plants to create a garden of abundant yields.
About the learning
On the course, we will cover:
- Starting designing for a forest garden
- Observation – working with what you have and what works
- Plants, their roles and functions
- Ways to make a start on a forest garden
The course is to be led by Ryan Sandford-Blackburn, who has been forest gardening for 9 years. He holds a permaculture design certificate.
Ryan has taught permaculture courses locally and online with the Permaculture Association (Britain); he worked as strategic communications coordinator there for nearly 8 years.
Book your place
Places are limited.
Sliding scale £52-£77. If cost is a barrier to your participation, please get in touch about bursary options.
Bring food to share for lunch.
Where is it? Getting there
The forest garden is sited on a plot in Crich. We will meet at Crich Common and walk down to the garden together – it is a 5 minute walk.
By Bus – From Belper you can get the bus (142) leaving King Street Stop B at 9:10am arriving at Chapel Lane at 9.24am. To return to Belper the 142 departs at 16.44 to Ambergate Railway Station then E M R (replacement bus) at 16:58 arriving at Belper Railway Station at 17.05
Access statement
The garden has uneven, narrow grass and woodchip paths. ‘Babes in arms’ are welcome. There is free range poultry.
Why forest gardening?
- A natural approach to gardening
- Carbon sequestration
- Hyperlocal food supply
- Provides a varied diet
- Playspace
- A ‘backyard ecosystem’
A forest garden approach creates the opportunity to grow many plants. With many uses. Food, medicine, fuel, fibre, nectar and dye plants. To name just a few!
Cultures around the world have cultivated gardens in ways that resemble what we call a forest garden. Home Gardens in Kerala, ancient food forests in Morocco, the Maya tropical woodlands, the forests planted by First Nations people of the Pacific Northwest, the Hopi, and many others, documented and forgotten.
As a 3D, dynamic space, it’s really much easier and more enriching to experience a forest garden in person.
Watch videos about forest gardening
To book please fill in your details below and we will send you the payment details.
Thank you!
Earthed Up! 