EDIBLE FOREST GARDEN · Grow Food & Heal the Earth · Lessons Learned

10 years of successes and... learning experiences. Lincoln is here to share what we've learned about forest gardening so far, and introduce you to some rock star plants growing at Forested. Ask us any forest garden questions in the comments and we'll try to answer!
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--- CONTENTS OF THIS VIDEO ---
0:00 - The Young Forest
1:43 - Build Soil with Plants
4:29 - The Right People
5:34 - The Importance of Paths
6:53 - The Land Tells You What to Plant
10:42 - A Very Special Tree: Persimmon
13:13 - Vegetables in the Forest Garden
15:24 - Native Plants Take On Invasives
17:47 - Acorn Food
22:33 - Scythe Maintenance
24:31 - Chop & Drop Fertility
25:18 - Grafting Invasive Pears
27:02 - Growing Mushrooms
28:53 - Extra Tasty Mulberries
29:45 - Phasing a Forest Garden
31:11 - Helpful Insects and Their Habitats
36:36 - New Wetland Forest Garden
40:42 - Community Garden
41:39 - Forest Agroecology - Looking Ahead

[@rickershomesteadahobbyfarm3291]

I came across a food forest channel on KZbin a few years ago and it was really interesting to me. I was in the process of buying my homestead but didn’t live on it yet. I watched videos and did a lot of research so I knew what I could grow when I did move onto it. I paid it off in February of 2019 and moved a mobile home onto it in June or July of 2019. I started planting my 1st trees around that time. I was excited. Now I have over 100 food producing trees,vines and bushes growing. It’s not even half way done yet.

[@anacletwilliams8315]

Wonderful!

[@midwestribeye7820]

Wow! You are truly blessed! Good on you for making that dream happen!

[@terracottaneemtree6697]

I think the Chanel is Robert Fuller, in England - his estate is beautiful, and he's so knowledgeable on plants and wildlife.

[@terracottaneemtree6697]

I always enjoy watching P. Allen Smith's channel, fyi.

[@terracottaneemtree6697]

Hmm, so he uses a scythe but doesn't till up the soil to disrupt unwanted roots? I enjoy learning these things.

[@wandahughey2885]

As a food forest gardener, orchardist, flock keeper, I learned something new in every minute of your video. The inserted clips that demonstrated the concept discussed were so helpful, too! I hope you'll continue to give updates, show your brilliant care tips, and know you're helping many who seek the same goals! Thank you so much! Can't wait to enjoy the whole channel, brilliant!

[@midwestribeye7820]

What state/country do you live in? Do you have a KZbin channel?

[@silvesteinrmartin]

we need you to visit and pay us for helping you. donate to the wild

[@TheGggnome]

Brother your Pragmatism is refreshing in a world full of Dogma!

[@eponaepona]

Hi you can make elderberry syrup. You will need 40 flowers, just opened or unopened; 3kg of sugar; 4 lemons; 5lit of water. No pasteurization needed. 36-48h and filter it before bottling. Pruned foliage of elderberry can help your potatoes you can use it for mulching and as raw food for the tubers

[@mffmoniz2948]

I totally agree about the paths. If you can walk on a forest, you enjoy it more and are therefore more inclined to want to keep it. Also the paths provide an environment for some plants that need a little bit more sun, usually grass, bushes and they bring flowers, who bring insects. Paths help to enrich your forest.

[@kellyeckley5829]

I accidentally stumbled onto this video and am so glad I did. 🤗 I used to spend my summers in Bowie with my Aunt as a child. I remember my uncle being so mad about the building up of the area he lived in. It's so nice to see someone reclaiming some of the land in a positive way. Thank you for healing a little piece of the earth and for teaching others how important it is to do so. The land and the animals thank you. 😊

[@ForestedVideo]

Hi Kelly - that's so good to hear. I grew up in Bowie and was sad to see so many forests and fields get developed. I see forest gardening as one way that people and the forest can thrive together. If you're ever in Bowie please stop by the garden!

[@kellyeckley5829]

I definitely will 😊

[@donnataylor8355]

Great video

[@elisabettaepiney9896]

We make syrup in Switzerland out of elderberry…nice diluted in water with ice .. kids love it. Or over Prosecco for adults

[@jarretv5438]

Acorns are difficult to process but! U can break them up between an old pare of jeans with a hammer or rock and feed a protein/fat Rich food to ur chickens because you don’t have to leach out the tannins for them (the bitter part)

[@Infinitybein]

Love seeing the forest so alive. The time lapse is amazing😍. Looking forward to seeing the next 10🧚🏿‍♀️

[@ForestedVideo]

Thanks for bringing your capable, creative and supportive spirit to the garden!!

[@rubioalvin]

Your literally creating your own Garden of Eden 2.0 .. thats awesome 👌

[@mybootscamewithoutstraps]

I have my little urban food forest going at my home in the city and it's been able to produce a bit of food for me already. Many things won't produce for years to come, but once they do, I believe I'll have some pretty incredible foods that travel nowhere to get to my kitchen. I always hear people say they spend $500 to make $2 of lettuce, but it's far more than that. It's trucks not having to drive that lettuce. It's tractors and many other gas powered vehicles having to work towards growing them on a commercial farm. It's having produce that's grown in the exact environment that I live.

[@kelliott7864]

Persimmon yogurt smoothies are my favorite way to use the fruit. The sweet/tart balance is amazing, and frozen persimmons work well.

[@ForestedVideo]

Thank you!!

[@mikkeljylland9153]

Elderberries was a big deal for the Vikings. A symbol of fertility and the plant of Freja, the goddess of fertility and love. In the middle ages and later there was a lot of superstition surrounding it. Dont sleep under it! You will go cracy. And its bad luck to chop it down. Still today it is used for many kinds of food here in Denmark.

[@ForestedVideo]

So cool! I love the old stories and special connections to plants from traditions around the world. And point well taken - I will make sure I don't sleep under my Elderberry bushes!

[@vivalaleta]

When we moved into our place it was full of mice. We put down a live trap and collected them. Then we took the lot to our town compost site where pumpkins and gourds had reseeded themselves. The compost heaps were warm in the middle. I felt such peace.

[@huikh2r]

This video is so underrated.

[@Sonsie66]

This is what our government should be subsidizing.

[@mlindsay527]

Lots of good insights! I’m working on my 4 acre silvopasture with fruit, nut, and legume trees along with sheep, chickens, a pig and one cow. Prunings become fodder for the animals and then the woody leftovers become biochar feedstock which then gets spread back on the silvopasture. Seems to be working well!

[@chefboay]

Sounds like an awesome system!

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

I live the idea of a food forest. I planted one last year but it looks more like twigs than anything else!!!

[@kittimcconnell2633]

Maypop flowers are euphorics, too. Eat one and you may feel calm and happy, like everything will be OK.

[@jeremystanton8302]

Awesome video, Lincoln, really well done! I could watch this over and over and learn something new each time. And so great to see the garden looking so lush and green. Thank you for this inspiring video!

[@gtromble]

Great to see the continuing evolution. My first trees and shrubs go in this spring. Hope they look as good as yours in 10 years.

[@jessicayates87]

I have a TON of yaupon holly, dewberries and maypop that grow wild in my back yard. I didn't know you could eat the flowers on the maypop! They are very pretty but I never thought to try and eat them. I live in East Texas on 1 acre but the surrounding 20 acres belong to my parents so I have pretty free access to a lot of wooded area and pasture. A lot of the times, I feel that native plants get treated as weeds to get rid of in yards and I think that's kinda sad.. I am trying to learn more about native plants in my area especially ones that were important to the Native American Caddo who lived here before.

[@ForestedVideo]

Great points! We certainly seem to ignore the wealth of useful plants all around us - something I keep finding new examples of. Like right now here in Bowie, MD, anytime the snow melts, I find tons of sweet delicious nutritious chickweed growing. But for some reason I tend to eat lettuce instead. Crazy! Your land sounds beautiful and productive! All the best to you.

[@jamep1]

The KZbin algorithm suggested this video to me, and I'm glad it did. I'm near Frederick, MD and in the process of converting my just over 2 acre property into a forest garden. Very cool stuff you're doing over in Bowie!

[@davidsawyer1599]

Usually the YT algorithm suggests videos that really miss the mark. Nice surprise. Thanks.

[@jarretv5438]

I think a mulch path would save you a lot of time and money. While also increasing organic matter

[@marlan5470]

I really like the footpaths being covered with grass. 🙂

[@itsgwenorsomething]

I love everything about this, thanks for giving us the tour!

[@KooroshJoon]

I hope to have a garden like yours one day. Thanks for sharing!

[@ginbean]

This is awesome, Lincoln. Great video - thanks so much for all this experimenting and for sharing what you're learning!

[@EmilyRoseMurray-ch8ny]

This is truly amazing what you've done. Thank you for sharing :)

[@Coorong]

a lot of knowledge being learned in this place! congrats

[@anacletwilliams8315]

What a pleasure watching your video. Congrats on your work.

[@rowenperry7345]

Awesome video Lincoln, thanks for sharing. Best wishes going forward

[@TheUltimateAcres]

What a great show! Thank you for your contributions. #Keepupthegreatwork

[@nickyperryman2683]

Wonderfully inspiring! Thank you for sharing!

[@bfillip1]

Really cool to see it again, even if virtually. Thank you for the update.

[@Farida-A.R.]

Amazing information about plants, thanks for sharing.

[@payel9619]

I love that. I'm a jobless and penniless person. I wish God to Bless me with some fortune to Have this type and amount of land where I could create my oasis.

[@tessblog3384]

Awesome scenery beautiful and green great job❤️

[@littlehomesteadbythebeach]

Very nice video. Full of ideas that everyone can apply wherever they are!

[@arieswildchild]

I already love your video because you turned back for the puppy.

[@akairibbon4658]

wonderful! You're amazing thank you for all your efforts in doing this

[@pang-ngiavang1956]

Thank you for what you are doing! Beautiful food forest in the states!

[@annharlan8926]

What an absolutely lovely and enlightening video. Thank you. I have a permaculture yard in NC and got a lot of good information from you. Thank you.

[@wedhimd]

one like not enough! I really admire your work, especially the community thing. keep it up

[@davetoth9767]

Really impressive presentation. Thank you so much!

[@thepeopleplaceandnaturepod8344]

This video inspires me to spend my life growing nutritious food for my family and others while embracing a sustainable lifestyle connected to nature. It's amazing how fulfilling life becomes with this perspective.

[@arabellalunkes4532]

Yum!! Love me some persimmons! Lucky duck just grazing t/ o the garden! I love doing that! Great video! Ty!

[@jabroni860]

Thank you for this very informative video! You've clearly learned so much from growing for ten years, and sharing knowledge like this is really powerful. I really hope to cultivate my own forest garden one day.

[@ac-hh1pg]

persimmons and maypops! Just wonderful!!

[@Chris-it1km]

Great mission. I really like your mission where social as well as economical aspects are addressed! More of it :-) Proud member

[@TD-nf1qo]

Holy moly, so glad youtube told me to watch this! I'm barely getting my food forest started (

[@jaik9321]

Congratulations 🎉,we need more such projects

[@monicahyatt1850]

Lincoln and team, it is so fun to see where you are 10 years later. I have always loved walking the garden and seeing all progress you have made. Well done! Keep up the great work.

[@milliebanks7209]

Wish I had discovered you years ago! Love your channel and content! I have subscribed even tho am not able to put into practice any of your ideas.

[@christiankelley4145]

You're doing a great job!

[@Mulljackson]

This is a really good video. no fluff and tons of good info.

[@enriquetagarcia860]

What a noble job! Keep it up!

[@farmervee_yt]

We appreciate your gift to the planet.

[@markd.9042]

This is a healthy and upright video. Thank you for teaching me about these.

[@boblane7356]

That is a great start to a plentiful food forest

[@ayelean9397]

This is hands down one of the best food forest videos I have ever seen… and I have seen a lot! Very inspiring and informative. Thank you for sharing

[@Pnett424]

Loved your video Lincoln! Keep them coming!!! If you and your family ever travel to our area, please look us up!!! We are working on bringing back the vegetation that was originally here...post Oak Savannah

[@l_alvarez_1k]

Very informative and insightful video. Love to see the prosperity in other people's vision come full circle. Creating a garden to build a community...never fails. ❤ from California's Central Valley

[@92ben111]

Pickerel Weed stalks can be cured and weave into very nice basket and mats.

[@fuxleo]

you have a new sub for that awsome work!very impressive😍

[@outingsforoldladieswhoaren7664]

I am so impressed. Amazing site and amazing people.

[@stewartthomas2642]

Love your stuff kick on love it

[@beckyisabell4324]

I loved this video so much thanks.

[@CarlosianBigWang]

Hehe I was just your 6,000th subscriber my friend. Beautiful work you are doing here

[@Cavolfipriecapperi]

Can't wait for the next update on the swamp vetables next time in a few years. Good luck and good weather

[@boneman1982]

That Bradford pear tip is crazy. Great thinking.

[@debradykstra8703]

I really enjoyed this tour. And I admire your dedication. You ARE changing the world. 🌞🌱 What you have accomplished moves out in ripples, touching more and more people as it goes.

[@KingOsirismindprogramming8888]

THIS IS MY VIBRATION 🏝️🌍😇THANK YOU

[@TheEmbrio]

Verybwell made vidéo, interesting ! Your channel should progress very rapidly !

[@daughterofTheLion]

I am so impressed. Community and healthy food. The way it's meant to be.❤

[@limbodog]

I loved this video! I wish there was a place like this up in New England

[@jinjisooul2065]

Wow this is amazing!

[@marilialevacov2939]

In the south of Brazil there are several poisonous snakes that would hide in the tall grass and bite people and animals. Clearing walkable paths makes the forest much safer and more confortable to walk by, garden/plant/weed, retrieve food or just enjoy the place. It is a need.

[@kylespeaks7401]

What kinds of snakes?

[@marilialevacov2939]

@@kylespeaks7401 venomous.... There are four groups of venomous snakes in Brazil, of which the genus Crotalus is considered the most dangerous with 0.96% lethality, followed by the genus Lachesis (0.61% lethality), the genus Bothrops (0.37%), jararaca, and the genus Micrurus (0.27%) cobra coral.

[@MyFoodForest]

Beautiful , beautiful food forest!!! Thanks ,a lot of good information in this video . I have a small food forest around my house in South India and this is an inspiring video! I just planted a mulberry tree- and looking forward to see the fruits

[@monicalynnjames]

Thank you, this was so inspirational and information. I had no idea about Youpon Holly, and replacing coffee makes this an even better plant.

[@TiempoNuevo-ew7ty]

All of the Food Forest videos are a learning adventure.

[@svensebastianhorner]

Awesome how your pushing on the acorns! The part about the american groundnut growing along the non-native plants is great demonstration of the permaculture principle 'observe and interact' + 'obtain a yield' / 'catch and store energy'. And there is many more great examples in this video. Love to see the principles heavily in use.

[@foodforestretirement2799]

Really nice! Thanks 😊

[@johnmcclung1568]

You changed my world! So yes rediscovering aNd sharing that earth and life are a paradise is real An example of a good person, gratitude

[@naturenurturejm3517]

Very much interesting i like the way in which you have involved lots of people in building these gardens and i had learned a lot i didn’t even how there were thornless black berries There in England we have lots and lots of berry’s grown so wild but its a struggled in picking them because of the thorns.its so great to see the vegetations of the fields that we can lived off instead of having meats and chickens in our diets but its all up to the individuals it living with choices.

[@putiwang7679]

That tree house is a great place for meditate.😊

[@ForestedVideo]

Yeah - somehow I seem to find it easier to build places to meditate than to meditate in them, but whenever I do it's time well spent :-)

[@jordiecartier]

omg hi lincoln we’ve never met but i visit the forest garden sometimes!! ❤️❤️ you’ve done an amazing job!!!!!

[@jordiecartier]

shoutout to carl hehe

[@mawi1172]

I love you! This is a GREAT TOPIC. I want to listen to you! 🥰🥰🥰 Maybe not do! But watch! ✌️✌️✌️

[@TemplarX2]

Turning a negative into a positive. You are brilliant.

[@LoneHawk]

This is so cool. I want to grow a forest now.

[@markblix6880]

Very good presentation.

[@lyssasletters3232]

Thank you for sharing❤

[@bugsea54]

Thank you for letting me look at gardening in a different light. I am planning on hitting my swamp for some stinging nettle, which is very nutritient

[@jowljawjean1]

Fantastic video ❤

[@williamhubel4643]

Can confirm that maypop leaves make some of the most relaxing, soporific tea to sip at the end of the day. Highly recommend

[@ForestedVideo]

Thanks!

[@NotASnowflake]

That is good stewardship, well done.

[@happyvillagelife94]

Beautiful🌹 zabardast sharing

[@benjaminbrewer2569]

You are living my dream.

[@nateanderson5289]

Fantastic video. You touch on so many interesting concepts and it’s so inspiring to see how much can change in 10 years. Beautiful example of tending a healthy ecosystem to the benefit of people.