How to Make a Temperate Forest Garden : Part 1

[@debbiehenri345]

I too had a piece of ex-farmland for my 2-acre forest garden project. It was so heavily over-grazed (half of it just a few scrags of turf overlying slate), that I had to leave it fallow for years to build up a little soil. (No, I don't have the money to ship in tons of soil to make a ready-to-plant forest). So, be aware, if you buy ex-farmland, be prepared for the cold, hard fact that there's likely to be very little productive soil depth left (badly depleted soil depth is a massive problem facing farming all over the world) and you're going to spend the rest of your life creating compost from whatever you can. 17 years later, I have trees and shrubs growing in pockets of sufficiently deep soil, but the bare rock has now all disappeared under turf with a soil depth of a minimum of 4 inches. I placed importance on a hedge along the boundary first (to reduce wind-speeds and provide security). I'm glad to learn that I seem to have followed some of what's been said on this video, mainly to underplant larger trees and shrubs with currants and gooseberries. It's true, they do tolerate shade (in fact, both those plants grow wild in my local woodlands, along with raspberries). Where I do differ is with regard to the spacing of trees. Since I am a serial taker of cuttings and planter of seeds, I have planted more closely with the view of thinning out trees and shrubs as plants mature. Once something starts being a nuisance and getting in the way, the plan is either to move it or chop it for firewood - or, in the case of Hazel, to pollard some to ground level on a rotational basis to allow them to revitalise (since Hazel will begin to falter once they grow very old). Already, in just the time I have lived here, I have grown several trees from seed and chopped them for firewood - because they were surplus to the final plan. I did place a great deal of emphasis on introducing fungi too. I am aware of the importance of fungi as a network of nutrient dispersal between plants (a fan of Paul Stamets, and would recommend a copy of his book 'Mycelium Running' to anyone planning a forest garden). Among the many, many species of diverse fungi in my garden, I have but 5 edible species - Oysters, Giselles, Stump Puffball, Deceivers and Amethyst Deceivers. As the years pass, I'll introduce other edible fungi, but I'd say to anyone - don't rush it. I spent a lot of money on spawn at the beginning, but didn't have the time to care for it properly (since I had so much else to do and lab-raised spawn is a bit 'tender'). So I lost a lot and found it better to introduce edible species already in the woodlands around me.

[@Luiza-Macrishroshu]

Hristos a înviat.!!! Doamne Iisuse Hristoase al meu, mântuiește țara noastră România de război, pe noi robii tăi și toată lumea ta pentru rugăciunile Sfinților Români din toate timpurile și de pretutindeni.!!!

[@WildmagicUK]

Thanks for that - really really helpful and I will have a look at that book.

What's missing in pretty much every video/site about forest gardening is fungi/mycellium and the role it plays in tying together everything in this ecosystem. Paul Stamets is an expert in myco-remediation.

[@anima6035]

Interesting!! Going to have to look into this. X

[@badwolfbl9078]

For a second, I thought it's a joke about Paul Stamets of Star Trek Discovery. Which is also some kind of mycologist.

[@fluffynick23]

Here here!!!!!

[@YalisCommunity]

Thank you Maddy for such an insightful talk.

[@rubygray7749]

Oh lovely! I wanted to know more about these people. I saw them on Alys Fowler's wonderful series "The Edible Garden".

[@quercusrobur2002]

Thanks for the plug Maddy! :-)

[@rdkitchengarden4359]

this is a great video with a lot of useful information. This year I am being to plant my food forest. Mine will be in my back yard and will only be 55 square meters. It is very small but fingers crossed I will be as successful as you have been. Thank you very much

[@forestgardening]

Thank you for the video. Great to see your forest garden and really good to see one growing so well on chalk. I've been growing one on a smaller back garden scale on a very thin chalk hillside in Salisbury, Wiltshire, inspired by Permaculture and Robert Hart's vision of a nation full of back gardens with productive forest gardens. I'm only 7 years in but it is starting to live up to its low-maintenance, high productivity potential. One day everyone will have one :).

[@Javaman92]

A very good and encouraging talk. Thanks for sharing this information. I'm planning on buying land in NE Ohio, USA soon and hope to implement this kind of thing there. :-)

[@lightowl3934]

Hi Javaman92, how have you got on with your plans?

[@michaeldamico4583]

He mowed his lawn so far lol

[@sailinggreenpearl2571]

Interesting video, im just starting something similar in new zealand

[@weRbananas]

You could use woodland plants such as hazelnut woodland strawberry and blackberry vines in the low light areas, because that's their natural kind of habitat.

[@WhiteWolfeHU]

You know what’s really boring and not natural? Things staying the same. Things on my property my garden, forest etc.. changes every year. It’s dynamic and exciting and offers endless work or opportunities lol.

[@ZE308AC]

Buy a geo dome and control the weather to mimic whatever place in the world you want to copy.

[@mr.biggelsworth4997]

You are awesomeness!

[@lisanicholls9026]

Thank you so much for your channel 😊

[@CraigMullins1]

Who designed it? How much they charge for a design?

[@maddyharland7319]

+Craig Mullins Maddy & Tim Harland designed it. It shows you in the film.

[@maddyharland7319]

+Maddy Harland And the whole point about this is that you can design your own food forest with help from a good book that suits your climate. You don't need a 'guru' to do it for you.

[@CraigMullins1]

+Maddy Harland I'd prefer a guru

[@PermacultureMagazine]

+Craig Mullins Contact maddy permaculture.co.uk - she designed it. Part 2 of the film coming soon. Enjoy.

[@violetsnowdrop405]

She made a joke about forests in subtropical climates, called them "permaculture porn" ... but does anyone know of any resources for learning about designing a subtropical forest? Because that's actually what I need.

[@TheGreenPond-nature]

violetsnowdrop405 Geoff Lawton? Has videos. Saw one just a few mins ago about adding coffee in as lower story.

[@BB-ez7om]

The background noise at 0:41😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣

[@theTORTUGAZUL]

More interesting than Geoff Lawton.

[@dunklaw]

Nepalese raspberry is not seen as a good option anymore.

[@Canceriantigershark]

Maybe some kind of creeping raspberry or trailing blackberry? Some native strawberry might work well for that layer too.