Urban Edible Forest

Tour of our abundant and easy to care for urban edible forest garden where we grow a huge diversity of plants on just 55 square meters!
Website: www.growntocook.com/
Instagram: / growntocook
Facebook: / vera.greutink

[@iamchinny3]

It's five years since this video, it would be so lovely to see an update on your wonderful garden.

[@Ash-xx5zd]

The microclimate is sooooo fascinating in your garden. I could spend a wonderful day just exploring everything in your space. ....wow.

[@natatherden1769]

It's great seeing a food forest with a good herb layer. It seems many food forests online are mainly mulch on the ground

[@happynaturalist1793]

Plant in layers, notice and use micro climates, plant perennials and those that self-sow, remember edible flowers(!), celebrate with the seasons, even shady spaces can grow foods, plant a diversity! Got it!

[@GrownToCook]

That's a great summary :)

[@xianghouzinjianghu5001]

Beautiful!! You will see yards like this in every Eastern European country. Nice to see the Netherlands. Also

[@GrownToCook]

I come from the Czech Republic, and indeed, most people grow some food in their yards, though it does not look quite like this :)

[@lightowl3934]

The spirit is alive through creation, your garden is phenomenal and makes my soul happy. Very well done, thank you.

[@portaadonai]

God created creation, and breathed His spirit into us, which is what made us alive. "...then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature." -Genisis

[@2fluffy2bunny]

my ears always perk up when i hear shade tolerant plants. Thanks for the tour, your garden is lovely!

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you! Lots of the perennial vegetables are shade tolerant so they are a great alternative for spaces that are too shaded for annuals :-)

[@nomparfait]

The back of my yard is shady because I have a few fruit trees (I'm in the U.S., zone 7A). Meader persimmon, Everbearing mulberry, American Pawpaws, & Jujube. I'd love to plant some more edibles back there. Thanks for the many ideas!!!

[@nomparfait]

U can eat 🌷?? Gotta try it😀

[@stefanomoretti3664]

@@nomparfait Hi 1 wjhat kind of zone do you refer to ? Do you have any useful links? I would like to grad my own garden area before starting some planning and cultivations ...thanks, from Italy

[@nomparfait]

@@stefanomoretti3664 Google USDA Hardiness zone map, lowest temp it usually gets to is 0 to 5 °f of -17.8°to -15°c.

[@douglaspeterson-hui7563]

What a wonderful garden.

[@GrownToCook]

Douglas Peterson-Hui Thank you so much!

[@angelaholwell741]

I know I'm over a year late on this video , but I had to say this is beautiful and inspiring. My dream is to have an urban food forest and you guys are living it!! Great job.

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you, Angela! The garden has not changed that much in the past year since almost all the plants are perennial :) I'm glad you're finding inspiration in our video, goodluck with your dream garden!

[@OneYardRevolution]

You've done an amazing job in such a small space. Beautiful food forest!

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you, Patrick! It's amazing how many edible plants you can fit even in a small garden if you think in layers :-)

[@storm3772]

Great work. Good to see people interested in gardening.

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you!!

[@Suburbangeek]

Packed with all the good stuff. Thanks for the tour.

[@tuscan440r]

Wow that is beautiful, I am inspired! I've recently decided that I'm going all in on our large city garden with the Forrest/permaculture approach and this is the most beautiful example I've seen yet. Thanks for sharing, I've subscribed!

[@SKOLAH]

It's inviting. Like that path is calling for us to explore. 🙂

[@castleofcostamesa8291]

I love your garden and your excellent presentation. I am grateful to learn from you! Thank you and Hugs from my urban food forest garden in Costa Mesa, Southern California, USA.

[@GrownToCook]

Castle of Costa Mesa Thank you so much for watching! I’m happy to hear that you find inspiration here even though you live in a pretty different climate:)

[@goshdarnit]

I'm loving your videos and of course your garden! So inspiring

[@jackiea8274]

I always come back to this video and just love it. Beautiful, functional, inviting, and a total showcase of your creativity and hard work!

[@GrownToCook]

Thanks so much, Jackie!

[@greatwesterngardens9405]

Very beautiful! Thank you for sharing!

[@melanielinkous8746]

I love your garden! Such an inspiration.

[@solfeinberg437]

Back later in the season when the berries are ripened - unless you can pop the berries through the 'puter, I'm not nearly as excited as if I was there and you were inviting me back over. Thanks for the inspiration. Good to know people are doing this - it makes me feel more secure / good about people and the planet. I'm hoping / planning to evolve my own system.

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you, Sol! Good luck with making the garden of your dreams!

[@one.arizona.garden]

Wow, I absolutely love your garden 💚

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you!!

[@PermacultureHomestead]

really great stuff here, thanks for some new ideas.

[@anamenger6043]

Love your Edible Forest!! Thanks for sharing!

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you, Ana!!

[@pjt3887]

Such an amazing approach to gardening. Feeling inspired.

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you, Pam!

[@Ash-xx5zd]

Wow. Beautiful garden. Love that theirs a pond too!

[@MidwestGirl]

Your garden is beautiful as well as useful with edibles. Fantastic!

[@Arnis1mail]

Such a beautiful garden you have there. Thank you for your beautiful ideas

[@lindabartolucciscanlon204]

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

[@TheDeco6]

Can you list the perennials here, I’d love some new plants to grow

[@abigailirvine3414]

Thank you for showing your garden it's wonderful Blessings

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you, Abigail!

[@keikookawa7797]

This is great, love it. I’m making an edible garden for the first time too and this video gives me great inspiration, thanks.

[@toordog1753]

One of my favorite places to visit.

[@b3vang]

You have a beautiful garden. Thank you for sharing!

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you, Bao!

[@jungletheme2094]

what an amazing garden!!

[@Liz-sc3np]

Very beautiful!

[@GrownToCook]

Liz Thank you!

[@spoolsandbobbins]

Lovely gardens. Inspiring!! God bless from Nova Scotia

[@GrownToCook]

Thanks so much, Heidi!

[@izby2652]

Beautiful garden. Thank you.

[@AlBGood]

Your garden is beautiful and fruitful. We to have small garden. Someday hopefully it will be as nice and prolific as yours. Thank you for sharing it with us

[@laraayoubi4970]

Absolutely amazing. I will take the inspiration and set about making my yard look like this.

[@GrownToCook]

I'm so happy to hear you're inspired to create an edible yard too! Good luck with your garden!

[@forsak3th]

Very beautiful design! Excellent

[@singletrackjunkie3603]

A very beautiful and productive garden. Inspiring to see a temperate Atlantic climate as its very relevant to where I live, Scarborough UK.

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you! Lovely to hear you find inspiration here!

[@AmbieLovina]

Omg, your garden is gorgeous 😍

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you!! I'll try to film it at a diffent time this year too!

[@bonniehoke-scedrov4906]

Thank you so much for this informative video! I got so much out of it.

[@greikaroslo]

Beautiful garden 👍

[@familyfruit9833]

We're just a year or two into slowly creating our own small edible forest. Similar size, in a UK suburban garden. Excited to discover your videos! Always looks for example of what's been done on a similar scale. Deciding what to prioritise and what not to include because of the space led to some dilemmas!

[@tadblackington1676]

Beautifully done.

[@MYPERMACULTUREGARDEN]

NEW SUBSCRIBER ! I like your small garden and the use of space with all your food forest ! I also have a garden, but it is only one year old... I hope mine gets to look like your someday !

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you so much for subscribing! Edible forest garden only get better with age :)

[@chantaltulliez8066]

So beautiful...greetings from Australia...

[@HeliIsoAho]

A beautiful edible garden here! Thank you for sharing :-)

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoed it!

[@annespana]

Beautiful

[@mahlina1220]

Excellent!!🌈🌺

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you!!

[@nomparfait]

I really enjoyed the tour of your wonderful garden, thanks!

[@GrownToCook]

Thanks so much! It is turning into a jungle at the moment :)

[@sutherland896]

your garden is wonderful, well done

[@lisawelsh9359]

You have one of the most beautiful gardens I've seen!!! You're my inspiration 😉

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you so much. Lisa!!

[@leightreme6848]

i have a small garden too so thanks for all your information and encouragement

[@GardenloveHomestead]

Love this little tour. Im working on the same thing

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you and good luck with your garden!

[@gardenboots7464]

So refreshing - just to join you on the garden tour. Beautiful work that you have done. Thank you :)

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you so much!

[@badhonebrahim7707]

im just dead amazed by your work.

[@GrownToCook]

Badhon Ebrahim Thank you so much!@

[@rosesnewbeginning3547]

O wow amazingly lush and pretty Plus an abundant back yard. It's giving me so much to think about. I have lots of eatables but also lots of decorative plants it might be good to change some decorative ones with pernaial eatables. Since they also look very nice. Thanks for these Inspirational vids

[@BeFree-BeFrugal]

Beautiful garden just shows what can be achieved.. I have a container grown fig against a south facing wall . 🌞

[@Gerrardsoccer]

Such a beaitiful edible garden😍also straightforward and neat info delivered 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 my inspiration

[@homelessjoe]

beautiful, thank you

[@GrownToCook]

Joseph Lynn Thank you! I’m glad you like our little garden! We’ll try to film a bit more of it this season:-)

[@trackin951]

quite a beautiful, edible space you have

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you, Dustin! I think garden can and even should be both productive & beautiful:-)

[@mgoldfield5821]

New subscriber❤️ Your garden is both beautiful and full of useful plants. I really enjoyed your video and look forward to viewing more on your channel! Cheers from New York!

[@lrose1766]

Wonderful example! Very inspirational! For some reason I thought Mirabelle plums needed a pollinator plum, like two or another variety. I would love to grow one but I'm not sure about it in my zone 5 in the Midwest USA. I have heard mixed reports. I also thought tulip bulbs were the edible part, and I tried some bulbs I had to dig up, ugh. I may try some petals next year . . . being part Dutch I love my bulbs!

[@luislugo6033]

Nice work!

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you!

[@banzy3]

I thought there was a dove cooing outside my window until I paused the video. :D Lovely backyard, it looks much bigger than it is with all these plants.

[@strauchdieb7628]

How lovely, reminds mea little of my own ^^ great job!

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you!

[@Sam-Mort]

Great garden

[@jungletheme2094]

THIS is the kind I want to make yay!

[@patriciagabrielahernandeza4897]

Thabks for sharing!! Looking somr inspiration here for plants that grow good in Belgium ☺️

[@GrownToCook]

Everything I grow should work for you too!

[@leeroyallen9053]

This was great.

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you, LeeRoy! I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@sophie6045]

Your garden is beautiful

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you, Sophie!

[@TheWBWoman]

Beautiful and productive yard! My backyard is much larger than yours but it almost feels like I have less space to work with because I have several very large older trees on it which affects where I will get enough sunlight for the types of trees & plants I want to plant. It can be a little overwhelming to decide what I want to do. Right now I'm doing small areas of my backyard at a time so think it will take me many years until I reach something that would be comparable to your backyard.

[@David-kd5mf]

Inspiring!

[@GrownToCook]

David Jorgensen Thank you, David!

[@Septentria]

beautiful

[@cecilianena6648]

I L❤VE your garden.

[@GrownToCook]

Thanks so much, Cecilia! Can't wait for spring here!

[@smokeydabeecharlescoleman8365]

First of all, Thank you for sharing.You have a beautiful garden.My only suggestion would be to graft other varieties onto your apple trees. That would give you a much longer growing/fruiting season. I would love to sample the fruit from your current hybrid. I'm in Florida myself, and started a food forest 2 years ago.

[@bonniehoke-scedrov4906]

Rather, you might try dense planting. I’ve got four apple trees newly planted in two separate 15 gallon grow bags on my deck. We will see how it goes! Thanks for sharing.

[@OurHumbleLife]

Thank you! :)

[@vanlonggarden]

look great

[@bluebluedogbooks]

Thank you.

[@ramthian]

Thanks 🙏

[@Viva_la_natura]

I love your garden! My favorite. I'm developing a channel in the US with a very similar concept, kitchen garden, perennial forest etc.

[@happynaturalist1793]

Hey Paul D, how is your channel going? Do you plan to make more videos? I’ve subscribed.

[@forestgardening]

Love your garden and the tour! Lovely example of a temperate forest garden. When did you first start planting it?

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you! I started planting the trees and shrubs in our backyard in winter 2002/2003 but the garden keeps evolving, especially the herb layer, as light conditions change.

[@CUThereVirtualTravel]

Beautiful garden! What did you say the plant with small blue flowers and a deep tap root is called?

[@GrownToCook]

C Thank you! The plant is Anchusa azurea- it selfsow quite a lot but the flowers are edible, the bees love them and you can also use it as ‘chop’n’drop’ mulch!

[@stefanomoretti3664]

it is interesting to see wht you have as perennials in a cool temperate climate...most of what cane be seen refers to tropical climates

[@hgchurch175]

For this I watch Canadian Permaculture Legacy Channel.

[@Dr.A.Rosenberg]

Very informative video from a very beautiful woman ! Thanks !

[@emmaines]

Amazing garden! I recently discover you channel and what it’s permaculture. I didn’t know what I wanted to do had already a name and it was so popular. I officially have seen all of your videos now. Thanks you for the knowledge. I look forward to get your book. Can you let me know what is the name of the herb that it’s a ground cover that you use to make a drink? Thank you! Louisville, Kentucky, KY (but originally from Cuba 🇨🇺)

[@GrownToCook]

Hi Enma, thank you for watching - I'm so glad you found my videos inspiring! The little plant is woodruff (Galium odoratum).

[@treesagreen4191]

Your garden is inspiring! I have one about a metre narrower than yours but the west facing boundary is an evergreen hedge and I don't want to remove it because birds nest in it - dilemma! Do you think the hardy kiwi would be OK on a north west facing brick wall? I'm inclined to try it. You mentioned that you needed a male and that you pruned it differently but I couldn't hear well enough - how do you do that?

[@robl4435]

Heel mooi :-)

[@meanjeanj.2989]

Thank you for the tour of your lovely garden! It reminds me of our Uncle Gernot's backyard in Munich-- very lush!What was the name of the tasty apple tree that was already planted at the site?

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you! The apple variety is called 'James Grieve' - it ripens here in late August and you can't store it very long but it is really delicious.

[@smolpener7430]

When doing metric to imperial conversions for length, just remind people that a meter and a yard are about the same length, then if they want an exact conversion they can look it up.

[@MorusAlba1975]

Inspirerend.

[@paulotheurbanfarmer5982]

Really love your garden I love the way you have also integrated other plants just for flowers. I also noticed the ground elder I know this is edible do you eat it? And NO GRASS! Thank god! everyone in the UK loves lawn and it drives me crazy! Keep up the great work !!!

[@GrownToCook]

Thanks Paulo! Yes, there's some ground elder and we do eat it in spring but if it were possible I'd like to get rid of it since for such a small garden it's way too aggressive ;)

[@paulotheurbanfarmer5982]

@@GrownToCook Yes it is hard to get rid of, I do find it tastes a little like parsley....Great! Look forward to more videos!

[@LindaCasey]

Geweldig .. het lijkt een beetje op mijn tuin (NH). Je hebt mij een goed idee gegeven hoe ik gebruik kan maken van de oude gebroken steentjes als muurtje. Thank you. I'll be sure to stay tuned. Groetjes .. Linda

[@GrownToCook]

Dank je wel, Linda! Leuk om te horen dat je ook op deze manier tuiniert! Ik heb deze video (en vele andere) trouwens ook op mijn Nederlandse channel 'Tuin smakelijk' - mocht je het leuk vinden :-)

[@mihirm3632]

Wow! So great! would be great if whole Netherlands shifted to permaculture

[@GrownToCook]

Agreed! I hope that showing how we do it will inspire more people to garden/live this way :)

[@ingeleonora-denouden6222]

We, here in Meppel, are with you too!

[@ingeleonora-denouden6222]

We, here in Meppel, are with you too!

[@GrownToCook]

@@ingeleonora-denouden6222 That's great to hear!

[@frederiksmees5503]

GrownToCook ook in New Zealand Ben ik er mee bezig in mijn 3de jaar nu. Mijn eerste bomen krijgen hun eerste fruit 👍👍

[@joelfedida5342]

Bonjour, et merci pour vos vidéos passionnantes. Je suis en train de planter une forêt comestible en ville. Cependant, j'ai planté sur un gazon, puis mis des copeaux de bois qui ont disparus en 3 mois (mangés par la terre). Faut il que je couvre de carton ,puis ensuite une toile de jardin non tissée, puis ensuite dessus des copeaux de bois ? Avez vous laissé une toile en dessous de vos copeaux ? Merci de vos lumières. Joel

[@ketutsri7711]

Cantik sekali..

[@k.s.k.7721]

How long is your growing season? First and last average frost dates? You must have a very short time to grow all those lovely plants. Have you attempted goji berries? They originate in Northern China and are extremely hardy - easy to start from seeds or dried berries from the stores. Do you grow any root crops? Some are dual-use, with edible leaves as well, and can be left in ground until needed. Very inspiring video - thank you!

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you! Our growing season is indeed relatively short - our last avarage frost date is mid May and first is usually somewhere in November, but can be in October too. And because we are quite far to the north (52nd parallel) light levels drop fast in fall. As for tubers, I do not grow them in our backyard because it is quite small and I do not want to disturb the soil here, but I have grown Jerusalem artichokes and yacon elsewhere . What tubers did you had in mind? I have two different varieties of goji in our 'big' garden, but they are not fruiting yet. I grew goji before but the plants never flowered, so I am hoping these will.

[@ingeleonora-denouden6222]

In the Netherlands the climate is very unpredictable. We don't have exact first and last frost dates. Some winters even do not have any frost / freezing at all, while others can be very cold. Often it's only wet and cloudy, but some years can be dry!

[@sbartdbarcelona44]

Excellent content. The escapalier steel grids is something you get at the hardware store? Does it come in a roll? Thx you!

[@GrownToCook]

Yes, it’s concrete remesh but these come flat ( they’re, sturdier than the ones that come in a roll) 2 meters tall.