Lecture notes. I felt so inspired after this talk, everything compliments one another and works in harmony. I think it is a very clever model that I could adapt to include dye plants too therefore creating a food/work dye source combined in the same space. Forest Gardening Talk by Alan Carter Saturday 14 th June, Commie Croft Adapted concept - "Indonesian home gardening" Inspirational practitioners - Mike Daw, Ken Fern (plants for a future), Martin Crawford. Forest Structure: 1- high canopy/ closed canopy. - high up production, all the activity is taking place in the canopy. In Scotland closed canopy is difficult to work with as not enough light filters down into the lower sections. 2- forest glade.- more sunlight, normally forms as patches of open space/ sunlight patches within the forest, good production can take place 3- forest edge- ecologically the richest. Maximise this edge The concept of layering - using all space and height, trees, bushes, shrubs to ground covering that all compliment each other in terms of shading/nutrients/predator insects. Eg - apple trees, below this raspberries, bellow this Turkish rocket and on the ground layer strawberries. Increased production in a small space with all plants complimenting and helping each other. Important to use a lot of perennial, self seeding varieties. Minimum imput/ maximum yield. Choosing/eating plants that self seed and keep producing. Justified purpose. If not to nourish yourself then it must be nourishing the soil. Gorse is a natural nitrogen fixer. Shading lower plants can produce bigger/lusher leaves, increased photosynthesis, which results in a bigger eating crop. Another example of a layered grouping- Japanese plum cross pollinated with naturalised cherry plum produces a new locally adapted species. Below this small leaf lime- flushes of leaves throughout the year. Hedge or tree like, use like lettuce. Below this - raspberries-classic scottish! Then choke berry - member of apple family- forest edge species Strawberry. A list of ground level plants Wild garlic - can be put deeeeeep into shade, good till end of June/July, transplants well in flowering stage. Perennial kale - produces throughout winter Orpine - attracts butterflies - good edible leaves and stalks Dog Tooth Violet - fleshy roots, edible and starchy, good fried early season Sweet Sicely - aniseedy leaves, contains a sugar that we can taste but not digest, good seeds, good roots but only after first year. Common Mallow - edible leaves, flowers and seed heads Pig Nuts - starchy root, grow without much care, like deep shade but hard to dig up! Interesting work into adapting species in future to be more useful / bigger - intervening observation of evolution. Out into the glade Salad Bluebell - Latin 'Persicafolia' leaves keep picking keep producing, tastes like peas, bell flowers are edible NB- salad bluebell is not related to the bluebell - worth learning Latin Names, Day Lilly - edible leaves, edible flowers, good in stir fries Welsh Onion (perennial)- clumps up, eat some save some, bees love the flowers Land Cress Salsify- edible root, flower like artichoke, remember to leave some to run to seed Parsnip - will self seed, need some winter cold Mushrooms Some plants are needed to feed the forest not us. Eg- Comfry- deep rooting amazing source of nutrients when leaves are soaked Lupins- fixes nitrogen from the air into soil. Chinese chives - good for insects No reason to dig/ turn the soil don't disturb the balance Harmony of natural pest control - attract hover fly which eat pest larvae. 'The workers' are hedgehogs as they eat slugs and snails so be sure to build/ integrate shelters for them.
