Forest Gardening
Don’t be fooled by the name. Forest Gardening isn’t about trying to grow tomatoes in the woods. It’s an approach to landscape design that seeks to establish perennial plant communities for mutual economic and environmental benefit. A Forest Garden aims to create food, fuel, fiber, fodder, fertilizer, “farmaceuticals”, and fun, by observing and imitating how forests develop in nature.
7 Layers can be found in a healthy, stable ecosystem: Canopy Trees, Understory Trees, Shrubs, Herbs, Groundcovers, Roots, and Vines. Keeping this in mind we can maximize yields by using all available spatial niches. See the example below.
7 Layers can be found in a healthy, stable ecosystem: Canopy Trees, Understory Trees, Shrubs, Herbs, Groundcovers, Roots, and Vines. Keeping this in mind we can maximize yields by using all available spatial niches. See the example below.
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Example of 7 Layers:
Canopy: Shagnut Hickory, Northern Pecan Understory: Redbud, Dogwood Shrub: Blueberry, Hazelnut, Buckeye Herb: Ginseng, Lingonberry, Mayapple Ground Cover: Strawberry, Yarrow, Violet, Miner’s Lettuce Root: American Groundnut, Jerusalem Artichoke, Ginseng Vine: Wild grapes, American Groundnut, Maypop |
 Gareth and Salem (not pictured) of Hungry Gnome installing Karen Frank's Forest Garden |
Guilds are human-designed plant communities that mimic natural ones. It’s very similar to polycultures or interplanting that many people try in their gardens to improve yields, except that it’s used to establish long-term perennial ecosystems. We create guilds to provide multiple uses (edible, medicinal, tea) and functions (nitrogen-fixing, improving soil fertility, providing forage and shelter for beneficial insects) within our forest garden. Below are a number of purposes forest gardeners incorporate--as you can see many plants play multiple roles, increasing their utility for people and the environment.
 Karen Frank's Forest Garden just after planting--plants include rosa rugosa, feverfew, Empire apples, plums, wolfberry, goumi, elderberry, milkweed, boneset, yarrow, comfrey, nodding onion, garlic chives, oregano, echinacea, violets, fennel, arugula, and more |
Nitrogen Fixers = Eleagnus species (goumi, autumn olive), northern bayberry, redbud, clovers, beans, peas, vetch
Dynamic Accumulators = chicory, dandelion, comfrey, yarrow Pest Confusers/Repellers = Allium species (onions, garlic, ramps), African marigolds, nasturtium, paw paw Insectary Plants/Pollinator Attractors = native wildflowers (bee balm, Jerusalem artichoke, amaranth, milkweed, asters), fennel, dill Wildlife Habitat = comfrey, hollies, roses, echinacea Coppice = hazels, ash, redbud, maples, paw paw |
Succession is the temporal progression of a forest garden. When planning what plants go where, it’s necessary to plan ahead so that as trees & shrubs grow they don’t crowd each other out. The key here is to design for a tree’s mature height and spread. While you’re waiting for the canopy to fill out, you can feel free to experiment with different annuals or perennials in the sunny space below.
For more about Forest Gardening there are excellent books available (or refer to our education packages).
~Edible Forest Gardening -- Dave Jackie with Eric Toensmeier
~Gaia’s Garden -- Toby Hemenway
~Forest Gardening: Cultivating an Edible Landscape -- Robert Hart
~How to Make a Forest Garden -- Patrick Whitefield
~Creating a Forest Garden: Working with Nature to Grow Edible Crops -- Martin Crawford
