Post #5 What Is a Forest Garden?
Post Description: An overview of Forest Gardening, explaining the 7 layers and how they mimic nature. Why is it better from an ecological standpoint? Is it a lower maintenance option?
Are annual gardens driving you up the walls? Me too!
Sure, they have their time and place under the seasonal sun, but what about the rest of the year? The answer is forest gardening.
Forest gardens are a layered system of design that recreate a natural forest ecosystem. An ecosystem is a habitat made up of animals, plants, and insects that thrive in a particular environment made up of soil, rocks, water and sunlight.
The goal is to minimize competition by planting species that encourage each other’s growth and mutually keep pests at bay.
The vision is to reforest areas that have been ravaged by humans to bring the natural world back into balance.
A forest garden is generally planted to include a variety of useful trees, shrubs, herbs, roots, and vines. The focus can be on edible or non-edible species, depending on the desires of the gardener planting and maintaining it.
Food forests, where the garden is primarily made up of edible perennials and annuals, are quite popular, especially among permaculture gardeners focused on food security. Others may prefer a purely ornamental garden while some will find it practical to create a garden filled with plants used for medicine, dyes, and soap making. Other people still will find it most useful to plant species for fiber, basket weaving, building materials, or even firewood.
The delight of a forest garden is that you can make it as diverse as you would like it. Decide what you are looking for in your garden and plant accordingly. Working towards sustainability is an ongoing process.
A forest garden, like any garden, is an ever-evolving, living environment. When the trees are young and the garden allows more light, plant annuals that will thrive in the sun. Over time, as the trees grow taller and create a thicker canopy, swap out sun-loving plants for shade lovers. Play around, experiment a bit, and take time to bask in the garden as it grows all around you.
Layers of a Forest Garden
The 7 basic layers:
- Canopy or Tall Trees – over 30 feet tall, this layer is generally found in larger forest gardens and consists of nut and fruit trees as well as trees used for building materials and firewood.
- Sub Canopy or Low Trees – 10 – 30 feet tall, this layer is more common in suburban settings as well as larger gardens and consists of younger or dwarf trees, grown for flowers, nuts or fruit.
- Shrubs – up to 10 feet tall, this layer is made up of bushes with woody stems. There are myriad ornamental shrubs, and their foliage will form the structural backbone of most garden beds all year long. Many of these have gorgeous flowers, and some of those do not have an “off” season. They will flower in cycles throughout the year. There are also many useful plants in this category, providing food, medicine, fiber or dye. Larger shrubs can also be cleaned of leaves and branches at the bottom to create a “standard”, which looks like a small tree.
- Herbaceous – in official plant talk, herbs are any plants lacking woody stems. They range from perennial flowering plants, to culinary and medicinal herbs, to annual flowers and vegetables. They fill in the middle space between the background of shrubs and the foreground of groundcovers.
- Ground Cover or Creeper – these plants lie low to the ground and fill in spaces the herbaceous layer has not taken over. Creeping herbs varieties like ornamental Sweet Potato varieties and Sunshine Mimosa fit the bill in sun or part shade. Some groundcovers such as Blue Daze form mounds instead.
- Underground or Roots – this layer consists of ornamental, edible, and medicinal root crops, ranging from some Begonias to Turmeric and Ginger to Malanga, Sweet Potato and true Yams. You will have to account for their above ground parts as well when planting; plants used for roots are usually herbs or vines.
- Vertical or Climber (Vines) – beneficial climbers add another layer of beauty to the garden as they make their way up the canopy and sub-canopy trees. Steer clear of invasive vines that can choke your forest garden out of balance. Make sure to find out how long they get and provide sturdy support for them. We are fortunate in this climate to have so many beautiful flowering and food-producing vines to choose from!
A Word on Beauty
Forest gardens can get messy! If you have been a friend of ours for a while you know how much we adore marrying beauty with practicality in the garden. When you set out to design your forest garden, whether it be a small plot or a sprawling endeavor, consider the following:
- How many of the 7 layers do you want to incorporate? How many can you incorporate given your unique plot?
- Where are your walking paths going to be? How wide do you want them to be?
- What are your favorite colors? Incorporate plants that satisfy your aesthetic desires.
- How much time do you have to dedicate to your forest garden? Some plants and trees need more maintenance than others to remain aesthetically pleasing.
- Where is your water? How do you plan to irrigate or are you going to water by hand?
Tips for success
- Remember to Weed! Keep the weeds at bay by weeding often and
- Add Mulch – this will suppress the growth of unwanted weeds and keep moisture levels even so your plants do not dry out, especially when they are getting established
- Prune your perennials! Be sure you know when and how to prune for each of the species you have growing in your food forest, we have a post on this here.
- Add more plants to fill in areas that may otherwise get weedy. Consider color, mature height and width, and how it may interact with the plants nearby.
We love our annuals, we do. Who doesn’t enjoy a perfectly ripe, homegrown tomato at the height of the season? A little Himalayan salt, a drizzle of olive oil, maybe a dot of balsamic glaze and you’ve got yourself a gourmet treat! Or eaten like an apple, right there in the garden, juice dripping down your chin? These are the memories gardens are made of.
Yet, what happens when the annual all-stars are ready to turn in for the season? Not much! They turn back into the mulch from whence they came and give rise to the backbone of your garden’s ecosystem – the perennials that make up your forest garden.
If you let your annuals go to seed you may find them popping up next year as volunteers, but in the meantime, your forest garden will be pumping out all sorts of beautiful flowers and delicious perennial edibles to keep you satisfied. Enjoy it all!
What do you think of this concept?
Happy Gardening!
Mary
This is Part 3 of a series on the basics of Permaculture, Forest Gardens and Sustainable Gardening. Click for the Next Post in the Series.
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