Online Forest Gardening Course

Are you interested in starting your own forest garden, but need a bit of help getting started?

There are good books around (Creating a Forest Garden by Martin Crawford for one!) but this online course goes further by showing you on screen how to get started, how to make a good design, what the options for tree, shrub and perennial plants are, then how to go about planting and creating your own productive system.

What does this course consist of? There are 15 online course episodes with accompanying pdf notes, plus a bonus episode. If you want to try one episode first, then you will automatically get sent a voucher giving you your £15 payment back when you purchase the whole course.1

1: this offer does not apply for the free introductory video

“Amazing course! I’d been toying with the idea of taking the course for a year and just took the plunge. Totally worth it! Highly recommended.”  AH

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Watch the first episode for free:

Single
Episodes

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£ 15 Per Episode
  • 1 Episode
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Full
Online Course

One Time Payment, Unlimited Access
£ 199 Full Course Access
  • 15 Episodes
  • Bonus episode free
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Episode 1: Introduction to Forest Gardens

Description

This free introductory video shows you what a forest garden is and explains what the key features are.

 

Episode 2: Windbreaks and Shelter

Description Do you need shelter for your forest garden plants? There are lots of reasons why shelter is very beneficial to plants, which then grow better and cropper better. This video describes the benefits you’ll get, and then looks in detail at windbreak design and establishment.

Price: £15

Episode 3: Fruiting Trees and Shrubs

Description There are many different fruiting trees and shrubs to choose from when designing your forest garden. Here we look at the main common fruiting trees, less common fruit trees, and a large selection of shrub crops. Some warm climate crops are also described, plus climbing fruits.

Price: £15

Episode 4: Trees and Shrubs for Nuts and Seeds

Description Nuts and seeds can be important crops in forest gardens, supplying alternatives to carbohydrate crops. Here we look at nut trees and shrubs from all over the world which can be used in your garden, from walnuts to bladdernuts.

Price: £15

Episode 5: Trees and Shrubs for other Edible Uses

Description There are many other crops from trees and shrubs apart from fruits and nuts. Here we cover tree vegetables with leaf crops, flower crops, bamboo shoots, spices and flavourings. We also cover some other crops from trees including fibre crops, poles, canes and other supports, and basketry materials.

Price: £15

Episode 6: Designing the Tree Layer

Description Designing the tree layers is one of the most important part of your forest garden design. Here we explore how to survey your site, how to start choosing species, and how to get your design started and progressed.

Price: £15

Episode 7: Nitrogen Fixing Trees and Shrubs

Description

In this video we explore why nitrogen fixing plants are the basis for sustainable fertility in forest gardens. We look at nitrogen budgeting – how to decide how many nitrogen fixing trees or shrubs you may need – and then we look in detail at the main species of tree and shrub that are of value.

Price: £15

Episode 8: Low Shrubs & Perennial Crops

Description

The low layer of perennials and shrubs can be a highly diverse and productive part of your forest garden. Here we describe many perennial vegetables, low fruiting plants, perennial, root and tuber crops, and other useful system perennials.

Price: £15

Episode 9: Designing the Understorey Layers

Description

Good design of your understorey layers can make all the difference between a productive and efficient forest garden, and one which is vulnerable to weeds. Here we look at how to design the lower shrub and perennials layers, culminating in guidelines for good perennial design.

Price: £15

Episode 10: Soils

Description

You can’t make good design decisions without knowing your soil. Here we look at how to find out what properties your soil has, and how to use soil amendments to improve soils. Species are described for the more difficult soil types – acid, alkaline, sandy, clay – and the issue of soil compaction and how to treat it is covered. Transitional ground covers for the early years in a forest garden are also described.

Price: £15

Episode 11: Planting Trees and Shrubs

Description

The importance of mulching is emphasised at the start of this video. Types of mulches for individual trees or shrubs are described, and irrigation options in the early years also discussed.  Sheet mulches prior to planting perennial layers are also described, as well as loose mulch options after planting.

Price: £15

Episode 12: Forest Garden Fungi

Description

Almost all plants grow in symbiosis with fungal partners, and the first part of this video describes how the process works and why it is so important both for the trees themselves, and for forest gardens. Methods to encourage these beneficial fungi (mycorrhizal fungi) are discussed. The second part of the video concentrates on growing edible mushrooms on logs, showing the methods used and how to integrate mushroom production into a forest garden.

Price: £15

Episode 13: Plant Propagation

Description

Most people are going to want to propagate at least some of the plants to use in their forest gardens. In this video we look at the main methods of growing trees, shrubs and perennials: by seed, cuttings at different times of year, layering and grafting.

Price: £15

Episode 14: Forest Garden Fertility

Description

Creating and maintaining fertility in a forest garden also requires good design and planning. Here we look at the main nutrients, and how to make sure there are enough cycling through the system: nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. We also look here at the importance of calcium in controlling soil pH and thus fertility, how to work out if your soil needs initial liming and if so how to do that. We also look at some other soil amendments.

Price: £15

Episode 15: Clearings, Ponds and Paths

Description

Clearings are often needed in forest gardens for light-demanding species or as open ‘human habitat’ spaces. Here we look at how to design clearings for maximum light penetration despite being surrounded by trees. We also look at ponds – in effect an aquatic clearing – why they are important and how to design them. Paths are also essential and their design and maintenance is covered here. We finish by looking at the main maintenance tasks involved in forest gardens.

Price: £15

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