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
Purchase Options
The course is available in full or per episode.
- Introduction to Forest Gardens
- Windbreaks and Shelter
- Fruiting Trees and Shrubs
- Trees and Shrubs for Nuts and Seeds
- Trees and Shrubs for other Edible Uses
- Designing the Tree Layer
- Nitrogen Fixing Trees and Shrubs
- Low Shrubs & Perennial Crops
- Designing the Understorey Layers
- Soils
- Planting Trees and Shrubs
- Forest Garden Fungi
- Plant Propagation
- Forest Garden Fertility
- Clearings, Ponds and Paths
Single Episodes
One Time Payment, Unlimited Access-
1 Episode
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Account Registration Required
Full Online Course
One Time Payment, Unlimited Access-
15 Episodes
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Bonus episode free
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Account Registration Required
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
Price: £15
Episode 3: Fruiting Trees and Shrubs
Price: £15
Episode 4: Trees and Shrubs for Nuts and Seeds
Price: £15
Episode 5: Trees and Shrubs for other Edible Uses
Price: £15
Episode 6: Designing the Tree Layer
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.