Forest Gardens an Idea for Homes, Farms and Open Spaces
Forest Gardens an idea for homes, farms and open public spaces that could be good for nature, our soils and the health and well-being of us humans.
Planting is in layers of taller trees, bushes including fruit producing and then grasses and herbs. Paths are cut but not all neat and tidy so very good for nature.
Forest Gardening is defined as “a low-maintenance sustainable plant-based food production and agroforestry system based on woodland ecosystems, incorporating fruit and nut trees, shrubs, herbs and perennial vegetables which have yields directly useful to humans” from Wikipedia.
As part of my 30 Days Wild challenge for June, I went with my family to Forest Garden in Budock Water, near Falmouth. It was a wonderfully relaxing space and the host, Simon gave us an informative tour (he does charge but it is reasonable). It does make you think though! Why don’t we plant more of the plants we can eat all over the place and why do we want to manicure and maintain everywhere? So, why not have plants we can forage from in parks and gardens and along our streets, in larger towns? We can develop low maintenance areas that are interesting to look at and taste and could really make a difference to reversing the decline of pollinators. So, some will look at the photo above and say it looks untidy but could we not tolerate some untidy spaces if it makes us all a bit healthier and could be better for the environment?
Imagine this kind of set up in parks and gardens?
If you want to visit a little bit of tranquil heaven, here in Cornwall and be inspired to create your own then arrange to visit a forest garden here in Cornwall (follow the link to go to their website).