- Nia W.
- Friday, June 24, 2022
With spring here the concept of creating a forest garden in my back yard has become a enticing idea that has been lingered in the back of my mind for a while. With just a small idea of what it takes to turn a backyard into a forest garden. I decided to do a deep dive and learn as much as I could before undertaking this endeavor.
Forest gardens are gardens that are modeled after the structure of young natural woodland, utilizing plants of direct and indirect benefit to people. They tend to contain mostly edible perennial plants. The perennial plants are what makes gives this type of garden such longevity. Forest gardens are one of the world's oldest form of land use and the most resilient. There is a history of forest gardens around the world by many different names. They can still be found today most commonly in the tropical areas of Asia, Africa, and Central America.
In my research I discovered the key to creating a forest garden are in its seven layers.
- Canopy- Original mature fruit trees
- Low tree- Smaller nut and fruit trees
- Shrub- Fruit bushes
- Herbaceous- Perennial veggies and herbs
- Rhizosphere- Underground plants used for their roots and tubers
- Ground cover- edible plants that spread horizontally
- Vertical layer- vines/ climbers
Each layer in a forest garden contributes to the sustainability overall. It's important to choose plants and planting schemes that suit the environment and soil conditions. There are many benefits to creating a forest garden. One highlight that caught my attention is that instead of working against the land you embrace the natural change that happens and use them to your advantage. Imagining what my backyard will look like in the next few years is motivation enough for me.
Other benefits of having a forest garden are:
- Low maintenance and high efficiency
- Wide range of products
- Resilience to climate extremes
- Biologically sustainable
- Aesthetically beautiful
- Environmentally beneficial in offsetting carbon emissions
- Help control pest and disease