Edible forest gardening is the art and science of putting plants together in woodland-like patterns that forge mutually beneficial relationships, creating a garden ecosystem that is more than the sum of its parts. You can grow fruits, nuts, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, other useful plants, and animals in a way that mimics natural ecosystems. The aim is to create a low input, high output system that benefits people and the environment, providing a great range of products. A forest garden is designed and established according to site and the needs of the client.

At Karuna you will be able to see & learn from examples of forest gardens that have been establishing over some years and see Permaculture in action all around you.

The course will assist participants to visualize, plan, establish and continue to maintain, harvest and learn from a forest garden, be it at home or on someone else's land such as a community garden, school garden, etc.

Course outline The basic 2-day course will cover:
· Benefits of forest gardening
· Site selection and design
· Integration of Permaculture principles and design process
· Species selection
· Plant propagation
· Site preparation, establishment and maintenance; harvesting
· Processing of produce
· Integration with other farm and garden systems

The course will include hands-on practicals in topics such as plant propagation (grafting, budding, layering, etc.), mulching, site surveying and design layout.

Course tutor is Chris Evans He has taught Permaculture in the UK, Europe, Nepal, India, U.S.A. and Mexico. He is also a UK assessment level tutor for apprentices working towards their diploma in applied Permaculture design with the Permaculture Association Britain.

This is a 2-day introduction to the concept and techniques of forest gardening, involving theory and practice from visioning to harvesting.

The course will cover:
• Benefits of forest gardening
• Site selection and design
• Integration of permaculture principles and design process
• Species' selection
• Plant propagation
• Site preparation, establishment and maintenance; harvesting
• Integration with other farm and garden systems

The course will assist participants to visualize, plan, establish and continue to maintain, harvest and learn from a forest garden, be it at home or on someone else's land such as a community garden, school garden, etc.
You will be able to go home and start your journey into forest gardening and be better informed to manage a forest garden that you have already started. And you’ll know how to continue your journey through research into existing literature and being part of an ever-growing network of forest gardeners in the UK.

-Learn and eat from the existing food forests:
1. Chicken managed food forest
2. Guild and polyculture mixed food forest
3. Restoration Agriculture food forest (for sheep)
- Design and help to expand each of the above food forests
- Learn how to draw to scale drawings for design and planning
- Implement the design for a new food forest at Keela Yoga Farm
- Learn about the food soil web, how to make organic fertilisers and cultivate microbiology for the soil
- Discover how to properly research trees and their companions
- Learn how to design guilds and a food forest
- Plant trees and guilds in the food forest
- Propagate perennials to plant into next year's food forests (how to get free plants)
- Create beds for annuals in between the trees for planting to maximise the space in the food forests
- Learn how to design, select, buy and install irrigation systems
- Plan and perform earthworks for water catchment, swales and ponds with a tractor
- Learn how to graft trees trees
- Learn how to prune trees
- Learn how to make compost piles, organic fertilisers and how to cultivate fungi and bacteria for the soil
- Opportunity to learn some natural building techniques
- Workshops on fermenting and storing food
- Workshop on soap making
- Workshop on cooking, you (with the other students) will make one meal with 100% produce from the farm
- Daily Yoga Class

This course will be in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil in colaboration with the Kawanawa tribe and you will be able to live the life of the people of the forest and help improve their living conditions with permaculture design.

Permaculture Design Course - 20 to 31 Jan
Permaculture Forest Course - 5 to 20 Feb
Indigenous Life Experience - 22 Feb to 22 Mar

On the PFC you will learn about forest gardening and how to create a stable diverse abundant forest that produces food.

On this course we will talk about the main forestry skills that are needed to design, develop and manage a food forest.

Did you ever asked yourself these questions?

I love trees but how do i plant them and take care of them?
What is the best way to prepare the soil to make trees grow well?
Wen planting trees what is the best distance between them?
What are the best plants to plant together with trees ?
How can i create maximum diversity and stability with my trees.
How can i get maximum production from all the forest elements?
There must be a way to do natural pest control, how can i do that?
I live in the city, how can i create a urban food forest?

The PFC is the course for people that are passionate about forests.
We look at all stages of preparation of a forest, from seed to harvest.
The focus on the most diverse forest topics, tree planting, tree pruning, companion planting, world climates, plants families, permaculture cultivation, natural pest control, using the stars as planting calendar.
Mushrooms dynamics, how to find them and reproduce and its importance on stable forests.
We look at many different systems, fukuoka forests, alley cropping, wood forests, agro forestry and atlantis food forests.

A Lifelong Learning Aberystwyth Ecology Course

A forest garden is primarily a food-producing habitat and is based on the model of a natural woodland. It is comprised of several layers which are usually composed of fruit and nut trees, as well as fruit bushes, perennial vegetables and herbs. It can be tailored to fit any garden. With informed design, a forest garden will be low maintenance and highly productive for many years to come. The course will cover: Concepts and principles of forest gardening. Crops and other uses of forest gardens. Design and selection of plants. The basics of plant establishment and maintenance. An inspirational site visit to a local forest garden. No prior knowledge of the subject is needed, although some further gardening and fruit growing knowledge may be necessary to practice forest gardening after the course.

With Martin Crawford, Caroline Aitken, Ella Sparks and Jane Gleeson

Learn how to design, implement, and maintain forest gardens and other sustainable agroecological systems. Participants will experience both recently planted and well established 25-year old forest gardens, as well as other agroforestry in and around Dartington.Includes sessions on harvesting, preserving and cooking with forest garden produce.

The course will assist participants to visualize, plan, establish and continue to maintain, harvest and learn from a forest garden, be it at home or on someone else's land such as a community garden, school garden, etc.

You will be able to go home and start your journey into forest gardening, or be better informed to manage a forest garden that you have already started. And you’ll know how to continue your journey through research into existing literature and being part of an ever-growing network of forest gardeners in the UK

A great introduction to this inspiring edible gardening technique where we are part of the Wildlife!
Whether you are interested in green issues, wildlife or responding to climate change, there will be something for you. Come and learn about this inspiring ecological gardening technique to grow our food, meet many human needs and increase wildlife. Based on principles found in nature, forest gardens will need less and less work over the years whilst providing more and more yields.
The course covers ecosystem design, perennial plants, seven layers, history, design considerations, permaculture design, wildlife and rewilding.
We will connect to the environment through nature awareness, foraging and observing natural ecological design principles. We will observe natural edible forest garden edges and explore the implications of this way of gardening. All on the amazing site called Wildwood.
Facilitated by experienced and passionate Forest garden designer, Jo will take you for a forage walk and hopes to find over 100 things for a salad as well as show you how easy it is to make plans for free.
This one day session should give you enough information to have a go in your own garden and be inspired.

This course will teach you how to design, plant and maintain a forest garden. We will use the land and people around us for practical examples. Subjects will include designing with and for people, working with challenging sites and settings, converting orchards into forest gardens and designing for easy maintenance. You will see examples of forest gardens for homes, neighbourhoods, public spaces, market gardens and farms, and have opportunities to design your own site or project. The course is focussed on urban environments, but its content is equally relevant to rural areas.

Forest gardening is an increasingly popular approach to growing food sustainably and efficiently through making use of the vertical dimension of the garden. Designed as a diverse and robust ecosystem made up of species which are useful to us and which support one another in a web of beneficial relationships, a forest garden allows us to increase the range of perennial food plants to fill all available ecological niches, and boost yields while reducing work inputs. The approach can be used on a variety of scales, from container-gardening to farm-scale.
This 2-day course will introduce you to the forest gardening approach and its many benefits, as well as a wide range of trees, shrubs and perennial vegetables that can be grown for food, fibre, dyes, fuel, timber, and medicines, and their needs and requirements. The course will teach you the basics of designing a forest garden, including factors which may affect the design, such as available maintenance time, size and proximity to home, or a commercial element. We’ll look at methods of establishing a forest garden, whatever your starting point - a field, suburban garden, or woodland; and also cover maintenance with a view to increasing fertility and abundance over time.
The course will have a practical design element to offer you some experience in observation, mapping, and designing a forest garden. We’ll look at example designs and go on a visit to Nenya’s 10-year old forest garden (within walking distance of the venue). If you have an ongoing or planned project which involves creating a forest garden, the course will offer some opportunity for discussion, so do bring along your ideas, maps and plans.
Sadly as the venue is only accessible by stairs, we cannot accommodate wheelchair users on this course.
Booking is via our website, nonstuff.co.uk