Forest Gardening weekend at Karuna

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 the past 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.

The Forest Garden system has long been cultivated in many countries but here in the temperate climate it is relatively new. The pioneer of forest gardening forest gardening was Robert Hart who developed his famous forest garden here in Shropshire just a few miles away from Karuna on Wenlock Edge, he is an inspiration for creating Karuna permaculture project. Camping fee £6 per person per night