Forest Gardens and Edible Ecosystems; Design, Harvest and Use

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.

Forest gardens are one of the most sustainable and regenerative ways of growing edible crops. They have grown in popularity in temperate climates over the past 20 years. This course is designed to help you both start designing a forest garden according to your needs and to look at uses of possible produce.

Tutors include the world expert Martin Crawford, founder and director of The Agroforestry Research Trust (whose 25 year old forest garden is on the Dartington Estate) and leading permaculturalist Caroline Aitken of Patrick Whitfield Associates.

The course will involve a tour of the Schumacher College Forest garden which is in its early stage of development and a close look at its design. Tours of Martin Crawford’s established and pioneering forest garden at Dartington, a tour of his younger forest garden and pioneering forest garden greenhouse, a nut trial site, and hands on harvesting, preserving and cooking of some forest garden produce with Caroline Aitken.

What will you gain from taking part in this course?
• Learn what a forest garden is
• Experience forest gardens of different sizes and ages with agroforestry and permaculture experts
• Gain practical knowledge and confidence to cook and experiment using your crops
• Learn and take part in harvesting and preserving produce

This courses is for you if you are a:
• Gardener wanting to learn about more sustainable systems
• Permaculture practitioner
• Agroforestry practitioner