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Creating a Forest Garden – $49.95 |
Growing food sustainably is becoming more and more important in the light of our changing climate. Forest gardening is a way of working with nature that is not only productive and requires minimal maintenance, but also has great environmental benefits. A forest garden is a managed ecosystem modeled on the stucture of young natural woodlands, with a diversity of crops grown in different vertical layers. Unlike in a conventional garden, nature does most of the work for you.
Creating a Forest Garden tells you everything you need to know – whether you want to plant a small area in your back garden or develop a larger plot. It includes advice on planning, design (using permaculture principles), planting and maintenance, and a comprehensive directory of over 450 trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials, herbs, annuals, root crops and climbers – almost all of them edible and many very unusual.
As well as more conventional plants you can grow your own Nepalese raspberries, chokeberries, goji berries, almonds and hops—while creating a beautiful environment that benefits both you and the ecosystem. Forest gardens offer one solution for a long-term, sustainable way of growing food without compromising soil quality, food quality or biodiversity.
(description from Chelsea Green Publishing)
My Take: I absolutely love this book and I love Martin Crawford. I have 3 of his books now and I also subscribe to his publication, The Agroforestry Research Trust. This book is Comprehensive with a Capital C. The great thing about it for those of us in the Pacific Northwest is that our climate is so similar to that of the UK. Crawford’s experience is invaluable. This book is definitely worth the money. Another version is out now that includes a DVD that gives you a tour of his food forest through the seasons. I would love to see it, but I already purchased the book before the DVD was out.
About the Author, Martin Crawford
“Martin Crawford has spent over 20 years in organic agriculture and horticulture and is director of The Agroforestry Research Trust, a non-profit-making charity that researches into temperate agroforestry and all aspects of plant cropping and uses, with a focus on tree, shrub and perennial crops. It produces several publications and a quarterly journal, and sells plants and seeds. See www.agroforestry.co.uk for more information.”
Purchase Creating a Forest Garden
from: Chelsea Green Publishing