Week 6. 2nd June 2008. Trees, Woodlands and Forest Gardening

A few years ago Rob wrote and illustrated a (hopefully) useful ‘beginners guide’ to sustainable woodland management which you can download here. One of the best places to learn woodland skills is from the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. You can find some good chestnut recipes [here]. The Agroforestry Research Trust, your local resource for advice and trees, has a website full of things you will want to get your hands on, as well as authoritative publications on all aspects of agroforestry.

Recommended Reading.

Forest Gardening.

Hart, R. (1987) Forest Gardening. Green Books. Where it all started. Whitefield, P. (1997) How to Make a Forest Garden. Permanent Publications. The best beginner’s guide.
Jacke, D. (2006) Edible Forest Gardens (Volumes 1 & 2) Chelsea Green Publications. The master work on the subject. Brilliant, but not for beginners.

Growing Fruit..

Baker, H. (1999) Growing Fruit (Royal Horticultural Society’s Encyclopaedia of Practical Gardening). Mitchell Beazley.
Berry, S. (2004) Kitchen Harvest: A Cook’s Guide to Growing Organic Fruit, Vegetables and Herbs in Containers Frances Lincoln.
Simms, C. (2004) Nutshell Guide to Growing Figs: Everything You Need to Know in a Nutshell. Orchard House Books.
Simms, C. (2004) Nutshell Guide to Growing Grapes: Everything You Need to Know in a Nutshell. Orchard House Books.
Flowerdew, B. (2000) Bob Flowerdew’s Complete Fruit Book: A Definitive Sourcebook to Growing, Harvesting and Cooking Fruit. Kyle Cathie Books.
Guerra, M. (2005) The Edible Container Garden: Fresh Food from Tiny Spaces. Gaia Books. Where I got all the specifications on pot sizes for trees in small back gardens (or front gardens for that matter I suppose…).

Woodland Management.

Brooke, A. (1980) Woodlands: a practical handbook. BTCV.
Evans, J. (1984) Silviculture of Broadleaved Woodlands - Forestry Commission Bulletin 62. HMSO, London.
Marsh, S. (1993) Nature Conservation in Community Forests. London Ecology Unit. Ecology Handbook 23.
Peterken, G. (1993) Natural Woodland. Cambridge University Press.
UK Forestry Commission. (1994) Creating New Native Woodlands. UK Forestry Commission.
UK Forestry Commission. (1992) Establishing Farm Woodlands. UK Forestry Commission.
Law, B. (2001) The Woodland Way: A Permaculture Approach to Sustainable Woodland Management. Permanent Publications.
Broad, K. (1998) Caring for Small Woods. Earthscan.

Nuts.

Crawford, M. (Various) Chestnuts: Production and Culture, Hazelnuts: Producton and Culture,
Walnuts: Production and Culture. Available from the Agroforestry Research Trust.
Simms, C. (2006) Nutshell Guide to Growing Hazelnuts. Orchard House Books.
Simms, C. (2003) Nutshell Guide to Growing Walnuts Orchard House Books.

A Forest Garden Species List (not completely comprehensive but a good start).

Canopy Layer.

Apples, Pears, Plums, Damsons, Cherry Plum, Peaches, Crab Apple, Sweet chestnut, Walnut, Butternut, Shagbark hickory, Oak, Monkey-Puzzle tree, Stone pine.

Low tree layer.

Apples, Pears, Plums, Juneberry, Damsons (all on smaller root-stocks), Cherries, Figs, Medlar, Juniper, Quince, Mulberry, Rowan, Whitebeam, Wild Service Tree, Bollwyler Pear, Strawberry Tree, Sumach, Hawthorn.

Shrub Layer.

Gooseberries, Hazels, Elder, Lime, Blackcurrants, Jostaberry, Worcesterberry, Roses, Blackberries, Japanese Wineberry, Tayberry, Loganberry, Blueberry, Boysenberry, Kiwi fruits, Raspberry, Thimbleberry, Oregon Grape, Salmonberry.

Herbaceous layer.

Bergamot, Borage, Buckwheat, Chard, Comfrey, French/African Marigold, Garlic Mustard, Good King Henry, Horseradish, ‘Jack-by-the-Hedge’, Perennial Kale, Lamb’s Lettuce, Land cress, Lemon Balm, Lovage, Lucerne, Marigold, Mint, Nettles, ‘Nine Star’ perennial Broccoli, Orach, Salad Burnet, Sage, Soapwort, Sorrel, Spinach, Sweet Cicely, Tansy, Chickweed.

Ground cover layer.

Dewberry, Alpine Strawberry, Lady’s Mantle, Japanese strawberry-raspberry, Buckler leafed Sorrel, Wild Strawberry, Golden Saxifrage, Poached egg plant, White Clover, Meadow Cranesbill, Ramping Cranesbill, Pink Purslane, Ramsons, Creeping Dogwood.

Vertical climbers.

Grapes, Nasturtium, Runner beans, Roses, Hops.

Rhizome (root) layer.

Radish, Hamburg parsley, Dandelion, Horseradish.

Shade Tolerant Herbs.

Balm, Barberry, Borage, Broom, Buckwheat, Comfrey, Jack-by-the-Hedge, Lady’s Mantle, Marigold, Mint, Nasturtium, Sage, Soapwort, Sweet Cicely, Tansy, Woundwort.

Sun Loving Herbs.

Catnip, Centaury, Fennel, Feverfew, Goat’s Rue, Horehound, Hyssop, Lavender, Marjoram, Rosemary, Rue, Southernwood, Teasel, Thyme, Wormwood, Yarrow.

Some of Rob's favourite trees are: Apple Juneberry Heartnut Myrtus ugni (more of a shrub really…) Greengage Red Alder …

A must-read is Masanobu Fukuoka’s book ‘ The One Straw Revolution’.