make a food forest with dormant cuttings + willow rooting tea, for biodiverse edible gardens.

to rapidly restore a world in great need of regeneration, small actions grow up quickly. one of the most magical projects in the garden is to make more trees and shrubs from the plants already growing around us.

one of the easiest ways to propagate many new plants quickly, to create food forests that feed us all, is to take cuttings from last year’s shoots while plants are still dormant in late winter.

there’s an enormous list of plants that thrive from this kind of approach. in this little film i start elder, gooseberry, currant and a juliet bush cherry that needn’t be grafted to rootstock.

we like to swap cuttings with neighbours and friends. i’ve been swapping grape cuttings too, as i’m pruning that enormous grapevine, starlet of the long-form film. (https://youtu.be/UfeuMyQYu2o) get the postcards to hear more about that soon. before spring arrives in earnest, we start a small nursery and tend it all summer til roots are strong and plants can be planted out come rainy autumn days.

it sometimes feels like we are powerless to make real change, but it matters when we turn our attention to making more plants that support biodiversity and food security, and so co-create the conditions for a flourishing world. this is the small work*.

what are you propagating? what would you like to learn to grow?

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watch all the films, listen to the podcasts and interviews, read elisa’s letters, articles and an excerpt of the ‘companions’ book over at http://appleturnover.tv.

#permaculture #climateaction #growyourownfood