In this video, I outline my experimental strategy in how I am approaching the creation of 3 food forest inspired projects on our permaculture growing site in zone 8, UK. Huw’s Soft Fruit Collection: https://directplants.co.uk/the-huw-richards-potted-soft-fruit-bush-and-plant-collection-by-directplants/
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19 Comments
Hey Huw
Think about Vineyard,Huw..
"There's no such thing as a system where you put in no effort and get high yields"
My opinion exactly. And one thing I have against many proponents of "permaculture".
The desire for high yield with less effort has resulted in the fossil fuel large machinery driven agriculture that poisons everything in sight.
Permaculture needs humans to become one with nature. Neither lording over it or standing back and watching things grow.
Hi Huw, I think the modified hedgerow is a good idea in your situation. I'm in temperate SE Australia, and even here with our much higher light levels we don't plant food forests up densely. I think most permies actually plan their "food forest" as a perennial system of mixed, useful plants that tends to vary from about 1/4 densely planted on the south side (in the Southern Hemisphere) through about 1/2 the area made up of a mosaic of guilds and clearings, to 1/4 low plantings on the north side to allow plenty of light in. So it's hardly a forest! And yes, many people do use annual cover crops/living mulches/wildflowers which they chop and drop as the groundcover layer is filled in. Many practitioners here regard bees as an integral part of the forest garden system, and some also cultivate mushrooms such a shiitake in the shady understorey, as it's a good way to make use of those lower-light areas.
Jesus Christ Loves You
He is OUR SAVIOUR
We’re ALL SINNERS and NEED A SAVIOUR
Romans 3: 10-12
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Faith Alone in the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ (God) to Forgive your Sins through His blood (By believing in this you have become a new creation in Christ, and have a promise you’ll be with the Lord in your death, but also have the Holy Spirit living in you forever as a guide for you). If you believe, from that moment on to eternity you are saved (No matter how much you sin after).
1 Timothy 2:4-6
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
Hell or Heaven?
Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 3:36
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Matthew 23:13
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
HELL IS A REAL LOCATION
ALL NON CHRISTIANS WILL BE THERE
Heaven or Hell?
A PRAYER FOR SALVATION THROUGH FAITH
“I know that I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe that Christ died for my sins and rose three days later from the grave. Thank you for forgiving my sin on the cross. You alone Jesus is now why I have forgiveness and eternal life. Thank you in Jesus name. Amen.”
If you have prayed this with faith you are Forgiven and now in the Body of Christ.
Welcome brother or sister. Remember saying a prayer does not save you, having Faith does in Jesus and what He did for you.
I encourage you to find a Godly Bible believing church as well. It’s so important.
God Bless
You are speaking as someone who grows their food in a cooler climate with higher rainfall. You can find excellent ancient examples of food forests in Morocco that create micro climates for growing annuals and perennials amongst their food forests.
I think it would be wise if you are going to speak on this subject to first state that you live in a certain climate zone. I also think that a food forest is about a more consistent yield of many things over a longer period of time ,with lower effort; rather than a high yield of fewer things.
You planting polyculture system not food forest, check Stefan Sobkowiak, permaculture orchard channel, MArtin Crawford in south uk have great food forest, go and visit him to see the system.
That system that does not exist is called dwc 🤦♀️🤷♂️
Minimum maintenance ease of care 👌😉
Fascinating, thank you for your work. I wish you much success. As a practinioner of permaculture though, one should never leave the ground bare and wounded where earthwork has been performed. Instead, a green manure seed mixture should be spread (i.e. grass and clover for the shown climate) slightly covered with mulch, for protection from birds and to retent moisture for sprouting.
Years ago when I planted the fruit tree orchard I broadcast Red Clover seeds over the grass between the trees. It quickly established and became the predominant plants. It not only added beauty to the area and attracted many pollinators, but it added nitrogen to the soil to feed the fruit trees.
If you have the HUW-n out area of the grass meadow for an orchard, then consider removing all the grass within and outside of the drip zone of that tree. Then plant productive options of comfrey, alfalfa (extremely deep rooted plant pulling up minerals to surface tree roots), nitrogen-fixing clover (or pea vetch) crop cover keeping the under-soil cool and moist for the tree (as well as flowers for bees, butterflies, and flies) for pollination, edible hostas/mints/basil/thyme/sage/oregano/lavender herbals keeping bugs away but pollinators close. Also consider planting chives/garlic/onions/scallions/shallots within the depleted drip zone of the tree (where no roots and rootlets have previously eaten up all of the nutrients in that area). One can then chop-and-drop clover, pea vetch, comfrey, herbals … while the edible hostas/chives/garlic/ onions/scallions/shallots keep away the slugs, snails, ants, crawly bugs and beetles. One "can" translocate edible mushroom spores, and have the drip line interior of mushrooms, pulling in colloidal minerals to the tree, while sharing sugars wit the mushroom.
For a good temperate zone Food Forest example, see Midwest Permaculture.
Very interesting! The food forest permaculture people are very cult-like so I’m sure your experiment will draw “that’s not permaculture” criticism from the true believers. 😄
Interesting. A lot to think about for this little urban gardener.
Thank you so much!
i appreciate that you admit you have been critical, i also appreciate that you are seeing how permaculture CAN feed people w/ small changes. In our climate we start harvesting in February and dont stop harvesting until Oct/Nov, Smart planning in the right climate can generate food w/ very little inputs
I am in a Zone 6 in Spokane Washington but I don't believe this tells the whole story of my local climate. We have hot and dry summers that seem to start and end abruptly. What zone are you in and what is your closest town???
Have you looked at Mark Shepherd's approach? It's similar to this, but lower effort. I don't know that it would suit you, because I think you're oriented towards the higher input/higher control model of growing food, but it might be of interest to your audience?
When I was fortunate enough to live in the rolling hills of the Rhinelandfalz region of Germany as a child…there was a large hill that was home to a large corn field on the back (I assume south) slope, and sheep grazing in the valley to the east(?), half way down the opposite slope from the corn (north?) it was left "natural" forest which the farmers used to cut branches from to feed the sheep and goats in winter.. that natural forest was brimmed with an enormous hedge of blackberry brambles and further down the valley there were linear orchards of pear and apple trees in a meadow setting… in the valley and up the opposite slope their were fields of grains. There was a thi creek that flowed in the center of the valley and (aside from serving as irrigation for the grain field and sheep pasture) their were strawberries in the marshy areas, then stinging nettles and then raspberries all along the path. In my mind… that's a food forest…. arranging food for people and animals in a system as close to nature as is condusive to actually making use of it. My brother and I would grab a knife and a bucket; starting at our homes plum tree we would fill our buckets all along the path, across the creek and through the orchard and beyond the blackberry hedges and sit in a clearing on that hill and eat our fruit salad while we watched the sheep graze. The absolute best time of my life.