Greetings
> have you read Patrick Whitefield's How To Make A Forest Garden?
What did you
> think of it? Is it a rehash?
Yes, I have read it. It may all be old hat to established designers
and implementors but the book is clearly laid out with supporting
pictures, line drawings and schematics together with detailed
instructions, good discussions and lots of practical information - I
would reccomend this book for someone starting out designing their own
landscape in a temperate zone.
Chapter list
1. Why grow a forest garden? pg 1-12
Introducing the main themes of forest gardening.
A natrual way of gardening. Yield of food.
How a forest garden works. What kind of food.
The easy life. Other benefits. Home garden or
market garden?
2. The forst garden community. pg 13-24
The main components of a forest garden - trees, shrubs
and vegetables - their size, shape and structure.
The layers. The tree layer. The shrub layer.
The vegetable layer.
3. Putting things together. pg 25-44
The principles of forest garden design - putting the
components together so they work harmoniously in
relation to each other and their environment.
The land and the people. Light and shade.
Access. Co-operation and competition, Succession.
Microclimates. Soil. Models.
4. home grown resources. pg 45-54
Some extra components to consider at the design stage.
Plant nutrients. Mulch material. Water.
Pest and weed control.
5. Preparation, planting and maintenance pg 55-70
Mulching. Preparation. Planting. Maintenance.
6. Choosing plants. pg 71-83
How to select plants and varieties to suit you and your garden.
Climate, microclimate and soil. Choosing vegetables.
Choosing fruit varietes.
7. The trees. pg 84-98
The obvious ones. The less obvious ones.
The doubtful ones.
8. The shrubs. pg 99-114
The obvious ones. The less obvious ones.
Growing a native shrubbery.
9. The vegetables. pg 115-134
Greens. Salads. Others.
10. Designing a forest garden. pg 135-148
The practical process - a step by step guide, and an
actual example.
Collecting information. Recording. Evaluation. Design. A sample
design: Tricia's garden.
Also, weights and measures, further reading, list of suppliers (UK),
plant index and subject index. Total pages 167.
Copyright: Permanent publications http://www.permaculture.co.uk/
> Seems after you have read a number of such
> books you don't get much new stuff/different perspectives/DEtail.
>From a design point of view it is a good book which shows principles
and procedures that others use.
Myk
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