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Creating a Forest Garden: Working with Nature to Grow Edible Crops
Filled with helpful tips and beautiful photographs, this guide contains everything you need to create your own forest garden.
Forest Gardening, or agroforestry, is a way of growing edible crops while allowing nature to do most of the work. Species are chosen for their beneficial effects on each other, creating a healthy system that maintains its own fertility, with little need for digging, weeding or pest control. The result of this largely perennial planting is a tranquil, beautiful and productive space, where you can cultivate your own fruits, nuts, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms and even forage firewood and honey.
Whether in a small back garden or in a larger plot, forest gardens really benefit the environment and are also a viable solution to the challenge of a changing climate. The soil thrives from being covered with plants all year round and is also able to store more water after heavy rains, minimising flooding and erosion and helping plants to survive through drought. Forest gardens also store carbon dioxide in the soil and in the woody biomass of the trees and shrubs. The mixed variety of plants further boosts the health of the ecosystem by ensuring a balance of predators and beneficial insects.
Creating a Forest Garden is a bible for permaculture and forest gardening, with practical advice on how to create a forest garden, from planning and design to planting and maintenance. It includes a detailed directory of over 500 trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials, annuals, root crops and climbers. As well as more familiar plants such as fig and apple trees, blackcurrants and rosemary shrubs, you can grow your own chokeberries, goji berries, yams, heartnuts, bamboo shoots and buffalo currants.
Grow a forest garden with this handy guide and become more self-sufficient while also enjoying the natural beauty and environmental benefits of these wonderful green spaces.
Forest Gardening, or agroforestry, is a way of growing edible crops while allowing nature to do most of the work. Species are chosen for their beneficial effects on each other, creating a healthy system that maintains its own fertility, with little need for digging, weeding or pest control. The result of this largely perennial planting is a tranquil, beautiful and productive space, where you can cultivate your own fruits, nuts, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms and even forage firewood and honey.
Whether in a small back garden or in a larger plot, forest gardens really benefit the environment and are also a viable solution to the challenge of a changing climate. The soil thrives from being covered with plants all year round and is also able to store more water after heavy rains, minimising flooding and erosion and helping plants to survive through drought. Forest gardens also store carbon dioxide in the soil and in the woody biomass of the trees and shrubs. The mixed variety of plants further boosts the health of the ecosystem by ensuring a balance of predators and beneficial insects.
Creating a Forest Garden is a bible for permaculture and forest gardening, with practical advice on how to create a forest garden, from planning and design to planting and maintenance. It includes a detailed directory of over 500 trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials, annuals, root crops and climbers. As well as more familiar plants such as fig and apple trees, blackcurrants and rosemary shrubs, you can grow your own chokeberries, goji berries, yams, heartnuts, bamboo shoots and buffalo currants.
Grow a forest garden with this handy guide and become more self-sufficient while also enjoying the natural beauty and environmental benefits of these wonderful green spaces.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
104 people are currently reading
1528 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
July 4, 2014
I favor this over his other.
Crawford has a lot of experience. He actually plants and eats this stuff. He has so much land, however, that his methods fail the small-area farmer. He poo-poos folk who are frustrated by comfrey takeover -- but when you have acres at your disposal you're playing a different game. My land is a postage stamp.
Worth reading (especially for ideas of what's particularly tasty) but not great for little-forest growers.
Crawford has a lot of experience. He actually plants and eats this stuff. He has so much land, however, that his methods fail the small-area farmer. He poo-poos folk who are frustrated by comfrey takeover -- but when you have acres at your disposal you're playing a different game. My land is a postage stamp.
Worth reading (especially for ideas of what's particularly tasty) but not great for little-forest growers.
November 8, 2019
Comprehensive reference on temperate agroecology using no till methods of working with nature to create a sustainable food forest. Examples in the book are based on Martin's forest garden in Devon, UK.
July 16, 2020
Very informative guide to designing a forest garden from scratch, including massive lists of recommended plants. Plenty of detail, can't wait to someday have my own forest garden, which I will plant/grow relying heavily on this book :)
January 4, 2021
I read all of the text and many of the plant descriptions. Overall I feel like there is so much valuable knowledge and instruction included in this book, and the thorough plant descriptions are so useful. It will be a year or two before we start on our land, so I'm sure I'll be coming back to it time and time again. I appreciate that, at least for me, a lot of the plants are growing all around my neighborhood, showing how they thrive in the PNW conditions. After reading about them, as I walked through my neighborhood, I tried Dogwood fruit, hawthorne fruit, and strawberry tree fruit, just from what lined the sidewalks. I also found plenty of blackberries and broom. I'm sure I'll keep discovering more too!
There were a couple things missing that I would have liked to know, but not enough to lower the rating by any means. First, our property is wooded. Should we have the whole thing cleared all at once to start this or should we do it in patches? Also, I think that there's a bit lacking in how much you would be likely to use a specific plant in cooking and how it tastes. Some of that is surely preference and hard to convey in a book, but for me I found that hawthorne berries are so bland and mealy that even if I see them I don't want to eat them. Dogwood berries, though, were a really interesting taste and texture and was sad when walking today and the last of them are gone for the year. There's only so much you can learn about plants from a single book, so I'll just need to get out and keep trying different things in person.
There were a couple things missing that I would have liked to know, but not enough to lower the rating by any means. First, our property is wooded. Should we have the whole thing cleared all at once to start this or should we do it in patches? Also, I think that there's a bit lacking in how much you would be likely to use a specific plant in cooking and how it tastes. Some of that is surely preference and hard to convey in a book, but for me I found that hawthorne berries are so bland and mealy that even if I see them I don't want to eat them. Dogwood berries, though, were a really interesting taste and texture and was sad when walking today and the last of them are gone for the year. There's only so much you can learn about plants from a single book, so I'll just need to get out and keep trying different things in person.
May 22, 2015
This is currently the best, most hands-on manual for creating a forest garden. Other books are either too theoretical for people just starting out, have been superseeded or just lack all the beautiful and informative colour pictures that this one sports. Martin Crawford possibly maintains the most interesting, mature forest garden in the temperate climate zone, having been working on it for over 20 years, so his many experiences and experiments are all summarized here. His style is pretty relaxed, not all too principled (which gives one room to prioritize, which is much more important!) and in general does not put of the beginner with a thousand variables every time you want to make even the tiniest change. Example: Instead of treating footsteps in the garden as a "small catastrophe", as some permaculturalists have anxiously called it, Crawford plans his ground layer with dense mats of plants tolerating more or less foot traffic, not wanting to create actual paths, but just changing his walking patterns every now and then, stepping on horse mint, strawberry or whatever. Conclusion: After reading just the first couple of chapters, I think most people will want to actually begin creating a forest garden, instead of feeling completely overwhelmed and put down by the complexity of it. Get it, study some and then let's blow some edible life into this desert.
November 26, 2012
If you're just starting out, Creating a Forest Garden is the best book to plan your forest garden with. It simplifies the ideas behind forest gardening and is based on the author's 15+ years of hands-on experiences in his own forest garden.
I docked a star because so much of the book is species lists, which are problematic for beginners. First, they get folks too excited! Second, each species' use is very location-specific, so the information in the book might not be accurate.
Since we've been experimenting with forest gardening for four years now, what I actually wanted to read was a blow by blow description of the author's forest garden. Maybe he'll publish that next?
I docked a star because so much of the book is species lists, which are problematic for beginners. First, they get folks too excited! Second, each species' use is very location-specific, so the information in the book might not be accurate.
Since we've been experimenting with forest gardening for four years now, what I actually wanted to read was a blow by blow description of the author's forest garden. Maybe he'll publish that next?
October 28, 2019
Great book
A very interesting book, that seemed to go into enough depth to be of use to both a beginner and the more experienced gardener. It has lots of detail on individual plants and the tables of plants and information such as month of use etc will be invaluable for reference.
A very interesting book, that seemed to go into enough depth to be of use to both a beginner and the more experienced gardener. It has lots of detail on individual plants and the tables of plants and information such as month of use etc will be invaluable for reference.
August 7, 2022
Extremely detailed and helpful, definitely one to have on your shelf if you are inclined towards this kind of gardening. This isn’t a coffee table book, it’s a practical guide and a hefty reference book.
November 20, 2023
Can one ever say that they've read a book like this? I kind of have, but not every single details as some of the plants are completely unsuitable for my climate. I did read a book for my climate, and ended noting down some comments into my Crawford, and hence remembered to finally mark it as "read".
This one is a really thorough introduction to forest gardening, and something that allows you to keep returning to it for details and checks. My main challenge was the differences in climate and therefore also available plants, but I'm working through my issues (with the support of a Finnish "Syötävä metsäpuutarha", which is a lot shorter version, but worked quite well for my purpose).
Can't of course say that every moment of reading this was joy and pleasure, but gosh it was packed with knowledge.
This one is a really thorough introduction to forest gardening, and something that allows you to keep returning to it for details and checks. My main challenge was the differences in climate and therefore also available plants, but I'm working through my issues (with the support of a Finnish "Syötävä metsäpuutarha", which is a lot shorter version, but worked quite well for my purpose).
Can't of course say that every moment of reading this was joy and pleasure, but gosh it was packed with knowledge.
September 1, 2021
I bought this book because I wanted to create my own forest garden on a piece of land that I inherited, and after reading it, it feels doable and I'm really excited! My only problem was that the book is mainly UK-focused and I live in Eastern Europe, so the climate here is different, but I feel like I will be able to adjust most of the things. What matters most is the approach and that is universal for forest gardens. A large part of the book is like an encyclopedia of plants, so I know that I will be going through it many times still during the design of my garden. I'm glad that this knowledge is available and I feel a bit better equipped to face the challenges of climate change...
November 3, 2020
Brilliant, indispensable guide to creating a forest garden, with full page lists of species, spacings, attributes.
Well set out and easy to follow. I would not design a food forest without this book
Well set out and easy to follow. I would not design a food forest without this book
September 14, 2017
Great book. Can't wait to start planting trees!
January 20, 2018
If you want to create your own forest garden then this is essential reading. With this book, I've upgraded my knowledge of horticulture.
May 30, 2019
A good guide to start a forest garden project.
August 14, 2021
Comprehensive with detailed clear advice & guidance, thought this would be a great reference book…
October 23, 2022
Dit heeft mij overtuigd, mijn tuin word later een voedselbos
June 22, 2024
A great resource for helping you make a forest garden. It should be paired with the excellent documentary The Permaculture Orchard with Stefan Sobkowiak (available on dvd only right now).
March 24, 2011
I got this through ILL, hoping to get some idea of what forest gardening actually was, how it compared to the vague idea I got of the "permaculture" concept from perusing Dave Holmgren's Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability, and what the state of the art was at the moment. I was also thinking of using it to inform a feasibility study assignment for a class I didn't end up taking, regarding a potential garden at Lawrence's Bjorklunden 'campus.' I don't have time to actually read much of the book now, since I'm overloading and having a lot on my plate, and thankfully I don't really need to, and don't really have much use for the knowledge atm. However, it looks like a great resource.
Everything is very clear, there is a ton of information, it's all very practical and based on things Crawford has either done or has seen done by his colleagues, and there's nothing hokey. It seems pretty thorough (though the field is young and there's a ton of experimenting left to be done). I have a much better idea of what forest gardening is (it's what I assumed it was) now. It's pretty cool, an idea that has a lot of potential for low-intensity gardening situations and as a bonus involves a lot more fungi than normal annual-based agriculture.
Everything is very clear, there is a ton of information, it's all very practical and based on things Crawford has either done or has seen done by his colleagues, and there's nothing hokey. It seems pretty thorough (though the field is young and there's a ton of experimenting left to be done). I have a much better idea of what forest gardening is (it's what I assumed it was) now. It's pretty cool, an idea that has a lot of potential for low-intensity gardening situations and as a bonus involves a lot more fungi than normal annual-based agriculture.
August 16, 2013
We are planning a forest garden, and had already read and enjoyed Patrick Whitefield's How To Make A Forest Garden.
We then went to visit Martin Crawford's site and were blown away by seeing the reality of a Forest Garden in full production. We bought a copy of Martin's book from him after the tour, and barely a week has gone by in the year or so since purchase, that we haven't referred to it - it is truly a bible of Forest Gardening, an immense reference book to be picked up again and again.
We have even spent whole afternoons wandering around garden centres, cross-referencing the trees and plants available against the book.
The book is split into chapters by layers of the Forest Garden, with abundant information on a vast number of species, numerous useful tables listing plants by use, and heaps of additional information on things like site surveying, propagation and pest management. I have been reading this book for a year, and only last week found a sun compass page that I had never seen before.
We are planning a reasonably sizeable forest garden of around 1/3rd acre, but we have also used this book to plant up a 10' x 4' patch on our allotment as a multi-layered mini forest garden.
If you have any intention of planting anything beyond even a couple of fruit bushes, you need this book - it may change your outlook on what is possible, and how to achieve it.
We then went to visit Martin Crawford's site and were blown away by seeing the reality of a Forest Garden in full production. We bought a copy of Martin's book from him after the tour, and barely a week has gone by in the year or so since purchase, that we haven't referred to it - it is truly a bible of Forest Gardening, an immense reference book to be picked up again and again.
We have even spent whole afternoons wandering around garden centres, cross-referencing the trees and plants available against the book.
The book is split into chapters by layers of the Forest Garden, with abundant information on a vast number of species, numerous useful tables listing plants by use, and heaps of additional information on things like site surveying, propagation and pest management. I have been reading this book for a year, and only last week found a sun compass page that I had never seen before.
We are planning a reasonably sizeable forest garden of around 1/3rd acre, but we have also used this book to plant up a 10' x 4' patch on our allotment as a multi-layered mini forest garden.
If you have any intention of planting anything beyond even a couple of fruit bushes, you need this book - it may change your outlook on what is possible, and how to achieve it.
September 11, 2011
What I love about this book is it's accessibility and warmth. I'm new to permaculture and forest gardening and got this book as a birthday present from my dad.
I just love all the descriptions of the plants, trees and shrubs.I also learning about how to plant various shrubs and fruit trees, Working on design using permaculture principles, learning about grafting, perennial ground cover, use of windbreaks(helpful as it's a tad windy where I live)
I like to dip into this book, a lot and use it as a great reference book and for little gems of info needed on the hop.
I've become involved in a local permaculture demo garden project and we are usually leafing through this book for some info we need.
I'd like to incorporate more of the forest gardening principles into the project and my own garden on a smaller scale.
I love the fact this book has many suggestions for what to plant and I'm still overwhelmed by how much info there actually is.I love the drawings and many pictures used throughout. It's also a visually stunning book, I've had to prise it out of many a hand..
I just love all the descriptions of the plants, trees and shrubs.I also learning about how to plant various shrubs and fruit trees, Working on design using permaculture principles, learning about grafting, perennial ground cover, use of windbreaks(helpful as it's a tad windy where I live)
I like to dip into this book, a lot and use it as a great reference book and for little gems of info needed on the hop.
I've become involved in a local permaculture demo garden project and we are usually leafing through this book for some info we need.
I'd like to incorporate more of the forest gardening principles into the project and my own garden on a smaller scale.
I love the fact this book has many suggestions for what to plant and I'm still overwhelmed by how much info there actually is.I love the drawings and many pictures used throughout. It's also a visually stunning book, I've had to prise it out of many a hand..
October 8, 2012
A comprehensive encyclopedia on designing and growing a forest garden...A garden that resembles a woodland and is peopled with edible plants (for the most part not vegetables) shrubs, and trees, as well as plants that provide soap, ink, basket weaving materials, dye, etc.
Has, as far as I can see, every thing you'd need to know to set up this sort of garden, including discussions of planning for wind, sun, shade, space, nitrogen and potassium levels required or output by different plants, etc.
As such I'd recommend this book only for someone who has a plot of land that they can put in a several year project on, as this sort of garden will take a lot of planning and will take several years to be really productive.
Has, as far as I can see, every thing you'd need to know to set up this sort of garden, including discussions of planning for wind, sun, shade, space, nitrogen and potassium levels required or output by different plants, etc.
As such I'd recommend this book only for someone who has a plot of land that they can put in a several year project on, as this sort of garden will take a lot of planning and will take several years to be really productive.
October 3, 2011
This is cutting edge.
The ideas contained herein, which will become increasingly popular in coming years are basically the theory for organic, productive ecological garden design and management.
They are not new but are the brainchild of Robert Hart, who gardened this way from the 1970's onward in Shropshire, the English Midlands, with the additional work of Ken Fern amongst others.
There aren't many books currently available on this subject, which raises this to the status of core text
February 3, 2011
From an English gardener, so the extensive reference section on plants is not much help. I LOVE this idea and want to know MORE, MORE, MORE about it! We should plant native plants that are happy and tough and create a garden that essentially takes care of itself. I'd like to see a tidier version though.
September 4, 2015
Purchased this book after I borrowed a library copy. I really loved the books layout style. Clear to understand. Lots of useful information. Great resource of how one would go about creating your very won forest garden.
I certainly hope to get a nice plot of land some time in the future. This book will be the accompanying the process.
I certainly hope to get a nice plot of land some time in the future. This book will be the accompanying the process.
January 8, 2017
What a resource! Hopefully someday I'll actually have the space to revisit this book and put some of the advice to use. I still really enjoyed reading about the design elements of intentional forestry for food production and all of the notes on plants familiar and obscure. There are many new things I'll be on the lookout for at the farmers markets.
December 28, 2018
This is the best book I have read on the subject so far. Comprehensive, concrete and down-to-earth. Everything you need to know in order to create your own food forest. At least in UK, although it's fairly applicable to other parts of Europe.
April 2, 2014
Crawford is in the temperate climate of the UK so some of plant species choices wouldn't work for me here in MN. But still, this is a very readable and thorough look at establishing and maintaining a forest garden.
October 19, 2014
While we unfortunately don't have the space for a forest garden, this was very informative and very interesting, with a ton of awesome pictures. Found a few new plants to try out anyways, and it's always nice to dream a bit...
January 8, 2011
A very good introduction to forest gardening; however, it is a UK-based book, so the plant recommendations that take up a lot of the book do not work for me in SD. Lots of good information, though.
May 6, 2013
Always exciting to find a gardening book relevant to your climate. Lots of pictures and plant descriptions and tables for useful plants.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews