The design for the forest garden was based on the principles of permaculture (permanent agriculture/culture). This means that the garden tries to emulate a natural forest in the way that it is structured.  The reason for gardening in this way is to create a sustainable way of growing food.  By imitating Britain’s natural vegetation - woodland - we should reduce the need for the vast amount of maintenance work required with more conventional agricultural methods.

A forest garden is an area managed for human benefit, not a wild area.  The plants within it are chosen for their usefulness - predominantly as food.  A forest garden is built up of layers of vegetation just as a real forest is.  This garden includes ground cover (strawberry plants, camomile), a herb layer (comfrey, marjoram, mint, sage, etc.), a shrub layer (various fruit bushes, tomato plants) and a tree layer (fruit and nut trees).  By using these different layers of vegetation, more food can be produced on an area of land than could be if there was just a single layer.

One of the main advantages of gardening in this way is that very little maintenance is required.  Because the plants used are mostly perennials or self-seeding annuals, very little digging or new planting is needed.  The wide variety of plants within the area is also beneficial in that they offer each other protection from pests and diseases, as well as shelter (in theory!).  Deep-rooted plants draw up nutrients from the sub-soil and make them available to other plants.  The cover of the plants helps to prevent water from evaporating from the soil, so reducing the need for watering during the summer.  Also, the decay of plant material such as fallen leaves provides a natural soil conditioner and replenishes the soil’s nutrients. We have found that, with regular mulching, this garden is extremely productive.