Forest Garden update

[juliet]

Mirrored from Twisting Vines.

My forest garden is really more of a forest fence, but nevertheless, over the winter I have started planting up. At a workshop recently someone mentioned that you should try to get a photo from the same place once or twice a year as your garden develops, so here is my first one:

Very far right, in shade, is a blackcurrant bush with some daffodils by it, and to the left of that, a space where I will plant tomatoes in pots again this year as they did very well last year. (Not really part of the ‘forest’.)

In the bed right of middle, I’ve planted a fig tree against the fence, in a paving-slab box. There’s some volunteer parsley in that bed too, and some ground cover strawberries. I’m planning to plant some fennel, chard, and perhaps Good King Henry in there later this month as a herbaceous layer; and probably some rocket will show up as it does everywhere else. I may well train the fig against the fence, which is a bit against the forest garden theory but more practical in this tiny space.

The left-hand bed has a grape vine, which I will train up the fence and over to the left. There’s also a Daubenton’s Kale (looking a bit toppled-over; it seems taller than the one I have had before but we’ll see how it does), some chard and rocket, and I’ve moved my thyme in there. I’m considering moving some of the other perennial herbs in there too.

Then looking left again there are the herb pots; and since taking that photo earlier in the week, I’ve moved the mini greenhouse again so it too is against the fence. I planted a dwarf cherry tree in a pot against the fence at the other side, and an autumn olive at the shady end of the garden, so there are lots of things to keep an eye on this year. I’ll take another photo like this in late summer to see how it’s all looking.

Comments

[laughingrat]

It looks beautiful!

[menthe-reglisse.livejournal.com]

What a good idea. I will endeavour to do likewise this weekend, if I manage to do any gardening. I'm itching to get gardening again after the winter.

How does Daubenton's Kale differ from ordinary Kale? (not that I can grow either, I suspect, as all brassicas get flea-beetled to death in my garden - I think fleece would just be removed by visiting cats)

[juliet]

It's perennial! Which means that it is more resilient to pest attacks & even if the beetles eat it up, when beetle season is past there's a fair chance it will spring back up again. Nine-Star Broccoli is similar.

I might be able to give you a root cutting next autumn if you like? Assuming mine settles in OK. Otherwise the Agroforestry Research Trust sell them but not that many other places.