Food forests growing in popularity
DAVE NICOLL
It's almost like having the produce section of a supermarket in your backyard... only it's not quite as organised.
Food forests, also known as forest gardening, are an easy to maintain and sustainable way of cultivating a garden by creating a mini ecosystem in your backyard.
One of the world's leading examples is growing in Southland.
Permaculturalists Robert and Robyn Guyton had been working on their Riverton forest garden, which has been internationally recognised, for over 20 years.
It was in the last three years that the couple have been running workshops teaching people how to develop their own food forests.
"We've probably spent about 30 hours working on our garden since spring," Robyn told the group.
Anytime we need anything we just go for a browse, Robyn Guton said.
"All year round I can have a green salad."
The couple even had their own bees and hens.
However, they still had to buy dairy products and other essentials, she said.
Yesterday the Guytons hosted a group of ten people at their property who had come from throughout the South Island to see their forest.
Juliet Pope said she had come from Arrowtown with her family to see the Guyton's "legendary" food forest.
"It's the best example, evidently, in the world of a cool climate food forest."
Pope had done a permaculture design course and was also a qualified architect, she said.
Pope and her husband had two and a half acres on which they had fruit and nut trees, plus ducks and chickens, she said.
"We're going to continue working with the orchard and bring in more diversity."
They were trying to make their property to be self-reliant and grow a lot of their own produce, pope said.
"It's about resilience."
One of the challenges was letting go of neatness and control, and the idea of a conventional garden and just allowing nature to take over, she said.
John Borger who had come with his wife Valarie said he was there to learn something new.
The couple owned a 12 acre hazelnut orchard in Thornbury.
The retired dairy farmer said he liked the idea of food forests because you didn't have to do a lot of work, and that weeds were actually not a problem.
They had a traditional vegie garden which required a lot of weeding but they were looking at incorporating some elements of a food forest into a section of their orchard, he said.
"We'll try and see what works and what doesn't."
Julia Middleton-Chapman took part in one of the Guyon's workshops two years ago and since then they have their own food forest and are looking to expand.
"We've taken ideas from our tour of the Guyton's food forest from two years ago and basically tried to emulate what they are doing there."
Their food forest ,which is located at Riverton where they live, is unique in that it features a a bike track running through it.
"One day we might be able to pick apples as we're biking past."
Initially she said they put in regular gardening work as they started from a dirt patch, she said.
"Although in saying that it's not a regular garden so you're not having mow lawns or maintain it in that regard, you're more often that not planting more plants."
"We had to build up the soil and just try and create a better sort of soil for everything to grow in."
In the future they were hoping to be able to grow produce to sell at the Environment Centre in Riverton, she said.
Steps to starting your own food garden:
Do a stocktake on what you have got and don't clear-fell your property because you might lose your shelter
Find out where the sunny, windy, wet and dry spots are on your property to know which plants to put where - Blackcurrants like the shade, where as grapes will want some sun.
Then think of what plants you like and check if your neighbours have them because you can grab cuttings or seeds.
Finally just thicken things up - as you add plants you can remove things you don't want and mulch them up.
- The Southland Times
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It's almost like having the produce section of a supermarket in your backyard... only it's not quite as organised.
Food forests, also known as forest gardening, are an easy to maintain and sustainable way of cultivating a garden by creating a mini ecosystem in your backyard.
One of the world's leading examples is growing in Southland.
Permaculturalists Robert and Robyn Guyton had been working on their Riverton forest garden, which has been internationally recognised, for over 20 years.
It was in the last three years that the couple have been running workshops teaching people how to develop their own food forests.
"We've probably spent about 30 hours working on our garden since spring," Robyn told the group.
Anytime we need anything we just go for a browse, Robyn Guton said.
"All year round I can have a green salad."
The couple even had their own bees and hens.
However, they still had to buy dairy products and other essentials, she said.
Yesterday the Guytons hosted a group of ten people at their property who had come from throughout the South Island to see their forest.
Juliet Pope said she had come from Arrowtown with her family to see the Guyton's "legendary" food forest.
"It's the best example, evidently, in the world of a cool climate food forest."
Pope had done a permaculture design course and was also a qualified architect, she said.
Pope and her husband had two and a half acres on which they had fruit and nut trees, plus ducks and chickens, she said.
"We're going to continue working with the orchard and bring in more diversity."
They were trying to make their property to be self-reliant and grow a lot of their own produce, pope said.
"It's about resilience."
One of the challenges was letting go of neatness and control, and the idea of a conventional garden and just allowing nature to take over, she said.
John Borger who had come with his wife Valarie said he was there to learn something new.
The couple owned a 12 acre hazelnut orchard in Thornbury.
The retired dairy farmer said he liked the idea of food forests because you didn't have to do a lot of work, and that weeds were actually not a problem.
They had a traditional vegie garden which required a lot of weeding but they were looking at incorporating some elements of a food forest into a section of their orchard, he said.
"We'll try and see what works and what doesn't."
Julia Middleton-Chapman took part in one of the Guyon's workshops two years ago and since then they have their own food forest and are looking to expand.
"We've taken ideas from our tour of the Guyton's food forest from two years ago and basically tried to emulate what they are doing there."
Their food forest ,which is located at Riverton where they live, is unique in that it features a a bike track running through it.
"One day we might be able to pick apples as we're biking past."
Initially she said they put in regular gardening work as they started from a dirt patch, she said.
"Although in saying that it's not a regular garden so you're not having mow lawns or maintain it in that regard, you're more often that not planting more plants."
"We had to build up the soil and just try and create a better sort of soil for everything to grow in."
In the future they were hoping to be able to grow produce to sell at the Environment Centre in Riverton, she said.
Steps to starting your own food garden:
Do a stocktake on what you have got and don't clear-fell your property because you might lose your shelter
Find out where the sunny, windy, wet and dry spots are on your property to know which plants to put where - Blackcurrants like the shade, where as grapes will want some sun.
Then think of what plants you like and check if your neighbours have them because you can grab cuttings or seeds.
Finally just thicken things up - as you add plants you can remove things you don't want and mulch them up.
- The Southland Times
