Courses

Thinking of planting some trees this Autumn?
- Create a low maintenance edible Forest Garden

After having been inspired for several years by the idea of permaculture design principles, I finally took the plunge in May 2008 and enrolled on a full-time design permaculture course. Permaculture is very much inspired by natural eco-systems, its design methods and principles offer a great insight into sustainable gardening and living. The forest garden is an excellent example of applied permaculture.

The most sustainable approach to growing food is in a way that mimics naturally occurring vegetation. Why fight nature? Where we live in France woodland is the naturally occurring vegetation.

A forest garden imitates woodland: native trees are replaced with fruit and nut trees (e.g. apple, cherry, chestnut, damson, walnut), soft fruit bushes take the place of shrubbery (currants, elder, gooseberry, grape, hazel) and ground cover is provided by perennial and self seeding vegetables and herbs (good king henry, lambs lettuce, lemon balm, nine star broccoli, perenial kale, welsh onion) .

Once the important initial design work and labour has been put into place, a highly productive food supply can be created with little maintenance. Salad and greens can be produced all year round and a variety of seasonal crops can be spread over the year. Not only is this a way of producing healthier more nutritious food in an organic way, it creates a beautiful bio-diverse landscape that will be a natural wildlife habitat. Learning from and bonding with nature are other benefits for all the family.

Home food production reduces 'food miles' and is one way of reducing your environmental impact. The economic viability of the hours spent in relation to yield is a variable, but as global food costs rise, it will become more cost effective. It is no longer just the pressure from a sense of environmental duty, caused by concerns over the implications of climate change, which will motivate us to make more ecologically sound decisions. There is a greater awareness of the implications of 'peak oil' and the approaching 'age of transition', an era where the costs of direct and indirect energy in all the things we consume become more apparent as the gap between the diminishing supply and growing demand increases. From nations to individuals, we are all eventually going to be forced to wake up and make energy descent plans, possibly even energy and food security contingencies.

One observation that most impressed me whilst researching the 'ecological footprint' of ex-pats in Calvados, was the overall amount of home food production. As 'affordable space migrants' we have very large gardens compared to those we left in the UK; ample space to start a forest garden. However, the basic concepts of layering and creating diverse edge found within forest gardening can be applied to the smallest of plots. So, however much space, time or gardening experience you have, permaculture design methods and principles can be applied to your needs.

Sensehabitat, a French registered association I am involved with, are offering a 5-day course; 'How to make a Forest Garden with an Introduction to Permaculture Principles and Design'. This is to be held in early November (20km north of Vire). Costs are to be kept to a minimum and the basic course price is 125€ (30€ for individual days).

The course tutor is Steve Jones, from the ‘Chickenshack’ Housing Cooperative in Wales. Steve has been hosting Permaculture Design Courses for many years, and has worked at the Centre for Alternative Technology. Steve also ran a landscape gardening business, designing and creating a forest garden on the roof of a building in the centre of Reading. He has also consulted for Channel 4 and The Independant newspaper.

For more information contact Douglas on 02 31 66 00 17 dougjbeal@hotmail.com or visit www.sensehabitat.net

I found Jean-Luc at 'A Propos du Jardin' very helpful for potentially sourcing plants. 02 33 91 90 08.



rooftop forest garden in Reading


5-day course; 'How to make a Forest Garden with an Introduction to Permaculture Principles and Design'.
Proposed dates: 24th - 28th November

This is to be held in St. Pierre Tarentaine (20km north of Vire), in lower Normandy. Location see; http://pagesperso-orange.fr/lesmoueux

Costs are to be kept to a minimum and the expected basic price is 125€, (30€ for individual days)

Local accommodation is available at around 15€ per person per night. Catering is available at 20€ per person per day.

Camping or in-vehicle over-nighting and self-catering are allowed. No charge.

Half classroom based and half hands on practical workshops.

Elements to be included in the course;

• Introduction to permaculture design and principles.
• Examples of using basic and more complex permaculture techniques.
• Principles of ecology.
• Introduction to agro-forestry and forest gardening,
• Designing a forest garden.
• Consensus design.
• Plant selection.
• Fruit tree grafting.
• Transplanting and cuttings.
• Hedge laying.
• Unusal foods.

For more info please contact: Douglas Beal on 02 31 66 00 17 dougjbeal@hotmail.com or visit www.sensehabitat.net or www.dodgygreengeezer.com

Quotes and reading list.

"Permaculture is an approach to food growing - and many other aspects of life - which takes natural ecosystems as its model". Patrick Whitefield How to make a Forest Garden Permanent Publications 1996.

"Agroforestry means growing tree crops and field crops on the same piece of land at the same time". Patrick Whitefield The Earth Care Manual Permanent Publications 2004.

the phrase 'forest garden' was coined by Robert Hart. see his book Forest Gardening Greenbooks 1996.

"A forest garden is a garden modeled on a natural woodland it has three layers of vegetation: trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. In an edible forest garden the tree layer contains fruit and nut trees, the shrub layer soft fruit and nut bushes, and the ground layer perennial vegetables and herbs. The soil is not dug, and annual vegetables are not normally included unless they can reproduce by self-seeding. It is usually a very diverse garden containing a wide variety of edible plants".Patrick Whitefield How to make a Forest Garden Permanent Publications 1996.

Permaculture design graduates consensus design workshop:
Proposed dates; Sept 25th-29th, 2008.

Objective; to assess a potential site for the creation of a forest garden in preparation of a course in November.

The workshop is to be held on a 7 acre rural site in Calvados, France (only a 110 road miles from London). .

Proposed agenda;

Arrive Thursday.

Friday assess site and its potential, design and make an action plan for forest garden, including the selection of trees and plants. Friday night social bbq/party.

Sat morning, more reflexions and finalising of FG project. Saturday afternoon, trip to stay in a eco-gite at the seaside, with a tour and presentation on the dilemmas of DIY eco-renovation.

Sunday morning coastal cliff, beach and country walk. Sunday afternoon relax and reflect on proposed improvements to further eco-gite development, with particular focus on food garden.

Monday departure.

The workshop and accommodation is free of charge.

Anyone wishing to stay longer is welcome.

Location of course and site for forest garden, see; http://pagesperso-orange.fr/lesmoueux

Location of and more info on eco-gite, see; www.dodgygreengeezer.com

Travel by shared cars, or by public transport and ferry Portsmouth/Caen.

For more info please contact: Douglas Beal on 02 31 66 00 17 dougjbeal@hotmail.com or visit www.sensehabitat.net or www.dodgygreengeezer.com

Other courses

To help us format future courses to meet your needs please contact us and let us know what would interest you. It would also be of benefit to know if you are intending to buy in France, have already bought and are about to renovate or already have a renovated place you feel needs improvement.

Proposed Courses: (subject to interest)

• Understanding French planning process (permis de construire).
• Sewage treatment: optimisation of sceptic tank installations and review of alternatives. 
• Solar water heating systems.
• Environmental design and building. 
• Contemporary building materials and their alternatives. 
• Breathable buildings and occupant health. 
• Building and Painting with lime. 
• Environmental auditing and carbon-footprinting your home.
• Permaculture

Please contact us for more information about the courses or joining our association. Your suggestions and input at this or any other stage would be greatly appreciated.

For all enquiries regarding couses please contact us at contact@sensehabitat.net