Courses

Fundamentals of ecological Forest Gardening

A unique opportunity to spend two days with Dave Jacke, world leading thinker, designer and teacher of integrated forest garden and permaculture design.

This intensive weekend course will provide students with first-class design techniques and knowledge and to creating edible, resilient and regenerative landscapes. Covering design of food forest systems, forest gardens, farm forestry, coppice projects and much more for both urban, suburban and small farm projects.

"Edible forest gardening is the art and science of putting plants together in woodlandlike patterns that forge mutually beneficial relationships, creating a garden ecosystem that is more than the sum of its parts.

You can grow fruits, nuts, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, other useful plants, and animals in a way that mimics natural ecosystems.

You can create a beautiful, diverse, high-yield garden. If designed with care and deep understanding of ecosystem function, you can also design a garden that is largely self-maintaining." - Dave Jacke

Ecosystem agriculture attempts to mimic the structure and function of natural ecosystems in consciously designed food-producing ecologies. This workshop explores the theory, design, and practice of ecosystem agriculture using the temperate deciduous forest ecosystem models.

Lectures, field observations, and experiential classes will reveal the nature of ecosystem architecture, social structure, underground economics, and succession. 

You will then develop practical principles, practices, patterns, and processes for garden design and management based on those observations.

About Dave Jacke

While not required reading for this event, we highly recommend Edible Forest Gardens by Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier as an exceptional set of reference books on this subject.

"This comprehensive two-volume book constitutes an in-depth course in ecological garden design. Written in a passionate, clear, and engaging style, it integrates the vision and ecology of forest gardening with practical design, establishment, and management strategies. While Edible Forest Gardens was written as an integrated whole, each volume can stand alone as valuable learning tools and references."