Nine members visited Martin Crawford's forest garden at Dartington and were given a guided tour around the whole area, often tasting the edible leaves and berries.  It resembles an ordinary wood, but with about 500 species, some native and many from abroad.

Forest gardens more closely resemble the more open woodland edge, with a top layer of larger fruit trees, often hung with vines and climbers, a lower layer of smaller fruit and nut trees, and an understorey of bamboos and berry-bearing shrubs. Below come perennial vegetables, while mats of herbs and sprawlers cover the ground. Not all the plants are cropped in a forest garden – some encourage beneficial insects, others aid fertility by fixing nitrogen or ‘mining’ trace elements deep in the soil.

Many of us felt inspired to try some of the planting ideas such as putting red or blackberries and Sweet Cicely  in light shade, along with grapevines climbing up trees.  We were impressed by the large hybrid sweet chestnut and two Monterey Pines Martin planted some 30 years earlier.  For more about this unusual approach look up www.agroforestry.co.uk or see the photos on our website at https://www.bridfordandteignvalleygardenclub.co.uk/​

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