After some intense weeks we can now begin watering the plants in the forest garden;) It began with a planning period together with the permaculture designer Christoff, who led the workshop, and his assistant gardener Dominik, both from Austria. First soil tests were done and the pH level tested. Then we visited three nurseries, namely Wallströms, Åbergs och Rosenhagen, following Christoff and Dominik’s careful research into Nordic species and the whole selection of edible nuts, leaves, flowers, berries and fruit. We hired a digger and a cultivator and went to the recycling centre in St. Olof in order to test the compost soil (garden waste) that we later bought a load of. The garden lime we bought in sacks, as well as lightweight earth from the Hekla volcano (Baramineral). This is in order to raise the soil’s pH value, which initially sat at around 5 (acidic). In the middle of last week the workshop with 10 participants from the whole country then began, which lasted five days. The first day was composed of only theory. The practical part was opened with the participants clearing the site, whose area is ca. 900 m2, and Dominik excavated deeply. A lot of thin soil with lots of stone;) Then it was time to pick up stone. Exactly as the farmers in our local society have done all these years. A wearing job. Thereafter Christoff drove with the cultivator and the participants went and dug up the young trees and bushes on the farm. They also collected the farm’s compost, branches and leaves. The compost earth arrived and the truck’s grabber roughly divided the earth which was lately finely split. It was built with seating places and compost-loaf (lasagna) and a large solid climbing place for the little kiwis. Finally, on the penultimate day, it was time to plant all trees, bushes and plants and mark them, as well as lay out cartons (against weeds). The nitrogen-fixing green manure was sown last of all. On the last day it was time for a study visit to Holma, in order to see a well-established forest garden. Now we are setting up the fence in order to protect the forest garden. We do have hares, roe deer and stags visiting the farm. In addition, I will put out name signs that just arrived from Germany and Roland will begin watering. The pictures from a very successful permaculture workshop you can see here:
Perhaps it is also time for you to create an edible landscape on your land? Imagine going and munching one healthy fruit after another one beautiful summer’s day – or why not eat a wonderfully fragrant flower;) The forest garden is self-sufficiency in a nutshell:) Thank you for creating this paradise!