1. Addresses low energy living holistically (from houses to heating to food production)
2. Recommends approaches to growing food all year without overuse of machinery
3. Chooses crops and approaches that fit with human-powered activity
4. Sets you on the right path on nearly any issue of sustainable living

Excellent reading for those who wish to prepare for the day when the world will not be so comfortable.


Permaculture comes to town!   July 22, 2003
 9 out of 18 found this review helpful

BUY THIS BOOK, Its full of details about plants we dont eat but should, its full of details you need to know about creating a garden of eden!


a readable guide to gardening with food-producing plants   May 13, 2002
 54 out of 54 found this review helpful

This book is inspirational and practical. It shows how to create an ecosystem of food-producing plants, whether you have a large garden or a few yards of spare ground. The plants are arranged to replicate a woodland or forest environment, with the emphasis on low-maintainance and production of food (fruit, nuts, vegetables) throughout the year. The first chapter considers the environmental philosophy of this type of gardening. Subsequent chapters cover the plant types suitable for the UK, divided into categories of trees, shrubs and ground-layer plants. Each plant type is described in a very readable manner, with details such as basic growing requirements (soil, light, water), eventual size and yield. Although familiar plants such as rhubarb, raspberries, apples, plums are described, less common but equally viable varieties such as medlar and quince, even kiwis, are treated in equal detail.
Most of the emphasis is on the smaller trees which grow to about 3-4 m height. Larger trees such as chequer and walnut are described only briefly. The chapter on vegetables deals with perennial and self-seeding varieties, rather than the annuals of a typical vegetable plot. Particularly useful is a chart showing at what time of year each type of fruit can be harvested. More sketchy is how long it takes from planting the trees to when they start bearing fruit, however, for most varieties this would seem to be about 5 years. The last chapter deals with planning and gives an example of how a medium-sized garden could be adapted for this type of food production. The last few pages give details of nurseries that can supply the plants, so if you want a change from the shiny citrus fruits at the local supermarket, a garden of mulberry and medlar is only a phone call away.


Be aware - forest gardening may not be what you think   January 9, 2002
 42 out of 82 found this review helpful

You may know what forest gardening really is but, silly me, I thought it meant creating a garden in an area with trees. It doesn't; it means something completely different which I think may be to do with permaculture.

I ordered the book for a friend who has moved into a house with a small wooded area at the bottom of his garden. He wants to do something with the spaces between the trees - clear the brambles and put suitable plants in between so that it will look beautiful and be practical. I know there are cultivated plants which thrive in those conditions and I hoped this book would pull all that info together for those in my friend's situation. Unfortunately the book does nothing of the sort, since it's about something else altogether.

Perhaps it's harsh to give it only 2 stars, since it may be a wonderful book if you want what it has to offer. But it was useless for the purpose I chose it for, and I'd guess I'm not the only one out there who may be confused by the book's name.