ABOUT US
We are a not-for-profit forest gardening and education project led by a team of passionate permaculturists, and lovers of nature. Our work originated in the Transition movement in 2010. Now the public garden contains over 200 species of low-maintenance, edible or useful perennials, which are arranged in guilds to mimic natural ecosystems. In a nutshell, our aim is to provide a community space enabling connection to nature, and accessible education on subjects relating to permaculture and forest gardens. We do this while working with the local community to create more biodiverse, edible landscapes – healthier habitats for wildlife and people. Our garden in Finsbury Park provides us with a space for people come together and share ideas.
We feel planting forest gardens serves to empower our communities, offering a direct response to many important issues of our time, such as climate change, biodiversity loss and the need for connection to nature and community.
Through our work, we encourage individuals and communities to create these gardens. We host schools onsite for outdoor education, covering subjects such as soil science, forest gardening, and biodiversity. Our outreach garden work partners us with a variety of organisations, to create community projects throughout North London. ELL welcomes a range of students, including those completing Duke of Edinburgh Awards, PHD students, and learners with special educational needs. We also provide regular workshops and events, covering subjects that are connected to forest gardening, such as sustainable building and carpentry, weaving using natural materials, plant dyes and nature craft.
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Our Team
Project Manager – Bethany Anderson
bethany@ediblelandscapeslondon.org.uk
Directors –
Carrie Anker
Marco Ardani
Sarah Bush
Les Coupland
Tasha Eve
Jane Howson
Patrick Maher
Vanessa Morris
Linda Royles
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Our Aims
- To provide a nurturing, wildlife-friendly community space with a focus on ‘Forest Gardening’ – growing food whilst increasing biodiversity and resilience.
- To increase awareness around forest gardening, and related subjects such as sustainability, biodiversity, soil science and climate change.
- To host schools and children for outdoor education, introducing these subjects, both on and off site.
- To support community food growing projects by donating propagated plants and offering advice.
What is a forest garden?
Illustration by Graham Burnett
Forest gardens are low-maintenance, multi-layered food growing systems, based on woodland ecosystems. The design of these systems is carefully planned, allowing a variety of species to grow together with enough space, light and resources. As in nature, these plants are beneficial to each other, as well as humans and wildlife. This system of observing and understanding nature in order to create a garden design, essentially replicating the form of a young woodland, allows guilds and soil cultures to thrive with maximum efficiency.
Recognising the Indigenous Origins of Food Forests
Forest gardens have in fact existed for thousands of years in different parts of the planet, rooted in the traditional practices of indigenous growers. They go by a multitude of different names depending on your location, often referred to these days as food forests. In Kerala and Nepal they are simply known as home gardens, as Kandyan gardens in Sri Lanka, and as family orchards or huertos familiares in Mexico.
In the 1980s Robert Hart adapted this knowledge for temperate climates. Through his writing he coined the term forest gardening.
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What are the benefits?
‘All life’s problems can be solved in a garden’. In a nutshell, Forest Gardens provide:
- beautiful havens for both wildlife and people
- sources of local organic produce
- a closed loop / no waste system
- increased biodiversity, soil and ecosystem health
- maximum crop yield with minimum effort
- effective carbon sequestration
- engaging outdoor learning environments for community education
- resilience to extreme weather
- less reliance on fossil fuels
- mitigation of floods, erosion and pollution
Martin Crawford’s Forest Garden in Devon. Species featured in this photo : Chinese dogwood (left), Tilia cordata, and Siberian pea tree
‘A forest garden is a place where nature and people meet halfway, between the canopy of trees and the soil underfoot. It doesn’t have to look like a forest – what’s important is that natural processes are allowed to unfold, to the benefit of plants, people and other creatures. The result is an edible ecosystem.’
– Tomas Remiarz
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Why are we doing this?
For so many reasons. Nature immersion enriches the soul. Forest gardens create healthy productive environments that enable all beings to thrive. Through engaging with Permaculture Principles, ethics and techniques, we are alligned with the values of Earth Care, People Care, Fair Shares.
In both local and wider scale visions, these values resonate with us, bringing us to the question ‘what if’. Is it possible to reimagine and in many ways heal our landscapes, and modern cultures. With an increasing global awareness of of climate change, habitat loss and the need for sustainable food growing systems, its time to look towards new ways.
As humans we each have the opportunity to create change. The act of creating forest gardens – even as small as a balcony container – empowers. This video interview features Jo Homan who founded ELL. She explains a bit more about forest gardens, the benefits, and how to get going.
Why observe nature in the way we grow our food? Take a look at the history of the earth and we see why in a heartbeat. Nature holds the template for wealth creation and healthy living. Natural systems get richer and more abundant with each passing year. Modern capitalist systems of growth… well. Not so much! This is especially apparent in modern agriculture.
Soil degradation is one of the world’s most pressing problems today. It’s a modern problem with ancient roots – it can be said these roots belong to annual plants. You see, the vast majority of the food plants the world’s population relies on today are fast-growing annuals. These plants grow quickly and often produce a good yield. But they have to be planted anew each year – bypassing Mother Nature’s normal system. Industrial scale annual systems rely on the use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers, and fossil fuel guzzling tractors. Digging and replanting each year causes immeasurable damage to our soil ecology. Large scale soil erosion, and CO2 emissions. Long term this system is not tenable.
In contrast, nature systems, woodlands, rely mainly on perennial plants. These plants come back year after year. The soil is not disturbed, and instead has a chance to build up, increasing in quantity and quality over time. Mycorrizal networks are preserved, as the abundant soil life blooms. Habitat is created. Life thrives.
In this way, food forests, along with other forms of agroforestry, provide humans with a valuable form of Regenerative Agriculture. Forest gardens are also a form of permaculture design.
What are the basic Permaculture Principles? Forest gardens provide us with an effective way to practice permaculture. When planning a project, it is useful to apply these twelve basic Permaculture Principles :
Permaculture Principles
Illustration by Halli Moore
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Our beginnings and growings
Edible Landscapes London was founded in 2010. We pioneered the first accredited course in forest gardening, while training hundreds of students in plant propagation, permaculture and other related subjects. Below are some short films from our young site, with more about the vision:
Want a quick tour of the site? From the initial shoots it has now become a young forest. You can see for yourself in a video tour here.
If you would like access to previous articles written about our work, please get in touch.
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Finding us
We’re in Finsbury Park itself, three minutes walk from Manor House tube (Piccadilly line) and bus stops – 253, 254, 29, 141, 341 buses. Enter Finsbury Park by the Manor House entrance and turn right. Follow the metal fence round, past the entrance to the greenhouse area, until you find our new entrance.
On Google Maps, you can find our location with postcode N4 2NQ