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Notes for current slide
  • Greetings & welcome to The Backyard Forest!
  • My name is Jake Rayson & I'm a forest gardener & forest garden designer
  • This section is all about setting up a productive perennial vegetable patch
Notes for next slide
  • Number 3 in series of 8 lectures in total
  • First 3 lectures are about observing, planning and designing.
  • Middle 3 lectures getting hands dirty starting the structure of the garden: establishing windbreaks, building features, establishing paths and planting the canopy layer, the big trees.
  • Final 2 lectures are about filling in the structure: clearing the ground, and then planting the shrubs and the ground cover.

Perennial vegetables

Resilient, delicious & nutritious

Close up of kale leaf

The Backyard Forest by Jake Rayson

natureworks.org.uk/backyard/veg

Press P to see notes and credits
Work licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike, embedded work may have other licenses.
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  • Greetings & welcome to The Backyard Forest!
  • My name is Jake Rayson & I'm a forest gardener & forest garden designer
  • This section is all about setting up a productive perennial vegetable patch

Course overview

Design overlaid on satellite photo

  1. Introducing
  2. Plan
  3. Design
  4. Protect
  5. Perennial Veg πŸ‘ˆ
  6. Canopy
  7. Ground Prep
  8. Shrubs & Ground Cover
2 / 41
  • Number 3 in series of 8 lectures in total
  • First 3 lectures are about observing, planning and designing.
  • Middle 3 lectures getting hands dirty starting the structure of the garden: establishing windbreaks, building features, establishing paths and planting the canopy layer, the big trees.
  • Final 2 lectures are about filling in the structure: clearing the ground, and then planting the shrubs and the ground cover.

What you’ll learn

Close up of kale leaf

  1. Importance of accessibility
  2. Protecting your crops
  3. My pick of perennial veg
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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Why perennial?

Rows of veg, all in a line

Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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1. Accessibility

Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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1. Accessibility

Hoverfly on small white flowers

  1. Paths πŸ‘ˆ
  2. Signage
  3. Close to kitchen
  4. Access to knowledge
  5. Attention
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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  • Access for predators & pollinators

People paths
lead to
attention

Mown grass path, polytunnel & trees in background

Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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  • Wood chip on sloped paths, as β€˜meshes’ together
  • Bark better for flat paths, lasts longer
  • To stop grass creep, edge paths with branches

1. Accessibility

Hoverfly on small white flowers

  1. Paths
  2. Signage πŸ‘ˆ
  3. Close to kitchen
  4. Access to knowledge
  5. Attention
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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Good signage
is easier
for everyone

3 wooden signs saying: Spinach, Cabbage, Onion

Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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1. Accessibility

Hoverfly on small white flowers

  1. Paths
  2. Signage
  3. Close to kitchen πŸ‘ˆ
  4. Access to knowledge
  5. Attention
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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Close to kitchen

CAD plan of forest garden

  • Zoning
  • Most used, closest
  • Herbs β†’ salad β†’ leafy greens
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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1. Accessibility

Hoverfly on small white flowers

  1. Paths
  2. Signage
  3. Close to kitchen
  4. Access to knowledge πŸ‘ˆ
  5. Attention
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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Access to knowledge

Screenshot of Backyard Larder website

Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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Access to knowledge

Screenshot of Incredible Vegetables website

Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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Access to knowledge

Screenshot of Edimentals website

Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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Access to knowledge

Screenshot of Of Plums and Pignuts website

Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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Access to knowledge

Screenshot of Plants For A Future website

Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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1. Accessibility

Hoverfly on small white flowers

  1. Paths
  2. Signage
  3. Close to kitchen
  4. Access to knowledge
  5. Attention πŸ‘ˆ
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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Attention

Weeds in bark mulch

  • Paths & signage!
  • Will always need to weed πŸ™‚
  • What grows naturally?
  • Shady forest garden
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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2. Protection

Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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2. Protection

Raised beds, with orange marigolds growing at edges

  • Weed (verb) πŸ‘ˆ
  • Slugs
  • Wind
  • Netting
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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  • Weed is not a noun!

2. Protection

Closeup black slug

  • Weed (verb)
  • Slugs πŸ‘ˆ
  • Wind
  • Netting
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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  • Photo 'The Most Important Slug In The World, Part III: To Dungeons Deep' by Benjamin Dobson on Flickr

2. Protection

Stacks of old branches forming a dead hedge

  • Weed (verb)
  • Slugs
  • Wind πŸ‘ˆ
  • Netting
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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2. Protection

Wood pigeon on long grass lawn

  • Weed (verb)
  • Slugs
  • Wind
  • Netting πŸ‘ˆ
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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  • Photo by hedera.baltica on Flickr

Treat like annuals
until perennial

Big bushy leaves in raised bed

Compost β€’ Mulch β€’ Weed

Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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 Hot compost technique πŸ”₯

Pallet compost bays

  • 3 bays, in rotation
  • 50/50 green & brown, chopped
  • Plastic keeps moisture in
  • Turn twice weekly 😰
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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  • Mulch everything
  • Protect the soil
  • Big thank you to Adam and Lesley at Glebelands Market Garden for the experience & knowledge!

No-dig

Raised bed with compost mulch & dozen plants growing

Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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3. Top 10

Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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Top 10 Perennial Veg

  1. Caucasian Spinach
  2. Day Lillies
  3. Welsh Onion
  4. Garden Sorrel
  5. Good King Henry
  6. Perennial Kale
  7. Perennial Leek
  8. Siberian Purslane
  9. Turkish Rocket
  10. Wild Garlic
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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1. Caucasian Spinach

Pointy green leaves of young Caucasian Spinach

  • Has its own Facebook group!
  • Herbaceous perennial
  • Vigorous climber, up to 3 metres
  • Moist soil, tolerates full shade
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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  • Photo 'Hablitzia tamnoides flower buds' by Marc de Ruijter on Wikipedia

2. Day Lillies

Dark red long & exotic petals of Day Lilly

Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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  • Photo 'Daylily Ed Murray 2011' by jacki-dee on Flickr

3. Welsh Onion

Upright oniony stalks with flower buds on top

  • Use leaves as chives, bulb as spring onion
  • Flowering stalk hardens
  • Dies back in winter
  • Everlasting Onion 'Perutile' fresh leaves all winter
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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  • Can get non-flowering cultivar
  • Photo 'Welsh Onion Allium fistulosum' by Eric Toensmeier on Flickr

4. Garden Sorrel

Upright green leaves of Garden Sorrel

  • Strong lemon flavour
  • Mix leaves in salad
  • Contains oxalic acid
  • Roots, flowers & seeds also edible
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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  • Photo by Burschik on Wikipedia
  • Non-flowering Garden Sorrel available

5. Good King Henry

Pointy leaves and long flower spike of Good King Henry

  • Leaves spinach substitute
  • Edible flower shoots & seeds
  • Dies back in winter
  • Member of Sorghum family
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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6. Perennial Kale

Purpley green leaf of Taunton Deane perennial kale

  • Protect when young
  • Daubenton’s Kale, Taunton Deane, Portugese Kale
  • Can grow very tall!
  • Eat younger leaves, remove older leaves
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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7. Perennial Leek

Line of clumpy of leek-alike plants

Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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8. Siberian Purslane

Five petalled lined pink flower, succulent leaves

  • Earthy tasting leaves, raw or cooked
  • Propagates well if happy
  • Makes a good ground cover
  • Tolerates full shade
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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  • Photo by Jake Rayson

9. Turkish Rocket

Big bushy leaves in raised bed

  • Cook leaves
  • Flower buds broccoli substitute
  • Loved by slugs!
  • Grow from seed
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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  • Photo by Jake Rayson

10. Wild Garlic

Path leading through woodland, floor carpeted in white flowers

  • Rampant Ramsons in spring
  • Pungent smell, delicate flavour
  • Cook briefly
  • Good ground cover with Ground Ivy
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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  • Photo 'Wild Garlic (Ramsons) flowering in woodland' by ukgardenphotos on Flickr
  • Can take over a plot

Backyard Forest takeaways

Close up of kale leaf

  1. Accessibility, attention, protection
  2. Treat like annuals until perennial
  3. Plants For A Future!
Accessibility β€” Protection β€” Top 10
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The End

Small edible forest garden, wooden planks and woodchip paths

hello@natureworks.org.uk

natureworks.org.uk/newsletter

Music: Chegsticks by I Am The Mighty Jungulator

41 / 41

Course overview

Design overlaid on satellite photo

  1. Introducing
  2. Plan
  3. Design
  4. Protect
  5. Perennial Veg πŸ‘ˆ
  6. Canopy
  7. Ground Prep
  8. Shrubs & Ground Cover
2 / 41
  • Number 3 in series of 8 lectures in total
  • First 3 lectures are about observing, planning and designing.
  • Middle 3 lectures getting hands dirty starting the structure of the garden: establishing windbreaks, building features, establishing paths and planting the canopy layer, the big trees.
  • Final 2 lectures are about filling in the structure: clearing the ground, and then planting the shrubs and the ground cover.
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