Bruce Slark giving his forest garden talk at Moylgrove Hall
Bruce Slark has been growing a forest garden for nigh on 20 years and his talk at Moylgrove Hall was full of tasty nuggets
Bruce’s talk on his well-established forest garden at Moylgrove Hall was very interesting, particularly because it is well-established. Here at Forest Garden Wales, the fruit trees on a windy hillside are only just starting to bear fruit, so it was great to see a full complement of produce on display.
The other point that hit home is the health aspect. Robert Hart, a pioneer of temperate forest gardens and author of Forest Gardening, apparently had an 80% raw food vegan diet.
Here are my random notes from the evening, really for my benefit but you’re welcome to peruse if you want:
- Netting, essential for fruit trees and fruit bushes. Apples too?!
- Camassia, starchy potato alternative, staple food of Native Americans.
- Put large stone by raised beds for Song Thrush to use as “stone anvil” for snails.
- Scarlet Hawthorn, fruit on display. Crataegus ellwangeriana or Crataegus pedicellata?
- Mark bamboo with pen for each year, when 3 years old (3 dots), cane is lignified & can be used outside.
- Sweet Chestnuts 14 years old, 30kg nuts from each tree
- Cornelian Cherry, naturalised in Britain
- Judas Tree, edible flowers, nitrogen fixer
- Trazel, cross between Turkish Hazel and native Hazel
- Nanking Cherry, first flowering bush in spring, beautiful
- Gaultheria shallon, grows well in shade, make tea from leaves like green tea, evergreen
- Aside: is there any such thing as a 90% vegan diet?