Establishing A Food Forest

Geoff Lawton is a permaculturist’s permaculturist. As one of the first ‘wave’ of designers and teachers in Australia, he has been implementing and thinking about permaculture for many years, and has become internationally recognised as a repairer of landscapes, and a creator, even in the most unpromising ecosystems, of food forests and abundant, productive landscapes. This film offers an inspiring and enlightening immersion in his work and thinking, and also a moving look at just how productive permaculture systems can be if they are sufficiently well thought out and designed.

The Food Forest (The Guytons, NZ)

The Guytons started planting their food forest in 1998 on two acres of bare land in Riverton, New Zealand. This style of gardening was new to Southland so their neighbours did not approve. Now it is an established food forest with hundreds of different plant species. Fruit and nut trees, berries and herbs and wild plants all blended together in a productive and sustainable way.

Geoff Lawton: Permaculture Pioneer & Designer

Food forests are at the heart of Permaculture and fast becoming a hot topic in many areas of debate as people realise the their full potential. Let's face it, with our all consuming global problems, there aren't many natural solutions out there that can halt & reverse deforestation, stabilise the climate by returning carbon to the soil where it belongs, solve poverty & extreme hunger all in one hit are there?

Yet this is exactly what the food forest is capable of, and provided people understand it and are at the centre of the system, they can go on living off that land forever. Here is a video of Geoff Lawton showing a series of food forests that have been planted at Zaytuna farm over successive years.

Survival Food Forest With Chickens



Urban Permaculture

Many of you have been asking what Permaculture can do for you in the small Urban space? Well, one of my students, Angelo, has transformed his tiny Melbourne backyard into an amazing productive garden and documented every detail over the last 4 years. Find out how much food you could grow in the Micro space when you apply Permaculture design creatively. You will be amazed.

See also: Urban Permaculture At Its Best

Permaculture Course

You can solve the worlds problems in a garden!

How to survive the coming crises with permaculture

An video by Geoff Lawton, world renowned permaculture teacher, designer and consultant.

Urban Permaculture Food Forest Garden

John from Growing Your Greens  goes on a field trip outside Portland, Oregon to visit one amazing Urban Permaculture Food Forest Garden. In this episode, John will share just some of the techniques and unique edible plants that are being grown in this permaculture garden. You will learn about the edible Impatiens balfourii... aka Poor Man's Orchid which explode when you touch them and so much more.

Permablitz

Adam from Permablitz Melbourne shows Sydney how its done!

Adam Grubb founded Permablitz as part of a crew of Melbourne permaculturalists in 2006. Since then, Melbourne Permblitz has delivered many, many successful permablitzes in the greater Melbourne area, and the concept of Permablitz has spread to Sydney, Adelaide, Alice Springs, Darwin, Canberra, Tasmania, Bega, the Sunshine Coast, California, Montreal, Istanbul and Uganda.

Website: Permablitz Melbourne

DIY Kit: Permablitz Kit

A permablitz is a permaculture-inspired backyard, frontyard or community makeover where people come together to build a food garden, share knowledge and skills about organic food production in urban gardens while building community and having fun. Anyone can come, and for many it’s their first experience with permaculture design or food gardening. Basically we get a lot of people together with tools, plants and knowledge and we go to someones house and build a permaculture vegie garden. This is a not for profit, volunteer based idea with reciprocation in mind. If you want a permaculture veggie garden at your place then you are encouraged to help out at other permablitz's first. People who have had a blitz at their house are encouraged to repay the favor by helping out at other blitz's.

A Food Forest Garden

Robert Hart's forest garden.



Part 2

300 Year Old Food Forest

This is one of the little extras on the DVD title "Establishing a Food Forest" with Permaculture teacher Geoff Lawton. Whilst Geoff was in Vietnam he discovered a 300 year old Food Forest built on 2 acres of land and still functioning well in the same family 28 generations later.