Beginners Guide to Forest Gardens and Food Forests

Ever noticed how a forest thrives without irrigation, without fertiliser and without a whole lot of mowing? What if you could learn this natural pattern and translate it to your own garden. 

Forest gardens are a great alternative to lawns and require a lot less maintenance. They are a beautiful way to naturally cool your environment, create habitat for wildlife and to help mitigate climate change. If you choose food-producing species they become a food forest that uses trees, shrubs, vines, ground covers and tuberous plants to provide you with an abundance of fresh, tasty food, without the need for endless trips to buy fertilisers or chemicals. A forest garden can also be a combination of food producing and ornamental plants. 

This friendly, interactive one day workshop, led by highly regarded permaculture designer, Brendan Morse, will teach you all the basics for designing and creating your own forest garden. These methods can be applied at any scale, from acreage to a small courtyard. You don't need any prior permaculture training to attend this workshop. 

Learn about the pattern of succession that occurs in nature, and how we can speed it up to create forest gardens in one tenth of the time it would take for nature to do the same. Get expert advice on plant selection and placement, and how to maintain your forest garden as it grows. Spend time learning in an existing forest garden and see the forest pattern applied at different scales. 

The workshop will include using potted food plants to lay out a pattern for a forest garden, including fruit trees. At the end of the workshop participants will have the opportunity to purchase plants at below wholesale prices. Please bring cash if you're interested. We don't have credit facilities.

REFUNDS
You can request an automatic refund up to 14 days before this workshop. Within 14 days there are no refunds available but you are welcome to gift or sell your ticket to someone else.

CATERING
We'll provide tea, coffee and fresh fruit. BYO vegetarian lunch (because it's better for the planet) and please don't bring any single use plastic with you: This is a no waste event.

THE VENUE: ADAGIO
"Adagio" is the home of Meg McGowan and Graham King from Permacoach. The property has been managed using permaculture for over 27 years and includes extensive forest gardens. The location is 333 Matcham Road, Matcham and the gardens are featured extensively on their Permacoach Facebook page and Permacoach_me Instagram account. 

THE TRAINER: BRENDAN MORSE

Here is a brief summary of Brendan's professional background in permaculture and related fields:

• Botany-Entomology-Ecology BSc graduate
• Environmental Studies MA postgraduate
• 2x PDC (Milkwood, & Tagari online)
• Permaculture Teaching Course with Rosemary Morrow
• Edible Forest Gardens Masterclass with Dave Jacke

• PDC co-delivery (over 15x) with Milkwood, CERES, CERES Global (Timor), Kul-Kul Farm (Bali)
• has worked with Nick Ritar, Rowe Morrow, Hannah Moloney, Graeme George, Ian Lillington, Adam Grubb, Kat Lavers

• runs workshops in:

• mushroom cultivation
• ecological gardening
• ecological orcharding / food forests
• ecological soil management
• composting, organic sprays and fertilisers

• vocational experience in:

• soft & hard landscaping
• horticulture & nurseries
• market gardening in cool temperate and wet tropics
• bush and rainforest regeneration
• mushroom cultivation
• EFG design and implementation
• contaminated land management
• environmental management
• carbon/emissions management
• environmental education - all ages & all climatic contexts
  
• Permaculture Consultation & Design; including Permablitzes, medicinal gardens, food forests, farmscape management, school gardens & suburban food gardens