The Forest Garden

Happy New Year everyone! Welcome to Season 2 of the podcast! We are super stoked to be here, and we hope you are too. On today's episode of The Forest Garden, we are lucky enough to talk to Matt Lebon. Matt is the owner of Custom Foodscaping based out of St. Louis, Missouri, and director of The Foodscaper, a community network of edible landscaping organizations united under a common goal of establishing edible landscapes for families and communities. Be sure to check out the inaugural Foodscaper Summit, on January 20-21, 2022. Only two weeks away from the release of this episode. (See links below). Stay tuned to learn about some of Matt's favorite edible landscaping shrubs, his design process, and a few of the projects his organization has worked on recently.  Remember that we here at The Forest Garden want to hear from you! To be featured in an upcoming episode, send us prerecorded comment or question as an audio file to our email theforestgardenpodcast@gmail.com. If you want to connect with us on social, our handle on instagram is @forestgardenpodcast. Matt's social: @customfoodscaping and @thefoodscaperhq Links: https://www.thefoodscaper.com/summit https://www.customfoodscaping.com/ https://www.thefoodscaper.com/

Happy Winter Solstice! On today's episode, we cover the various seed companies and organizations that we care about most. Or maybe just the ones that stood out to us in the moment, if we wanted to talk about all of our favorite places to source plant material - we would be making an episode that might be four hours long...  Some of the organizations mentioned in the episode! http://sacredsucculents.com/ https://www.fedcoseeds.com/ https://www.treeshrubseeds.com/ https://strictlymedicinalseeds.com/ https://harc.missouri.edu/about/ https://www.rareseeds.com/ https://www.experimentalfarmnetwork.org/ https://oikostreecrops.com/ https://www.kitazawaseed.com/ https://www.adaptiveseeds.com/ https://territorialseed.com/ https://www.plant-world-seeds.com/ https://www.superseeds.com/ https://www.amkhaseed.com/ https://www.seedsavers.org/ https://www.southernexposure.com/ https://www.plant-world-seeds.com/ https://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/

It goes without saying that 2021 has been a year of climate extremes. Record rainfall and extended periods of drought really have been throwing our gardens through a loop. We can't help but ask ourselves, what strategies should we be taking to plan for our uncertain future? In other words, how can we take a more active role in mitigating climate change? What are the plants that might actually benefit from a shift in climate in our region? Should we be looking to the hardiest and most resilient of plant species to populate our landscapes with, or experimenting with plant species that historically haven't been able to survive our winters - and now may be able to? In this episode we delve into these questions and much more. The time is now to plant trees, sequester carbon, and attempt to slow our roll on this slippery slope that is the looming climate catastrophe. If you have any questions or comments to the topics we highlight in this episode, feel free to shoot us an email at theforestgardenpodcast@gmail.com or reach out to us via our Instagram page @forestgardenpodcast. If you would like to have your question featured in an upcoming episode, send it to our email as a prerecorded audio file!

Prepare to be transported to the Big Island of Hawaiʻi! Adam Crowe of ʻĀina Exotics, based in Pāpaʻaloa, Hawaiʻi, joins us today to discuss the trials and tribulations of establishing a tropical forest garden system on the slopes of the shield volcano that is Hawaiʻi Island. Tune in for an exciting episode where we discuss swales in tropical systems, pests local to Hawaiʻi, and some of our favorite tropical fruit tree crops. Be sure to rate and subscribe, and follow us on instagram! @forestgardenpodcast. Thanks for tuning in, and enjoy!

On this episode we cover all things sexual & asexual plant propagation. Are you interested in grafting techniques, air layering, or taking cuttings of woody perennial plants? Do you have a four year old hosta or rhubarb plant that is crowding out surrounding plantings? Consider dividing up the plant during the appropriate season this year, on this episode we'll walk you through all of these processes. Find us on Instagram @forestgardenpodcast! And if you want to contact us, reach out to theforestgardenpodcast@gmail.com

And you may tell yourself, invasive plants are the boogeyman. We tend to think they're mostly misunderstood. Today's episode is a mish-mash of us each playing devil's advocate, and sharing some of our personal experiences with plants that should potentially be avoided in Food Forest Systems. Not all invasives are evil, but some of them sure can be nasty. Join us as we thread the needle through this topic, and be sure to follow our exploits on our Instagram page @forestgardenpodcast

Hark! The crisp air has cometh! Our water hath not turned into wine but into Pumpkin Spice! It's Fall y'all, and it's in full swing. Here in New England, the trees are putting on quite the display. Pumpkins are being picked, winter squash are ready for harvest, and the ground beneath the trees is covered in nuts and soon to be rotting fruit. The harvest is upon us! In today's episode, we'll cover a wide range of topics related to harvesting this time of year. As the title alludes to, we will also be discussing Elliot Coleman's 'four season harvest' method. A hoop-house design that incorporates a double cover system for season extension that allows you to keep picking your leafy greens all winter long. If you want to learn about how and when to harvest Paw Paws, Persimmons, Sunchokes, and much more... stick with us for an episode jam packed with useful information. Be sure to follow us on Instagram @forestgardenpodcast.

Who says you can't have a Four-Season Garden? It might be October, but there are still lots of things to do in the backyard Food Forest. Join us as we contemplate different strategies for best practice in stewardship of your landscape during the Fall. And don't forget to follow our Instagram page @forestgardenpodcast! If you have any questions or concerns, shoot us an email at theforestgardenpodcast@gmail.com, and, if you would like to appear on the show - pose your question or comment to us as a pre-recorded audio file! We would love to feature you on an upcoming episode. 

Celebrate the first day of Fall by leveling up your gardening game! Discover how to enhance soil fertility with the rich nutrients found in fallen leaves. Learn the essentials of fall composting, including balancing carbon and nitrogen, and tackling challenges like rural bear activity. Explore unconventional fertilizers, from alpine manure to the surprising use of human urine. Uncover innovative techniques, like the Jean Pain method, to keep your compost hot and effective. Get ready to turn your autumn garden into a bounty!

Discover the underappreciated role of nut trees in food forests and their sustainable benefits. Learn about the unique cross-pollination dynamics of black walnuts and their nutritional value, steeped in historical context. Dive into the exciting variety of nut tree cultivars and the challenges faced by growers, especially in colder climates. Explore the resilient yellowhorn nut tree and its vital contribution to food security. This engaging conversation reveals how nut trees are essential not only for nutrition but also for ecological health.