Since the end of May, I’ve been getting stuck into all things forest garden related. Creating a forest garden with Transition Stirling is going to be the focus of my personal project over the next 6 months. A forest garden is a planted garden which is modelled on natural woodland, except most of what is grown is used by humans e.g. for food, fibres, dyes, medicine, woodfuel and crafts. The design mimics the natural ecosystem of a forest in that its layered structure supports and uses beneficial relationships between plants, creating high levels of biodiversity and a haven for wildlife.
In order to begin this I started out doing all of the behind the scenes work; project planning, applying for funding (successfully) and finding a site. Starting a project from scratch has been a big learning curve for me so I’m very happy that it’s all coming together. With the kind permission of the Cowane’s Trust, I think we’re very lucky to be creating our garden in the beautiful and historic ruins of Cowane’s House. It’s very exciting to be transforming this abandoned space into a vibrant community growing area.
Cowane’s House on St Mary’s Wynd Stirling – Photograph by Duncan Clark
The garden we’re transforming is inside the ruins – Photograph by Duncan Clark
Photograph by Duncan Clark
Over the past month, we’ve been busy making a start on the garden. I led an introduction day where we I shared my learning about forest gardening and we thought about what we’re trying to create. This was followed by the design workshop where we drew up our dream plant list and thought about more structural issues such as where paths will go. We’ve also had a couple of work days in the garden making a start on the paths and getting rid of some of the most unwanted weeds. Things are really starting to take shape now and over the next few sessions we will be working on preparing the ground, mulching, building our paths and getting the space more ready for planting.
Here’s hoping the weather continues to be as glorious as it has so far!