solutions thatrepeat in nature.

effort: an afternoon6 plants

guild ring around a fruit tree

a circle of workers around one producer: feeders, protectors, and attractors.

fertility

chop & drop fertility loop

grow the mulch where you need it, then cut it and leave it lying.

effort: a weekend3 plants

edges

edge maximisation

life concentrates where two systems meet — so design for more meeting.

soil

living mulch

never leave soil bare: a low green skin that feeds while it covers.

effort: a season3 plants

soil

biodrilling compacted ground

let taproots do the subsoiling machines can't.

effort: several years3 plants

nurse tree establishment

plant the tough pioneer first; let it shelter and feed the tree you actually want.

habitat

insectary strip

a ribbon of flowers that staffs your pest control department.

effort: an afternoon5 plants

effort: several years3 plants

coppice cycle

the cut that doesn't kill: harvest wood forever from the same stools.

effort: an afternoon4 plants

pest confusion planting

scramble the scent-map pests navigate by.

effort: several years4 plants

windbreak ladder

step the wind up and over, don't wall it off.

productive shade floor

the darkest layer of the forest garden still earns its place.

effort: a weekend4 plants

keyhole bed

a round bed with a notch: maximum planting, minimum path, compost at the heart.

edges

herb spiral

every microclimate of a hillside, coiled into two metres.

effort: a weekend5 plants

fertility

hügelkultur mound

bury wood, plant the hill: a raised bed that waters and feeds itself for years.

effort: a weekend4 plants

effort: a weekend3 plants

three sisters planting

the oldest guild there is: structure, nitrogen, and living mulch in one bed.

effort: a season3 plants

water

rain garden

a planted dip that drinks the roof: storm water becomes habitat instead of runoff.

habitat

pond-edge guild

the wettest edge is the busiest: layer the margin and the wildlife staffs itself.

effort: an afternoon3 plants

soil

sheet mulching

turn lawn into garden without lifting a spade.

effort: several years5 plants

sun trap

a horseshoe of shelter that moves the garden two climate zones south.

fedge — the living fence

push willow sticks in the ground; harvest a fence that grows tighter every year.

effort: a season3 plants

stacking in time

layer harvests through the calendar the way a forest layers through space.

banker plants

run a standing population of pests — to keep the predators on payroll.

effort: several years5 plants

habitat

orchard meadow

widely spaced fruit trees over unmown grassland — two ecosystems, one field.