The Community Food Forest Handbook

Author: Catherine Bukowski
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN: 160358644X
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 274

Book Description
Collaboration and leadership strategies for long-term success Fueled by the popularity of permaculture and agroecology, community food forests are capturing the imaginations of people in neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the United States. Along with community gardens and farmers markets, community food forests are an avenue toward creating access to nutritious food and promoting environmental sustainability where we live. Interest in installing them in public spaces is on the rise. People are the most vital component of community food forests, but while we know more than ever about how to design food forests, the ways in which to best organize and lead groups of people involved with these projects has received relatively little attention. In The Community Food Forest Handbook, Catherine Bukowski and John Munsell dive into the civic aspects of community food forests, drawing on observations, group meetings, and interviews at over 20 projects across the country and their own experience creating and managing a food forest. They combine the stories and strategies gathered during their research with concepts of community development and project management to outline steps for creating lasting public food forests that positively impact communities. Rather than rehash food forest design, which classic books such as Forest Gardening and Edible Forest Gardens address in great detail, The Community Food Forest Handbook uses systems thinking and draws on social change theory to focus on how to work with diverse groups of people when conceiving of, designing, and implementing a community food forest. To find practical ground, the authors use management phases to highlight the ebb and flow of community capitals from a project's inception to its completion. They also explore examples of positive feedbacks that are often unexpected but offer avenues for enhancing the success of a community food forest. The Community Food Forest Handbook provides readers with helpful ideas for building and sustaining momentum, working with diverse public and private stakeholders, integrating assorted civic interests and visions within one project, creating safe and attractive sites, navigating community policies, positively affecting public perception, and managing site evolution and adaptation. Its concepts and examples showcase the complexities of community food forests, highlighting the human resilience of those who learn and experience what is possible when they collaborate on a shared vision for their community.

The Community Food Forest Handbook

Author: Catherine Bukowski
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN: 1603586458
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 274

Book Description
Collaboration and leadership strategies for long-term success Fueled by the popularity of permaculture and agroecology, community food forests are capturing the imaginations of people in neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the United States. Along with community gardens and farmers markets, community food forests are an avenue toward creating access to nutritious food and promoting environmental sustainability where we live. Interest in installing them in public spaces is on the rise. People are the most vital component of community food forests, but while we know more than ever about how to design food forests, the ways in which to best organize and lead groups of people involved with these projects has received relatively little attention. In The Community Food Forest Handbook, Catherine Bukowski and John Munsell dive into the civic aspects of community food forests, drawing on observations, group meetings, and interviews at over 20 projects across the country and their own experience creating and managing a food forest. They combine the stories and strategies gathered during their research with concepts of community development and project management to outline steps for creating lasting public food forests that positively impact communities. Rather than rehash food forest design, which classic books such as Forest Gardening and Edible Forest Gardens address in great detail, The Community Food Forest Handbook uses systems thinking and draws on social change theory to focus on how to work with diverse groups of people when conceiving of, designing, and implementing a community food forest. To find practical ground, the authors use management phases to highlight the ebb and flow of community capitals from a project’s inception to its completion. They also explore examples of positive feedbacks that are often unexpected but offer avenues for enhancing the success of a community food forest. The Community Food Forest Handbook provides readers with helpful ideas for building and sustaining momentum, working with diverse public and private stakeholders, integrating assorted civic interests and visions within one project, creating safe and attractive sites, navigating community policies, positively affecting public perception, and managing site evolution and adaptation. Its concepts and examples showcase the complexities of community food forests, highlighting the human resilience of those who learn and experience what is possible when they collaborate on a shared vision for their community.

Start a Community Food Garden

Author: LaManda Joy
Publisher: Timber Press
ISBN: 160469484X
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 209

Book Description
Recommended by the American Community Gardening Association Community gardening enhances the fabric of towns and cities through social interactions and accessibility to fresh food, creating an enormously positive effect in the lives of everyone it touches. LaManda Joy, the founder of Chicago’s Peterson Garden Project and a board member of the American Community Gardening Association, has worked in the community gardening trenches for years and brings her knowledge to the wider world in Start a Community Food Garden. This hardworking guide covers every step of the process: fundraising, community organizing, site sourcing, garden design and planning, finding and managing volunteers, and managing the garden through all four seasons. A section dedicated to the basics of growing was designed to be used by community garden leaders as an educational tool for teaching new members how to successfully garden.

The Food Forest Handbook

Author: Darrell Frey
Publisher: New Society Publishers
ISBN: 1771422114
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 463

Book Description
Learn how to mix and match plants in unique combinations to establish bountiful landscapes and create genuine self-reliance in years to come. A food forest is a productive landscape developed around a mix of trees and perennials. Rooted in permaculture principles, this integrated approach to gardening incorporates a variety of plants such as fruit and nut trees, shrubs, vines, and perennial herbs and vegetables. Food forests can help increase biodiversity, protect valuable habitat for beneficial insects, and promote food security and resilience, all while providing an abundant harvest. The Food Forest Handbook is a practical manual for the design and management of a home-scale perennial polyculture garden. Simple, straightforward instructions guide the reader through: Getting started—site assessment and planning Tending the forest garden—maintaining soil health, succession planning, mulching, pruning and more The fruits of your labor—crop profiles, harvest, storage, nutrition and recipes This timely book makes the concept of food forests accessible to everyone, offering a unique approach to low-maintenance, high-yield, sustainable food production. “What happens if we were to drop the boundary between the built environment and nature? Wouldn’t we all be much better off? The Food Forest Handbook guides our first steps along that path.” —Albert Bates, author of The Biochar Solution “Through this in-depth practical book you will learn the strategies for effective planning, design, establishment and management of perennial polycultures . . . I recommend this book to all those who are bringing diversity to their planting schemes.” —Jude Hobbs, permaculture land-use consultant, designer, and educator, Cascadia Permaculture

The Community Gardening Handbook

Author: Ben Raskin
Publisher: CompanionHouse Books
ISBN: 9781620082553
Category : Community gardens
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Community gardens are "cropping" up all over, allowing neighbors to work together, grow together, and reap the delicious rewards of their labor together. As more and more people become interested in getting back to nature and growing their own food, the community-gardening movement is exploding in popularity, giving city and suburban dwellers an opportunity to try out their green thumbs. This colorfully illustrated guide to community gardening offers comprehensive planning and planting advice to those looking to start a community garden as well as to those interested in joining an existing garden. Inside The Community Garden Handbook: -Profiles of different types of community gardens around the world, such as community-supported agriculture, shared plots and individual plots, orchards, rooftop gardens, movable gardens, and more -Getting the whole family involved in the community's gardening efforts -Starting a community garden from scratch, including gathering a team, navigating the legalities, and securing funds -Organizing fun community events, such as seed swaps and workshops, to raise awareness of and draw participants to community gardens -Selecting a site, Planning the garden's layout, irrigation system, and division of plots -A season-by-season schedule of tasks to maximize growing and harvesting and maintain the garden in the off-season -A plant directory featuring detailed descriptions of close to 50 flowers, fruits, vegetables, herbs, and more that will thrive in a community-garden setting

Community-Scale Composting Systems

Author: James McSweeney
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN: 1603586547
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 466

Book Description
Common models in community scaled composting -- Composting methods and technologies -- The composting process -- Compost recipe and feedstocks -- Processing capacity and site assessment -- Compost site infrastructure and equipment -- Bin- and bay-style composting systems -- Turned windrow composting systems -- Aerated static pile compost systems -- In-vessel compost systems -- Composting with animals -- Food scrap generation and collection -- Compost site management -- Compost end uses and markets.

Bioshelter Market Garden

Author: Darrell Frey
Publisher: New Society Publishers
ISBN: 1550924575
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 619

Book Description
“This well-illustrated case study . . . will help students of permaculture, of sustainability, of earth regeneration and of integrated eco-social design.” —Prof. Declan Kennedy, Chairman, Advisory Board, gaiauniversity.org To ensure food security and restore the health of the planet, we need to move beyond industrial agriculture and return to the practice of small-scale, local farming. The Bioshelter Market Garden: A Permaculture Farm describes the creation of a sustainable food system through a detailed case study of the successful year-round organic market garden and permaculture design at Pennsylvania’s Three Sisters Farm. At the heart of Three Sisters is its bioshelter—a solar greenhouse which integrates growing facilities, poultry housing, a potting room, storage, kitchen facilities, compost bins, a reference library and classroom area. The Bioshelter Market Garden examines how the bioshelter promotes greater biodiversity and is an energy efficient method of extending crop production through Pennsylvania’s cold winter months. Both visionary and practical, this fully illustrated book contains a wealth of information on the application of permaculture principles. Some of the topics covered include: Design and management of an intensive market garden farm Energy systems and bio-thermal resources Ecological soil management and pest control Wetlands usage Solar greenhouse design and management Whatever your gardening experience and ambitions, this comprehensive manual is sure to inform and inspire. “Darrell Frey’s inspirational book gives you all you need to know to create an energy-saving, food-producing bioshelter . . . [It] covers everything you need to understand, build, or simply admire these important tools for sustainability.” —Toby Hemenway, author of Gaia’s Garden

The Manual of Plant Grafting

Author: Peter T. MacDonald
Publisher: Timber Press
ISBN: 1604694637
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 233

Book Description
Grafting, uniting part of one plant with another to create a single plant, has been used as a method of propagation for thousands of years. But new techniques have been introduced in the last twenty years, and the grafting of edible plants, like tomatoes, has recently become widely used. The Manual of Plant Grafting is an up-to-date, authoritative, and practical guide to the latest grafting techniques. It features information on the reason to graft, along with clear instructions on the formation of the graft union, the production of rootstocks, bench grafting techniques, field grafting, vegetable grafting, and cactus grafting. An A-to-Z appendix of plants features detailed information on what type of graft should be used, when it should be done, what type of root stock needs to be used, and what environment it needs to be kept in. The Manual of Plant Grafting is a must-have guide for nursery and horticulture professionals, horticulture students, and orchard owners.

A Food Forest in Your Garden

Author: Alan Carter
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781856232999
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 304

Book Description
Grow your own seasonal food in a low maintenance, nature-friendly garden that feels like a woodland glade. Scottish plant expert Alan Carter shows you how to plan and plant a temperate forest garden for any sized plot--from a small terrace garden to an allotment or smallholding. Learn how to successfully layer root crops, fruit, perennial vegetables and edible shrubs below tree crops, cultivating an edible garden that doesn't look like a traditional vegetable plot. A forest garden is wildlife friendly, provides nutrient-dense and often unusual food through every season, and requires minimal work to maintain. The first part of this in-depth, practical guide explains how a forest garden works, how to map your climate and design your own plot, and how to manage it with mulching, weeding and pruning. What's not to like about Alan's motto of "the more you pick, the more you get," and intriguing concepts such as the Panda Principle? The second half of the book is a detailed directory of more than 170 plants and fungi suitable for a wide range of temperate climates, complete with growing, harvesting and cooking tips based on over a decade of Alan's own experience. Learn how to incorporate traditional fruit and vegetable crops, such as strawberries and beans, into your forest garden, and how to weave in more unusual crops, such as shiitake mushrooms and ferns. Techniques from agro-ecology bring regenerative farming into the backyard, helping you to work towards greater self-sufficiency. Useful tips on seed saving and propagation help keep plant costs low, and there is practical advice on soil health, compost--essential for all no dig, organic gardeners--and pests and disease. A Food Forest in Your Garden will help you create your own productive forest gardens even in cooler climates.

Farming the Woods

Author: Ken Mudge
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN: 1603585079
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 386

Book Description
Learn how to fill forests with food by viewing agriculture from a remarkably different perspective: that a healthy forest can be maintained while growing a wide range of food, medicinal, and other nontimber products. The practices of forestry and farming are often seen as mutually exclusive, because in the modern world, agriculture involves open fields, straight rows, and machinery to grow crops, while forests are reserved primarily for timber and firewood harvesting. In Farming the Woods, authors Ken Mudge and Steve Gabriel demonstrate that it doesn’t have to be an either-or scenario, but a complementary one; forest farms can be most productive in places where the plow is not: on steep slopes and in shallow soils. Forest farming is an invaluable practice to integrate into any farm or homestead, especially as the need for unique value-added products and supplemental income becomes increasingly important for farmers. Many of the daily indulgences we take for granted, such as coffee, chocolate, and many tropical fruits, all originate in forest ecosystems. But few know that such abundance is also available in the cool temperate forests of North America. Farming the Woods covers in detail how to cultivate, harvest, and market high-value nontimber forest crops such as American ginseng, shiitake mushrooms, ramps (wild leeks), maple syrup, fruit and nut trees, ornamentals, and more. Along with profiles of forest farmers from around the country, readers are also provided comprehensive information on: • historical perspectives of forest farming; • mimicking the forest in a changing climate; • cultivation of medicinal crops; • cultivation of food crops; • creating a forest nursery; • harvesting and utilizing wood products; • the role of animals in the forest farm; and, • how to design your forest farm and manage it once it’s established. Farming the Woods is an essential book for farmers and gardeners who have access to an established woodland, are looking for productive ways to manage it, and are interested in incorporating aspects of agroforestry, permaculture, forest gardening, and sustainable woodlot management into the concept of a whole-farm organism.