Greenwich Forest Gardenat Hampshire College

Ned Phillips-Jones

Terminology

• Permaculture: A holistic (whole-systems) process that enables synthesis of many types of information which is used to create stable, productive communities which don’t rely on large energy inputs.

• Forest Gardens: Landscapes designed to mimic the dynamics and functions of forest ecosystems in order to produce healthy foods & useful materials.

(designed using Permaculture)

Why Create Forest Gardens?

They produce diverse high-quality foods locally

without fossil fuels, tilling or annual planting

This includes a wide array of fruits,

shoots, nuts, greens and roots that are perennial

and disease & pest resistant

Why here?There is both imminent need for and also student interest in Permaculture and Sustainable Agriculture.

Creating forest gardens on campus increases:• opportunities for NS experimentation• campus biodiversity & wildlife habitat• quality of living areas• educational resources

Greenwich Forest Garden provides:

• A “living museum” of plant tissues and chemical compounds for scientific experimentation and use

• An alternative to low-biodiversity landscapes such as lawn that would require less energy to maintain

• Enriching learning experiences for steward interns of the garden, encouraging a personal course of experimentation in the garden

Ornamental Agriculture

• Many species valued for their produce also have other landscaping appeal

• Foods grown in Greenwich Forest Garden have the potential to be locally-viable crops.

Getting to Know Our Food Forest

• The garden covers approximately 3/4 of an acre

• The location was previously disturbed

Eroded, rocky soil Infiltration ditches catch sediment

Stakeholders representing a different aspects ofHampshire have been involved, including:Larry Archey, Charlie Ekdahl, Linda Mollison,Ken Hoffman, Naya Gabriel and Leslie Cox

Project Facts

Greenwich Forest Garden currently contains more than 60 species of plants, including over

25 kinds of fruiting crops.

The project has received funding from:• Physical Plant•The Community Gardens Student Group•The Dana Meadows fund (grant through NS)•Hampshire Financial Services

Garden Development Taken from similar

perspectives

Above left: Fall 2007 Above right: Spring 2008 Lower left: Fall 2008

ResidentWildlife

Below: a box turtle at the woodland edgeRight: a bee samples anise hyssopBelow right: a fly on an aster-family plant

Garden Sights

Woodland Steward InternshipThe garden is a legacy and community

resource

• With reasonable amounts of the right kind of care, it will provide an abundance of diverse foods for generations to come.

• Woodland Steward Interns are responsible for the

care of the garden.

Design and notes for planting a diverse fruiting hedge

Large plant order prepared to over-winter

Concept

The Steward Intern position and the garden are intended to act together in facilitating a

stimulating learning environment for the steward and the

Hampshire community.

Intern Tasks Include:• Mulching beds• Weeding (decreasing priority as groundcovers

expand)• Pruning• Addressing disease and rot• Saving seed, propagating by cuttings• Species labeling• Seeking out and training successors• Documenting work, specific observations and

experiences to contribute to the garden records.

Internship BenefitsStewards:Enjoy extensive foraging opportunities•fruits (pawpaw, juneberry, apricot…etc.)•chestnuts and hazelnuts•perennial vegetables, wild edibles•medicinal and culinary herbs•useful materials (dyes, woodworking

materials)

•gain knowledge of Permaculture Design and forest garden dynamics and maintenance

Stewards…

• build the garden’s archive base by contributing observations, updates, etc..

• learn about propagation, seed saving, polycultural guilds, soil health, site analysis, plant identification, etc…

• conduct soil dynamics, plant chemistry or nutrition studies with NS faculty, staff & facilities

• become members of the Western Massachusetts Permaculture Guild

In summation…

• Low-maintenance landscape which yields a diversity of crops

• Low-cost way to expand agriculture on campus

• Student projects contribute to global knowledge base of ecosystem-mimicry agriculture

BibliographyHolmgren, David. Permaculture: Pathways and Principles Beyond

Sustainability. Victoria: Holmgren Design Services, 2002

Jacke, Dave. Edible Forest Gardens: Ecological Vision and Theory for

Temperate Climate Permaculture. White River Junction: Chelsea

Green, 2005.

Toensmeier, Eric. Perennial Vegetables: From Artichoke to ‘Zuiki’ Taro,

a Gardener’s Guide to Over 100 Delicious Easy-to-Grow Edibles.

White River Junction: Chelsea Green, 2007.

Thanks to the following for helping make Greenwich Forest Garden a reality:

Division III CommitteeBrian Schultz, Colin Twitchell, Steve Roof

Chris Jarvis, Charlie Ekdahl, Larry Archey, Ken Hoffman, Naya Gabriel, Dave Brunelle, Gerry Bohdanowicz, Beth

Ward, Elaine Thomas, Steven Breyer, Tripple Brook Farm, Linda Mollison, Leslie Cox, The Vervane Foundation, Oikos Tree Crops, Jono Neiger, Dave Jacke, Greenwich residents

& countless others..