Imagine walking to work and picking fresh herbs to add to your lunch from a forest garden, says Jane Gardiner.
I step outside my front door into the morning sun. The birds have woken me with their raucous morning choir, and I’m searching for some greens to add to my eggs for breakfast.
Scissors in hand, I walk to the wild mess that is my garden, at least that’s how it may appear to others. To me, this wild mess is beautiful. And it’s by design.
This isn’t your ordinary garden, with straight rows of lettuce and neatly weeded edges. This is a forest garden, and it provides me with food, medicine, firewood, and lots of joy.
At least, it will be.
For years I have been drawn to the idea of forest gardens (also known as food forests) and their potential to support self-sufficiency. And I’m not alone. People all over New Zealand are embarking on their own gardening and self-sufficiency journeys using the principles of forest garden design.
So, what is a forest garden?
It is a style of gardening that mimics nature, more specifically mimicking a forest or woodland. The origins of forest gardening may date back to prehistoric times, though it is well documented to have long been practised in tropical regions of the world.
In these areas desirable plants were selected and encouraged to grow on the margins of forests near human habitation, thus creating an accessible and secure food source.
Creating a forest garden is about working with the land and the plants, the insects and the birds, and the microbes under our feet. It is about creating a resilient habitat, one that self-regulates disease and pests, and one that is more tolerant of a changing climate.
But what really motivates me about forest gardens is their ability to become our “supermarket”.
I’m especially passionate about this since recent years have shown us our vulnerability to external events affecting the availability and cost of food products.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, world trade was essentially cut off, and the transport of goods within New Zealand was heavily affected.
Communities cut off by Cyclone Gabrielle became reliant on the delivery of goods via plane or helicopter, both of which can be restricted by the weather, and therefore not guaranteed.
On top of this, the cost of fresh produce continues to rise, increasing by 18 per cent in the past year. At the very least, my bank account would appreciate an accessible and free source of food in my backyard!
Growing forest gardens throughout Hawke’s Bay is an achievable reality. Anyone with a small backyard or more can start small, planting a few herbs or easy-grow rhubarb or spinach. Working together to cultivate forest gardens throughout Hawke’s Bay would help build resilience to this changing and uncertain future we’re facing.
Forest gardens can extend into public spaces too. They can be in parks and reserves (with the appropriate permissions), supporting the health and wellbeing of the community by providing food to anyone who needs or wants it.
We could use forest gardens to bring us together by providing hubs where we get to know our neighbours and build food sovereignty and resilience by sharing food and supporting one another — think community gardens on council land, foraging clubs and maps of fruit trees on public land.
Imagine walking to work on an immaculate Hawke’s Bay summer morning, passing by beautiful wild gardens and collecting handfuls of fresh green leaves and herbs to add to your lunch, or a ripe purple plum for morning tea.
In many respects, we’re a very lucky region. Great things grow here, and they can grow for free.
Get in touch: climateaction@hbrc.govt.nz
Or for excellent HB-based resources and training in forest gardens check out koanga.org.nz or kahikateafarm.co.nz
Jane Gardiner is resource technician in water quality and ecology at Hawke’s Bay Regional Council