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Edible Forest Gardens, Vol. 2: Ecological Design And Practice For Temperate-Climate Permaculture (9781931498807): Dave Jacke, Eric Toensmeier: Books. HortIdeasby Greg WilliamsJanuary 2006We reviewed the first volume of this two-volume set in September 2005 HortIdeas--in fact, we were so impressed by it that we devoted that month's Book Reviews section entirely to it. Until Mycelium Running--another amazingly important and well-done book--appeared, we were considering doing the same this month for the second volume of Edible Forest Gardens, which is much thicker (by more than 270 pages!) than the first volume. The shorter length of this review certainly does not reflect the relative importance of the volumes--we recommend that anyone interested in experimenting with temperate-zone gardening in the image of the forest should study both.Although Volume 2 ostensibly emphasizes practical information building on the theoretical ideas in Volume 1, it is clear that both volumes are essentially theoretical. That's because (as we discussed in our review of Volume 1) nobody has yet convincingly shown the viability of forest gardening (relying heavily on perennial crops) in temperate areas as a sustainable alternative to conventional gardening (based mainly on annual crops). Jacke and Toensmeier are, admirably, attempting to disseminate ideas gathered from a variety of source that might enable such viability. Ultimately, at this stage development of temperate-zone forest gardening techniques, virtually all approaches are experimental and in need of validation. We simply do not currently know their limitations.Understanding that knowledge on nest practices for temperate-zone forest gardening needs to be established experimentally can be exciting for those willing and able to adopt the scientific attitude: no matter how they turn out, the results of an experiment, performed appropriately (meaning especially that adequate control treatments are provided), are never bad. In other words, we think that would-be temperate-zone forest gardeners who are sincerely interested in helping to establish this novel form of agriculture should proceed by trying to test some of Jacke and Toensmeier's numerous design, site preparation, species choice and establishment, and management guidelines. We view Volume 2 of Edible Forest Gardens not as a recipe book for what works but rather as a compendium of possibilities for what could work--an invitation par excellence to experimentation instead of complacency. Right on!Plants and Gardens NewsBrooklyn Botanic Gardenby Patricia JonasBut even if you grow enough organic food to feed yourself, are you doing what's best for the ecosystem? Many drawbacks of modern agriculture persist in organic farming and gardening, Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier write in Edible Forest Gardens, because they do not mimic the structure of natural systems, only selected functions. Even Quail Hill Farm members are still harvesting mostly annual crops grown in plowed fields. Jacke and Toensmeier offer a radical vision for stepping out of the conceptual continuum of conventional agriculture and organic farming. They point to the productivity of temperate forests--which is twice that of agricultural land in terms of net calories--and take that as their design model. Building on Robert Hart's classic book, Forest Gardening, and incorporating permaculture practice, Jacke and Toensmeier propose a garden where many species of edible perennial plants are grown together in a design that mimics forest structure and function.Edible Forest Gardens is an ambitious two-volume work whose influence should extend well beyond ecologists and permaculturists and, in the best of all outcomes, reach into the mainstream. Volume one lays out the Ecological Vision and Theory for Temperate Climate Permaculture, and it also includes a very useful analysis of existing forest gardens (one only 50 by 90 feet) and a tantalizing 30-page appendix of top 100 species. As of this writing, volume two, which focuses on practical design a[6385] While the scope of the permaculture concept has expanded from its initial focus on forest gardening, it is exciting to see how the authors have brought together the ecological theory and practise necessary to further this aspect of the permaculture agenda. David Holmgren, cofounder of permaculture and author Permaculture: Principles and Practices Beyond Sustainability ...Perhaps as important as it's applied ecological contributions is its psychological gifts of hope and visions of achievable, more meaningful ways of living in a post-oil world. Dr. Stuart Hill Foundation Chair of Social Ecology, University of Western Sydney, Australia Your book blows me away! So much work, so much depth. I hear the voice of this good and gentle earth in Edible Forest Gardens . . . and am excited to keep reading more! Michael Phillips, author The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist and coauthor The Herbalist's Way.
Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
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