In an agroforestry cultivation system useful and edible trees, shrubs, herbaceous and groundcover plants are combined to achieve higher productivity per area.
Fewer energy inputs are required for much larger long term yields thus creating sustainable more profitable entreprises, which are more beneficial to wildlife due to enhanced biodiversity, and which require fewer resources. Soil fertilitly is increased due to the natural cycling of nutrients through leaf fall and decomposition and by the use of nitrogen fixing species and plants with deep tap roots which raise nutrients from the subsoil. ‘Animal tractors’ are also utilised to feed on the fallen produce, help with pest control and raise the fertility.

Your project will be designed site specifically taking into account soil type, aspect and climate, and according to which crops will be most beneficial in terms of economic and environmental sustainability.

There are 5 main types of agroforestry system to choose from:

-Forest Farming- usually involving rows of trees, hedging or coppice crops interplanted with a shrub or herbaceous crop with a groundcover, a simple example of this: rows of plum trees, interplanted with rows of blackcurrant bushes, with a strawberry groundcover.

-Silvopasture- this is a system whereby trees are grown, usually well spaced, whilst cattle or sheep graze underneath eg. an apple orchard grazed by sheep.

-Silvoarable- arable crop fields with trees well spaced eg. a barley field with silver birch trees.

-Forest Gardens- otherwise known as food forests. A large variety of edible and useful plant species are grown together designed to mimic a natural forest system. Seven layers of plants are incorporated, Canopy trees, understorey trees, shrubs, herbaceous, ground cover, roots and fungi, and vertical climbing plants. This results in true ‘intensive’ production, the high level of biodiversity creates high productivity. Once established forest gardens are very low maintenance as the groundcover suppresses weeds and the ecosystem is left to evolve. Harvesting and pruning accounts for 90% of the work. They are ideally suited to smaller areas from back gardens up to one acre. Hundreds of species can be used but a simple example would be: Canopy of apple, pear, plum and cherry, understorey comprising elder, hawthorn and medlar, in the shrub layer a variety of currants, medicinal and culinary herbs ie rosemary, lavender, mints, the groundcover of thyme, creeping savoury and wild strawberry, licorice and welsh onion root crops, shitaake and oyster mushroom on innoculated hardwood logs, with loganberries and grapevines climbing and scrambling through on mature trees or built structures.

-Coppice orchards- Fruit trees on their own roots (not grafted onto rootstocks) are grown in rows aligned north-south. These are coppiced on rotation and by alternate rows which creates an open sunny glade, resulting in greater fruit bud formation on the adjacent sides of neighbouring rows. In the coppiced row glade soft fruits, vegetables, herbs or grain crops (decided according to market trends) are grown. The wood from the cut trees is used for firewood, turning and other crafts, the brushwood for mulch. One central leader is left to become the next fruit bearing stem. This is a wonderfully productive and adaptable system of production. To help speed up the building of fertility tree legumes such as eleagnus, alder and gorse are planted every so often in the rows. Rows can be planted for nut crops, some rows needn’t be coppiced but could be trained on wires as espaliers.

These methods can be applied to any size grow project from backyard to many hectare site. Our fees for consultation, design, creation and maintaneance are:

Consultation: First hour free then 15/hr plus travel expenses if over 50 miles

Design: £50-£500 depending on size and complexity of project

Creation and maintenance: £12.50/hr for one worker, £20/hr for two workers, extra £7.50/hr per each additional worker.