HOME-SCALE FOREST GARDEN

#101 Principles of Forest Gardening
Host and author Dani Baker discusses the principles that go into this very different kind of gardening, featuring primarily perennial herbaceous and woody plants that produce food. Matching plants to the proper habitat is crucial. Dani travels to Pike Food Forest in Florida, where she and Amanda Pike discuss the importance of planning for plant hydration in any climate.

#102 Late Winter Chores
Winter has come and gone, and it’s time to plan for spring. Host and author Dani Baker prunes raspberries and black currant bushes, and shows how to root black currant cuttings using willow water. She shares her tips for protecting plants from deer, rodents, and fluctuating temperatures. At Pike Food Forest in Florida, she and Amanda Pike discuss protecting plants from pests and heat stress and the importance of keystone natives to create a beneficial ecosystem and provide shade.

#103 It’s Time for a Spring Salad
It’s early spring, but it’s not too early for a delicious spring salad! Host and author Dani Baker harvests edible greens ready even in a northern climate in April. Then, it’s time to transplant a beach plum that isn’t doing well in its current location, to a better habitat where it will thrive. Dani also travels to Pike Food Forest in Florida, where she and Amanda Pike discuss how to handle struggling plants and the importance of choosing plants that are resilient to a particular climate.

#104 Early Spring Garden Prep
Host and author Dani Baker is knee-deep in early spring chores. After transplanting Chamomile and Licorice, it’s on to propagating a patch of rhubarb. She demonstrates a technique to train grapevines to follow a high wire, and prunes the vine in preparation for budding. Next up, Dani plants a bare root red-bud tree, sharing her tips for seedling survival. Then, it’s off to the Pike Food Forest in Jupiter Florida, where Amanda Pike discusses propagating tropical plants like bananas and pruning mangoes.

#105 Late Spring harvesting and chores
Flowers such as Sweet William and daylilies are edible and make a colorful addition to any salad. Then, host and author Dani demonstrates how to harvest honeyberries, gooseberries, and rhubarb. There are plenty of late spring chores to do, including pruning suckers, planting licorice, thinning peaches, and re-potting currant cuttings. Dani also travels to Pike Food Forest in Florida, where she and Amanda Pike discuss the importance of attracting pollinators and using trap crops in any climate.

#106 Special Summer Treats
It’s mid-summer, and the forest garden is in full bloom! While there’s something to harvest in the garden nearly year-round, summer offers special treats ready to harvest. The garden is alive with all kinds of creatures, and host and author Dani Baker shares her tips to attract beneficial insects and pollinators, while using trap crops to discourage garden pests from eating the more desirable plants. Dani travels to Pike Food Forest in Florida, where she and Amanda Pike discuss the importance of matching plants to habitat in any climate.

#107 An Abundant Harvest
Early fall is traditionally harvest time, and the forest garden is full of ripe fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Host and author Dani Baker reaps the rich bounty, including hops, oregano, beach plums, pears, and more. Dani demonstrates how to build a Hügelkultur mound, a gardening technique of building raised beds over decomposing wood. Then it’s off to Pike Food Forest in Florida, where she and Amanda Pike discuss the abundant September harvest in a tropical climate.

#108 A Long, Cold Winter Ahead
It’s November, and it’s time to prepare the forest garden for the cold winter ahead. Dani demonstrates mulching rhubarb and strawberry plants, painting tree trunks, and using screens and upside-down tomato cages to protect plants from deer and rodents. Even though it’s nearly winter, there are still edibles to harvest, including Goji berries, quince, and horseradish. Then Dani travels to the Pike Food Forest in Florida, where she and Amanda Pike discuss how Amanda prepares her garden for the southern climate’s extreme heat in summer, versus the northern climate’s extreme cold in winter.