Edible Forest Gardens, Volume 2: Ecological Design and Practice for Temperate Climate Permaculture

by Dave Jacke, Eric Toensmeier

"Edible Forest Gardens" is a groundbreaking two-volume work that spells out and explores the key concepts of forest ecology and applies them to the needs of natural gardeners in temperate climates. Volume I lays out the vision of the forest garden and explains the basic ecological principles that make it work. In Volume II, Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier move on to practical considerations: concrete ways to design, establish, and maintain your own forest garden. Along the way they present case studies and examples, as well as tables, illustrations, and a uniquely valuable "plant matrix" that lists hundreds of the best edible and useful species.Taken together, the two volumes of "Edible Forest Gardens" offer an advanced course in ecological gardening--one that will forever change the way you look at plants and your environment.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Reference, Food, Plants, Ecology, Agriculture

672 pages, Hardcover

Published October 21, 2005

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ended up thumbing through rather than devouring this textbook. It is a comprehensive design manual that would be a great part of an exciting class on this subject. I appreciated the pages and pages of tables with useful plants and their function. I wish there was a summarized book that made understanding design principles for forest gardening more accessible. I just don't have time to independently read a textbook. Here's the other thing: you can design your brains out down to the last square inch but after reading Paradise Lot by Eric Toensmeier I have come to the conclusion that the application is still a grand experiment anyway. I think trees and shrubs should be carefully placed after careful preparation but everything else is tweak-able. Loved the material I read though!

[Aaron]

I didn't read this book. I flipped around and it seemed like a tremendous resource, but it's the practical volume 2 and I was more interested in the theoretical volume 1. I am not a practical person, but the Des Moines Public Library decided to only use their limited dollars on Vol.2.

[Greg Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked this out from the library and didn't even come close to finishing it, but it was so full of great information. I didn't bother renewing because it would have taken me months to get through it, with how often I was stopping to take notes!

[Poiq Wuy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Junto a la primera parte son dos libros excelente. Muy completo, con todo el material necesario. Las tablas especialmente son un recurso fabuloso. La única pega es que se repiten un tanto los temas y consejos, en menos páginas cabría el mismo contenido.

[Aleksandar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very deep insight into creating Forest Gardens. Might be a bit too much for some.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The nuts and bolts of perennial food system design. Better used as a reference as opposed to volume 1 which can be read straight through.

[William Horvath]

[PFDC] M2 Site Assessment - Site analysis and assessment - Pg. 182

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too dense and overcomplicated. Martin Crawford’s books are a better resource.

[Daniel Pearse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really hoping for more practical knowledge. This was very good but I am looking for something like plant these with hazelnuts or these with Apple trees.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

When reading this you can't help but ask how much of this is really necessary. I mean, indigenous people around the world devised systems that were at least comparable and they managed to pass the information along with just word of mouth, mostly mnemonic songs, fairy tales and rituals basically. Plus there's a lot of repetition and overly descriptive common sense, tending to make things sound more intimidating than they should. While other permaculture books can leave you feeling like you can go out and build yourself a house with your bare hands, this one can make you question if you're qualified to operate a shovel at times. And obviously it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to use twice as many pages as necessary for an eco-themed book. This is something I've been noticing with a lot of writers though. On the positive side, they do mention that even forest gardens that are badly designed still tend to work better than what most people are doing now, so that's encouraging I guess. And the tables alone make this worth picking up if you live in the northeastern U.S.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike the first volume, the second volume did not allow me sequential reading, but is better as a reference. Of course, the collection of tables in the back is a great resource, as are the various worksheets, and the descriptions of a wide variety of techniques each give solid guidance.

My feeling is that trying to describe the design process as though you were linearly working through it along with the book is generally a mistake of design books. Overall, I wonder if it wouldn't have been better as a website with hyperlinks, or as software. There is an amazing small book, surrounding the constellation of details and reminders, that just never managed to find its way out.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book (and its companion volume Edible Forest Gardens: Ecological Vision, Theory For Temperate Climate Permaculture) for information about forest gardening in the north east. As I read it (and it's a surprisingly easy and enjoyable read for what is essentially a text book) I learned a huge amount about forest ecology.

These two volumes contain a wealth of theory and practical information.

[mj · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains a lot of incredibly valuable reference information for producing gardens that take as little work as possible, produce as much as possible, and enrich the land and the environment.

Unfortunately, there is a fair amount of philosophical chaff to work through. Skip the chapter on "designing your design plan" and you should be ok.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very textbook-y,and I mean that in a nice way. I would have finished this, but it is very thorough, and others at the library are in line behind me. This is permaculture for the east coast of the United States, which works better for me than permaculture for Australia. I'll reserve this again, and am contemplating buying it.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is harder to get through than the first one, because it's the nitty-gritty of actually designing and installing, which means making hard decisions and committing to a course. But I'm still really enjoying it.

[Rita Cusack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am learning so much about permaculture from this book!!! Everything is included, worksheets, tables, design, maintenance. A fabulous resource! I would love to see books for growing edible forests in Houston, Texas that has the incredible detail available to other climates noted in the book.

[David Koblos · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an awesome book. So much info and so much detail! As theoretic as the first volume was, this one tackles the practical aspects of creating a forest garden. I know I'm going to read both volumes again, once I'm in the field, planting trees.

[Jonah · Rating 5 out of 5]

permaculture mania. a must have manual for all you permaculture freaks.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This set of two volumes is definitely the best I've seen out there for planning and executing your forest garden needs... Nothing else comes remotely close to these textbooks.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

see review of volume 1. This volume is almost pure data.