A professional gardener is encouraging the public to learn more about growing and nurturing food plants to help save money.

Simon Miles has been a horticulturalist for 40 years and has been creating a ‘forage food garden’ in his 3.28-acre Garden on Penjerrick Hill, just outside Budock Water.

With inflation rates rising and the increase in the cost of fruit and vegetables in shops, Simon wants to encourage people to learn more about the benefits of forest gardening.

He said: “I do think there is an agricultural food production crisis going on now in the UK, and it is difficult to see how it will easily resolve itself, as many of the factors causing it are not going away in a hurry.

“Forest gardening is a new and different way of gardening, focusing on edible plants, and can be applied to domestic gardens as well as larger commercial areas.

“It basically takes the idea from the structure of a tropical jungle of forest where different plants inhabit different horizontal and vertical growing zones, and it is applied to our more temperate climate and plant species.

“The idea is that you integrate plants growing at ground level with successive layers of small fruit bushes, small fruit trees, climbers and finally large fruit and nut trees, really maximising production in the space available.”

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Simon continues: “I can definitely see scope for more locally produced food and I have worked with both individuals and community groups to help develop their own forest gardens.

“Not only can it save you money, but I guarantee that you won’t have tasted anything so delicious in your life. The flavours are deep, and complex compared to anything shop-bought, absolutely heavenly!

“I really believe that forest gardening has some of the answers to our present food crisis, and it’s also a lot of fun.”

Simon is passionate to share his knowledge and experience of building a forest garden from scratch with anyone that wants to come and learn and see what food plants can be grown in the South West. He also has some interesting Cornish varieties of plums and apples.

On Saturday, July 1, Simon will be running an introductory course on forest gardening in Falmouth. The course will explain how people can create their own forage food garden in their back garden. 

Throughout the summer, Simon runs a series of tours and courses where he’ll explain the forest gardening principles, suggest plant varieties, give design tips and show practical examples of his own forest garden.

The course costs £40 and must be booked in advance by contacting Simon Miles on 07964750056. More information on what forest gardening has to offer is available on his website www.theforestgarden.co.uk.