Food forest designed by Doug Gosling of OAEC, featuring loquat, pineapple
guava, tree collards, passionfruit, and more. Note coquito palm in background.
What: Designing Edible Food Forests Course
Where: Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, Occidental CA
When: Nov 2 – 4, 2012
Who: Eric Toensmeier and Brock Dolman
Cost: $495, or $445 if registered three weeks in advance (includes meals and lodging). The deposit amount for this course is $100. For registration information, click here.
Edible forest gardens mimic the structures and functions of natural ecosystems while producing food and other products, with an emphasis on low-maintenance perennial crops. Design and plant selection help provide fertility, control of weeds and pests, and more. Come for a hands-on introduction to this fascinating and delicious approach to food production. Last year’s course planted an all-native ethnobotanical rainwater-harvesting food forest. This year promises great plantings and design projects as well.
The OAEC features a fantastic useful plant collection including an edible landscape planted over 30 years ago by Robert Kourick, author of the incomparable Designing and Maintaining Your Edible Landscape Naturally. Course includes plantings and tours of useful plant collections and edible landscapes as well as wild-managed useful native species. OAEC trainers Brock Dolman and Doug Gosling have deep and practical knowledge from the native ethnobotanicals of the region to useful plants from around the world.
For a more detailed description of our facilities, including information on what to bring, visit our Participant’s Information page. Click here for directions.
