Growing 500 Edible Plants in a Forest

• This video explains how forest gardens yield crops in a more sustainable and resilient manner. 
• Students will be introduced to forest gardener Martin Crawford, whose forest garden in South West England produces more than 500 types of edible plants. 
• The video shows how this form of agroforestry provides natural protection for crops during severe weather events, which are likely to increase because of climate change. 

Positives

• Students will be intrigued by the stark differences between forest gardens and monoculture.
• Beautiful cinematography makes this video engaging.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should be familiar with the terms temperate, succession, annual, perennial, cultivated, and resilience.
  

Differentiation

• Science classes could design their own forest gardens using the seven layers mentioned in the video (high trees, smaller trees, shrubs, perennials, ground cover, root crops, and climbers). Students could find two or three plant species for each layer of their forest garden and make slideshows to present their gardens to the class.
• Biology classes could discuss how forest gardens can fight climate change (e.g., trees can sequester carbon, deep root systems prevent erosion, forest gardens do not require tilling, fertilizers, or pesticides).
• Other resources on this topic include this video on the traditional Maya Milpa farming cycle, this Ecosia video on a forest garden in Senegal, and this lesson plan on carbon and food.
  

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.