Building a Forest Garden on Marginal Land
We're turning a piece of land into a forest garden. Locally, it's considered marginal—low fertility, lots of rocks and boulders. But we're building fertility using mostly the biomass already on site.
We mow pathways and certain meadow patches, then concentrate that biomass where we want to plant next season.
We also rotate the patches we mow. That keeps the meadow diverse—over 100 wild species so far. They bring pollinators, fertility, pest control, plus medicinal and culinary herbs.
Mowing happens mid-April through October, about 6–8 times total. We keep roughly one-eighth of the biomass cut at any given time.
Still figuring out the exact soil-building math and optimal biodiversity but the system feels right. And the land is responding well.
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