Our Tiny Native Pocket Forest

Written By Chantel Wooding

Inspired by the Miyawaki Method Forest

We discovered a great idea from a YouTube video: creating a forest in our backyard while expanding our native plant area, something we've always wanted.

Two years ago, we dedicated one side of our yard to native plants, only removing non-natives that are invasive or problematic. Everything we add is native and contributes to wildlife habitat.

We started with native bird-feeding hedges, which are growing slowly. This new idea allows us to reduce our lawn size, enhance the wildlife habitat, and create wellness paths for ourselves.

My understanding of how this works is that you can plant a small area of trees—in our case, we chose a 3m x 3m plot—by planting three to five trees per square meter. We planted a total of 27 trees along with five native woodland strawberries as ground cover.

By planting the trees close together, they compete for sunlight, which encourages them to grow taller more quickly. We are also trying to replicate a forest floor environment. To achieve this, we laid down some mulch fabric to suppress grass growth while the trees establish themselves.

Each year, we will propagate the strawberries to help control the grass over time. In the summer, we plan to add some deciduous ferns as well. Also, we will expand this area by an additional 3m x 3m and eventually add a pond.

While I haven't conducted a comprehensive theoretical study on this method, there are resources available from individuals who have. I've included some website references below that I recommend for further details.

I will post updates over time to track the progress of this area.

Total Cost: €319.32

Supplier: Future Forest
Total Cost +-€140 including shipping from co. Cork of €15

  • 3x Taxus baccata - Yew - Bareroot | 1-2ft

  • 5x Alnus glutinosa - Common Alder - Bareroot | 4-5ft

  • 4x Corylus avellana - Hazel - Bareroot | 2-3ft

  • 3x Quercus robur - Common Oak - Bareroot | 2-3ft

  • 4x Pinus sylvestris - Scots Pine - Bareroot | 1-2ft CERT

  • 2x Betula pubescens - Downy Birch - Bareroot | 3-4ft

  • 6x Betula pendula - Silver Birch - Bareroot | 3-4ft

  • 5x Fragaria vesca - Wild Strawberry - Pot | 9cm

Supplier: Noblewood Garden Store
Organic Hemp Mulch Mat - 10M - €47.99 + €8.90 shipping

Supplier: Amazon
Coconut coir mulch fabric - €55.75
Laser-cut metal stake sign - €43.43 + €8.42 shipping
Garden Pegs x100 - €14.83

Sources:
www.pocketforests.ie
www.creatingtomorrowsforests.co.uk

Chantel Wooding