Forest Gardens in cultivation zone VI, VII?

Just over a month ago I held an introductory course in permaculture and forest gardens in Näsåker, Ångermanland. Näsåker is in growing zone VI and many of the participants came from even less favorable parts of the country. A given question I asked myself before the course was it even possible to create functional woodland gardens in the cultivation zone VI or higher? And the plants would operate in such a system? When I came to Näsåker I started studying the vegetation that existed in the village. There were many cembratallar (Pinus sylvestris), but surprisingly few other woody plants with edible parts. The few apple trees I saw was minimal and did not seem to enjoy the storm, Currant there were here and there, but hardly anything else what I could see. When I asked some locals about what it could be because they thought it had more to tradition than the climate to make it grown so little edible trees and shrubs, and it certainly ought to be room for more forest garden mindset in people's gardens.

What more than nöttallar fits in the forest garden in the wine-growing VI and VII?
What more than nöttallar fits in the forest garden in the wine-growing VI and VII?

That it still going to grow much more than stone pine, currants and dwarf apple tree I confirmed when I visited Nyttogården i Resele, where Nick Markie has landscaped gardens on small forest range with everything from pear, apples and plums to blåbärstry and sea buckthorn. To succeed in this type of cultivation in the part of the country is very much about exploiting good microclimate where there is and improve it where conditions are worse. And so it is of course also about finding the right plant material.

A bit hard to see on the picture, but here is Niklas Markies forest garden variety emerge, with many exciting varieties of woody plants.
A bit hard to see on the picture, but here is Niklas Markies forest garden variety emerge, with many exciting varieties of woody plants.

So here's a first draft on the plant list to all of you who want to create woodland gardens in the cultivation zones VI and VII. It becomes obvious that there is quite a difference between the cultivation zone IV / V where I grow and cultivation zone VI. I grow over 100 various species of woody edible plants here, but to Zone VI was not I more than 45 potential species. So help me, please fill in the list, both species which I missed and more names places that you know works in the cultivation zone VI or higher! All you need to do is download the list and fill in with what you know, preferably in red so I can see what you have changed. Or just send an email to skogstradgard@gmail.com with your thoughts. Together we can push forward the boundaries of knowledge!

xlsx1-1 Plant list woody plants growing zone VI, VII (xlsx)

Zpt8n Plant list woody plants growing zone VI, VII (pdf)

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