Experience and understand forest gardens

Experience and Understand Forest Gardens – Two-Day Outdoor Course at Schweibenalp

Learn how forest gardens function, how to maintain them, and how to live within them.

The concept of the forest garden is already clearly visible at Schweibenalp: a vibrant interaction of young fruit tree communities (FTCs), growing in multiple layers, bearing fruit, providing habitats, and evolving year after year. Although these forest garden plots are only a few years old, they already invite us to use them, inhabit them, and help them thrive through our mindful presence.

What this course is about

We explore the forest garden as a living, stable ecosystem and as a human habitat. You will learn how we, as caretakers, designers, and co-inhabitants, can build mutually nourishing relationships with the forest garden. It is a place that feeds us, inspires us, and provides materials—while becoming more resilient and diverse through respectful use.

Course content
Establishing and maintaining forest gardens & FTCs
Hands-on work in the forest garden at Schweibenalp
Identifying and using ecological potential
Gathering and processing forest garden food
Learning in the field with experienced permaculturists
What to expect

For two days, you will immerse yourself in the forest garden—practically, sensorially, and collectively:

Caring for, expanding, and developing FTCs
Observing and understanding ecological relationships
Harvesting and preparing food from the forest garden
Outdoor cooking in the covered summer kitchen
Swimming in the Giessbach
Overnight stay in your own tent directly at the forest garden
Sanitary facilities available

In the evenings, we gather around the fire, where stories, songs, and conversations evoke images of fruit-bearing forests, regenerative landscapes, and a life in rhythm with nature.