Workshop : The Cocoon Food Forest Approach — Foundation Course
— A Successful Approach to Growing a Food Forest in Mediterranean Climates
Next dates: Saturday, October 4th 2025
Milan NEPALI, Orchard of Flavours' Garden Steward, inside one of the Cocoon Food Forests at our site, in Tavira, Portugal
Many many Cocoons installed and growing at the Orchard of Flavours
Diagram of a Cocoon Food Forest implementation
Our Food Tree Academy tent, under one of the Orchard's old Carob trees
Guided tour of the Orchard with the founder, Miguel COTTON
Several Cocoon Food Forests surrounding an old Carob tree, at the Orchard of Flavours
Workshop participants following the class with the help of the provided manuals
Cocoon Food Forest with mango tree in the center
Workshop participants touring one of our Food Forest experiments
Vetiver in the foreground, in another Cocoon Food Forest
Group photo with one of our classes
Miguel COTTON leading a tour of the Orchard, during a workshop
Food Forest Workshop in full swing
Miguel COTTON doing maintenance of a Cocoon Food Forest, pruning a Moringa
The founder explaining a few concepts during a tour of the Orchard
A small show of the plants propagated at the Orchard
Showing some different options of mulching materials
Miguel COTTON assembling irrigation system
Implementing Cocoon Food Forest
Workshop participants planting a young coffee plant
Hero Trees on a brand new Cocoon Food Forest
A few fruits from the Orchard
Touring the Edible Succulents part of the garden
Milan NEPALI working on the implementation of a Cocoon Food Forest
đź“ť Apply for this workshop
Are you frustrated with slow-growing, non-productive food trees in your garden? The Cocoon Food Forest is a powerful solution to help your food trees thrive! It is designed for Mediterranean climates but can easily be adapted to other climates.
Concentrate on one target food tree at a time, providing optimal conditions for rapid and healthy growth. Once successful, move on to your next Cocoon Food Forest. Soon, you'll cultivate a large, beautiful, resilient, and productive Food Forest.
The Cocoon Food Forest has been successfully implemented in our botanical garden, and we are excited to share this innovative design with you. Transform your garden into a thriving oasis with our proven approach!
Facilitators:
Âş Miguel COTTON, founder of the Orchard of Flavours Botanical Garden
Âş Milan NEPALI, garden steward at the Orchard of Flavours
Location:
Âş Orchard of Flavours Botanical Garden, in Tavira, Portugal
Âş Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/4Qeg8gR1EeUr4pvL8
Time:
9:30 AM —> 4:30 PM
Number of participants:
Âş For quality reasons, limited openings: maximum 18 people per workshop
Language:
Âş English (and possible translation to French)
Price:
Âş 110 EUR contribution per person for the workshop preparation and facilitation
Âş Any extra donation will be used in the development of the Botanical Garden
º If you’re not satisfied, you’ll receive a full refund
Payment conditions:
Âş 50% when booking (non-refundable)
Âş 50% at the Orchard
Included:
Âş Detailed manual as a special gift with pictures and lots of addresses for materials, tools and tree nurseries
If you are an Orchard of Flavours member, please use this code to access the discounted price for this workshop: FRUITLOVER20
If you aren't a member yet, learn all about our Membership Program, and join us!
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Design Your Dream Food Forest
Accelerate Fruit Tree Growth
Customize Solutions for Your Garden
Implement Water-Saving Irrigation
Optimize Soil Health
Effective Plant Guilds
Sustainable Maintenance
Scalability and Cost-Effectiveness
.
—> Complete Course Outline for this Workshop (PDF Download)
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Bring:
a notebook and a pen
sunblock and a hat
comfortable clothes for working in the garden
water bottle
some food for a shared picnic
In case of rain:
we will go ahead with everything as planned
we have a backup plan to do the workshop in a very nice sheltered area.
The orchard has got ample parking spaces and two dry toilets.
If you have any questions, please feel free to write us an email! miguel@orchardofflavours.com
đź“ť Limited openings
Miguel COTTON, Orchard of Flavours’ founder and workshop instructor
Milan NEPALI, Orchard of Flavours’ garden steward and workshop instructor
Some of the highlights of our “Food Forest & Island of Fertility” workshop, at Orchard of Flavours Botanical Garden, in Tavira.
đź“ť Apply for this workshop
A few comments from previous workshop participants:
“I want to thank the whole team, and mention that it is rare to find a place like this, where scientific knowledge is offered for a symbolic value, and where the interest behind it is not monetary but environmental education. Wonderful!” — Eliseu, Portugal (Terra da Alma)
“It was a lovely relaxed environment, really informative and we will definitely be putting what we learned into practice!” — Sophie, Bram and Charlie, UK
“Many thanks again for a very informative and inspiring workshop. I thought your delivery of information - both on paper and in person - was both very professional and comprehensive. On a personal level, I appreciated the generosity, openness and kindness that you both brought to the workshop generally, and to us as individual novice gardeners.” — Bryony, UK
“I really enjoyed the workshop. I feel like I learned a lot and that I now have a structured way to approach the planting of my fruit trees. I have a better understanding of how to care for them and what issues to look out for. I'm also happy to have met a number of other people that are all interested in fruit gardens, it is nice to feel part of a community.“ — Emily, Australia
Curious about our other Food Tree Workshops?
Discover what else we are teaching at the “Orchard of Flavours Academy”
Master eco-friendly pest control techniques, like using natural predators. Gain the practical skills to protect and care for your garden, orchard or Food Forest!
Delve into the art and science of plant care on this hands-on learning journey, where we'll dive into Pruning and Fertilizing.
Come learn everything you need to know about water in your Orchard or garden, from the basics of plant physiology to advanced irrigation techniques.
If you have any questions, please feel free to write us an email! miguel@orchardofflavours.com