For twenty-five years, the Agroforestry Research Trust nursery in Devon was where forest gardeners across Britain went for unusual edibles, fruit trees and nut trees. From January 2026, that nursery is Edible Canopy. Fran Welch - who has worked alongside Martin Crawford at ART since 2022 - has taken it over and runs it from the same Littlehempston site, in the South Hams. Edible Canopy carries fruit trees, nut trees, soft fruit, perennial vegetables, edible woodland plants, ground covers, climbers and the kind of uncommon species you don't easily find at standard UK nurseries. The catalogue is seasonal: it reflects what's looking strong in the nursery and what can travel safely. Joining the mailing list is the easiest way to know when summer pre-orders open. The nursery itself is on the same Littlehempston site as the Agroforestry Research Trust and the plants in the ground can be seen on Crawford-led tours of the trust's gardens; four of those run at Littlehempston in 2026, all best booked well ahead. The catalogue's lineage runs back through Crawford's twenty-five years of nursery work and the thirty-year forest garden trials behind it.

What do you sell?

Plants. Edible perennial plants for forest gardens and low-input edible landscapes. Top fruit (apples, pears, plums, alongside cherries, mulberries, medlars, persimmons, juneberries, strawberry trees, quinces). Soft fruit (blackcurrants, gooseberries, raspberries, alongside honeyberries, sea buckthorn, goji, wineberries, jostaberries). Nuts (almonds, walnuts, chestnuts, hazels, alongside butternuts, heartnuts, monkey puzzle, hickories). Unusual edibles, perennial vegetables, edible herbs, bamboos, edible woodland plants, ground covers, climbers. New plant material that Fran is propagating herself will join the catalogue as plants come ready. The range broadly continues what the Agroforestry Research Trust nursery has been known for, with new additions to come.

Which local producers do you stock?

This is a producer-run nursery, operated by Fran Welch from the Littlehempston site. Fran trained at Schumacher College, then worked alongside Martin Crawford at the Agroforestry Research Trust from 2022, taking over the ART nursery in January 2026. She also handles admin at The Mother Tree, the heritage fruit and nut nursery in Dartington. The plants in the Edible Canopy catalogue carry forward Crawford's twenty-five years of ART nursery work, alongside material Fran is now propagating in her own right.

Opening Hours / Delivery Days

Online ordering is possible via ediblecanopy.com. The nursery is not open to walk-up visitors; the plants in the ground can be seen during Crawford-led ART tours of the Littlehempston site (four scheduled in 2026, between May and August), where you may be able to buy from Fran on the day. For shipping detail, check the website.

Social Media

https://www.instagram.com/ediblecanopy/

Website

https://ediblecanopy.com

Address Summary

Littlehempston, Totnes, Devon