Permaculture Crash Course

This is a 4-minute vid I found on YouTube but it has great information. Discusses a 4-hour crash course but I don't see the link... anyone? This 4-min vid discusses birds, year-round cherry harvest, artichoke, potatoes, etc.

Permaculture Without Space of Your Own

So we've talked about having a little "garden" in your living room or on your patio or in your tiny backyard. But there are alternatives if you want even more than you have space for. Here are some possibilities:

• Get neighbors or other like-minded people together. Find a good spot of land, and apply for a variance from your city... if the group buys it, you want to use that space for keeping chickens and bees, and run a community garden and/or plant an orchard or berry brambles. Combine your voice and negotiating power, pool finances and distribute responsibilities to ensure long-term success for providing healthy food for your family.
• Have room for only a couple of trees? Replace non-food-producing trees with grafted fruit and/or nut trees. There's a "fruit cocktail" tree that grows nectarines, peaches, plums, and apricots. There's also a 5-in-one apple tree and a 5-in-one pear tree. These are generally dwarf trees so they don't take up a lot of space. There are also dwarf nut trees, like filberts and almonds. You could conceivably provide a lot of fruit and nuts for your family on the space of a normal-sized driveway. Starks Bros even has a colonnade group of fruiting trees that look like sticks with fruit growing on them... includes apples/crabapples and something called a rocket peach.
• Vines grow upwards: try grapes to provide fresh table fruit, juice and wine to bottle, and vinegar for cooking.

These are just a few suggestions. What do YOU think?

Permaculture Patterns

From Wikipedia...

The use of patterns both in nature and reusable patterns from other sites is often key to permaculture design. This echoes the Pattern language of Christopher Alexander used in architecture which has been an inspiration for many permaculture designers. All things, even the wind, the waves and the earth on its axis, moving around the Sun, form patterns. In pattern application, permaculture designers are encouraged to develop:

• Awareness of the patterns that exist in nature (and how these function)
• Application of pattern on sites in order to satisfy specific design needs.

"The application of pattern on a design site involves the designer recognising the shape and potential to fit these patterns or combinations of patterns comfortably onto the landscape" Sampson-Kelly. Branching can be used for the direction of paths, rather than straight paths with square angles. Lobe-like paths of the main path (known as keyhole paths) can be used to minimise waste and compaction of the soil.

It's easy to find examples of patterns in gardens. The British are famous for their patterns. And who hasn't driven by a corn maze, or even gotten lost in one?

Don't be fooled by thinking that patterns will take up too much space, or that making it pretty will make it too fancy. Permaculture is harmony in nature, and the patterns will help gentle your spirit.

Just give it a thought. Vikki

What is Permaculture?

According to Wikipedia...

"Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and perennial agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in the natural ecologies. It was first developed by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren and their associates during the 1970s in a series of publications. The word permaculture is a portmanteau of permanent agriculture, as well as permanent culture.

Permaculture design principles extend from the position that "The only ethical decision is to take responsibility for our own existence and that of our children" (Mollison, 1990). The intent was that, by rapidly training individuals in a core set of design principles, those individuals could design their own environments and build increasingly self-sufficient human settlements — ones that reduce society's reliance on industrial systems of production and distribution that Mollison identified as fundamentally and systematically destroying Earth's ecosystems."

Basically, it's using your land the best way possible... one area, one plant, one animal, etc. ... all complimenting and assisting the others. This is actually, from what I understand, the best way to get the most out of your space. Generally organic. Pesticide- and herbicide-free. And if you like your garden in neat little rows with plenty of space and lawn in between, regular gardening / farming might be a better idea for you.

This is a topic that really interests me so I'll be doing some research and providing articles here as I learn! Meanwhile, if you have experience with permaculture, please feel free to leave a comment to this post as to what's the best or worst part of permaculture, and how much land you have. Thanks! Vikki