What attracts many people to permaculture is the homesteading and sustainable agricultural side of things, but as it is practiced more and interest dives deeper, folks start to see a whole permaculture world reveal itself before them.
Permaculture was developed out of recognition of failing food production methods, environmental disregard, and a growing population. Bill Mollison and David Holmgren developed twelve principles of growth that would ensure the well-being of human, animal, and environmental growth and health.
That is surely permaculture in a tiny nutshell. If you want to delve deeper, take a look a these OGP articles written by a certified and ever-practicing plant-based permaculturist.
1. Permaculture and our Planet
Permaculture is spreading. People are catching on, cooperating with each other and nature to repair the damage we’ve done to the planet. Unlike standard organic gardening, which is an improvement (but can still work against nature sometimes), permaculture can make deserts turn into oases again, it thrives on creating new “food” forests rather than removing old ones and its goal is sustainability by design. What’s more is that everyone can do it in some part, from a DIY kitchen herb set-up in a fourth-floor apartment to rooftop gardens to suburban yards to massive acreage of permaculture systems that Support small communities. So, is it true? Can Permaculture Help Save the World?
2. No-Till Gardening
One way of growing food is to till the land, the way many of us think of gardening. The old images of horse and plow come to mind, or on bad days, the new methods brought to us by tractors, chemicals, and fossil fuels. All of the ground is torn up and then pushed into neat little rows. The general idea, whatever the image, is to create loose soil for young roots, as well as provide good drainage. It’s this very laborious task that has given us the ‘toiling the soil’ concept of farming. Take a look at these 5 No-Till Garden Beds Loved by Permaculturalists All Around the World.
3. Food Forest
Permaculture is a mindset, a way of looking at nature as the ultimate example of successful design, then using our own wits to sculpt that design into something both ecological and economic (especially when food, sustainable energy, and self-sufficiency equal money). One of the favorite examples of this is the food forest. Like a normal forest, once in place, food forests are self-regulating, full of life, and stunning. Plus, there is the bonus of filling your belly with an abundance of choices. Unlike orchards or standard garden rows, there is a healthy balance of plants to provide different crops year-round, helping with human diets as well as animals and insects, especially those bees that have become so popular lately. Learn how to How to Transform Your Garden into a Food Forest.
4. Permaculturize Your Yard
With a little effort and a good plan, weeds, and gardeners can live in harmony. It’s not just weeds. It’s all those twigs and sticks that loiter around beneath trees. The mountains of leaves that spiral down in the autumn can join in as well. With the right mindset, that is a mindset of feeding your garden some premium organic fodder, all the yard work many have come to despise can be … exciting. Check out How to Make The Most of Your Yard (Including Weeds!), Permaculture Style.
5. Herb Spiral
Fresh herbs are easy to forget about if you’ve never had them. They go bad quickly and they are much more expensive. When cooked, they don’t offer much more than their dried equivalents. Consequently, we learn to cook with little shakers of dried Italian seasoning mix and crispy bay leaves and like to think that, even so, our food turns out pretty tasty. However, it doesn’t take much to find ourselves in awe of the flavor and hidden powers of fresh herbs. Let’s ditch the shakers, and learn How to Make a Herb “Spiral” in Your Garden and Change Your Relationship with Food.
6. Perennial Permaculture
Permaculture gardens blend all sorts of plants, including vegetables, fruit and nut trees, flowers, and shrubbery. One of the most important parts of developing a permaculture garden is having a healthy balance of perennial versus annual plants. Due to this perennial efficiency, food production in permaculture gardens pays special attention to these types of plants. While much of our supermarket produce—corn, lettuce, squashes, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.—isn’t perennial, permaculturists try to reimagine the food system to rely on perennial plants. Check out these 10 Perennial Vegetables for the Permaculture Garden.
7. Permaculture Projects
For those of us interested in living more sustainably, the term permaculture inevitably pops up as we research ways of growing our own food, building green, and reducing our waste. You may also begin to realize there’s a ton of literature out there on the subject (including this OGP list of this author’s favorites). For those curious about permaculture, it would help to have a list of those places that are putting theory into practice. Well, then, isn’t this convenient! Here are 10 Permaculture Projects in the USA for you to check out.
8. Permaculture Plants
Let us be clear from the very beginning: We are not in the business of defiling any plant. No stones, not even nutrient-rich soil, will be thrown here, and all of this plant recommending is simply to recognize, to give a gold star accolade to, some species of flora that do particularly good work on the part of fellow plant life, people and animals around them. The permaculture way with plants is to find garden participants that have good symbiotic relationships with others. We look for perennial plants so that we don’t have to tirelessly cultivate them year after year. We also want to find multiple functions for what’s growing: medicine, food, fodder, shade, mulch, windbreaks, ground cover, shade, and much more. Here are 7 Permaculture-Recommended Plants You Should Include in the Garden.
9. Permaculture Books
Permaculture, they say, is a design science, and the techniques not only revolutionize the way we grow food but also reimagine how we might live in cooperation with the natural systems upon which our lives rely. The ideas behind permaculture push beyond sustainability — the current systems have already done their damage — and into full-fledged planetary restoration. If you want to learn more, here are 10 Great Books to Read about Permaculture.
1o. Mindful Permaculture
For all the mysteries that seem to surround permaculture — Is it a type of organic gardening? Is it green living? Sustainable living? A design system? A way of life? — one thing for sure is that the crux of the practice is simple: ethics. Three, to be exact. Permaculture ethics were developed out of extensive research on societies around the world, especially those that have survived long-term and harmoniously with their environments. They are as follows: earth care, people care, and fair share. Read on to learn more about What Permaculture Can Teach Us About Living Mindfully to Ensure Abundance for All.
11. Transitioning to Permaculture
A permaculture lifestyle lived to its fullest can seem overwhelming to those not doing it, particularly those of us accustomed to current consumerism and comforts. Ideas like growing most of our own food, creating no garbage, and avoiding a singular career sound more utopian than realistic. However, that’s the existence that permaculturalists are working towards, and many of them are leading lives both inspiring and rewarding. There is a transition that takes place, some pivot points from which we can all start to become truly more in tune with the earth and our neighbors. Take a look at these 7 Ways to Transition to a Permaculture Lifestyle.
12. Not Just Organic Gardening
Often confused as synonymous with organic farming, permaculture may have a similar stance on avoiding chemicals but operates in a much different manner than most modern organic farms. And, for those interested in exploring permaculture as a means of growing food, understanding the distinction between the two is a very important first step. So, that is where we will dwell today. Read on to learn Why Permaculture Isn’t Just Organic Farming.
13. Permaculture All-Around
Because permaculture strives to find a non-destructive, earth-nurturing spot for humanity on the planet, cities — where most people live — are vitally important within permaculture’s considerations. Unfortunately, urban areas, on the whole, are also often among the most wasteful and environmentally damaging. But, they needn’t be. In other words, no matter where we live, be it a farm in Kentucky or a high-rise in New York, there are things we can do.
4 Ways to Practice Permaculture Daily Wherever You Live
14. Plant-Based Permaculture
for those of us who have chosen a plant-based lifestyle, much of permaculture design relies on domesticated animals. Whether they’re for food production or as beloved pets, not all of us are comfortable with that idea. However, little has been offered in the way of an alternative method to these types of designed eco-systems. Animals are not only a source of food, be it meat dairy, or eggs, but they are also integral for providing fertilizer (manure), services (rotational grazing to maintain pastures), and other valuable products like wood, hides, feathers, and more. What, then, can we do when animals don’t fit the bill for us individually? Learn How to Make Your Permaculture Plant-Based.
15. Permaculture and Soil
It’s a mental twist to how most of us think of gardening, but in permaculture, a garden is always first and foremost in the business of growing good soil. What this means is that, rather than needing to constantly add this or that mineral, this or that organic fertilizer, a permaculture practitioner is tending to the natural enhancement of a land’s soil rather than inundating it with rows and rows of crops to Support. Read here to learn about the importance of Permaculture and Soil: How to Follow Nature’s Lead to Grow Amazing Produce.
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