For most gardeners, a primary goal is to provide food for the gardener. A garden is a source of fresh fruits and vegetables for the kitchen table – foods which are a known resource. Not only does the grower know the variety of plant and how it grew, but also what chemical or natural fertilizers and pesticides the plant absorbed in its life.
Organic gardening goes a step further. The organic gardener tries to replicate the way nature produces a healthy abundance. By fertilizing with compost and manure, the organic grower can reduce or eliminate artificial chemicals which might not be as healthy for the plants, or for those who eat their fruit.
Well, in recent years, some gardeners have gone beyond even organic in their efforts to imitate nature…..by using “permaculture.”
According to Bill Mollison, in his book, Permaculture: A designer’s manual, “Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems.”
Basically, this means that by looking at how nature works – and imitating it – we can grow plants that are beneficial to humans in a sustainable way. Once established, permaculture is pretty much self-maintaining. You plant it and go away for a few years, and you can come back and still find good food growing in abundance.
Permaculture begins with a plan. By observing the lay of the land, water sources (whether a stream, a pond, or just rainfall run-off), the direction of the prevailing winds, and where buildings are or might be built, the gardener begins working with nature to make what he grows most productive.
As the prospective permaculturist examines his or her resources, it might become apparent that a cold, hard wind comes whistling up the valley in the winter. Trees and shrubs planted on the north side of the property could provide a windbreak in the winter, as well as berries or nuts for eating. If there is a bad run-off whenever a heavy rain falls, a “swale” can be dug perpendicular to the flow, to capture the water and hold it until it soaks into the ground. In this way, the natural resources that we might normally think of as a problem are neutralized, or even put to use to our benefit.
By starting a permaculture garden with plants that fix nitrogen, and then adding in useful food crops, the permaculturist improves the soil for the plants he or she wishes to grow. Even small livestock can be put to work improving the growing environment – ducks eat slugs and snails that damage garden plants and chickens can forage under fruit trees, eating the fallen fruit that might harbor pests or disease.
Mollison and others in the permaculture movement looked at how plants grow naturally. For example, in a forest there is a progression from low ground cover plants to shrubs, to small trees, to large trees. And interspersed among those also will be root crops and vines. In permaculture, we mimic this growth pattern with what’s called a “food forest,” just replacing the wild plants with plants more useful to human beings.
Nitrogen-fixing legumes are planted first, to begin enriching the soil. Then low-growing herbs and small nitrogen-fixing trees, like honey locust. As these grow, they are pruned in a “chop and drop” method. When the tops of the nitrogen-fixing plants are cut off or the tree branches are pruned, the roots of the plant begin to prune themselves, releasing nitrogen into the soil. Root plants and climbing vines are added into the food forest, some for their ability to improve the soil, some for their edibility, and some for both.
As the first stage of growth begins to mature, more beneficial plants are put into the food forest – fruit trees, grape vines, root crops like sweet potatoes, medicinal and culinary herbs.
The variety of plants in a fully mature food forest is amazing! Eventually, every square foot of a permaculture planting is producing something of value to the gardener. And the very diversity of the garden makes it self-sustaining. Pests are less likely to devour a garden when the squash plant grows beside an elderberry bush. The leaves that fall from the shrubs and trees are a natural mulch, helping to retain moisture in the soil and keep unwanted plants from springing up. The water is being harnessed to saturate the ground for the benefit of the plants, and ultimately, for the benefit of the gardener.
A mature permaculture garden looks like a jungle, but the fortunate grower can stroll through the lush growth, picking food as he goes. With much less effort than that required by a traditional garden, the permaculturist provides food for the kitchen table… in abundance. And that’s what gardening is all about.
Organic gardening goes a step further. The organic gardener tries to replicate the way nature produces a healthy abundance. By fertilizing with compost and manure, the organic grower can reduce or eliminate artificial chemicals which might not be as healthy for the plants, or for those who eat their fruit.
Well, in recent years, some gardeners have gone beyond even organic in their efforts to imitate nature…..by using “permaculture.”
According to Bill Mollison, in his book, Permaculture: A designer’s manual, “Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems.”
Basically, this means that by looking at how nature works – and imitating it – we can grow plants that are beneficial to humans in a sustainable way. Once established, permaculture is pretty much self-maintaining. You plant it and go away for a few years, and you can come back and still find good food growing in abundance.
Permaculture begins with a plan. By observing the lay of the land, water sources (whether a stream, a pond, or just rainfall run-off), the direction of the prevailing winds, and where buildings are or might be built, the gardener begins working with nature to make what he grows most productive.
As the prospective permaculturist examines his or her resources, it might become apparent that a cold, hard wind comes whistling up the valley in the winter. Trees and shrubs planted on the north side of the property could provide a windbreak in the winter, as well as berries or nuts for eating. If there is a bad run-off whenever a heavy rain falls, a “swale” can be dug perpendicular to the flow, to capture the water and hold it until it soaks into the ground. In this way, the natural resources that we might normally think of as a problem are neutralized, or even put to use to our benefit.
By starting a permaculture garden with plants that fix nitrogen, and then adding in useful food crops, the permaculturist improves the soil for the plants he or she wishes to grow. Even small livestock can be put to work improving the growing environment – ducks eat slugs and snails that damage garden plants and chickens can forage under fruit trees, eating the fallen fruit that might harbor pests or disease.
Mollison and others in the permaculture movement looked at how plants grow naturally. For example, in a forest there is a progression from low ground cover plants to shrubs, to small trees, to large trees. And interspersed among those also will be root crops and vines. In permaculture, we mimic this growth pattern with what’s called a “food forest,” just replacing the wild plants with plants more useful to human beings.
Nitrogen-fixing legumes are planted first, to begin enriching the soil. Then low-growing herbs and small nitrogen-fixing trees, like honey locust. As these grow, they are pruned in a “chop and drop” method. When the tops of the nitrogen-fixing plants are cut off or the tree branches are pruned, the roots of the plant begin to prune themselves, releasing nitrogen into the soil. Root plants and climbing vines are added into the food forest, some for their ability to improve the soil, some for their edibility, and some for both.
As the first stage of growth begins to mature, more beneficial plants are put into the food forest – fruit trees, grape vines, root crops like sweet potatoes, medicinal and culinary herbs.
The variety of plants in a fully mature food forest is amazing! Eventually, every square foot of a permaculture planting is producing something of value to the gardener. And the very diversity of the garden makes it self-sustaining. Pests are less likely to devour a garden when the squash plant grows beside an elderberry bush. The leaves that fall from the shrubs and trees are a natural mulch, helping to retain moisture in the soil and keep unwanted plants from springing up. The water is being harnessed to saturate the ground for the benefit of the plants, and ultimately, for the benefit of the gardener.
A mature permaculture garden looks like a jungle, but the fortunate grower can stroll through the lush growth, picking food as he goes. With much less effort than that required by a traditional garden, the permaculturist provides food for the kitchen table… in abundance. And that’s what gardening is all about.