I first discovered Permaculture in 2008. I had no idea what it was all about but immediately felt at home with the simple, delightful, welcoming folk and very good vibes all round.
I was fascinated by the concepts presented, the simplicity, the wonderful and creative ways people had implemented ideas, and the concern for people in every sense. It all tied into my own value and belief system. I was most impressed that permaculture is all about working with nature rather than against it, integrating all human activities into a whole system.
I discovered that permaculture has a foundation of:
- Care of the earth: provision for all life systems to continue and multiply,
- Care of people: provision for people to access those resources necessary to their existence, and
- Share surplus: it sets limits to consumption.
“The concept of Permaculture was developed in Tasmania in the late 1970s
by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, and from this humble beginning,
Permaculture has spread to just about every corner of the globe,
and has been adapted for a large range of climates.
Permaculture is a holistic design system for creating sustainable self-managing
living environments and its design principles are used to create pathways
to reasonable and sustainable usage of the earth’s natural resources.”
www.permacultureprinciples.com
Soon I realised I needed knowledge and skills. So I booked myself into an Introduction to Permaculture course. Gosh what a revelation! Even though the ‘gardening’ aspect of permaculture is one very small part of it, it was from this course that I set about transforming my entire garden and home. The local group helped me to dig swales, and water tanks were installed as well as solar panels on my roof.
Permaculture replicates nature. Studying how forests mature from plants growing in succession is fascinating. On a bare piece of land, weeds grow first, then small bushes and herbs, pioneer plants which fix nitrogen in the soil to help other plants to grow, and so on, until a canopy layer of tall trees is reached. Thus forests are built up of seven layers, and this is what we replicate in Permaculture when planting out a food forest. This I have done in my garden, front and back, so I now have over seventy fruit trees as well as my veggie patches for daily use.
In order to minimise work and maximise production, the system is integrated so that everything has a purpose and works together. Animals are a part of this integrated system as they do much of the work. For example, my chickens are useful for cleaning up the bugs, producing manure for fertiliser and producing eggs.
A principal idea is to form a closed loop so that things are recycled. Composting all living matter and using worm farms ensures good nutrients are fed to the plants and at minimum cost.
What fun it is to eat directly from the garden, knowing that it is all organic – no pesticides or herbicides to compromise my health. And all this on a little less than a quarter acre suburban block.
“Permaculture integrates people into Nature’s design.
A permaculture design provides us with shelter, food, water, income, community
and aesthetic and spiritual fulfilment within a balanced and healthy biological community.”
– Dan Hemenway
References:
www.permaculturenews.org/2011/10/21/why-food-forests/
www.permacultureprinciples.com
Article by ELIZABETH CRICHTON
Elizabeth Crichton
