What is permaculture? Come learn all about this gardening system, the permaculture principles and how to grow more food in your garden space. Save this pin so you can always find it!
When we moved to the farm, I had already been gardening for several years. And while I had already been doing things like lightly companion planting, I wanted to learn more. I quickly stumbled across the idea of permaculture and the idea of growing a food forest. It sounded lovely. But more than that, it sounded like the kind of garden I had always dreamed of. A garden that is nature-like, sustainable and less work. So come and find out, “What is permaculture?” and see if it is something that will work in your space too!
What is permaculture?
Permaculture is a combination of the words agriculture and permanent and is a sort of the science around garden design, or as I like to think of it the art of the science. The idea of Permaculture was developed by Bill Mollison in combination with David Holmgren. Permaculture is an agricultural or gardening system of design that relies on creating an ecosystem and can be more self-sufficient and sustainable. It draws inspiration from nature to develop food systems that are synergistic. The systems are based on crop diversity, resilience, productivity and sustainability. It uses ecological principles to mimic natural growing while producing food. While they are organic systems, it is not just organic gardening. It is not just organic gardening.
Ethics of permaculture
When learning about what permaculture is, you will first discover there are three main elements or three ethics that permaculture systems revolve around. They are:
- Earth Care – A focus on nurturing the environment. The idea that creation and actions of a space will not harm or deplete the ecosystem, but instead help it.
- People Care – A focus on meeting the food needs of people by creating food sources that contribute to the development of healthy communities and the future of humanity.
- Fair share – A focus on limiting over consumption and sharing the abundance with others, including future generations. Sharing resources to create the largest and most positive impact.
These three elements underline permaculture designs and ensure that different needs and priorities are taken into account while maintaining the ethical balance.
Permaculture principles
There are 12 Permaculture principles and they further inform the design and the feedback loop of the ethics. They are:
- Observe & Interact – Observe how the natural ecosystems in your garden space behave and interact to understand the environment. Watch what happens in the space in order to plan around it.
- Catch & Store Energy – Develop a system that collects natural resources when they are abundant to be used in times of need. For example, catch roof rainwater, use and store solar energy, use wind power, etc.
- Obtain a yield – Receive an outcome for the investment given. Harvest crops as a yield.
- Apply self regulation & accept feedback – Ensure systems continue to function well for future generations and be will to accept feedback on how to better the systems.
- Use & value renewable resources – Utilize natures renewable resources to reduce the reliance on new renewable resources.
- Produce no waste – Ensure you are re-using things and recycling to make the best use of resources. Compost what you can or use a burn pile for diseases plants.
- Design patterns to details – Observe the patterns in nature and design your garden down to the detail based on these patterns. Design the overall garden, but then design each bed space too.
- Integrate rather than segregate – Integrate things together so they can create a mutual beneficial support system. For example, companion planting fruits and vegetables is a great way to integrate in the garden.
- Use small, slow solutions – Design solution systems that work by taking small steps. What works for one space might not work for another.
- Use & value diversity – Bio diversity as well as cultural diversity of systems and gardening values are all valuable because they can safe guard against threats.
- Use edges & value the marginal – Use all the spaces available to you, even if it is just the edges of your space. These spaces can be the most productive even if they are not the largest.
- Creatively respond to change – Understand the inevitable changes of nature and respond accordingly.
Applications of Permaculture
There are several ideas that you can use to incorporate a permaculture principles design into your garden space. They include:
- Sheet composting, lasagna planting or no till
- This is the idea of building up your soil through layers of natural elements. Instead of tilling, each year you add the layers to the soil – often consisting of cardboard or newspaper – that biodegrade and help to feed the soil. Read more about this concept {HERE}.
- Food forest
- This is the idea of designing your garden in a way that mimics nature and is more sustainable and self sufficient.
- Fruit guild
- The fruit guild is companion planting to benefit a fruit tree. Everything is planted around the base of the tree in a guild where every plant there has a part to do in ensuring the health of the tree.
- Bed companion planting for bio diversity
- This is about companion planting garden beds – either raised beds or beds planted in the soil- in a way that ensure the health of all the plants through companion plants that benefit one another.
This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but there are some of the easiest ideas to begin thinking about.
Drawbacks to Permaculture
I think when people start looking into permaculture and understanding what it is, they assume this is a system that will work for everyone. I’m here to tell you it will not.
Permaculture is a system that is designed for smaller growers or backyard growers. Large scale growers and agricultural farmers will not necessarily be able to grow in this way. They can’t lasagna plant a whole field. For some places, tilling is the best option due to soil structure and space. If they’re a corn grower it is also not practical to think they can grow a section or even 5 sections of corn and build up other plants around that. They won’t make enough money and when growing is your livelihood we need to be practical.
I personally find it frustrating when people think the way they grow is the only way to grow and that is the way everyone should use. If anything, we should be encouraging a variety of growing practices. As long as those practices can prove to be sustainable and good for the environment – in order to make our world and food systems work.
Looking for more permaculture ideas?
If you loved understanding, “What is permaculture,” and want to know more about the permaculture principles in action, check out these posts too.
- Flowers and Herbs that repel bugs {HERE}
- Growing a Native Wildflower Field {HERE}
- No Till Gardening {HERE}
Visit on our Social Channels!
- Instagram @sugarmaplefarmhouse
- Pinterest Pinterest Sugar Maple Farmhouse
- YouTube Sugar Maple Farmhouse
- Facebook Sugar Maple Farmhouse
- Tik Tok Sugar Maple Farmhouse
Thank you for coming today, friends! I hope that you enjoyed learning about, What is permaculture?” and the permaculture principles. I hope to see you again! Happy gardening.
Leave a Reply