My permaculture manuals arrived today!!!

[big brown horse]

Just sayin'

 

[freemotion]

What? Where? When? Why? How?????

 

[big brown horse]

I am trying to step beyond just being self sufficient.

Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural eco systems.

They offer hands on courses around here all the time but they are way out of my budget and time. So, after doing lots of research using books from the library and the internet, I just decided to buy the manuals and teach myself.

I've already built some well placed keyhole "hugelkultrs" that should be ready by next spring. (Not this spring sadly...takes time for things to break down, and I got a late start.) http://hubpages.com/hub/Hugelkultur-Using-Woody-Waste-in-Composting
And I already have a sorta big "Ruth Stout" designed veggie garden, that has proven to be quite productive.

Composting toilet.

I've been collecting cardboard boxes for sheet mulching.

My house was placed at an angle to take advantage of the sun passively. And fortunately the previous owners were budding permaculturists as well. They designed/planted a hardy orchard, raised beds and "sun traps" and had rain barrels installed.

I am going to be turning the orchard into a "forest garden" eventually.

I'm also planning a bigger pond for fish and maybe even a man made marsh for grey water to filter through before going into the pond.

Anyway, I'm still very new to this but now I've got some really good books to keep me busy on these cold winter nights.

 

[freemotion]

Oh, of course! I've been looking at what I have a bit differently, too.

For example, I am not going to cut down the poplars, because the bark can be used like white willow bark, as an analgesic.

I am naturalizing some plants that are useful to me but not yet on my property....comfrey, ostrich ferns, and this coming spring, wormwood (haven't figured out if it is perennial in my area or not, hope so!). I planted large leaved dandelions in my pasture and am no longer discouraging the nettles.

Grapes grow quite well in my woods, but are inaccessible due to the great height of the old vines. I'm considering what to do about that....prune them down, or cut some of them out and plant some more desirable types....along with the arbor I want in my yard with a table and chairs underneath it....

Since reading up a little on permaculture in the past, I've looked around to see what I can do here on my little corner of earth.

Very cool, I will be watching your projects for more ideas!

 

[Lady Henevere]

Awesome! I'm really into permaculture ideas -- it makes sense to work with nature rather than against it. The actual development of a food forest in my back yard is slow going, however; at least I've started it. What books did you get?

 

[big brown horse]

The manuals are by "Bill Mollison". One is an intro to permaculture and is about 150 pages, the other is a very detailed manual with about 500 pages.

 

[big brown horse]

Oh and if you only have an inch of land in suburbia, you can still get a really high yield. I wish I had known more about it in the past!

 

[patandchickens]

If the long one is the one I think it is (I forget the title) it is weird and cumbersome but you should read every word of it because there are some really really cool and thought-provoking ideas tucked in here and there and everywhere.

Personally I think the whole permaculture mvmt is more useful as general conceptual inspiration than as detailed things to copy, especially for us in the temperate zone, but there's some really good stuff there and I'm sure you'll enjoy it and make good use!

Pat

 

[big brown horse]

Ok for the past week I've been busy planting dwarf fruit trees during my down time. I already have established heirloom apple trees, pear trees, plum and cherry trees in the back yard. However I planted more in my side yard aka my permaculture experiment yard. I planted two Espalier-style dwarf apple trees with three different apples spliced onto them. They should look nice trailing the fence line, and create some privacy. I also got in two cherry varieties, one with three different cherries, the other one is a dwarf bing cherry. Oh and one 'frost peach' tree.

All around each tree I heavily mulched using the "sheet mulching" method as explained in my books. I'm turning them into eco friendly "forest gardens" that will one day be connected...as I gather the materials. Then, I won't even need to worry about cutting the grass, via sheep or reel push mower.

I also made a butterfly attracting raised bed full of 4 different perennial flowering bulbs. They should be up in the late spring or early summer.

I finished my keyhole "hugelkultur". It will be ready for nitrate fixing legumes this summer, then anything I want next year, probably blueberries. I am especially excited about this bed b/c if all goes according to plan I won't have to water it, even in the dry months.

The backyard already has a mason bee condo, but I think I need another one for the front side yard...just thinking out loud now.

 

[old fashioned]

So just what is this "Ruth Stout" garden design sorta thing? I'm always looking for new ideas & permaculture sounds interesting.