Permaculture?

[Chief]

A question on Permaculture/principals. I have been looking into this and have some land set aside to develop into this model. I want to know if it is viable and smart, or a bunch of feel good nothing? History does suggest that it does work. I was wondering if anyone on the boards has tried it? If so does it work?

The benefits for a homesteader would be helpful. I also see some of the principals already in the gardening community.

I have found some meet up groups on this subject and I am looking on joining. Looking for some experience or opinions in this area thanks.


Link for some on subject new to Permaculture as I am.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture

[protus]

So this the best thing since organic? :)
I'm just homesteading ...and working towards no being so dependent on infrastructure ....it'll take time but food production is key right now.

[Not_Yet_Prepped]

I wonder the same... I recently lucked into sitting through a short presentation given by Rick Austin (the author of Secret Garden of Survival: How to grow a camouflaged food-forest.). One of the key phrases he used was "permaculture". His system supposedly uses "companion" plants to create a virtual effortless garden that needs no weeding, no pesticides and no replanting. I would love to hear from anyone that tried it.

[Chief]

I am trying to get in touch with my CHi protus.. :D but I think I need a Chia Pet for that.

I am just looking into it is all, for the same reasons as Not Yet Prepared stated. I don't know if it will do these things but some older cultures have been doing it for centuries. Also the modern Permaculture guys started it in the early 1900’s.

Thanks NYP and I will look into his book. The points you brought up are in the principals of permaculture that interest me. I am not into the whole hug a tree part of the philosophy. I think I will tread lightly if I do meet up with them though. If they see a deer in the forest they will be saying, “look at that beautiful creature of the forest”. I will be thinking look at that beautiful creature I bet he taste good too. Hey do you mind if I put a tree stand up next bow hunting season? He really likes eating your permaculture edibles. :p

[dilli]

we are working our way toward permaculture.. slowly cuz we are piss poor.. the concepts of it are great.. and as ya age being able to be lazier helps tremendously.. having minimal upkeep and still have food growing is most awesome.. for us the biggest issue is and will continue to be cost and scale.. when we see permaculturists.. its often on a small plot and the folks have the means to plunk down cash and have it installed.. how one permacultures 15 or 20 acres is not so easily answered..


we work toward it continuously but we only invest a couple hundred dollars a year into it... on one bigger project.. smaller projects are piece meal and scrounged as we go....is it worth it.. sure.. anytime one works toward sustainability its worth it.. doesit create more diverse environment , yup... does it save time and money, eventually.. are there less pest and issues,mmmmmm not that i have noticed..

hugulkulture is worth it if you have time to wait for it tocompost and have the dead trees etc to work with
perennials are definitely worth it..
aquaponics is cool if you can do it off grid some how..
gray water systems and rain catchment, swails etc.. absolutely worth it.
closed systems = excellent

[Chief]

Looking at the principals of permaculture with a long term eye makes sense. Has a lot of good points from a survival stand point too.

The 12 permaculture design principles

Permaculturists generally regard the following as its 12 design principles
1.Observe and interact: By taking time to engage with nature we can design solutions that suit our particular situation.

2.Catch and store energy: By developing systems that collect resources at peak abundance, we can use them in times of need.

3.Obtain a yield: Ensure that you are getting truly useful rewards as part of the work that you are doing.

4.Apply self-regulation and accept feedback: We need to discourage inappropriate activity to ensure that systems can continue to function well.

5.Use and value renewable resources and services: Make the best use of nature's abundance to reduce our consumptive behavior and dependence on non-renewable resources.

6.Produce no waste: By valuing and making use of all the resources that are available to us, nothing goes to waste.

7.Design from patterns to details: By stepping back, we can observe patterns in nature and society. These can form the backbone of our designs, with the details filled in as we go.

8.Integrate rather than segregate: By putting the right things in the right place, relationships develop between those things and they work together to support each other.

9.Use small and slow solutions: Small and slow systems are easier to maintain than big ones, making better use of local resources and producing more sustainable outcomes.

10.Use and value diversity: Diversity reduces vulnerability to a variety of threats and takes advantage of the unique nature of the environment in which it resides.

11.Use edges and value the marginal: The interface between things is where the most interesting events take place. These are often the most valuable, diverse and productive elements in the system.

12.Creatively use and respond to change: We can have a positive impact on inevitable change by carefully observing, and then intervening at the right time.

dilli thanks for the ideas. Thinking of what you have said and from a "we all get old and need to think of easier ways" I found this video. Cheap and easy to keep up, might help some people out.

[610Alpha]

Have you seen the Permaculture vids by Geoff Lawton? They are worth the time to check out:

http://www.geofflawton.com

There are 4 vids right now and he is going to launch an online Design class soon. He is going to email details this Friday I believe.

He has an urban and 5 acre video that are pretty neat. They are worth the time to watch to get an idea of what can be done.

[seraphima]

I've used permaculture principles and practices for many years and found them very helpful. Having a backbone of permanent food plants on all your land-small or large, is a no brainer. Most people want fruit trees and berry bushes, but there are so many more food plants- rhubarb, chives, multiplier onions, perennial celery, French sorrel, comfrey, herbs of all sorts, and edible trees and other plants that we don't think of as "garden plants" but are edible and fit into a useful food and medicine supply. Examples of the latter are mountain ash, roses, crabapples, stinging nettle, prickly pear, etc. depending on your climate and water availability.

[Wanderer0101]

I'm a certified permaculture designer. Permaculture is really about very good engineering, being efficient and effectively using resources, and will work for almost anyone. The "zones" concept in particular makes a whole lot of sense for any homesteader. Unfortunately a whole lot of lefties and environmental wack jobs do a pretty good job of subverting the permaculture principles and turning the movement into something it is not.

[610Alpha]

I'm a certified permaculture designer. Permaculture is really about very good engineering, being efficient and effectively using resources, and will work for almost anyone. The "zones" concept in particular makes a whole lot of sense for any homesteader. Unfortunately a whole lot of lefties and environmental wack jobs do a pretty good job of subverting the permaculture principles and turning the movement into something it is not.

Certified by who?

[610Alpha]

So this the best thing since organic? :)
I'm just homesteading ...and working towards no being so dependent on infrastructure ....it'll take time but food production is key right now.

It appears to be a way to design a low maintenance food system (food forests) where you use the topography of the land to guide water and nutrient flow to the food forests. Combine this with the appropriate trees and plants and animals it becomes self sufficient.

If you would like to see the vids that Geoff Lawton did before he released his Online Permaculture class (just PM me). They are really good and give you a more than a nibble of permaculture is about.

[Wanderer0101]

Certified by who?

By the Permaculture Guild. Are you the official certification enforcer or what?

[610Alpha]

By the Permaculture Guild. Are you the official certification enforcer or what?

Nope...just wanted to know...but I might want the job. Is it the same one that is run by Geoff Lawton or one of the off shoots?

"Permaculture Certification Enforcer" LOL

[610Alpha]

Do you play card games? Are you interested in learning about Permaculture...well now you can do both at the same time. This card is about Hugelkultur (wood core beds).



You can find a deck of permaculture cards on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...OIXT3M/rs12-20

These cards started off as a kickstarter project (crowdfunding platform, a way to fund a project without going to the bank).

[justanothergunnut]

610alpha you shall from this day forward be referred to as "the enforcer" or captain perma though the later does lack a certain flair