What the Permaculture?

Permaculture - a term and concept that should be taught in schools. I had never heard of this until I was a tired breastfeeding mom of a newborn who was stuck in a chair and trying to plan my first real garden.

The idea of gardening or farming in my mind was always, till the land, plant the plants, spray for bugs. This is, of course, one school of thought. But, who knew there were many "schools of thought", just like with medicine, education, or cooking.

What is permaculture? The definition is, " the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self sufficient." I know what you are thinking - a self sustaining garden? How is that even possible?

Permaculture connects every aspect of nature. With permaculture - there is no tilling. There aren't traps for bugs and rodents. Permaculture heals the land of soil depletions caused by mass farming or over-tilling.

When you look into a forest or woods, there are layers and layers building one entire ecosystem. The tall trees, crawling vines, ground covers. Theres natural mulches - fallen and decomposed trees, branches, decaying leaves. The plants take nutrients from the soil, each layer providing back something that another is taking. That is what permaculture is about.

How do I use this concept in gardening?

There are so many ways you can start to develop a permaculture mindset. First and foremost - stop tilling your land. Instead, look into things like raised beds, or lasagna gardens, where you add items to existing soil. Use decomposable things that feed the soil to block weeds - like cardboard. Use companion planting to help deter pests or increase nutrition in your soil. Get some chickens to help you take care of pests. Anything that previously would become an output, work to make an input somewhere. Focus your efforts on creating food forests, with all or just some of the layers, as opposed to planting rows of crop.

Food Forest as a Garden.

Make your garden more like the forests that exist naturally. Take all or some of the components, mix and match to your liking and plot size. These layers consist of, fruit trees like an apple (layer 1), smaller trees (such as dwarf fruiting trees - layer 2), fruit shrubs (like tomatoes/peppers or blueberries/raspberries - layer 3), herbacious or fruiting layer (things like basil, carrots - layer 4), and a vining layer (cucumbers, squash, nastrulums - layer 5). If you do not have the space for an actual food forest, focus your efforts on companion planting.

One famous permaculture garden layout is referred to as the three sisters guild. This is where beans, corn, and squash are all interplanted for several benefits. The squash grows low to the ground, and the leaves are large. They will help shade out light, inhibiting weed growth and providing a beautiful ground covering/mulch to the other plants. The corn grows tall, and provides a natural trellis for the beans, while the beans help the stalks grow more secured and helps fix the nitrogen in the soil so no fertilizer is needed.

Permaculture is the Answer!

Allowing yourself to companion plant your garden or create a miniature food forest will provide less work for you - less weed pulling, less mulching, less fertilizing, less pest management. It really is the answer to keeping our topsoil chalk full of nutrients. It's an easy alternative to modern day gardening!