What is Permaculture?
Permaculture is an approach to designing landscapes that works with nature rather than
against nature. Permaculture seeks to create beautiful living systems that provide food (and
other essentials) for people in sustainable ways.
Permaculture was “founded” in Australia by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the 1970’s. It
combines age-old indigenous wisdom with new insights emerging from movements for
sustainability around the world. Permaculture is a dynamic, eclectic, and creative discipline
now happening world-wide.
Permaculture is based on the following three ethical principles:
Care of the earth
Care of the people
Sharing the surplus
Some Key Permaculture Principles
Observation – One must have a clear understanding of their immediate environment and the
surrounding bio-region to create appropriate designs. Micro-climates (warmth, sun,
moisture etc.) and other unique features of an area can be discovered and used to enhance
the design.
Native Plants – Since native plants are bested adapted to and integrated within the local
ecology, they are preferred over exotic plants. However, carefully selected “exotic” plants
can and should be used for particular purposes such as food production when there are no
equivalent native species.
Perennial Plants – Where possible, perennial plants are favoured over annuals as they can
become long term members of an urban plant community and generally require less labour
and resources than annuals. In addition to the many species of fruit, berries, nuts, and
herbs that do well in Edmonton, there are also numerous perennial greens that can be
harvested throughout the growing season to be eaten in salads, soups, stews etc.. Annual
vegetables and herbs, however, also have an important place in an urban permaculture
system.
Relationships – Plants in a permaculture design are carefully selected and situated for the
relationships they will have with other plants and other elements in the system. Diverse
plants with diverse relationships are desired. These relationships will create a “synergistic”
effect, creating a thriving ecological community.
Elements – All elements of a permaculture design will have multiple functions. For example, a
selected tree may provide shade for a sitting area, berries for food, habitat for birds,
screening of an undesirable view, and may build the soil by fixing nitrogen, thereby
supporting the plants grown around it.
Functions – All functions are supported by multiple elements. For example, food will come
from many plants, not just one or two. Many different plants will be used to attract a variety
of pollinators and other beneficial insects. Water will be harvested and retained in a variety
of ways, thereby reducing demand on city water and ensuring that the system will continue
to thrive during times of drought.
Zones – As a tool for site analysis and planning, permaculture considers every system to be
comprised of five “zones”. In brief, “Zone 1” is closest to the house and includes those
elements that are needed most on a day to day basis (i.e. kitchen herbs and vegetables) .
Zones progress away from the house to less intensively cultivated or harvested elements all
the way to Zone 5” which is “wildland” left for birds and other local wildlife.
Resource Use – Permaculture systems strive to use as few external “inputs” as possible and
to produce as little “waste” as possible. Natural resources such as sunlight and water are
absorbed and maintained within the system as long s possible. Composting and mulching are
used extensively to maintain and increase soil fertility. When outside “inputs” are required,
they are preferably sourced as locally as possible and are ideally “waste” from the
surrounding environment.
Stacking – Plants incorporated into a permaculture landscape are “stacked” both in space
and in time. Plants will be chosen to occupy the following 7 layers; below ground (i.e root
crops), ground cover, herbaceous plants, shrubs, small trees, tall trees, and vines. Similarly,
thought should be given into the long term development of the landscape over time,
ensuring that the system will be thriving many years from now.
Home-Scale Examples of Permaculture
Permaculture is just as relevant and useful for the city-dweller as it for a small farmer or
alternative community. Some very basic examples of how permaculture principles and
design can be used in the urban setting include:
Water Harvesting – Collecting run-off water from roofs, redirecting it to trees, shrubs and
beds, and storing it in rain barrels for later use is an easy, economical and highly beneficial
practice. Water can be further retained within the home landscape by using mulches, close
plantings and by ensuring a high level of organic matter in the soil.
Perennial Plants for Food – Most urban dwellers equate growing food with a square
vegetable patch in the back corner of the yard. Nothing could be further from the truth!
There are abundant possibilities for growing a tremendous amount of food-producing
perennial plants in cities like Edmonton. Fruits, berries, nuts, perennial herbs and perennial
greens can all be included in an urban permaculture landscape.
Composting and Mulching – There is no substitute for home grown compost! Intensive
composting allows for the recycling of resources within one’s permaculture system and
contributes greatly to soil fertility, structure and long term sustainability. Specialized
composting techniques such as “sheet mulching” can facilitate the generation of larger
amounts of compost within the growing beds themselves. Regular surface mulching also
contributes organic matter to the soil, retains moisture, inhibits weed growth and reduces
soil erosion and soil compaction.
Use of Microclimates – City dwellers are blessed with numerous microclimates within their
own yards. South facing walls, for example, can provide an excellent location for heat loving
plants like grapes, tomatoes, or peppers and can also be good locations for extending the
growing season. Lettuce and other greens, for example, sown in a passive cold frame on
the south side of a house can produce a harvest in late March or early April and as late in the
season as the end of November or early December. Microclimates can also be created, by
such techniques as mounding up soil for an herb spiral which will have both hot and cool, wet
and dry microclimates as well as creating additional surface area in the same amount of
space.
Plant Selections and Placement – While the post card picture of suburbia includes a large
lush lawn with 3-4 shrubs, 2 trees and a couple of flower beds, urbanites are discovering
that their own yards provides them with enough space to incorporate many diverse plant
species. In the permaculture design approach, all of these plants will have a particular
purpose and will be placed in careful relationship with other plants.
A “nitrogen-fixing” caraganna hedge, for example, might be placed on the north side of a
yard to provide a windbreak for the home, some privacy and a “heat trap” for tomatoes
placed on its south side. The tomatoes will benefit from the nitrogen provided by the
carragana and will also enjoy higher rates of pollination thanks to the number of bees that
are attracted to the carragana flowers. The carragana hedge can in turn be cut (at least
once per season as it is a very fast grower) to provide material for the compost pile. There
are countless other inter-relationships like this that can be designed into an urban
permaculture system.
Forest Gardens – Mature forests occupy all available space with lush growth. “Forest
gardens” model themselves after natural forest eco-systems but focus on plants that
provide food, medicines and other resources. Urban yards can also take advantage of the
possibilities of using vertical space to make up for what they lack in horizontal space. All 7
layers (root, ground cover, herb layer, shrubs, mall trees, large trees, vines) can be
occupied by plants that offer not only beauty but food, medicine, or other benefits as well.
When appropriately designed for a particular bio-region, forest gardens provide an
abundance of food in a way that is self-perpetuating, self-fertilizing, self-mulching, self-
watering, self-pollinating and highly resistant to disease.
Permaculture is an approach to designing landscapes that works with nature rather than
against nature. Permaculture seeks to create beautiful living systems that provide food (and
other essentials) for people in sustainable ways.
Permaculture was “founded” in Australia by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the 1970’s. It
combines age-old indigenous wisdom with new insights emerging from movements for
sustainability around the world. Permaculture is a dynamic, eclectic, and creative discipline
now happening world-wide.
Permaculture is based on the following three ethical principles:
Care of the earth
Care of the people
Sharing the surplus
Some Key Permaculture Principles
Observation – One must have a clear understanding of their immediate environment and the
surrounding bio-region to create appropriate designs. Micro-climates (warmth, sun,
moisture etc.) and other unique features of an area can be discovered and used to enhance
the design.
Native Plants – Since native plants are bested adapted to and integrated within the local
ecology, they are preferred over exotic plants. However, carefully selected “exotic” plants
can and should be used for particular purposes such as food production when there are no
equivalent native species.
Perennial Plants – Where possible, perennial plants are favoured over annuals as they can
become long term members of an urban plant community and generally require less labour
and resources than annuals. In addition to the many species of fruit, berries, nuts, and
herbs that do well in Edmonton, there are also numerous perennial greens that can be
harvested throughout the growing season to be eaten in salads, soups, stews etc.. Annual
vegetables and herbs, however, also have an important place in an urban permaculture
system.
Relationships – Plants in a permaculture design are carefully selected and situated for the
relationships they will have with other plants and other elements in the system. Diverse
plants with diverse relationships are desired. These relationships will create a “synergistic”
effect, creating a thriving ecological community.
Elements – All elements of a permaculture design will have multiple functions. For example, a
selected tree may provide shade for a sitting area, berries for food, habitat for birds,
screening of an undesirable view, and may build the soil by fixing nitrogen, thereby
supporting the plants grown around it.
Functions – All functions are supported by multiple elements. For example, food will come
from many plants, not just one or two. Many different plants will be used to attract a variety
of pollinators and other beneficial insects. Water will be harvested and retained in a variety
of ways, thereby reducing demand on city water and ensuring that the system will continue
to thrive during times of drought.
Zones – As a tool for site analysis and planning, permaculture considers every system to be
comprised of five “zones”. In brief, “Zone 1” is closest to the house and includes those
elements that are needed most on a day to day basis (i.e. kitchen herbs and vegetables) .
Zones progress away from the house to less intensively cultivated or harvested elements all
the way to Zone 5” which is “wildland” left for birds and other local wildlife.
Resource Use – Permaculture systems strive to use as few external “inputs” as possible and
to produce as little “waste” as possible. Natural resources such as sunlight and water are
absorbed and maintained within the system as long s possible. Composting and mulching are
used extensively to maintain and increase soil fertility. When outside “inputs” are required,
they are preferably sourced as locally as possible and are ideally “waste” from the
surrounding environment.
Stacking – Plants incorporated into a permaculture landscape are “stacked” both in space
and in time. Plants will be chosen to occupy the following 7 layers; below ground (i.e root
crops), ground cover, herbaceous plants, shrubs, small trees, tall trees, and vines. Similarly,
thought should be given into the long term development of the landscape over time,
ensuring that the system will be thriving many years from now.
Home-Scale Examples of Permaculture
Permaculture is just as relevant and useful for the city-dweller as it for a small farmer or
alternative community. Some very basic examples of how permaculture principles and
design can be used in the urban setting include:
Water Harvesting – Collecting run-off water from roofs, redirecting it to trees, shrubs and
beds, and storing it in rain barrels for later use is an easy, economical and highly beneficial
practice. Water can be further retained within the home landscape by using mulches, close
plantings and by ensuring a high level of organic matter in the soil.
Perennial Plants for Food – Most urban dwellers equate growing food with a square
vegetable patch in the back corner of the yard. Nothing could be further from the truth!
There are abundant possibilities for growing a tremendous amount of food-producing
perennial plants in cities like Edmonton. Fruits, berries, nuts, perennial herbs and perennial
greens can all be included in an urban permaculture landscape.
Composting and Mulching – There is no substitute for home grown compost! Intensive
composting allows for the recycling of resources within one’s permaculture system and
contributes greatly to soil fertility, structure and long term sustainability. Specialized
composting techniques such as “sheet mulching” can facilitate the generation of larger
amounts of compost within the growing beds themselves. Regular surface mulching also
contributes organic matter to the soil, retains moisture, inhibits weed growth and reduces
soil erosion and soil compaction.
Use of Microclimates – City dwellers are blessed with numerous microclimates within their
own yards. South facing walls, for example, can provide an excellent location for heat loving
plants like grapes, tomatoes, or peppers and can also be good locations for extending the
growing season. Lettuce and other greens, for example, sown in a passive cold frame on
the south side of a house can produce a harvest in late March or early April and as late in the
season as the end of November or early December. Microclimates can also be created, by
such techniques as mounding up soil for an herb spiral which will have both hot and cool, wet
and dry microclimates as well as creating additional surface area in the same amount of
space.
Plant Selections and Placement – While the post card picture of suburbia includes a large
lush lawn with 3-4 shrubs, 2 trees and a couple of flower beds, urbanites are discovering
that their own yards provides them with enough space to incorporate many diverse plant
species. In the permaculture design approach, all of these plants will have a particular
purpose and will be placed in careful relationship with other plants.
A “nitrogen-fixing” caraganna hedge, for example, might be placed on the north side of a
yard to provide a windbreak for the home, some privacy and a “heat trap” for tomatoes
placed on its south side. The tomatoes will benefit from the nitrogen provided by the
carragana and will also enjoy higher rates of pollination thanks to the number of bees that
are attracted to the carragana flowers. The carragana hedge can in turn be cut (at least
once per season as it is a very fast grower) to provide material for the compost pile. There
are countless other inter-relationships like this that can be designed into an urban
permaculture system.
Forest Gardens – Mature forests occupy all available space with lush growth. “Forest
gardens” model themselves after natural forest eco-systems but focus on plants that
provide food, medicines and other resources. Urban yards can also take advantage of the
possibilities of using vertical space to make up for what they lack in horizontal space. All 7
layers (root, ground cover, herb layer, shrubs, mall trees, large trees, vines) can be
occupied by plants that offer not only beauty but food, medicine, or other benefits as well.
When appropriately designed for a particular bio-region, forest gardens provide an
abundance of food in a way that is self-perpetuating, self-fertilizing, self-mulching, self-
watering, self-pollinating and highly resistant to disease.
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