Permaculture Principles: A Grower’s Guide
Permaculture. Perhaps you’ve heard the word before, perhaps not. Although the word itself is relatively new, the practices that define it have been around for as long as humans have been cultivating plants. Indeed, it has been the primary agricultural system around the world for most of that time, only recently being upended by the corporate industrial/chemical complex. To farm in a permaculture sense is to work WITH the landscape, rather than against it. Instead of Round-up spraying then plowing up a hillside to grow corn which will lead to the loss of the aformentioned hillside, we can make berms and swales on which we grow trees and shrubs such as Walnuts, Chestnuts, Hazelnuts and Gojis to stabilize the soil and continually build it through leaf deposition. No need for expensive tractors, fuel or toxic sprays. Instead of installing costly drainage tile to dry up a wet spot, we can grow Pears, Paw paws, Blueberries, Elderberries and Willows which thrive on the abundant moisture. Instead of irrigation lines (which need constant maintenance and pressurized water) for dry spots, we can plant tap-rooted perennials like Oaks, Persimmon and Hickory with a thick mulch of wood chips to lock moisture in and build incredible fertility. These are just a handful of examples involving plants and permaculture. Many more exist and would require an entire book to be described in detail.
Once those basics are understood we can delve even deeper. Nitrogen fixing plants such as Clover, Autumn Olive, Senna, Lupine, and False Indigo interspersed throughout the landscape put down fertilizer free for the taking without any work or expense on the growers part. These plants also foster biodiversity through their nectar rich flowers and fruit/seeds. There is no mono-culture of one single crop stretching to the horizon. Life of all kinds can find various niches and you will see a huge boost in the health of all beings involved, yours first and foremost.
Animals should absolutely be encouraged here as well, though with some considerations. Chickens, with their insatiable appetite and endless scratching, make incredible compost with far less work on our part. They aerate the coarse materials and add nitrogen rich droppings to the mix. Pesky bugs in the garden meet a swift end to the beak of a hungry hen. Garden areas can be gently tilled free of weeds. The fact that we gets eggs and meat out of the deal almost seems too good to be true! Pigs are compost turners extraordinaire. Sheep will graze a pasture cleaner than any lawn mower, and I’d like to see a lawn mower that provides a soft, durable wool for use as clothing. Sheep also don’t run on gasoline, needing only good pasture and clean water for fuel. Goats are the brush mower equivalent of sheep, tackling nuisance weeds like poison ivy, bittersweet and even multiflora rose!
Annual gardening certainly has merit here as well. Clever inter-planting can alleviate many of the troublesome pests and disease that can pop up in the garden. Confusing insects with fragrant plants like Garlic, Tulsi and Mints can work wonders for keeping them away from your prized Tomatoes. Deep mulching with leaves, hay or grass clippings keeps weeds at bay, saving the gardener many hours of labor while also enriching the soil for long term fertility. Less watering also results from the carpet of moisture holding mulch. All the fruit and flowers make for a garden humming with birds, bugs, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
But permaculture has also become much more than just planting trees and shrubs and mulching the garden deeply. In fact, it even influences many things outside of the agricultural realm. Situating a house so it’s windows face south takes advantage of solar gain in the winter, leading to less energy costs. Diverting your shower or dish water (grey water) so it filters into the landscape instead of the already burdened municipal treatment plant. Coppicing certain hardwood trees so they regenerate an endless supply of firewood for heating your home. Creating charcoal for many uses such as cleaning/filtering water, heating your home, cooking, and a fertilizer that will persist in the soil for eons. Heck, even hanging your clothes on a line to dry takes advantage of the ever shining sun to do the work for us instead of expending more energy that we have to buy. All of these things and more can fall under the umbrella term of permaculture.
In all, perhaps the best description of permaculture is just putting the right pieces in the right places so they can function together as a whole. When we do that, the plants, animals, sun, soil, rain and wind take on more of the work that we find burdensome in farming and that, in turn, leaves us with more time for the good stuff. Many of those hours spent weeding, tilling, watering, spraying and worrying will be replaced by eating, harvesting, enjoying your homestead and pursuing further creative endeavors. The land knows how to take care of itself, we just need to put the right pieces in the right places!