Basics of Permaculture
- Marley Rosen
- Jun 3, 2024
- 2 min read
By M.R 🥸
Permaculture is a half-century old philosophy on sustainable human habits and agricultural design. It intends to guide people in creating systems that mimic the natural structure of the earth, minimizing energy use and conserving natural resources in the process.
Permaculture holds twelve design principles, or as permaculture co-founder David Holmgren calls them, "thinking tools"
They are as follows:
Observe & Interact
Catch and store energy
Obtain a yield
Apply self-regulation & accept feedback
Use & value renewable resources & services
Produce no waste
Design from patterns to details
Integrate rather than segregate
Use small and slow solutions
Use and value diversity
Use edges & value the marginal
Creatively use and respond to change
Delve into each principle in more detail here
Our host Seth used many permaculture principles in the design of his farm. Some examples are listed below.
He uses principle 1 by integrating the native plants of Chelan Valley into his botanicals when possible (for example, yarrow)
He employs principle 3 by basing his diet off of what he produces
He sourced his compost materials from the waste of local farmers, combining principles 5 and 6.
for the 'green' layer of compost, he used apple mush from a local cider press
for the 'brown' layer of compost, he asked the local parks and rec group for the dead leaves they collected from trail maintenance
Principle 7 taught Seth to build his flower bed closest to his house because they require the most maintenance and increasing the proximity to his house decreases the effort to care for them and therefore increases the chance of survival.
Sources:
permacultureprinciples.com, "Permaculture Design Principles"
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