By Jude Hobbs: www.cascadiapermaculture.com
reprinted with permission from the author

Have you ever wondered how you could design your property to maximize efficiency and sustainability? Whether you live on large acreage or a city lot, permaculture is a type of science syste-matically offering practical, creative and positive techniques for incorporating sustainability into all aspects of ones’ life—from water harvesting, to gardening, to supporting local business.

The concept of permaculture started in the early 1970’s with a grassroots movement born in Tasmania Australia by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. By observing patterns in nature they developed a strategy to create systems for a permanent agriculture and culture. Permaculture is defined as whole-systems method of design that offers ways we can create a more permanent culture by conscious, sustainable use of resources in all aspects of living. It considers the “big picture” through thoughtful integration of water, land, plants, people, animals, shelter, technologies, and community. The goal is to design small-scale energy efficient rural and urban homesteads.

In 1990 Bill Mollison wrote Perma-culture: A Practical Guide for a Sustainable Future (Island Press). In this in-depth manual describing techniques to actualize Permaculture Bill Mollison states, “Permaculture design is a system of assembling conceptual, material, and strategic components in a pattern which functions to benefit all life forms.” A follow up book and an easier read is An Introduction to Permaculture by Mollison and Reny Slay. In each book the principles and elements are clearly defined. Understanding these principles will act as a guide to the, sometimes, overwhelming nature of the design process. By reading the land, observing and recording what is existing (site analysis) and what you want to include (needs assessment) you can start to prioritize what to do when and where. Permaculture turns problems into solutions, constraints into resources, and arranges as many functions as possible in every element of the landscape.

The first step is very simple—observing through the four seasons climatic conditions of rain, sun, wind, and frost patterns. During torrential rains how does the water flow on the land. What is the potential for swales, ponds or roof catchment systems? Once you are very familiar with your site you can sort out solutions and implement accordingly, as time and money allows.

Permaculture Techniques On Your Site

Holding water on the land, for as long as possible, is one of the most important principles in Permaculture. Soil and trees are wonderful sponges for holding water as are rain catchment such as, ponds, swales, tanks, and barrels. For example, one of my favorite ways to store rainwater that is intercepted off my roof, is with wine barrels. Since we are in wine country the oak barrels come available when they are no longer useful to the wineries. From off our house roof gutter, I direct the downspout into the barrel, put a tap on the barrel side bottom and an overflow on the side top. Water is easily accessible for use and when the barrel is full the overflow goes into a swale or into the storm water system. Many cities are now changing their policies for rain run-off and are researching water collection through swales, ponds, and wetland filtration systems. They are supporting the use of rain catchment to lesson the costs of storm water disposal, even offering credit for storm water mitigation.

A small lined pond is also a multi-functional urban resource. Ponds can provide irrigation, water for animals, aquatic crops, fire control, light reflection, livestock barriers, habitat for waterfowl, and a place for quiet reflection. Keeping sustainability in mind, incorporating as many functions for a single element is the key to successful design.
Is the sun beating down on your house all summer? The planting of deciduous trees on the southwest side will block the summer sun and allow light for winter. Do you notice strong winds that impede plant growth or add to chilling house temperatures—windbreaks can funnel air up and outward. These hedgerows or windbreaks are another way to create a diverse multifunctional guild by planting trees, shrubs, ground covers, vines and/or herbs. These planting strips along property lines, between fields, and/or along riparian zones can conserve water, lesson erosion, provide additional income, and furnish habitat for beneficial insects and wildlife.

Noticing frost pockets gives you early warning what not to plant where. Permaculture is accessing each part of the landscape whether it be conditions you can “control” or outside influences like fire and floods.

Permaculture not only considers the land but also the house (Zone 0). If you are building a structure consider solar orientation, using recycled materials or constructing with local material such as cob or straw bale. In your existing house is it well insulated? Is appropriate technology part of your operational system? Are you using environmentally safe products? Do you precycle/recycle? Do you buy bulk foods and support your local organic farmers through Community Supported Agriculture or farmers markets? Think of the many other ways to bring sustainability into your home.

Within a permaculture system relative location is essential for sustainability through efficiency and is defined in terms of zones I-V. It seems there is never enough time to do everything that needs to get done. If we locate the most often visited areas closest to the house (Zone I) then we will have walked less steps and saved more time.

You might consider an attached greenhouse on the south side of your home with vines (Kiwis or grapes) covering it to offer summer shade. Whether you live in the country or an urban setting providing some edibles by the house saves time and can provide year round beauty. For instance, planting the salad and herb garden near your kitchen door provides salad for dinner and also culinary herbs to season the soup. The kitchen garden is considered an element. Within this element, design in as many functions as possible. In the herb garden you might wish to have some chives, parsley, coriander, oregano, thyme, and/or other plants that taste good and attract beneficial insects. You could also include fragrant flowers; a bench for resting and/or a birdbath made from an old tree stump and a recycled garbage can lid.

Here are a few other examples of edible landscaping near our house. I have a fig tree in a protected spot in amongst some larger trees, at the base are perennial flowers and herbs. The blueberries, with strawberries below, are planted along the edge of the vegetable garden and are a transition into another perennial flower and herb garden. In this area is a thriving “Frost” peach and “Italian Prune” plum tree. I have found in my partly shaded large yard blueberries, thimbleberries, lingonberries, strawberries, honeyberry, an apple tree, Rhododendrons, sword fern, hardy fuchsia, and camas grow well even under my huge black walnut tree. Mini-dwarf fruit trees are tucked in throughout the yard as are many bird attracting plants.

As we go further from the house into Zone II a larger vegetable garden may be located, as well as small domestic animals, some dwarf fruit trees, out buildings, and small ponds. A greenhouse could also be placed in this area. The other day I took a walk around a friend’s garden where he had built a small green house using recycled wood for the main structure, metal for the roof and straw insulation from the neighbors field. To maintain heat he included large black 55-gallon drums filled with water on the north wall. This structure kept his chili pepper collection frost-free all winter.

The idea of including chickens or rabbits in the urban homestead seems to be catching on. Having manure for the garden and protein for us increases one’s self-reliance. I started raising rabbits when our young daughter was begging for a dog. We decided we wanted a quieter less demanding pet so we visited a friend who had rabbits. Gabrielle immediately fell in love with the soft furry critters and forgot all about the dog. Now, fourteen years later I still include rabbits as part of our permaculture system.

Zone III will be the place for the commercial farm crops, forage foods, larger orchard area, nursery plants, and windbreaks. In Zone IV are the forest and pasture areas managed for wildcrafting and fuel needs. Woven into each zone could be plants for wildlife, soil conditioning, windbreaks and water storage. There are often overlaps within each zone. Zone V is the uncultivated wild sanctuary area.

Within sustainable practices biological resources are used when available to balance energy in and out of the system to conserve resources. Well thought out management in the beginning stages will yield as a long term investment. Some ways of achieving this are using animal manures, leaves and other plant debris for mulch and compost, trees for fuel, maintaining piles of prunings for wildlife habitat, planting nitrogen fixing cover crops and plants, utilizing chicken or pig “tractors” for scratching, fertilizing and digging up the ground for insects and roots, and Indian Runner ducks who are voracious slug eaters.

The area between one microclimate and another is defined as an edge. It is a well-utilized principle in permaculture that encourages diversity and stability. If one thinks about what grows at a forest edge or along a stream we observe a wide variety of insect, animal and plant life.

Those of us who live in sub/urban areas can encourage the planting of fruit and nut trees in city parks and general tree planting wherever possible. Also, community gardens, bicycle paths, mass transit, and the decentralization of shopping centers are important in urban development. Become involved with city planning and encourage new housing to face south and include appropriate technology. Apartment dwellers can use balconies and windowsills for growing herbs and salad greens. There are many exciting ways to become involved in the passage into self-reliant ways. An excellent resource for sub/urbanites is Toby Hemenway’s, Gaia’s Garden A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture.

In permaculture the economic, political and social elements are also considered, as well as community networking. Cooperating with neighbors, bartering for goods and labor, supporting local businesses, being involved with political activism are some ways to affirm sustainability. The ethical basis of permaculture rests upon care of the earth, care for each other and distributing surplus goods, knowledge and time.

Every permaculture site is unique, as unique as its inhabitants. There will be a wide range of style and techniques that can be utilized in every environmental condition and within any culture.

Bill Mollison is often quoted, “If you set out to solve the worlds’ problems at some stage you will become a gardener. If you set out to become a gardener at some stage you will see that you are working to solve the world’s problems.”

Jude Hobbs is a horticulturist, permaculture designer and instructor, who has provided environmental design solutions for urban and rural settings since 1982. The author of “A Guide to Multi-Functional Hedgerows,” Jude tends a forest garden in Eugene, Oregon and has taught permaculture workshops and courses throughout the West for15 years. hobbsj@efn.org