A Definition of Permaculture

 "Permaculture" - A word coined by Bill Mollison.

Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems.  It is the harmonious integration of landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way. 

Permaculture design is a system of assembling conceptual, material, and strategic components in a pattern which functions to benefit life in all its forms--based on principles of cooperation, rather than competition.  

The philosophy of permaculture lends itself to working with, rather than against, nature.  

The prime directive of permaculture:  The only ethical decision is to take responsibility for our own existence and that of our children. 

Gardening Goddess - My Permaculture Dream

I have a new favorite book!  It's Bill Mollison's, "Permaculture, A Designer's Manual".  

Photo by Erik Kuykendall

It is a far-heartier read than I initially expected.  It's an approachable book that quickly draws a reader in as it gets down to business almost immediately.  There is an appropriate abundance of helpful illustrations that Bill uses to demystify very challenging concepts in an easily understood writing style.  

Whether you are getting your Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC), creating your own food forest, or just have an interest in permaculture & food forests; this is an absolute must-read.

We bought our copy through Bill Mollison's Tagari Publications site.  

Geoff Lawton's PDC (Permaculture Design Course)

We began our PDC (Permaculture Design Course) training with Geoff Lawton this week and  are so excited.  We have already gobbled up the introductory sessions and are eagerly awaiting the next sections.  It's late and we've been up all night studying and doing research for our business plan and for our general plant, herb and food forest knowledge.  

Tomorrow we attend four business seminars through the Relationship and Information Series for Entrepreneurs (RISE) in an attempt to clarify our direction with our business plan for the retreat and educational center. There's one thing that seems to confound a number of the entrepreneurial speakers and educators we interact with:  We don't see ourselves as having competition as we want everyone to do this.  

We learned about this and other great resources through one of Austin's great hidden resources, Lance McNeill at BCL of Texas - Business & Community Lenders.

We just ordered Bill Mollison's "PERMACULTURE, A Designers Manual".  It is considered to be the field book and go-to guide for all involved in the field.  It can be found with other wonderful permaculture and food forest references at the Tagari store, run by Mollison.  

PERMACULTURE: A Designers Manual

by Bill Mollison

This is the definitive Permaculture design manual in print since 1988. It is the textbook and curriculum for the 72-hour Certificate course in Permaculture Design.
Written for teachers, students and designers, it follows on and greatly enlarges on the initial introductory texts, permaculture One (1978) and Permaculture Two (1979) both of which are still in demand.
Very little of the material found in this book is reproduced from the former texts. It covers design methodologies and strategies for both urban and rural applications, describing property design and natural farming techniques.

• Designers' Manual
• Design methods
• Understanding patterns
• The Humid Tropics
• Dryland Strategies
• Humid Cool to Cold Climates

• Trees and their energy
• Aquaculture
• Concepts and Themes in Design
• Soils and Water
• Earthworking and Earth Resources

How We Got Here - Our Food Forest Dream

Today, we established our DBA (doing business as)  for the food forest retreat we have been working toward obtaining.  Of course, it is not a food forest or a retreat yet; but dream it, research it, live it and it will be.

We hope to use this blog to document our adventure, allow others to learn from our successes and mistakes, and educate our soon-to-be child.  We also hope to use this as a reference for ourselves, our future students and those who share our vision.

How we got here:  We both have an interest in permaculture and food forest gardening.  We've been seeking to find ways to integrate ourselves, our communities and their communities into to a more balanced, healthy co-existence with each other, our planet and it's gifts. 

Samantha became interested in Bill Mollison's work in the years she was in Argentina and Erik did when  travelling in Northern California.  Bill is the one who coined the term permaculture.  We study his work, and the work of Graham Bell, Patrick Whitefield, Dave Jacke, Eric Toensmeier, Geoff Lawton and Robert Hart's 7-layer system. 

We not only appreciate Robert Hart's insights, but his guiding principles of democratically organized, small, self-sustaining communities.   There are few better places to start learning about the seven-layer system than from him.  Here is a rare interview with him that inspired/inspires us:  

My favorite line from this video: "The high art of organic growing is producing really good compost."

Foliar sprays of seaweed, liquid comfrey, and liquid nettles are used to feed the plants. These mixtures don't destroy bugs and germs, but build up disease resistence and pest resistance of the plants.  

Natural forests can be divided into distinct layers. Hart developed an existing small orchard of apples and pears into an edible landscape consisting of seven dimensions:

1. A 'canopy' layer consisting of original mature fruit trees. 
2. A 'low-tree' layer of smaller nut and fruit trees on dwarfing root stocks. 
3. A 'shrub' layer of fruit bushes such as currants and berries. 
4. An 'herbaceous' layer of perennial vegetables and herbs. 
5. A 'ground cover' layer of edible plants that spread horizontally. 
6. A 'rhizosphere' or 'underground' dimension of plants grown for their roots and tubers. 
7. A 'vertical' layer of vines and climbers. 

"No epicure dish served at the most expensive restaurant can compare with fresh fruit, organically grown without chemicals, picked from one's own garden." (Robert Hart, 1913 - 2000)