(Photo Courtesy of Erik Kuykendall)
Showing posts with label Nature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nature. Show all posts
22 September 2014
17 December 2013
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.
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.
10 May 2013
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:
"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)
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:
- A 'canopy' layer consisting of original mature fruit trees.
- A 'low-tree' layer of smaller nut and fruit trees on dwarfing root stocks.
- A 'shrub' layer of fruit bushes such as currants and berries.
- An 'herbaceous' layer of perennial vegetables and herbs.
- A 'ground cover' layer of edible plants that spread horizontally.
- A 'rhizosphere' or 'underground' dimension of plants grown for their roots and tubers.
- 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)
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