What is Permaculture?
Permaculture is a design system that enables us to recognise, utilise and enhance the resources of a particular site for the benefit of humans and all other species. It involves utilising the areas closest to houses and settlements for production of food and the areas at greater distance for nature conservation. Permaculture logically extends into ethical investment, cooperative community design, ecologically sound building practices, sustainable land management, and social justice for all.
Organic food production in the home garden is grass roots sedition - the most simple yet effective means of undermining an unsustainable status quo.
Gardening is a form of agriculture. It competes for the same resources - soil, water, nutrients, mulch and labour. If it isn't productive then it is wasteful of these resources.
We can make a difference. We must make a difference.
Productive organic gardening provides fresh, nutritious, tasty food and avoids soil degradation, water wastage, biochemical pollution, and fossil fuel consumption in production, harvesting, transport, processing, storage, sale and delivery.
Think globally. Act locally.
Your garden design can include:
* effective structural elements to use and create natural microclimates and crop protection
* a wide biodiversity of productive plants and appropriate animals
* organic vegetable garden of an appropriate scale including annual rotational beds and perennial beds
* an orchard of climate suitable fruit and nut trees
* preferential use of onsite resources, recycled resources, sustainably produced resources
This is the most comprehensive design requested by clients. It involves preliminary discussions to ascertain requirements, at least one site visit for evaluation and measurement and usually mapping. A drone can be used to obtain accurate and detailed information. A draft design is drawn up and after discussion a revised design is presented, including a suggested implementation schedule.
The design may include:
* Climate appropriate plant lists
* House siting for best energy efficiency,
* Placement of other infrastructure like fencing,
* Positioning of dams and drainage,
* Use of windbreaks,
* Home garden and orchard design.
The more experienced home gardener or broadscale farmer may be in need of only advice on plant types and positions for structures and plantings to extend or develop an existing design. This is usually in the form of an onsite evaluation with verbal design suggestions noted by the client or sketched by the designer. A follow-up summary can be provided if required.
This design option is offered because of the number of friends and clients who have made their design considerably and unnecessarily limited by the choice of site. A pre purchase evaluation can make a substantial difference to the cost and effort required to have a sustainable and productive lifestyle.
The items covered include:
* onsite soil analysis
* full laboratory soil analysis (nutrients and micro-nutrients and/or pesticide residues)
* site limitations and beneficial features
* water audit - including overall site flow, possible storage
* optimal building sites
* swale construction suitability
* suitable garden and orchard sites
* fencing appraisal for proposed uses / stock
* other site specific features
If you just need assistance to plan and/or install a smaller part of your own design, such as an Irrigation System, or a Greywater System, or Orchard/ Garden Layout this can be accommodated. This is usually achieved by a site visit followed by research into cost and availability of suitable options and after client consideration, a written and/or diagrammatic plan is drawn up.