/r/Permaculture
A community for like-minded individuals to discuss permaculture and sustainable living. Permaculture (Permanent Culture) is an ecological design system coined in Australia by David Holmgren and Bill Mollison
Permaculture (Permanent-Culture): A practical design philosophy intended to help us live and prosper in an environment, while working with nature in a positive way, using solutions based on careful observation of natural ecosystems and common sense. This can include food and energy production, shelter, resource management, nature conservation and community living.
Please Read Before Posting:
It's pretty often that we see questions along the lines of, "I want to do X--what are the species/structures to get it done?" This isn't a bad question but there's not enough information to give a decent answer. When submitting a question, there is some information that ought to be included, such as:
This is the kind of stuff a permaculture consultant wants to know before doing a site visit/design/recommendation. And while no one is going to get a professional job done over reddit, better questions will lead to better answers.
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/r/Permaculture
Hi all, I’m hoping to get some input from people with experience as I have access to a yard for the first time ever and am a total novice.
We have poor soil and patchy grass in the willamette valley. I have long term plans and my first project is a fruit tree guild.
I am confused about what steps I should take first, or sequentially….basically my whole order of operations. What I WANT to do for this fruit guild is plant daikon radish to aerate my soil, sheet mulch, and grow companion plants.
Do I skip the daikon and go straight to mulch? Do I plant my companion plants at the same time as my fruit tree, or can I get them set up with the space for the tree covered by mulch? Or tree first?
Would really appreciate any insights.
Zone 5b: I recently tried my hand at putting down a cover crop this fall. I put down Austrian winter peas for my pumpkin patch, and buckwheat seeds on my raised beds. I am realizing now that buckwheat is not at all frost tolerant.
Is there anybody who has personal experience using buckwheat? Do I have any chance of germination and growth?
I am looking at my property which is about 1/4 of an acre lawn/buildings + an attached 1/2 acre lot that has been left to grow for a number of years.
The 1/2 acre plot has some shrubs and trees on the edges, with the rest being various grasses, dandelions, etc
As I want to establish an orchard/food forest and grow various vegetables, I've been thinking of ways to get rid of the current vegetation in the best/least disruptive way for the soil (I sadly don't have access to massive amounts of wood chips like many others seem to do).
I've been thinking to maybe get some older chickens who don't lay as many eggs any more who could live out their retirement at my house and free-range on the plot. They would kill the vegetation except for the shrubs and trees (who could provide shade during the summer), whilst depositing nutrient rich manure. I get what I want without using poisons or heavy machinery, the chickens get a good life, win-win.
Would this work? And if so, how many would be needed assuming the free range all year?
A friend just gave me a load of shit -- finest grade, organic, straight from the coop. Never used it before. Do I need to add carbon? How long does it take to compost and decompose, before I can use it? Should I cover it with a tarp to protect it from the rain?
Before this gets taken down, u/signal-ad889 you are not alone. Last year I had great success planting sunchoke tubers in hellstrips, vacant lots and other waste spaces in the northeast where sunchoke is native (the property of the post office is especially neglected and fruitful).
Planting famine foods in waste spaces is not the same thing as a pyramid scheme. If everybody in my city has one more day of food in a tight situation that's one more day for our governments to get their shit together. You are not alone, and I am not alone. Our eyes are open.
Edit because I forgot to post my recipe as I have hit my head and was also in an airplane.
I find they get much less farty if you slice them widthwise, toss in some oil and salt, wrap and foil and bake on low 250 f for at least 6 hours. Preferably a day or two or do a traditional pit oven covered in dirt
Hey everyone!
I’m currently a senior at UWM working on my thesis project, and I’m developing an app idea that aims to bring gardening enthusiasts together in a community-focused way.
I’ve put together a short survey to gather input from real people who are passionate about gardening or have any botanical interests. If you have a few minutes, I’d love for you to check it out and share your thoughts.
https://forms.gle/DjvN6ZaKTHMQX3aA6
Your input would really help me make this project as meaningful and impactful as possible. Thank you! 🌿
I have a section of my land that is about 150 Sq. Ft and holds a mixture of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. I want to remove the lawn from the in betweens and replace with something else.
What would do well and not interfere with the berry plants? Something that I don't have to mow as one of my goals is to take my lawn down about 80%-90%.
I have 160 acres in the mountains of southeast Idaho. It is mostly sagebrush and juniper. I would like to know what I can plant there that will grow.
Where do you suggest I get organic seeds for veggie garden and other edibles?
Wondering if anyone has experience growing paw paw next/under black walnut? I don’t have a huge yard, and I’ve read paw paws enjoy shade in undergrowth areas - the best spot for that I have is next to a black walnut. Will the juglone from black walnut hurt a paw paw?
Anyone in central coast Maine know of some sloe plants I could take a cutting from?
Good evening all, I have some family that is looking to replace a hedge that needs to be severely cut back and to also provide some privacy for their yard, but they would also like it to be edible and native (or at least noninvasive). Ideally this would also be something that can be fairly easily propagated and grows to a max height of 10ish feet. They live in central NY, zone 5b. I've already suggested elderberry due to its medicinal, edible, and relative ease of propogation. Highbush Blueberries may be an option but are a pain to propagate. I've also considered suggesting grapes, currants, honeyberries, or hazelnuts but I'd love to have some additional suggestions. Thanks all!
I had to harvest my pumpkins early this season and I have one specifically that I either need to eat or throw away. It a Muscat de Provence and when it was harvested it had a small spot that was rotten, I cut around it generously and it looked good. Not quite ripe but alright. It's mostly green from the outside and light orange from the inside. I taste tested it and it was blander than usual but okay. According to my research unripe pumpkins are edible but not necessarily enjoyable, may taste a little bland like zucchini but no cause for concern as far as safety goes. Does anyone have knowledge or experience on this subject?
Normally I wait till a frost kills everything then I pull the remains and toss them into the compost. After surprising success of overwinter garlic last year and some decent kale, I want to put some more winter crops in...more garlic and shallots. I have a lot of slowed down, but pretty healthy veggies out there. Should I cut them and leave their roots in the ground for the soil benefits, or should pull? Pulling is starting to seem a little wasteful, based on what little I know about soil health.
I need 500 participants for a survey about a smart garden system as part of a school project. Everything is purely virtual. Thank you! (no personal data needed)
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeWub1LQJMz3fQkolcMZTqg4jiuOm7F8S0XrP25L7_yjhCmkg/viewform?usp=sf_link
Here’s a 3 month update of the diversity we’ve added to a food forest we purchased in Southern Ecuador.
I'm looking for fruits shrub and even herb size food plants which would be happy to live in environment outside where sun in mostly in morning. It's a small belt behind the house. My first idea was to do shade garden with shade loving azaleas, hostas but somehow I would prefer some fruit plants - as small 'shade' fruit forest. I'm in USDA hardiness zone 6b. Please help me with suggestions from your experience! Thank you
Hi, I posted here asking what to do under my cherry tree and received some great info. I removed some dirt and exposed the root flair. Then I added a little bit of compost around the perimeter. I watered that down until it was soaked then added a layer of cardboard. Finally I dropped about 6" of wood chip on top of everything and gave it a good soak last night. Hopefully this will keep the weeds at bay!
Thanks for all your help and I'll work on getting some "guild" plants in there this spring.
I don't know what my first step should be
I am planting a 120’ Berry hedge, 5’ spacing so ~24 shrubs. It’ll have a mix of blackberries, currants, haskap, and a couple more.
Should I group similar plants together or alternate spread them out? I’m trying to balance disease/pest resilience, cross pollination (especially for the haskap), ease of harvest, and I guess probably aesthetics too.
Stay sexy you wonderful permaculture badass
So, I'm looking at buying a new home. It's 2.0 acres, but a considerable amount of it, about half, is on a relatively steep slope (lets say, around 45 degrees), down to a brook. The slope is dense with what appears to be virgin forest. The existing trees are beautiful, of course, and it feels like it would be irresponsible to thin them out just to plant fruits and nuts trees The rest of the land is more than enough to start with, but I'm still wondering if I can make use of the existing forest slope.
What's the permaculture recommendation for this situation? Is it even suitable for gardening? Thinking extreme long term is fine, too--maybe I just plant the desired trees where the slop is thinnest and hope for the best--but even so, maintenance and harvesting on a slope like that sounds pretty difficult.
PS. I was thinking, since there is the brook there--is that going to be suitable for raising ducks? What would I have to consider there, since I'm in Canada, and I expect the water will freeze.
I'm currently breeding wild carrots with my cultivated carrots and I am wanting to buy either sea carrot seeds of flowers so I can put more diverse genetics into my hybrids. Also, if you get a wild carrot flower from Tennessee, and another one from somewhere like Colorado they put drastically different genetics into the seeds. Like way more than you would expect.