In the permaculture garden, naturalness is the priority. This does not mean that the garden is left to its own devices, but rather that it is cultivated in a species-rich, sustainable manner that benefits people and nature. Below you will find out how you can achieve this and practice permaculture in your garden yourself.
What is a permaculture garden and what elements does it contain?
A permaculture garden is a sustainable, species-rich cultivation that is based on natural processes and benefits people, animals and nature. Central elements are hill beds, raised beds, potato towers, herb snails, vertical gardens, dry stone walls, rainwater barrels, ponds, natural hedges and the use of animals.
What is permaculture?
Bill Mollison is considered the father of permaculture. In 1978 he founded the first institute for permaculture together with David Holmgren. The name is a combination of permanent and agriculture. Permanent here is understood in the sense of sustainability as the creation of self-contained cycles while dealing meaningfully and respectfully with nature and its resources while at the same time maximizing benefits for people. Permaculture involves including and using all existing elements, maintaining or improving soil fertility and biodiversity, and providing habitat and food for birds, insects and other animals. The term permaculture is now no longer only used in the garden sector, it is also used in the energy industry and in the design of social infrastructure.
In the permaculture garden, animals and nature live together in harmony
Bill Mollison defined permaculture as follows: “Permaculture is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems that have the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. The philosophy behind permaculture is a philosophy that works with and not against nature, a philosophy of ongoing and deliberate observation rather than ongoing and mindless action; it looks at systems in all their functions rather than demanding only one type of output from them, and it allows systems to demonstrate their own evolutions.”
The 12 principles of permaculture
David Holmgren has created 12 permaculture design principles that you can use as a basis for creating your permaculture garden:
1. Observe and use
One of the basics of permaculture is knowing the existing conditions and plants and integrating them into the garden. To do this, you should know your soil and the plants and animals that naturally grow in the garden, as well as any slopes, sunlight and wind patterns.
2. Collect and store energy
Renewable energy sources are often used in permaculture. This includes not only the well-known solar cells (€74.00 at Amazon) and wind and water power, but also the use of solar energy, for example to heat water (e.g. in black hoses), in greenhouses or cold frames or even to store water.
3. Earn a return
As I said, permaculture is not just about creating a natural garden, but about generating a yield that feeds people and animals.
4. Creating self-regulating cycles
If you succeed in creating sustainable cycles, it not only saves a lot of work, it also promotes the natural balance in nature. This is achieved, for example, by growing perennial plants.
5. Use renewable resources
A tree provides shade and thus benefits the gardener. If it is felled, it produces wood, but no longer provides shade. It makes more sense to use only parts of the tree as wood so that it can fulfill both functions.
6. Recycle everything, throw nothing away
Garden waste can be used to make compost or to build mounds or raised beds, becoming a valuable resource.
7. Recognize patterns, then design details
In permaculture, we should always keep an eye on the whole as a system in order to be able to use and improve it as such. If you know the whole thing, changes can be made within the system without throwing it out of balance.
8. Integration
This point is closely related to the first: It is important to know the system and its parts and how they interact in order to be able to integrate and use them.
9. Find small and slow solution strategies
“Good things take time,” as the saying goes, and permaculture shares this opinion. Highly cultivated, fast-growing plants are poor in nutrients and often cannot do without chemicals. In permaculture, life is given time to develop.
10. Appreciate and promote diversity
Monocultures are susceptible to pests and diseases. Diversity is significantly better protected against voracious guests and offers he althier food sources for both humans and animals.
11. Use edge zones
Since permaculture is often used in small spaces, it should be used as efficiently as possible. Therefore, peripheral zones should also be valued and used sensibly. Even an allotment garden can become a permaculture garden.
12. Taking advantage of changes
If something doesn't work, the gardener quickly despairs. But changes are part of life and should be valued and used within the framework of permaculture.
Central elements of a permaculture garden
Over time, central design tools in permaculture have emerged that should not be missing in any permaculture garden. These elements allow the cultivation of very productive plants in a small space, such as:
- hillbed
- Raised bed
- Potato Tower
- Herb snail
- Vertical Gardens
- Drystone wall
- Rainwater barrel
- Ponds
- Natural hedges
- Use of animals such as ducks, sheep or chickens
