I used to begin my permaculture workshops with a long winded definition of permaculture. It was basically a paraphrase from the back of Bill Mollison’s Introduction to Permaculture book.
Permaculture is a design philosophy and practical approach to living on the land. In permaculture we attempt to integrate plants, animals, human needs, water use, soil management and microclimate into a highly interdependent and self-sustaining ecosystem.
From there I went on to explain the core values, the ethics and the eleven core principles. Terms commonly used among permaculturists such as multi-functionality, stacking functions, accelerate succession, efficient energy planning, zones and sectors were described and demonstrated.
I tried to make the workshopsboth entertaining and educational with slide shows, garden tours and hands-on activities. Like most permaculturists I hoped to influence people to live and garden more sustainably.
Many who attended these workshops thought it all made sense. Permaculture has, in theory, caught on. There are articles about it in the mainstream press. Permaculture classes abound in municipalities and regions throughout the country. So why is that I rarely see a permaculture garden in my meanderings throughout the Bay Area or other places across the country?
What is stopping people?
Yes, most of us are too busy. And it is expensive to transform your landscape – even when you do so ecologically. But I think the main reason for many is that permaculture seems a bit too hard. It’s complicated. It often comes across as heady. What fun is that? I’m here to claim that permaculture is FUN.
Wikimedia - Margnus Manske
Permaculture is especially suited for people who like to create puzzles. Do you like having a dose of Rubic’s Cube in your life? Then you’ll like permaculture gardening. It is a terrific challenge to research, and discover trees, shrubs, ground-covers and stunningly beautiful flowers that provide food and medicine and support beneficial insects and provide shade for the house and support each other and do some of the garden maintenance themselves. Does it intrigue you to figure out the prettiest 1’ tall plants that attract bees to pollinate your espalier apple tree and also provide fodder for the chickens at the same time? Your sister has arthritis? Which herbs can you grow for that anti-arthritic salve you want to make for her? And if you grow those herbs next to the black currant bush could they actually potentiate its growth too? On and on it can go!
Wikimedia Commons - AnemoneProjectors
Permaculture is perfect for the amateur sleuth. If you read detective novels as a kid you can apply that passive sleuthing knowledge to the active permaculture garden. Pests, diseases and the occasional failed plant are common in all types of gardening. The challenge in permaculture is to determine the true cause and then develop a natural organic set of responses rather than a treating the problem with a knee-jerk dose of poison. So when the almond leaves show distortion you might actually identify the bug or fungal culprit and learn about its life cycle. In your research you’ll discover there is another insect that can keep the problem bug in check. You can bring that beneficial insect into your garden and keep it there by providing it with a home by planting a certain gorgeous flower or delicious herb that you read about in your bug book. And you’ll learn that applying compost to that almond tree will make it stronger and more resistant to pests in general. On and on it can go!
Wikimedia - Mdf- Edit by Laitch
Permaculture delights magic lovers. A permaculture garden becomes healthier, richer and more diverse over the years. Habitat such as birds, insects and other creatures will flock to your garden. Have you ever watched a fat bumblebee and a shimmering hummingbird duke it out for access to the nectar in the flaming red California fuchsia blossoms? You’ll be blessed with unimaginable fertility – gorgeous tomatoes, succulent lettuces, silky lavender eggplants. You’ll experience the joy of giving excess fruit away to your friends and neighbors. Each day you’ll witness magic as the garden grows and responds to you and the world around it.
Creating puzzles, sleuthing, watching magic – now what can be more fun than that?
