The more I learn about permaculture the more interested I become.
My garden in Galway is mostly wild and rocky. So, my options are limited but I am able to apply at least some of the permaculture principles.
Many people in my area of Galway have around an acre or more of land around their houses and I have noticed that many of them seem to do the same thing.
They call in the landscapers – men and occasionally women, with machines.
THE MAN WITH MACHINES
I have observed these people working in other people’s gardens and their job consists of:
1. Spray the entire garden area with chemicals.
2. Dump lorry loads of top soil over the area.
3. Plant lawns
This may make the gardens more manageable but to me it’s just boring.
I want to do something different and my ideas around this have changed and evolved since I have been here.
What I do know is that I want to create a garden based around the principles of permaculture.
I want to find and use more creative ways of working naturally with what is available.
So far, I have created a vegetable garden, a soft fruit garden and a little orchard. There are many projects still in progress and probably always will be.
Not all my projects have been successful but I have learned from everything.
Sadly my wildflower meadow didn’t grow. However, we are working on a solution which in the long run could prove to be a better idea.
We are currently using a chicken tractor and are letting the chickens work for us.
As we move the tractor from place to place we are using the ‘chicken-cultivated’ areas as natural beds and sowing wild flower seeds in the ‘dug’ areas.
We may not have a full wildflower meadow but I am hopeful the patches of wild flowers around the garden will add colour and beauty and entice the all important bees and butterflies.
GEOFF LAWTON’S PERMACULTURE
I subscribe to Geoff Lawton’s wonderful permaculture website and enjoy his posts and videos.
His recent email included a link to permaculturist, Brett Pritchard’s permaculturefundamentals.com
Brett has developed a 21 card set of the original permaculture ethics and principles and is kindly making freely available as a mark of honour and respect for Bill Mollison, who is known as the ‘father of permaculture.’
I have reproduced them here for you. The cards represent the foundation of the permaculture system and are a wonderful insight into both the ideas and thoughts behind the permaculture principles.
The cards are also an excellent learning tool and guide and I think you will enjoy them as much as me.
If you are using them on your own website please just link back to Brett Richard’s site. It would help spread the word if you could link back to this page also.
THE PERMACULTURE PYRAMID
The cards are designed to be laid out as in the pyramid below.
PERMACULTURE ETHICS
ENERGY PRINCIPLES
FUNDAMENTAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES
PRINCIPLES FROM NATURE
ATTIDUDINAL PRINCIPLES
I hope you find these cards as useful as I do and don’t forget to share them.
If you using them on your site or blog please don’t forget to link back to this page and to permaculturefundamentals.com so we can spread the word even further.
Grace
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