Permaculture

[Waterbaby]

Had a quick look and it looks good tirawa,so thanks for that.
I shall have a better look later when I've got a bit of peace.

[CynicalSurvival]

Oh,I thought the ability to feed your family fresh and nutritious produce would be a mainstream prepping issue!
Perhaps I have misunderstood what prepping is.

I know that Rik already explained what he meant... yes, there are other bigger gardening sites around.

But anyway, yeah... For me this IS about the biggest prepping issue. What use is all the rest of it, if we starve to death? And depending on the scenario, a few months of stockpiled supplies only goes so far if we need to feed our families for the rest of our lives.

Permaculture.. Perhaps I don't understand what it means. I thought it referred to growing perennial rather than annual crops, but it seems to be used as a synonym of 'sustainability' in some sources. Can anyone explain the difference?

p.s. regarding perennials, I'd love to plant a bunch of fruit trees etc but they cost a lot of money compared to a packet of seeds and take up more space than, like, carrots or whatever. But gradually I hope to replace useless decorate plants in my garden with productive ones.

[preppingsu]

Permaculture - permanent agriculture. A way of looking at food production in a more environmentally friendly sustainable way.
It has developed to encompass Earth care, People care and Fair share. Looking holistically how we live, feed ourselves, purchase goods, within our communities and the world.
Many permaculturalists I have met recently would make fantastic preppers.

[CynicalSurvival]

Ok, thanks. So it is sustainability, with the emphasis on sustainable food production.

It's kind of idealistic, tho. At least what I have seen. In terms of scale. Realistically unless the population drops drastically, there is not enough space to be sustainably producing wood, for example, on your own property.

[jansman]

It is a tough one to explain tbh. Like preppingsu, I am a fan of permaculture (PC).it is about all those things mentioned. Take my own property.
Now I do have a larger than average garden, although the cottage we live in is quite small by modern standards. One PC technique is 'Zoning' which is about placing things in the right place for efficient use. For example, you have your herb bed near the kitchen, not a 100 feet away up the garden. Your spuds can be up there because they are slow growing and you don't need them immediately.
Stepping out of my backdoor is the covered woodstore,logs, kindling and paper,all to hand. Then the coal bunker and ash bucket. The bunker is placed opposite the back gate for easy access for the coalman. Then is the brick outhouse which houses the freezers and main food storage. On the wall of that building I have 'hayracks' in which are grown 'Tumbler' tomatoes and Nasturtiums. This is the start of the food production! Round the corner is the outside loo and tap. From there is a hose pipe that is permanently fixed to the boundary and runs the entire length of the garden with connectors along it so barrels can be filled when we have no rain and the garden needs water(a watering can is far more efficient than standing there with a hose)Also there is a rain catchment arrangement from the roof which holds 100 gallons. All that first 'zone' is within 15 feet of the backdoor.
Next comes the patio and deck area (close to the kitchen and kettle!)Then is my workshop. This is as near to the house as possible for electricity purposes and the fact it's a long way from upstairs and I have got the wrong screwdriver along the front of the 'shop is my main water harvesting area. The roof space is large and easily keeps the barrels full , 300 gallons. Next to this is my bike repair workshop. This is an income producing area, which is a feature in many PC designs.
Food production is one thing, but shtf water is THE most important requirement. You cannot live without it. Permaculture is about reducing energy inputs. This rainwater harvesting takes no work once set up. Moving on is my aviary, another hobby of mine,again with rain catchment from it's roof. Then is another patio with the container garden. This has been placed here as it is near to the rainwater supply. I grow beans, courgettes, potatoes, tomatoes and salads. This is a very, very productive area, and f it were all I had by way of a garden I would be quite happy.
Next to this are my rabbits(I sell them for food and pets) and the poultry. The animals are laced right near the compost bins which happen to be right near the food producing area. Opposite this on the boundary fence,4 feet high and 18 inches wide is are the logpiles, which go right back down to the house. I keep this topped up and rotated properly as solid fuel is our primary heat source. The wood I mostly get free, living in a rural-ish area. A lot of the gardens here have mature trees, and all the neighbours know they can dump their 'rubbish' on me at pruning time! A lettuce or a few eggs smooth the way in return. That too is a PC idea, community building.
In the ' proper' garden there is a polytunnel and green house and some raised beds. Also along the boundary line, cordon fruit trees. These were a big investment for us many years ago. However the yield has repaid us many times over. I have jerusalem artichokes -a good calorie crop, rhubarb, perennial onions, cobnuts and fruitbushes. All perennials. So that is less work. All seed is saved,and has been for many years. This saves money and builds resilience and food security. All Permaculture concepts.
Of course PC can be used in any environment. Foodwise, a window box with herbs, near the sink and water is a good example. My daughter does that in her little flat.
I hope that goes a little way towards explaining Permaculture.

[Hamradioop]

Thank you Jans man for such a comprehensive Reply. You description certainly painted a vivid picture for me.

[Decaff]

Wow, your set up up sounds fantastic Jansman, very descriptive, I can almost picture it!!

[jansman]

It has taken a good few years to develop, 25 to be exact! However, I am currently re designing the whole area to take in more 'leisure' space. This will not mean that the land will produce less. The container garden I mentioned is one of the reasons. Also two 'Square Foot' beds will come into play. I will produce what we can use. It is efficient, and is testimony to the Permaculture way of thinking (I believe).
For those of you with little garden space, and I know for some it is a nuisance, I can recommend containers. I have had brilliant results over the last three seasons.

[Waterbaby]

Jansman,that sounds amazing!
It also kind of makes me wonder if I've instinctively and/ or by trial and error,already introduced some elements of permaculture without realising.
I like to free range my chooks,so I have to keep them seperate from any veg (from our small experiments in the past),and the dog away from them.We chose to keep them on the boundaries of our garden,where there are woods therefore a lot of roots and lack of light for growing purposes.It provides them with shade and shelter,and we keep a compost pile nearby.However,we do have some rat problems so we're now moving them to a mobile coop in the same area.We have purchased our first apple tree -we'll plant a few,and thereby utilise the space and provide the chooks with windfalls to pick over.
The veg will hopefully be in a sunnier spot in a different area once I get started,using raised beds and some recycled tyres,as well as direct planting.I'm hoping to get a small lean to greenhouse,and our log pile/coal store is near the house,along with standpipe and water butt.
I've a lot to learn about vegetable gardening,and will admit to feeling a little daunted,having been way more use to my flowerbed (which I have retained in my chook area).
But its a really fascinating journey!

[jansman]

Waterbaby, sounds like you have the start of a good set up there. Permaculture is the idea of turning an unproductive area into a self sustaining, Earth friendly and productive area. I have come across PC designers who try to put an air of mystery around the subject. If Permaculture could be summed up in one sentence, then I would say it is this;

Minimum effort, maximum return.