Permaculture, or permanent agriculture combined together with permanent culture, came to being as a response to issues with unsustainable agricultural practices, the wearing away of topsoil, waste of water resources, as well as a rupture within the natural cycle of our environment, along with other things. Sustainable agriculture is mostly a way for humans to mirror nature in building organic, workable, edible ecosystems. The intention should be to understand what can be learned from the natural world and then put it to work as part of your own landscape, regardless of whether you maintain a tiny garden or lots of land.
Sustainable gardening requires contemplating the whole system and how each component interrelates to all the other parts. It's about finding and then healing the weak links or problems in a sustainable fashion without the use of fossil fuels. Diversity and low waste are key in sustainable gardening.
Permanent agriculture, or sustainable gardening, uses a zone model. The greater amount of work that an area requires, the nearer to your house that zone should be located. For instance, Zone 1 is closest to the house and should be herbs or vegetables which need to be picked most often. The zone that is farthest away, based on the dimensions of the area you are working with, is usually fruit trees or other plants that need a smaller amount of attention.
When you have a look at a forest, you'll note the "stacking" effected in nature. This can be intentionally mirrored by people. The stacking starts with tall fruit trees which is the cover, to smaller trees, to shrubs, just before herbs, then root vegetables, and last of all right down to ground cover plants like strawberries. By imitating nature, one may form guilds, which are combinations within the stacking technique which work agreeably together. As for instance, Native Americans planted a guild of corn, squash, and beans.
Sustainable agriculture additionally asks plants and trees to provide more than one role. For instance, an apple tree provides:
* shade for smaller, shade-loving crops,
* shade for its roots, meaning a smaller amount of irrigation may be necessary,
* a resting or nesting site for birds, which in turn replenish the earth,
* apples for humans and animals to consume,
* dried foliage that drop to the ground then molder, helping to fertilize the earth,
* twigs used for fire
You may want to give a little earnest contemplation to tearing out your inefficient water-consuming lawn to grow food intended for human and/or wildlife consumption. Traditional ways of growing tend to be fairly labor-intensive and may require chemical fertilizers in order to sustain them. When a sustainable garden landscape gets going and begins to support itself it becomes a much less time-consuming way to garden. Plus it sets the plants up with a much more ecological method of nourishing themselves. Using permaculture practices can be a way to close the ecosystem loop and become more sustainable.
Author Resource:
For more tips, resources, and info on sustainable gardening, you may visit http://www.newholisticliving.com/sustainablegardening.html. You can also find more articles and information on our blog at http://newholisticliving.wordpress.com/ - Just click the "Sustainable Gardening" topic.
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