Permaculture is a great way to create a self-sustaining ecosystem of plants that are beneficial to each other. The purpose of permaculture garden design is to replicate the natural environment to allow plants to grow easily without the need for artificial pesticides and fertilizers. Although it usually is a method of gardening you can implement on your homestead, you can also install it in your own backyard.
What Is Permaculture
Permaculture is a system designed to create a self-sustaining ecosystem that can provide food, fuel, and shelter. It uses biological methods and principles such as grow and return. Among other things, the permaculture garden usually includes a wide range of different plants, trees, and bushes that are beneficial to each other.
An important part of permaculture gardening is creating a synergy of all the different plants in the permaculture garden. Synergy in permaculture gardening refers to how different plant combinations work together in the permaculture garden. It means that the permaculture garden can produce more, can store more, or can grow all year long.
If you are thinking of starting your own permaculture garden, here are five ways to do it:
Do Careful Planning
Just like any other garden, the first step to creating a permaculture garden is to plan your design. Planning will greatly influence the success of your project. Start by making a list of all the plants that you want and their function. This list is also important when figuring out your garden size.
You have to plan how your plants will play together and how they will interact. You have to think like a gardener. Will that plant spread quickly? Is it slow-growing? Is it a perennial? How will it interact with the other plants?
Consider the Land You Will Use
The first thing you need to decide is what will be your permaculture garden landscape. It can be a greenhouse, a balcony, a raised bed, or even a container garden. It is important to choose a good size of land for your permaculture garden. You can plant flowers, veggies, and trees in your backyard or in your garden. You can also build a small greenhouse or use a container garden, which can be moved from place to place.
Choose Your Plants
Once you’ve chosen your garden location, the next thing you need to do is select your plants. Make a list of the plants you would want to include in your permaculture garden. There is a wide variety of plants to choose from.
You can plant perennial, annual, or tree crops. You can choose flowers or medicinal plants. You can even select trees to create a food forest or orchard for fruits or nuts. You can pick a lot or a few. There is no right or wrong in choosing what you like. Just make sure that whatever you select, they are all in the same zone and will work well together.
Choose Your Nutrients
In a permaculture garden, plants don’t need to rely on artificial pesticides or fertilizer to grow. This is because the plants are designed to work better together. They will provide nutrients to each other as they grow.
This is why you have to choose plants that are nutrient-rich. The key is for your plants to be able to supply each other with nutrients, especially nitrogen and potassium.
Plants like legumes, alfalfa, and clover are known to be nitrogen fixers. This means they can supply nitrogen to other plants. Other plants like garlic, onions, and potato, are also great nitrogen fixers, and they also offer phosphorus. Plants like broccoli and cabbage have nitrogen too. These plants also provide calcium, which is good for the health of your plants and also for your veggies.
Conclusion
If you are an organic gardener and want to create a self-sustaining ecosystem, permaculture gardening is the best choice. This kind of gardening is great for beginners, and it is also a good way for you to save money.
Blossom & Broom offers permaculture ideas so you can successfully start your permaculture garden. We offer you practical tips on how to grow your own food. Check out our latest permaculture blog today!
