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  • From: "Robert Waldrop" <rmwj@soonernet.com>
  • To: <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Fw: Permaculture garden design
  • Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 20:02:38 -0500

Of all the various things I read, I found Toby Hemenway's Gaias
Garden, a guide to home scale permaculture, to be of the most
practical use. Maybe it was that I read a lot of other stuff and then
his book made it all click for me, but whatever the reason, it really
worked.

The other thing I have found is that it helps to understand that there
isn't a universal template, and thus I am free to experiment with my
own little area, 220' X 80', part of which is covered in buildings, in
the midst of a working class inner city neighborhood.

I also have started small, in one little corner, and then over the
last three years have gradually expanded over the lawn. Some of us
are perhaps more design challenged than others, and I in particular
have a hard time visualizing the whole plan that I am working on, but
I find that if I do one thing, it makes at least one more thing, and
sometimes 2 or 3 more things, seem obvious. Duh, why didn't I think
of that before? Probably because before I hadn't done X, and when I
had done X, then Y and Z seem to follow as a matter of one thing after
another.

The more plants I cultivate, the more room I find I have for plants.
Walking over my yards last week, I found all kinds of nooks and
crannies that could support something productive. They were always
there before, but somehow now I see them differently.

Everything doesn't work, 1/3rd of all that I have planted has failed
to flourish or outright died. But that's OK too, because each of
those "failures" is itself a lesson, which means it's hardly a failure
after all.

Observe, Judge, Act.

Robert Waldrop, OKc
http://www.oklahomafood.org

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark <mpludwig@facstaff.wisc.edu>
This is where the need for design experience or similar training comes
in handy. I think in general generic layouts are of limited use, each
site
has variation in soil, drainage, shade, history etc that will drive
design
and implementation. You don't need templates so much as a good book
on
suitable companion plants and an understanding of the use of rocks,
mulches, timing etc. In addition, I feel the operative words for
gardening
are "go for it!", it's mostly annuals and if it fails to work this
year you
modify for next year. Plant more than you need and trade for the
crops
that fail.







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