permaculture

[Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>]

Sepp Holzer's Permaculture by Sepp Holzer - Chelsea Green - Sent using
Google Toolbar
http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/sepp_holzers_permaculture:paperback

Sepp Holzer's Permaculture
A Practical Guide to Small-Scale, Integrative Farming and Gardening
by Sepp Holzer

    "After reading this book, all I can say is Sepp Holzer is a
Superstar Farmer. Holzer turns out an absolutely remarkable volume and
variety of food products, all without one smidgen of chemical
fertilizer, and on land in Austria that an Illinois corn farmer would
pronounce too marginal for agriculture. American farmers and gardeners
will be particularly interested in Holzer's raised beds—which are
quite different in construction from ours in the U.S.—as well as his
inventive water well irrigation systems, unique methods for
integrating livestock into his fruit and vegetable gardens, and
practical, low-labor way to grow mushrooms. A fascinating book for
anyone who aspires to become the ultimate, champion professional of
sustainable farming."

    —Gene Logsdon, author of Holy Shit: Managing Manure to Save
Mankind, and The Contrary Farmer

With information on mushroom cultivation, sowing a fruit forest,
alternative ways to keep livestock, and more...

Sepp Holzer farms steep mountainsides in Austria 1,500 meters above
sea level. His farm is an intricate network of terraces, raised beds,
ponds, waterways and tracks, well covered with productive fruit trees
and other vegetation, with the farmhouse neatly nestling amongst them.
This is in dramatic contrast to his neighbors’ spruce monocultures.

In this book, Holzer shares the skill and knowledge acquired over his
lifetime. He covers every aspect of his farming methods, not just how
to create a holistic system on the farm itself, but how to make a
living from it. Holzer writes about everything from the overall
concepts, down to the practical details.

In Sepp Holzer’s Permaculture readers will learn:

* How he sets up a permaculture system
* The fruit varieties he has found best for permaculture growing
* How to construct terraces, ponds, and waterways
* How to build shelters for animals and how to work with them on the land
* How to cultivate edible mushrooms in the garden and on the farm
* and much more!

Holzer offers a wealth of information for the gardener, smallholder or
alternative farmer yet the book’s greatest value is the attitudes it
teaches. He reveals the thinking processes based on principles found
in nature that create his productive systems. These can be applied
anywhere.


Chelsea Green: The Politics and Practice of Sustainable Living - Sent
using Google Toolbar
http://www.chelseagreen.com/authors/sepp_holzer/

Sepp Holzer

Josef ("Sepp") Holzer was born in the Province of Salzburg, Austria.
He is a farmer, author and an international consultant for natural
agriculture. He took over his parents' mountain farm business in 1962
and pioneered the use of ecological farming, or permaculture,
techniques at high altitudes (1,100 to 1,500 meters above sea level)
after being unsuccessful with regular farming methods. Called the
"rebel farmer" because he persisted in these practices despite being
fined and even threatened with prison for practices such as not
pruning his fruit trees (unpruned fruit trees survive snow loads that
will break pruned trees). He has also created some of the worlds best
examples of using ponds as reflectors to increase solar gain for
passive solar heating of structures, and of using the microclimate
created by rock outcrops to effectively change the hardiness zone for
nearby plants. He has also done original work in the use of
Hugelkultur and natural branch development. He is conducting
permaculture ("Holzer Permaculture") seminars at his farm and
worldwide, while continuing to work on his alpine farm. His farm now
spans over 45 hectares of forest gardens, including 70 ponds, and is
said to be the most consistent example of permaculture worldwide. He
is author of several books and the subject of the film The
Agricultural Rebel. He works nationally as permaculture-activist in
the established agricultural industry, and works internationally as
adviser for ecological agriculture.

Sepp's Books

Sepp Holzer's Permaculture

A Practical Guide to Small-Scale, Integrative Farming and Gardening

In this book, Sepp Holzer shares the skill and knowledge acquired over
his lifetime. He covers every aspect of his farming methods, not just
how to create a holistic system on the farm itself, but how to make a
living from it. Holzer writes about everything from the overall
concepts, down to the practical details.