Practical Permaculture : For Home Landscapes, Your Community, and the Whole Earth

“This permaculture primer is fresh and vibrant. Bring it on!” — Permaculture Magazine Permaculture is more popular than ever, but it can still be a daunting concept. If you are new to permaculture and interested in learning more, Practical Permaculture offers authoritative, in-depth, and hands-on advice for a more holistic approach to sustainable living. Jessi Bloom and Dave Boehnlein, two dynamic leaders in the permaculture community, explain the basics of permaculture, share their design process, and explore various permaculture systems including soil, water, waste, energy, shelter, food and plants, and animals and wildlife. They also profile the fifty most useful plants for permaculture landscapes. Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Table of Contents......Page 7 Preface......Page 9 Permaculture Basics......Page 11 Permaculture Ethics and Principles......Page 13 Learning from Nature......Page 33 The Permaculture Design Process......Page 59 Gathering Information......Page 65 Putting the Design Together......Page 89 Figuring Out the Details......Page 113 Permaculture Systems......Page 129 Soil Fertility: Improving Tilth and Nutrients......Page 131 Water: Making the Most of a Limited Resource......Page 146 Waste: Plugging Leaks in the System......Page 173 Energy: Minimizing the Work We Do Ourselves......Page 183 Shelter: Building Functional, Efficient Structures......Page 199 Food and Plant Systems: Providing for Our Own Needs......Page 221 Animals and Wildlife: Welcoming Natural Diversity......Page 252 50 Useful Plants for Permaculture Landscapes......Page 271 Invisible Structures......Page 291 Metric Conversions and Hardiness Zones......Page 313 Resources......Page 314 Suggestions for Further Reading......Page 317 Acknowledgments......Page 322 Index......Page 323 Photo and illustration credits......Page 336 " Practical Permaculture is powerful, visceral, readable, and inspiring. It shows us how we can and should live." -Joel Salatin, farmer and author Permaculture is more popular than ever, but it can still be a daunting concept. If you are new to permaculture and interested in learning more, Practical Permaculture offers authoritative, in-depth, and hands-on advice for a more holistic approach to sustainable living. Jessi Bloom and Dave Boehnlein, two dynamic leaders in the permaculture community, explain the basics of permaculture, share their design process, and explore various permaculture systems including soil, water, waste, energy, shelter, food and plants, and animals and wildlife. They also profile the fifty most useful plants for permaculture landscapes **“This permaculture primer is fresh and vibrant. Bring it on!” —__Permaculture Magazine__**Permaculture is more popular than ever, but it can still be a daunting concept. If you are new to permaculture and interested in learning more,offers authoritative, in-depth, and hands-on advice for a more holistic approach to sustainable living. Jessi Bloom and Dave Boehnlein, two dynamic leaders in the permaculture community, explain the basics of permaculture, share their design process, and explore various permaculture systems including soil, water, waste, energy, shelter, food and plants, and animals and wildlife. They also profile the fifty most useful plants for permaculture landscapes. The idea behind permaculture is simple: take care of the earth, and the earth will take care of you. In clear, logical steps, Practical Permaculture offers the tools you need to live a life rich in healthy food, safe housing, and renewable resources. This hardworking book covers the basic principles of permaculture, showing the entire design process from land assessment to the completed master plan, with detailed information on the plants, water, waste, energy, shelter, food, animals, and structures that make up the garden. Filled with real-life examples from all over the world, this invaluable resource will help you turn your property into a sustainable ecosystem “Practical Permaculture is powerful, visceral, readable, and inspiring. It shows us how we can and should live.” —Joel Salatin, farmer and author Jessi Bloom and Dave Boehnlein, two dynamic leaders in the permaculture community, offer authoritative, in-depth, hands-on advice that shares a holistic approach to sustainable living. Permaculture is a growing trend, but still a daunting concept to many. New to permaculture principles and techniques? The guesswork will be eliminated by paging through this invaluable resource. Already an expert? This guide will surely make an important addition to your sustainable agriculture reference shelf. In clear, logical steps, Practical Permaculture offers the tools you need to live a life rich in healthy food, safe housing, and renewable resources. The book covers the basic principles of permaculture, showing the entire design process from land assessment to the completed master plan, with detailed information on the plants, water, waste, energy, shelter, food, animals, and structures that make up the garden. Filled with real-life examples from all over the world, this invaluable resource will help you turn your property into a sustainable ecosystem.--COVER Can you imagine a world in which your thriving garden nourishes all of your needs? The first step to building a sustainable ecosystem starts with Practical Permaculture.