Permaculture, understanding how Nature works.


As I was preparing this week's article I came across a quote by Bill Mollinson, the founder of permaculture, which I understood to say, that in the future we were going to be experiencing weather that was highly variable and difficult to predict in advance. Mollinson made this statement some years back and judging by the weather of the past 2 years or so, he may have hit the nail right on the head. Certainly, on a local scale, the weather has been varying on a daily basis. Temperatures up and down the scale, storm systems coming and going within hours. Above normal and below normal temperatures are common. These rae conditions which challenge the gardener as they demand a widening base of knowledge in order to keep your plants thriving. This is especially so, if you are growing your own food, which brings us to this week's topic permaculture.

Permaculture provides us with the skills that we need to become self-reliant while living within a community setting. These skills can be used by the backyard gardener to improve personal food security or enhance the health of their property. It can also be used within a neighbourhood context. If you learn nothing else you will develop a knowledge of plants. This knowledge will improve your awareness of how Nature works and will enable you to benefit from this understanding.

If you live in an apartment or a condo or have limited means you can still get started practicing permaculture. The first step is to get to know the space you occupy. Know it well and you will be able to see the possibilities. This is the point I repeatedly mentioned in the grow your own food indoors series. This is the beginning knowledge that you will use to design your own permaculture system. Now do some reading, take a trip to the library and look for some works on permaculture. Surf the net. Develop your knowledge base. Next begin to consider what you want to achieve, compare that to where you actually are and list what needs to be done to get to one point from the other. Now do step one.

The copyright of the article Permaculture, understanding how Nature works. in From Field To Table is owned by Bob Ewing. Permission to republish Permaculture, understanding how Nature works. in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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