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Permaculture design
From WikiEducator
With Permaculture Design the intent is that, by rapidly training individuals in a core set of design principles, those individuals will become designers of their own environments and able to build increasingly self-sufficient human settlements Wikipedia Jan 2008
This course will run at Otago Polytechnic from 16 October - Spring 2008). If you would like to participate in the next course, email Kim Thomas on: kimtATtekotagoDOTacDOTnz. (Please note, Kim will be on leave through September). Everyone is welcome to follow along online as we publish recordings and study materials to this web page, and communicate through the discussion forum.
Aim
The aim of this course is to establish a good grounding in the foundations of permaculture design and to apply it to the development of production systems and living spaces.By the end of the course the participants will have a design for their land & a portfolio of information which they can then can continue to work with & expand on.
We will cover:
- Natural living ecosystems, micro climates, resource appreciation
- Permaculture design ethics, principles and methods
- Base & sector analysis, design checklists, and zoning
- Resource selection and placement
- Field visits, building production systems and living spaces
Learning objectives
- Understand the principles of permaculture design.
- Demonstrate knowledge of designing production systems and living spaces using permaculture design principles.
- Apply permaculture designs to the development of production systems and living spaces.
Resources
- Permaculture Design Wikibook - This resource is under development and constant improvement along with the course and with help from participants.
- A Youtube video playlist.
- Blip.tv videos - including recordings from this course.
- Introduction to Permaculture. Bill Mollison and Reny Mia Slay. Tagari Publishers, Tyalgum, Australia.1991. 198pp.
- Permaculture: A Designer's Manual. Bill Mollison. Tagari Publications, Tyalgum, Australia. 1988. 576pp.
- Earth User's Guide to Permaculture. Rosemary Morrow and Rob Allsop. Kangaroo Press, NSW Australia. 2006 (2nd ed.). 164pp.
- traditional Maori medicines
Course Schedule
This section is being rewritten for the Spring 2008 course. The Autumn 2008 course schedule, notes and recordings can be seen here.
Session 1 Oct. 16th ~ 6.30-9pm Introduction to Permaculture Ethics and Principles
Hi,hortykim here with your update on how the first session went! Here's a video update if you like
We all met at the classroom at 6.30 as planned and had a wee look at the schedule and made a group decision to change some dates-mainly the weekend sessions so please see changes in the rest of the session dates listed below.We had seven for the first session with a further two people joining in for the Sunday session so yay, nine fantastic permys for our spring course.
Peta had everyone introduce themselves and give a brief explanation of What is Permaculture?. The following is taken from the definition from wikipedia...The word permaculture, coined by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren during the 1970s, is a portmanteau of permanent agriculture as well as permanent culture. Through a series of publications, Mollison, Holmgren and their associates documented an approach to designing human settlements, in particular the development of perennial agricultural systems that mimic the structure and interrelationship found in natural ecologies.
As a means of winding our way to getting a further understanding about permaculture,Peta had the group brainstorm about the term organics and what this brought to mind for the group.Organic horticulture is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants by following the essential principles of organic agriculture in soil building and conservation, pest management, and heritage-species preservation. The Latin words hortus (garden plant) and cultura (culture) together form horticulture, classically defined as the culture or growing of garden plants. Horticulture is also sometimes defined simply as “agriculture minus the plough (or plow).” Instead of the plough, horticulture makes use of human labour and gardener’s cultivation tools, or of small machine tools like rotary tillers.
We then looked at biodynamics. Biodynamic agriculture, a method of organic farming that has its basis in a spiritual world-view (anthroposophy, first propounded by Rudolf Steiner), treats farms as unified and individual organisms,[1] emphasizing balancing the holistic development and interrelationship of the soil, plants, animals as a closed, self-nourishing system.[2] Regarded by some proponents as the first modern ecological farming system,[3] biodynamic farming includes organic agriculture's emphasis on manures and composts and exclusion of the use of artificial chemicals on soil and plants. Methods unique to the biodynamic approach include the use of fermented herbal and mineral preparations as compost additives and field sprays and the use of an astronomical sowing and planting calendar.[4]
The session ended with an exercise where we broke into small groups and each group was given the scenerio that we no longer could rely on petrol and had to produce our own food.Each group's strategies were listed on the board and then we linked each approach back to the permaculture ethics.
- Care for the earth
- Care for people
- Distribute surplus
Learning Objectives
- Understand the course aims
- Have knowledge about each other & begin the building of our resources: the sharing of the skills, experiences & dreams we bring.
- Understand the ethical foundations of permaculture design
- Outline the solutions Permaculture could offer to the issues we face today.
To do
- Introductions: Make introductions in class time, and/or on the email forum.
- Course info, it’s aims, the timetable, the online resources & general house keeping.
- Develop a need & have to share/give list
- Research the Permaculture principles & definitions of ecology.
- How do they relate to the ethics? What are they for?
Resources
- Rosemary Morrow, “Earth Users Guide to Permaculture”, Kangaroo Press NSW Australia, 2006 (2nd ed)
- David Holmgren, “Principles & Pathways beyond Sustainability” Holmgren Design Services, Australia, 2002.
- http://www.holmgren.co.au
- http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Permaculture_design
- http://www.permaculture.org.nz
Session 2 Oct. 19th ~ 10am – 4pm - The Wider Garden
Ecology field visit to Lovelock Bush to learn from the wider garden. This session will introduce microclimates, the edge effect, creating cycles, the concept of needs & yields & will expand your knowledge of the Permaculture principles.
- Exploring Lovelock Bush showed the group the importance and subtlties of micro climates using all the senses & observing the types of plants growing there.
- We paid special attention to the diversity of the edge, seeing how the meeting of the 2 different ecosystems gave rise to another.
- We observed the stacking effect of the forest from ground covers to canopy & the various relationships that occur between the plants & so coming to understand how a permaculture system makes maximum use of space, & how placing plants in good relationship aids the cycling of matter.
- We also observed & came to understand the various roles of the primary producers (plants) & the consumers in our forest, (the birds & insects), & the decomposers (fungi,insects, & micro-organisms)
- We explored the flows of energy through the forest in terms of water & air flows, & the way light moves through the forest. At one place along the track we saw how a log, fallen across an intermittent water flow, had built up a deep litter layer & spoke about how we could, in many climatic areas, use these natural flows to enhance our cultivated ecosystems.
- We observed the different growth habits of the plants which included colour & size of leaves which led to an understanding of the adaptions of plants & how understanding this language leads to being able to understand different plant's needs for example dark, large leaves are suited to shade.
- The group also enjoyed identifying the native plants they came across.
Learning Objectives
- Use your senses to gather information about various aspects of any ecosystem or section of land
- Describe how materials & energy cycle through an ecosystem
- Describe the co-operative relationships within the ecosystem
- Understand the ecological foundations of the Permaculture principles
To do
- "Adopt" a principle & see how it affects the way you live.
- Obtain a copy of the title for your land.
- Collect soil samples
Resources
Session 3 Oct. 23rd ~ 6.30-9pm - Designers Checklist
For our third session we will be looking at the design process and in particular the importance of constantly referring to the designer's checklist.It could be an idea to print out the checklist as you embark on the exciting task of drawing up your base plan!What is a base plan? A base plan is a plan that includes all the structures,paths,plants,and services on your land-if you got it-put it on your base.We also looked at the how to depict the types of vegetation (evergreen, deciduous, shrub tree etc.) using a key which is placed within the margin.The sector analysis is recorded within a margin left around the outside of the base plan. We then looked at a design which showed how info can be built up layer by layer over the base plan by placing sheets of tracing paper which show your soil maps and mico climates.The importance of gathering the maximum amount of information before making any design decisions was emphasised.We then discussed how to draw a plan to scale and how to get a copy of a property's dimensions from the local council website.
Learning Objectives
- Understand & apply the design methods & how to use the checklist to gather & map information.
- Draw a base plan to scale
To do
- Begin the design process by exploring the use of the designers checklist.
- Read about the characteristics of permaculture
- Start the design process by creating your base plan & sector analysis.
- Map microclimates & soils
- Use the check list as a reference to help guide the process
Resources
- http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Permaculture_design/Designer's_checklist
- http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Permaculture_design/Characteristics
- http://www.everchanginggarden.ca/GPDraw.html
Session 4 Oct. 30th ~ 6.30-9pm ~ Introduction to Broad Zone Planning
We started the session with a re cap on the importance of observation.The group ventured into the native nz garden in the Dunedin Botanic Garden and individually we explored a micro climate and then reported back to the group on the nuances we experienced in our chosen spotty. We then discussed progress on the base plans and Peta advised that a base plan should be drawn on A3 sized paper or larger. The designer's checklist was discussed and Carol was interested in the concept of random assembly so Peta led the group thru a wee exercise and check out this dudes comments on random assembly. Flow diagrams was the next topic which is where you pay close attention as to how you move thru your garden and home and map your paths.Are you moving efficiently or can you improve your flow?And where do you want to flow-through your broad zones of course.
Summary of permaculture broad zones d'accord wonderful wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zones_(Permaculture)
- ZONE 0 — The house, or home centre. Here permaculture principles would be applied in terms of aiming to reduce energy and water needs, harnessing natural resources such as sunlight, and generally creating a harmonious, sustainable environment in which to live, work and relax
- ZONE 1 — The zone nearest to the house, the location for those elements in the system that require frequent attention, or that need to be visited often, such as salad crops, herb plants, soft fruit like strawberries or raspberries, greenhouse and cold frames, propagation area, worm compost bin for kitchen waste, and so on.
- ZONE 2 — This area is used for siting perennial plants that require less frequent maintenance, such as occasional weed control (preferably through natural methods such as spot-mulching) or pruning, including currant bushes and orchards. This would also be a good place for beehives, larger scale compost bins, and so on.
- ZONE 3 — The area where maincrops are grown, both for domestic use and for trade purposes. After establishment, care and maintenance required are fairly minimal (provided mulches and similar things are used), such as watering or weed control once a week or so.
- ZONE 4 — A semi-wild area. This zone is mainly used for forage and collecting wild food as well as timber production. An example might be coppice-managed woodland.
- ZONE 5 — A wild area. There is no human intervention in zone 5 apart from the observation of natural eco-systems and cycles. Here is where the most important lessons of the first permaculture principle of working with, rather than against, nature are learned.
Learning Objectives
- Understand & apply the design methods & how to use the checklist to gather & map information.
- Draw a base plan to scale
- Understand the principles of zone planning
- Apply broad zone mapping
- Describe various ways to gather information on soils
- Understand the principles of soil improvement
To do
- Review base & sector maps & use of checklist
- Introduction to broad zone planning.
- Looking at soil samples & approaches to improving & working with soils.
- Continue to work with your design to map the broad zones, microclimates & soils.
- Read over the list of “things to look for” for the field visits.
- Plan for field visits-check with Peta tonight about plans for the day.
Resources
Session 5 Nov. 2nd ~ 10am-4pm
In this session we will attend field visits to local Permaculture properties. The properties will show a variety of approaches & uses of Permaculture design systems for both domestic & commercial food production.
Learning Objectives
- Understand how Permaculture design can be applied to meet the various needs of both land & people
- Identify zones
- Describe some uses of plants to provide biomass & bio-balance
- Understand how animals are integrated & their beneficial effects
- Understand how the principles of ecology work in a cultivated ecosystem
- Describe some methods of microclimate use & enhancement
To do
- Write/draw/add photos of your experiences & learnings, that came from the visits, in your portfolio.
- Collect weeds & other plants to bring in for ID & uses.
- Start collecting materials for the making of the zone 1 garden.
- Research Zone 1 look for designs, materials & relationships with other zones.
- What would you like to grow in your zone 1?
Resources
- Permaculture Design wikibook
- Horty Kim's video of the field trip
- Leigh Blackall's video of the field trip
Session 6 Nov 6th ~ 6.30-9pm
(
: Intro needed)
Learning Objectives
- Describe how weeds can be used to create fertility, indicate soil conditions & act as nursery crops
- Create bio-balance in a design system through the planting of beneficial insectary plants
- Create a weed map as an overlay
To do
- Review broad zones, soils & microclimate maps
- The many uses of weeds & ID of specimens.
- Do a weed map
- Creating bio-balance in your system.
Homework
- Research Zone 1 look for designs, materials & relationships with other zones
- What would you like to grow in your zone 1?
Resources
Session 7 Nov.13th ~ 6.30-9pm
(: Intro text needed)
Learning Objectives
- Design a detailed plan of their zone 1 garden
- Understand, in theory, how to make a no-dig garden bed
- Choose appropriate plants & materials for the zone
- Apply the analysis design method within the zone & to enhance the relationships with other zones
To do
- Zone 1:
- Review research.
- Explore design methods, planting patterns, plants, materials & techniques
- Further practice with the designers checklist
- Hortykim to gather all resources for practical session on Nov 16(rocks,cardboard,compost made on site plus 4 bags of certified organic compost,lime,blood and bone,3 organic hay bales,wheel barrows and tools plus various herbs and veges which included:thyme,lettuce (diff varieties),nasturstium,echinacea,tomatoes,butterbeans,butterfly bush,santolina,nz spinach,coriander,bok choy,parsley,chives,fennel)
Resources
Session 8 Nov.16th ~ 10am-4pm
(: intro text needed)
Learning Objectives
- Appropriately place, create & design a garden bed using the above methods
- Understand, in a practical hands on way, how to create & use microclimates, source materials & plant for diversity & bio-balance
To do
- Creating a zone 1 garden, a practical workshop on site at L-block.
- We will work together, with the designers checklist, to design, create & plant a garden using the sheet mulch method.
Homework
- Begin a detailed design of your zone 1 garden
Resources
(: need links to stuff that will assist with homework and prepare for the practical workshop)
Session 9 - Zone 2 Design and Plants Nov.20th ~ 6.30-9pm
Zone 2 of human landscapes are still intensively managed, but less so than zone one, in zone two trees shrubs, perennials and animals play major roles. In this session we will look at what is commonly produced in zone two areas, how to choose what to place in zone two and look at some of the principles of permaculture design that help us create a dynamic productive zone 2.
Learning Objectives
- To be able to draw on inspiration from wild and cultivated ‘woodlands’ for zone 2 design.
- Choose appropriate plants & materials for the zone
- Relate permaculture design principles to designing Zone 2: Stacking (Briefly), Succession (Briefly), Multiple Functions, Guilds, and Biological Resources
- Recognise three models that can be applied to zone 2
To Do
- Class activity: create a Products / Needs diagram for Chickens
- Class activity: make Zone 2 elements list: focus on those relevant to class
- Discuss Permaculture design principles relating to zone 2
- Sketch a zone 2 model appropriate to a part of your garden from a selection of three.
Homework
- Read Pg 9-12. (Intro to Permaculture, Bill Mollison)
- Read Pg 149-155. Poultry Forage Systems, being conscious not all plants mentioned are appropriate to our climate. (Intro to Permaculture, Bill Mollison)
- Read Pg 123-127. (Intro to Permaculture, Bill Mollison)
- Note questions from reading and your own property to ask.
Resources
- Book - Intro to Permaculture, Bill Mollison
- Copies of reading homework
- Paper, pens, whiteboard
- Data projector, computer
Session 10 - Zone 2 Practical Workshop and final review of designs & portfolios feed back session - Nov.23rd ~10am-4pm
We will use design principles and site observation to lay out plants and paths etc on the polytechnic permaculture garden site. We will plant these. We will use three different establishment techniques. We will discuss and use appropriate soil improving techniques, and discuss maintaining fertility and creating a healthy zone 2 ecosystem.
We will have our final review of designs & portfolios & feed back session
Learning Objectives
- Practice using permaculture design principles (esp. stacking and succession) and site observation to lay out plants and paths etc on the polytechnic permaculture garden site.
- Practice one and discuss three different establishment techniques.
- Practice planting of different types of zone 2 plants
- Use some techniques to improve soil and create a and maintain healthy soil for zone 2
To Do
- Permaculture design principles (esp. stacking and succession) and site observation discussed as plants and paths are laid out on the polytechnic permaculture garden site.
- Divide into three groups and use three different establishment techniques. Fertilise and plant plants provided. Each group report to their groups on this experience.
- Review of designs & portfolios
- Feed back session on course.
Homework
- Read Pg 103-105 Sheet Mulching. (Intro to Permaculture, Bill Mollison)
- Read Pg 51-54 Soils. Building Garden soils (not Special considerations) (Intro to Permaculture, Bill Mollison)
- Read Pg 19-22 Small scale Intensive Systems. (Intro to Permaculture, Bill Mollison)
Resources
- Book - Intro to Permaculture, Bill Mollison
- Copies of reading homework
- Paper, pens, whiteboard
- Mulch / compost materials
- Plants
- Tools
- Rope / hose, stakes
