Practical Permaculture

“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.

Jessi Bloom is a best-selling author, award-winning ecological landscape designer, and speaker. She owns N.W. Bloom EcoLogical Services, based in the Pacific Northwest, which is known as an innovator and leader in the field of permaculture, sustainable landscape design, construction, and land management. Her work has been recognized by government agencies and industry organizations and makes headlines in national media. She lives near Seattle with her two sons on their permaculture homestead, which is full of functional gardens and rescue animals.

Paul Kearsley, a skilled designer with a passion for art and nature, collaborates with like-minded professionals to create inspiring models of sustainability. He has been an integral part of both institutional- and residential-scale permaculture design companies. As art director for Terra Phoenix Design, he has worked with world-class designers from California to Peru. On a local scale, Paul helped create Homestead Habitats LLC, a landscape contractor that specializes in designing and installing edible landscapes for urban and suburban homes. He currently teaches design courses at Western Washington University's College of Engineering. 

Preface
"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect." —Chief Seattle
 
Each reader may come to this book on a different path, but we all have something in common: we’re human, in this together, and we belong to the intricate web of life that Chief Seattle describes. We are all born into that connection and are hardwired to feel it, but depending on our experience in life, we may be pulled away from it. Humans are inherently always looking for a better quality of life—for health, happiness, comfort, and financial stability, among other things. However, it is easy to look ahead and see that many of the choices we as a species have made in that quest are not going to sustain us.

We are at a crossroads and need to start making changes. Many of us rely on systems that are beyond our control—the industrial food system, municipal waste and water systems, the energy grid, to name a few. But we don’t have to rely on those systems—we can be more self-sufficient and take back the reins. We can remember that human life has an ecological purpose and function, which we, the authors, hope this book will raise awareness of.

We authors, Jessi and Dave, have similar stories. In the 1980s we were growing up on opposite ends of the country, spending our time in nature’s playground. Tromping through forests, building forts, and damming small streams was a part of our daily lives. We both explored the outdoors through hiking, fishing, camping, and swimming in natural bodies of water, and we both developed deep emotional connections to the land we grew up on. Little did we know in our youth we were “second-growth” permaculturists in the making. At similar times in our lives, we both witnessed our childhood stomping grounds getting bulldozed in the name of development and were completely distraught. We went on to pursue different studies and careers related to the environment. Jessi’s passion was dedicated to ecological design, while Dave devoted his career to outdoor education. However, both of us ended up making permaculture not only our profession but also the basis of our lifestyles.

We first crossed paths in 2010 at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle. Dave was on the hunt for professionals with whom he could collaborate and looking to create a network of permaculturists who were in the field doing good work. That year at the show, Jessi had designed and built an urban permaculture demonstration garden that won numerous awards for sustainability and aesthetics. The irony is that the word permaculture was so misunderstood that it was taken out of the name of that garden because show managers didn’t want to confuse the public. Since that initial meeting, we have collaborated on many projects including designs, workshops, trampoline sessions, and now this book.

Our intention is to make permaculture approachable and inspirational. We want to empower you to start making positive changes, now. We promise that the way you experience the world around you will be richer because of your increased understanding of and participation in nature. At some point, as your connection to the natural world strengthens, you will feel a tap on the shoulder and Mother Nature will say, “You’re working for me now.” Have you gotten the call yet? If not, get ready for a wild ride.

We have written this book for a wide range of readers. We cover a huge range of climate types as well as scopes and sizes of land. We want people in rural areas as well as urban folks to be able to use this book. The first section, Permaculture Basics, equips you with basic information about permaculture, from the definition to the guiding ethics and principles behind it. This part also outlines basic earth science you’ll need to know before jumping into the design process. The second section of the book walks you through the entire design process, from observation to analysis and assessment to developing a master plan and planning how to implement the design and maintain what you have created. The third section of the book covers the systems that should be included in any permaculture design: systems for managing soil fertility, water, waste, energy, shelter, food production, and animals and wildlife. The fourth section describes fifty rock-star plants for permaculture landscapes. The fifth section focuses on invisible structures, the economic and social underpinnings of any permaculture design. At the back of the book are lists of resources and suggestions for further reading that we highly recommend you take advantage of, since this book is just a starting point.
 

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.