Posted on October 1, 2023

Hey everyone. I wanted to share some Permaculture Advice I found online. This is not a summary, rather a list of things that I thought were useful. 

Would love to know if anyone has put any of these into practice & what your experience was! Cheers.

Chapter 1 - Permaculture Principles

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  Use a natural plant succession to establish favorable sites/soils (opposed to buying soil, compost, additives, chemicals) – plan/strategize in stages
  
• Leverage things like elevation when capturing water and let gravity move the water opposed to pumps
  
• Consider every input, output, and behavior when adding an element to your site (be it a plant, livestock, or something else)
  
• A chicken house adjoined with a greenhouse is very favorable (heat, carbon dioxide, etc.)
  
• Zone things so that those requiring the most intensity/effort are closest, and those that use the least are furthest (while considering access, slope, climate quirks, etc.)
  
• Use zone wedges (like pizza slices) to expand the effect of a zone on others (wildlife, birds, etc.)
  
• Use grey water (not black water) on gardens – requires separation and plant-safe ingredients
  
• Pay attention to elevation/water – use dry-country plants in high/rocky areas and high-water plants in lower spots
  
• Place mulch production areas (forests or livestock zones) uphill to move mulch downhill easily
  
• A component is well placed when it maximizes site resources, external energies, and slope/elevation
  
• Use thoughtful management rather than machines or brute force
  
• There is a fine line between helpful and harmful livestock grazing – observe it carefully
  
• Earthworms are important for aerating soils (consider implications for soil compaction when planting)
  
• Deep-rooted species mine nutrients unavailable to shallow-rooted plants
  
• Leguminous trees and plants are essential and can increase crop yield by up to 80%
  
• Legumes pruned before flowering release nitrogen into the soil through their roots
  
• Spiny plants make effective natural fencing
  
• Allelopathic plants help suppress weed growth
  
• Effective management often depends on appropriate timing
  
• Don’t use chickens on mulched gardens or orchards – they disrupt mulch while foraging
  
• Treated sewage can be used to produce fertilizer (worth further research)
  
• The goal of permaculture is to catch, store, recycle, use, and increase energy
  
• If you can’t improve a system, leave it alone
  
• Start small near your home; expand only when inner zones remain manageable (intensity > quantity)
  
• Many Philippine households use ~12 square meters and produce most of their food
  
• Plant stacking (vertical layering) increases total yields
  
• Temperate orchard trees need air movement to reduce fungal problems
  
• Time stacking allows planting the next crop before the previous one finishes
  
• Ecosystems naturally change over time
  
• Use what’s already growing rather than fighting it
  
• Sheet mulch soft weeds instead of removing them
  
• Don’t dig up annual weeds; it triggers more seeds to sprout
  
• Use comfrey to outcompete weeds (it grows through them)
  
• Don’t confuse order with tidiness – tidiness can restrict creative, thoughtful design
  
• Total system yield > yield of individual elements, reducing vulnerability to environmental shocks
  
• Use self-storing species (tubers, nuts, seeds, rhizomes) for on-demand needs
  
• Diversity alone isn’t enough – functional relationships matter more than the number of elements
  
• Guilds are groups of elements that benefit each other
  
• Most fruit trees thrive with herbal understories, not grasses (comfrey, spring bulbs, etc.)
  
• Trap crops are useful for pest control (e.g., nasturtium for aphids, Hubbard squash for squash bugs, purple bok choy for brassica pests)
  
• Scatter plantings so pests struggle to move from plant to plant
  
• Edges are productive interfaces where two mediums meet; they trap materials and increase yield
  
• Create or enhance edges to boost productivity
  
• Spiral patterns create microclimates for shade- and sun-loving species
  
• Lobe patterns protect species from wind and animals
  
• Ditch-and-bank (chinampa) systems are highly productive; muck can be lifted to boost fertility
  
• Zigzag patterns withstand wind better than straight lines
  
• Everything has multiple uses; even wind can harm plants yet generate power
  
• Permaculture relies on information and imagination—work smarter, not harder
  
• Maximize or minimize effects intentionally to achieve desired outcomes
  
• Use trap crops – nasturtium for aphids, Hubbard squash for squash bugs, purple bok choy for brassica pests; pests focus on these and spare other plants