Permaculture Landscape Design

In Permaculture we always want to create spaces with nature in mind. besides the geeral permaculture principles the design for a specific location is dependent on a few factors we need to consider.

Main Frame design

The main frame design gives us a base objective of the location it subcategorizes in the aspects of waterflow in and around the property, how we gain access to the location and the existing structures that are already in place.

Water

Water – Where does it come from; and where does it go to; the main two questions we have to ask. as we know water always flows downhill, so we take into consideration how the water distribution/Watershed in and around your area naturally flows. water flows spreads and sinks. if it is from a river, creek or your roof. Knowing where a property produces the main source of water, we can strategically tap into the flow and spread of it or manipulate the spread by redistribution of water to where it is needed. This is achieved by building swales or water runs to route the water through out the location which utilizes the natural flow and spread or through water collection in Rainbarrels, Sump systems or Ponds, Aquacultures or Raingardens, which catches the sink and provides it to further use befor it drains into the ground.

Access to the location

How we structure access to and around our location is a critical first step, that if missed may cause lots of grief and extra walking around the property. First there is the legal street access we can not ignore and can’t alter without a city permit in most states and countries. Second we need to acknowledge main access to major areas such as front door, back door, basement ect.; how much access do we need, does a car or truck need to get there, is the width of a wheel chair or a wheelbarrow of need or is it fine to just be able to walk to a specific point on the property. Considering all that – with garden in mind, we need to think about the time when all is planted and we need to get into the actual garden beds to harvest our goods, we may also wish for a spot, a tranquil sanctuary within all the growing beauty surrounding us to relax and recover. When place walkways in a manner that forces us to walk though our gardens, we are as well confronted with the colors, fragrances and sunlight all of wich influence our state of happiness as well encourage us to pay more attention to what we have planted and as such do more gardening.

Wooden stair case and trellised walk way

Existing Structures

When Planning a new permaculture property, the ideal location for structures such as a house or other buildings reveals itself in the process of planning. Not having the option to rebuild ones house as most of us don’t have the finances, time or need, we make use of existing structure and try to integrate nature into the existing picture of a site. Through manipulation of the existing landscape we can define a property to thrive at its optimum even though a house may not be in the ideal location. There is still plenty of room to plan additional structures if needed or you are thinking about a green house or keeping chicken, ducks or rabbits. The strategic positioning of life stock habitats atop of a slope or above of a water run, can be highly beneficial to saturate the entire property with nutrient rich run off, building healthy soil in the process.

Sector Analysis

Sector analysis considers the different sources of natural energy and forces a location is situated within. We can’t manipulate nature

Sun

Rain fall

Winds

Wildfires

Food zones

Are forces we just have to prepare for or manipulate the landscape in a beneficial way to accommodate them. Through observation we can see how the sun travels above the property in summer vs winter, from which directions we can expect cold chill winter winds or nice warm summer breezes; through considering the watershed around us we know where flood zones may develop or which areas are prone to wild fires. On an established property we can influence nature considering these aspects, creating summer shade for plants that need it or wind blocks to keep cold winter winds out.

Zone planning

A property can be divided in zones we inhabit. the main zone and the center is the house where we live, flowed by the close surroundings such as patio, walk ways, entry ways ect. from there on out the zoning is very flexible and can be easily based on convenience of life habits. After our convenient zones we have the zones wild life forages in, ending with uninhabitable zone. integrating plant placement and the reason for growing plants is oriented on these zones to find a natural symbiosis for the garden to maintain itself.

Human habitat; Zone 0

Kitchen garden, Daily Needs; Zone 1

Food Production; Zone 2

fruit orchard, life stock; Zone 3

Seed Production, Wild herb growing; Zone 4

Wilderness zone, wild life habitat; Wild food foraging; Zone 5

Workflow

Every system is based on optimum flow for it to work ideally. This incorporates the work that is done for us, setting the chicken coop uphill for example or the work we have to manually put in.

Managing Energy

Dependent on the size and the scope of action we want to work on we may just need a couple of raised beds or we want to raise some seedling ahead of the season, we may have life stock to take care of and need to get eggs every day. Considering the single components of sections we create in the garden we need to plan for the energy we need to put in ourselves and optimize the design so the work can be done efficiently providing fun and healing instead of sore muscles and dread.

Analysis and connecting all components

After we have mapped out all the essential components that make your system run functionally and efficient to be most effective, we can start putting the system in place. Focusing on the need of each component we put into the systems final place, we have to acknowledge the need of each individual component.

Individual Needs

It is vital for Plants and their placement to be located in the right zone and the right sector for it to thrive optimally. accompanied with the right neighboring plant and a good soil biota and a watering source in place, our plants are ready to grow. The ideal location for life stock is as well mostly dependent on the need of the animal we wish to raise and as such it prevents, pests, injury or other suffering the animal may otherwise encounter. At this point we can also decide on the zone placement, where we plant our resources and keep home stead animals as well as wild life happy.

Observation and Feedback

No working system is complete once it starts operating. Every system has to start out with its basics and build itself to full fruition. We need a feed back from nature how it is doing. Wood needs to decompose to soil, water need time to accumulate, plants need the right season and location to grow. Having the basic in place, we can ensure that the entirety of the system grows naturally.

As time passes you’ll find yourself analyzing how the system functions, how your plants are thriving, where you have wet ares where or areas that need more water. some areas need additional fertilization or have hot soil / over fertile ground and are prone to pest and pathogen infestations. Acknowledging the feedback that nature gives us with observation we can act upon it and improve the environment beneficially. ecosystems need time to give response and the closer we bring our food production habits back to the cycle of nature the sooner we will have a self sustaining, autonomous functioning ecosystem that will feed you for years to come without annual extra work for your back.