Ways to Add Permaculture to Your Garden
Permaculture gardening is an amazing way of growing your own food right in your garden.
19/07/2019
Permaculture gardening is an amazing way of growing your own food right in your garden. It’s the best solution for those who want to create a deeper bond with nature. Essentially, it entails working with what nature offers you, such as water, sun and wind, to provide everything your garden needs. The most amazing part of it all is that it requires quite a little amount of labour compared to other forms of gardening. With that in mind, it becomes self-explanatory for why someone would want to incorporate more permaculture elements to their space.
Plan it Out
The first step to take is planning your garden out. When doing so, take into consideration the land elements already in place, like shade and elevation, as well as water sources. You’re also going to want to figure out which space in your garden is going to be for plants, and which for playing. A great suggestion for play areas is having false grass installed, like the one you can find at Easigrass. This will make your job much easier, as you won’t have to worry about carrying for your lawn, and you’ll be able to concentrate all of your efforts on the garden.
Implement Water Systems
Water is essential for a successful gardening experience. As far as permaculture goes, water is seen as a valuable resource that should be drained and held with great care. With that in mind, pay close attention to where water tends to naturally drain and pool in your garden. If there are spots where water tends to be pooled in excess, consider digging a swale. If there are places that need lots of water, but tend to not get it, a good way of dealing with that is by capturing rain for later use.
Beds
When creating the beds, go for the method that is the least destructive, and that requires as little effort as possible. It can be as simple as sheet mulching or spot planting. The former refers to turning a large space into a haven for plants. For this, you can layer a variety of materials, such as leaves, carboard, and wood chips to compost and kill the existing grass. This method works best if it is started in the fall, to create planting space for the following spring.
If you’re looking for a method that allows you to plant as soon as possible, then spot planting is the way to go. Simply remove a small section of grass, create a hole, and plant. Mulch can still be used for keeping the soil moist and keeping weeds from growing.
Perennials
The very notion of permaculture includes working with perennials, or plants that fare well in the area you live. A great ideal of this technique is working with native plants, but this is by no means mandatory. Consider visiting a local nursery, as this will ensure that the plants you get work well with both the soil and the weather in your area. If you’ve got friends are interested in starting a garden, going together may be a good idea, since nurseries often offer lower prices to those buying in bulk.
Plant Them Down
When planting, you want to ideally plant more than you’re going to need, because this allows you to later select the plants that are the healthiest. Another benefit of this technique is that it keeps weed from growing. Something else to consider is planting companion plants, such as herbs and alliums, which can be of great help when it comes to keeping both pests and certain diseases at bay.
Insert Annuals
If you only go with certain types of nut and fruit trees, it’s very likely that your garden will look like a large stick factory for quite a while. With that in mind, it can be incredibly helpful to play around with, such as sweet potatoes, sunflowers, and vegetables as well as flowers in general.
Care for Them
While this type of gardening isn’t as labor intensive as other types, it does still require some time investment on your part. Make sure to weed the plants, and to water them as often as possible. Then, when the time comes to harvest, do so from the plants that are growing the fastest and are the healthiest.
Introducing permaculture elements into your garden can be a great idea for bringing some delicious and healthy fruits and veggies into your diet. Of course, just like any other type of gardening, it does require some hours and a bit of sweat, but it is certainly a lot less when compared to other types. Thanks to this, you’ll be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor with much greater ease.