Permaculture Principles

Observe and interact

Catch and store energy

Obtain a yield

Apply self-regulation and accept feedback

Use and value renewable resources and services

Produce no waste

Design from patterns to detail

Integrate rather than segregate

Use small and slow solutions

Use and value diversity

Use edges and value the marginal

Creatively use and respond to change

Some of these Principles are easier than others to abide by. Ones that particularly resonated with me when I started my Permacuture journey are;

Use small and slow solutions; I am a hugely impatient person. As soon as I have had an idea, I tend to jump straight into it without due consideration. This has caused me all sorts of trouble in the past, so permaculture is teaching me to stop, think, consider and then act. Intelligent thought processes followed by considered action!

Use edges and value the marginal; I had never noticed before the abundance of life at the edges. Consider the seashore, the forest edge, the shallows of a pond or even the verge at the side of the road. So much grows and lives in these spaces where two different eco-systems meet. Just have a look as you are walking around today. Permaculture teaches us how we can use the willingness to grow to our best advantage.

Integrate rather than segregate. Organic gardening taught me a bit about companion planting but Permaculture takes this even further with guilds and forest gardens. When we take our lead from nature by looking at how plants grow together, we can group plants carefully to make lots of beneficial connections. Then not only do our gardens look better, but they grow more abundantly and provide us with a greater variety of foods. I much prefer this approach to the old-school allotment style of endless rows of segregated carrots, cabbages and potatoes.