Sowing Seeds in the Desert: Natural Farming, Global Restoration & Ultimate Food Security Masanobu Fukuoka's first book, The One-Straw Revolution, introduced natural farming, a nature-integrated practice similar to 'original' permaculture, to a world where the environmental movement had just begun. As this plant pathologist-turned-farmer-philosopher journeyed around the world as a result of the popularity of his book and ideas, Fukuoka was shocked at the environmental degradation and desertification he saw. Sowing Seeds in the Desert, his final book, is his plan to set a 'Second Genesis' in motion: a green revolution led by vegetables, grasses, and trees. Natural farming isn't just another 'method' but rather a way of thinking and living that goes beyond even organic farming. By working in partnership with the natural world – examples such as using rivers and their tributaries as the basis for green corridors; planting poisonous plants to deter grazing; and using a diversity of trees and ground cover to stop erosion and build the soil – the results are truly sustainable.
Beyond The Picket Fence: How Did You Paint That? This is probably the number one question I get--how did you paint that, what is your paint technique? Honestly, I am not sure I have a technique, but I will attempt to share with you what I do. However, I do have a disclaimer: I have been painting furniture for a dozen years. My style or technique has evolved and changed and developed over those years, and I am sure it will continue to do so. I am showing this on a piece of pallet wood--all wood and furniture is different and take the paint and stain differently. As I have said many times, I slap some paint on. I do not clean off my brush between colors, but I do brush it on wood until most of the color is gone. I wait a bit for the paint to dry. When the paint is dry (again, mostly dry anyway), I sand it--sometimes a lot, sometimes very little. Here is how much I sanded this piece of wood: I then use a stain, sometimes a wax, over the top. I cover the paint/piece of wood completely. I do not always put a clear finish on my pieces.
How to Grow Perennial Vegetables This is the latest offering from the prolific and encyclopedic Martin Crawford of the Agroforestry Research Trust in Devon where he has tested a huge number of plants of all kinds in his two acre forest garden, established 20 years ago. For a low maintenance, food producing design, such as a forest garden, perennial vegetables can provide an ideal understorey or ground cover accompaniment to a top storey of fruit and nut trees – and Martin has proved that there are a great many such plants available for all niches. The book's design is elegantly straightforward with the first quarter covering the practical issues involved, such as: the reasons for growing perennial veg; how to design them into a garden, and how to grow and look after them. The rest of the book looks at many perennials that can be used productively. As well as vegetables, also included are grains, tubers, aquatic plants and some vegetatively edible trees. Further resources Plants and recipes to bridge the hungry gap
Funky Junk Interiors -Funky Junk Interiors A Journey of Transition: Becoming a Professional Permaculture Designer - PermacultureNews.org by Dan French Photo © Craig Mackintosh Like the title suggests, I’m going to write a few articles about my journey to becoming a professional permaculture designer… if you don’t mind? I grew up in the Adelaide hills, on the top of the ridge where the elements are in full swing, alongside a national park. During my previous professional lives, I spent many moments wondering what it would be like to break the shackles of endless corporate procedures, boring reporting and restriction of action by various legislative approaches. German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer stated, “All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed; Second, it is violently opposed; and Third, it is accepted as self-evident.” Just like a religion, it seems permaculture is expressed in many forms. I like working with people and getting the occasional kick up the bum, so I have teamed with Nick Huggins of Permaculture Business World who, I’m glad to say, has really fired up my progress.
A Journey of Transition: Becoming a Professional Permaculture Designer - Part 2 - PermacultureNews.org OK, here we go, the second installment of this series regarding my journey to become a professional permaculture designer. In my last article I touched on who I am, what I am doing and why, and discussed some general topics which included defining my services, networking and, on a very general level, the importance of examining price structures for services. As a result, I was contacted by a nice guy by the name of Scott Mann who runs a great podcast series called The Permaculture Podcast. It turned out we had a lot in common. He had also travelled the road of becoming a professional designer, and although he ended in a different stream of permaculture, the process he undertook led him to the path he is now on, that being sharing important permaculture information from various experts to a global audience. Anyhow, during the interview Scott asked me about obstacles I have encountered so far in my professional development and ways in which I have addressed these. Commitment.
A Journey of Transition: Becoming a Professional Permaculture Designer - Part 3 by Dan French Photo © Craig Mackintosh This time, in Part 3 of this series discussing my journey towards becoming a professional permaculture designer, I will be talking about marketing, knock-backs and my progress since the last article. Momentum is your friend in life, particularly when starting a business, as it takes constant effort, and not only in one area. It’s a long road and it can get both frustrating and disillusioning, especially prior to getting a job through the door. On this point, spending time thinking about how you are going to respond to a phone or email enquiry is highly important as this is where you can impact a potential client’s decision about whether they will proceed with you or look somewhere else. This is what I am concentrating on at the moment. I am still gathering inspiration from where I can by researching others who run successful businesses who have made them well known by benefitting others. One final discussion point before signing off.
Chapter 2: Design Principles | A Permaculture Design Course Handbook The principles above are laid out in Bill Mollison’s later book “Introduction to Permaculture”. There he presented a concise form of the concepts he laid out in the Chapters 2 & 3 in Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual. A summary of them can be seen below and even downloaded here: BM PC Principles summary. The principles seem to be patterns laid out on how nature’s inherent intelligence is formed in time and space. They are a great tool for interpreting ecosystem establishment and functions and from there designs can unfold. Summary of Permaculture Principles from TreeYo Permaculture (click on each Principle for further pics and explanation, more coming) from Introduction to Permaculture by Bill Mollison 1. Functional Analysis: is a tool to realize the full potential of each element by examining products and behaviors, needs, and intrinsic characteristics. 2. 3. 4. Zone Planning refers to the placement of elements based on their intensity of use and management. 5. 6. A schematic of coppice 7.