Using Permaculture Principles in Existing Urban Landscapes

As you probably know, permaculture is a holistic approach to - among other things - gardening and land use that aims to create sustainable and self-sufficient ecosystems. It can be applied to any type of landscape, including urban environments. Because of this, it is becoming an increasingly popular way to re-green cities and create more resilient natural communities within an urban context. But how can permaculture be incorporated into existing urban landscapes? Let's explore some strategies for doing just that.

• Start small: Permaculture can seem overwhelming at first, but it helps to start small and build gradually. A small herb garden or a container of tomatoes can be a great way to get started and see the results of your efforts quickly. As you gain experience, you can slowly expand the area of influence and incorporate more permaculture principles.
• Work with what you've got: One of the key principles of permaculture is to work with, rather than against, the existing ecosystem. This means taking into account the existing soil, climate, and other environmental factors when designing your garden. For example, if you live in an area with a lot of shade, you may want to focus on growing shade-tolerant crops and plants, rather than trying to create a sun-drenched garden in a shady spot.
• Use multi-functional plants: One way to maximize the productivity of small urban gardens is to use multi-functional plants. These plants serve multiple purposes, such as providing food, medicine, and habitat for wildlife. Examples include herbs, berries, and nitrogen-fixing plants like clover. By choosing multi-functional plants, you can maximize the space in your garden and create a more diverse and self-sustaining ecosystem.
• Create habitat: Urban environments can be inhospitable to wildlife, but incorporating permaculture principles can help to create habitats for birds, bees, and other important pollinators. This can be done by planting native species, providing water sources, and supplying nesting boxes and other shelters for wildlife.
• Use composting and other soil-building techniques: Soil is the foundation of any garden, and it can often be depleted or contaminated in urban environments. Incorporating permaculture principles into your urban garden can include composting, cover cropping, along with other soil-building techniques to create healthy, fertile soil. This will help to improve the overall health of your garden and increase its productivity.
• Connect with others: Finally, one of the best ways to incorporate permaculture into your urban landscape is to connect with others doing the same. Join a local community garden, attend a permaculture workshop, or find a local permaculture group to share resources, knowledge, and support.

Permaculture is a flexible and adaptable approach to sustainable land use that can be utilized in urban landscapes. By starting small, working with what you've got, using multi-functional plants, creating habitat, using composting and other soil-building techniques, and connecting with others, you can create a more sustainable, resilient, and productive urban environment.

Using planting spaces efficiently

Photo by Francesco Gallarotti on Unsplash

In the northern hemisphere in January, plant interactions are restricted to houseplant care or visiting a nursery with a heated greenhouse. Even though I can't get outside and work on a favorite permaculture project, it is a great time for learning about design ideas.

Many people live in areas where access to growing space is limited. Happily, there are a variety of techniques that can be used to create productive and biodiverse permaculture gardens, even in small spaces. Here are a few examples to get you started:

Vertical gardening: One way to maximize the productivity of small spaces is to grow plants vertically. This can be done by building trellises, installing hanging baskets, or using wall-mounted planters. Vertical gardening can also be combined with other techniques, such as companion planting and intercropping, to further increase the yield of the garden.

Companion planting: Companion planting involves growing different plants together that have a beneficial relationship. For example, planting beans near corn can increase the yield of both crops, as the beans can fix nitrogen in the soil, which is beneficial for the corn. Companion planting can also help to deter pests and attract beneficial insects.

Intercropping: Intercropping is a technique in which different crops are grown together in the same space. This can be done by planting different crops in alternating rows or by using a method called "succession planting," in which different crops are planted in the same space at different times. Intercropping can help to increase the yield of the garden and can also help to deter pests and diseases.

Mulching: Mulching is a technique that involves covering the soil with a layer of organic material, such as leaves, straw, or grass clippings. Mulch helps to retain moisture in the soil, which can be especially beneficial in small gardens that may dry out quickly. It also helps to suppress weeds and add organic matter to the soil as it breaks down.

Keyhole gardening: Keyhole gardening is a technique that involves creating a circular garden bed with a central composting area. This allows for efficient use of space and easy access to the center of the bed for composting and maintenance. Keyhole gardening is also a good technique for small spaces because it allows for a high density of plants to be grown in a small area.

Square foot gardening: Square foot gardening is a method that involves dividing the garden bed into small squares and planting different crops in each square. This allows for efficient use of space, easy maintenance, and a high density of plants. It also allows for companion planting and intercropping and can be a good technique for small spaces.

These are just a few examples of techniques that can be used to create productive and biodiverse permaculture gardens in small spaces. There are The most effective approach will depend on the specific conditions of the site, such as the climate, soil, and available resources. With a thoughtful design and careful consideration of the available techniques, it is possible to create a small but productive and diverse permaculture garden that can provide food, medicine, and other resources.

Design Principles for Small-Scale Urban Projects

I recently moved to a new location where, circumstances being what they were, I ended up with much less space on the premises to implement permaculture projects. This situation has caused me to look more into not just which kinds of projects are feasible for urban sites, but also which permaculture principles are most applicable to site designs for urban locations.

I ended up with a list of eleven different design principles. It didn't really surprise me that so many seem to fit well for urban design - permaculture principles are inherently very adaptable to many different environments. I believe that these are especially well-suited for small-scale urban projects. They address some of the unique challenges and opportunities found when designing permaculture systems for urban environments.

1. Observe and interact: Urban environments are often highly altered and can have a complex mix of natural and human-made elements. Observing and interacting with the site can help you understand how to work with these elements and design a system that is well-suited to the specific conditions of the area.
2. Catch and store energy: Urban environments often have limited space and resources, so it's important to make the most of what is available. By catching and storing energy in the form of water, food, and other resources, you can create a more self-sufficient and sustainable system.
3. Obtain a yield: Productivity is a crucial consideration in small-scale urban permaculture systems, as space is limited and resources are often scarce. Incorporating a variety of plants, and even animals, that can provide food, medicine, and other resources can help to maximize the yield of the system.
4. Apply self-regulation and accept feedback: Urban environments can be highly dynamic and subject to rapid change, so it's important to create systems that can adapt and change over time. Self-regulation and feedback mechanisms can help the system to respond to changing conditions and improve over time.
5. Use and value renewable resources and services: Urban environments often rely heavily on non-renewable resources and services, such as fossil fuels and municipal water systems. Incorporating renewable resources and services into the permaculture system can help to reduce dependence on these non-renewable resources. Urban areas frequently have waste streams that a creative can tap into and utilize, such as tree branches, scrap lumber, and much more.
6. Produce no waste: Urban environments can generate a lot of waste, as I indicated above, and finding ways to recycle and reuse this waste can be a key aspect of designing a sustainable and resilient system, whether the "waste" is generated on-site or whether it is produced nearby. This is often very helpful when finding needed materials to implement the design. At one site, one of the neighbors had horses which generated a good amount of manure. The manure was just waste for the neighbor but was put to excellent use on the site as a source of much-needed organic material and nitrogen.
7. Design from patterns to details: Urban environments can be complex and difficult to understand, so starting with an understanding of the overall patterns of the system can help to make sense of the details.
8. Integrate rather than segregate: Urban environments often have a mix of different elements, such as buildings, roads, fences, and empty lots. Creating systems that are integrated and interconnected can help to maximize the potential of these elements and create more resilient and sustainable systems.
9. Use small and slow solutions: Urban environments can be fast-paced and subject to rapid change, so small-scale, incremental solutions can be more adaptable and sustainable in the long term. This goes hand-in-hand with observing and accepting feedback: watching how your design implementation responds over time gives you an excellent idea about what pieces need tweaking (and something always needs tweaking).
10. Use and value diversity: Urban environments can be diverse and multicultural. Incorporating a wide variety of plants, animals, and other elements can help to create a more resilient and adaptable system. And, remember, a wide variety does not necessarily indicate a large quantity, which is why this is appropriate for urban projects.
11. Use edges and value the marginal: Urban environments often have a lot of "edges" and marginal areas, such as sidewalks, medians, rooftops, and wild or unmanaged spaces. These areas can be highly productive and biodiverse, and incorporating them into the permaculture system can help to make the most of the limited space available.

In summary, these design principles are tailored to work with the unique characteristics and constraints of small-scale urban permaculture systems, such as limited space, diverse elements, and the need for adaptability and resilience. They help to ensure that the permaculture system is well-suited to the specific conditions of the urban environment and can be sustainable in the long term.

Honey Bees and Native Bees

Is maintaining your own beehive worth the time, cost, and effort?

Keeping bees can be a rewarding experience, but it does require a significant investment of tie and money. Here are a few things to consider when deciding whether to start beekeeping:

• Time commitment: Keeping bees requires regular maintenance and monitoring. You will need to check on your hives regularly to ensure that the bees have enough food, that they are healthy, and that the hive is free of pests and diseases. This can be a time-consuming task, especially during the busy seasons of spring and summer.
• Cost: Starting a beekeeping operation can be expensive. You will need to purchase the bees and the equipment, which can include hives, protective gear, tools, and a honey extractor. The cost of the equipment and bees can range from several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the quality and quantity of equipment you purchase. Additionally, you will need to spend money on ongoing expenses such as feed, treatments for diseases and pests, and replacements for lost colonies.
• Climate and location: The success of your beekeeping operation will depend in part on the climate and location where you live. Some areas have a longer foraging season for bees, and some climates are better suited for bees than others. It's important to research the beekeeping conditions in your area before getting started.
• Risk: Keeping bees comes with certain risks, including the possibility of stings, the spread of disease and pests, and colony losses. In addition, honey production can be affected by weather and other environmental factors.
• Legal requirements: There may be legal requirements associated with keeping honeybees and each state has different laws. It's important to research and comply with local laws and regulations related to beekeeping before getting started.
  

Despite the effort and cost, many people find beekeeping to be a rewarding and enjoyable hobby. The honey produced by the bees can be a tasty treat, and the bees play an important role in pollinating plants in your area. Also, beekeeping can be a great way to connect with nature and learn more about the natural world. If you're interested in beekeeping, I would recommend you start by taking a beginner beekeeping class or reading some books on the subject. This will give you a good introduction to the basics of beekeeping and help you determine whether it's something you're willing and able to invest in.

What are the differences between caring for a beehive and promoting native bees?

Because working with a colony of honey bees and encouraging native bees are two different approaches, it makes sense that each method has its own set of benefits and challenges. As you know, honey bee colonies are managed and maintained by beekeepers, who are responsible for providing the bees with a safe and healthy environment, protecting them from pests and diseases, and ensuring that they have enough food to survive. Honey bees are social insects that live in large colonies, and they are known for their ability to produce honey, wax, and other hive products. They are also important pollinators and play a critical role in the pollination of many food crops. However, honey bees require regular management and monitoring, and can be affected by a number of diseases and pests. Additionally, honey bee colony collapse disorder has become a significant problem in recent years, highlighting the importance of proper management and care. Native bees, on the other hand, do not require the same level of management and monitoring as honey bees (because they're "wild"). Instead, the focus is on promoting and protecting the natural habitat of these bees. Native bees are not social insects like honey bees; they live alone and do not produce honey or wax. Instead, they focus on collecting nectar and pollen to provision their nests. Although they are also important pollinators, native bees are often not considered as effective at pollinating as honey bees are. However, their nesting habits make them more resilient to colony collapse disorder and other problems that afflict honeybees. Promoting wild solitary bees involves creating habitats that provide the resources these bees need to survive, such as food and nesting sites. This can be done by planting a diverse range of flowers, shrubs, and trees that bloom at different times of the year. Also providing nest boxes and other nesting sites for the bees will help establish them in your area. This approach to beekeeping is less labor-intensive and less costly than maintaining honey bee colonies, and it can also help to promote biodiversity in the environment.

Is it possible to encourage native bees even if you already have your own beehive?

If you already have a honey bee hive, there are several steps you can take to encourage native bees to visit your garden or property:

• Plant a diverse range of flowers: Providing a variety of flowers that bloom at different times of the year will give native bees a consistent food source throughout the growing season. Choose plants that are native to your area, as these will be most attractive to the native bees in your region.
• Avoid using pesticides: This should really be a no-brainer. Pesticides can harm or kill native bees (and other beneficial insects, as well). Instead, use integrated pest management practices that rely on natural predators and other natural methods to control pests.
• Provide nesting sites: Many native bees, especially solitary bees, need specific types of nesting sites. You can provide these by creating small bundles of hollow plant stems or providing artificial nest blocks that mimic natural cavities.
• Create shelter: Native bees need shelter to protect them from the elements and predators. You can provide this by planting dense shrubs and ground covers, or by creating structures such as rock piles or brush piles.
• Be water-wise: bees require water to survive and to be able to clean their bodies. You can create a shallow water basin or birdbath, or even add pebbles and rocks to a larger container to create an accessible surface for the bees to land on.
• Consider leaving some areas undisturbed: Native bees often nest in undisturbed, natural areas, such as bare ground or leaf litter. Consider leaving small, unmanicured areas of your property for native bees to nest and forage.

It's also important to note that having honey bee hives on your property doesn't mean you are not allowed to have native bees. Honey bees and native bees have different nesting habits and foraging patterns. Honey bees will forage at a farther distance from the colony than most native bees and they are also active at different times of the day. This means that the two types of bees can often coexist without competing for resources. Remember that promoting native bees is beneficial for the ecosystem and helps to increase biodiversity and pollination, which can lead to increased crop yields. By encouraging native bees in addition to your honey bee colony, you will be contributing to the health and well-being of your local environment.

No-Till

No-till is a farming method that involves planting crops without disturbing the soil through tillage. In traditional tillage systems, the soil is turned over or otherwise disrupted prior to planting, which can have negative impacts on soil structure and fertility. No-till farming, on the other hand, preserves the soil structure and minimizes soil disturbance, which can have several benefits for soil fertility and function.

One of the main benefits of no-till farming is that it helps to maintain and improve soil structure. When soil is tilled, it can become compacted, which can lead to poor drainage and reduced oxygen levels. No-till farming helps to prevent compaction, which can lead to healthier soil structure and improved root growth.

No-till farming can also help to increase soil organic matter, which is an important component of soil fertility. Organic matter helps to improve soil structure, water-holding capacity, and nutrient availability. When soil is tilled, organic matter is often disrupted and can be lost through decomposition or erosion. No-till farming helps to preserve organic matter and can lead to an increase in soil organic matter over time.

In addition to improving soil structure and fertility, no-till farming can also have environmental benefits. It can help to reduce erosion, which can protect water quality and reduce the amount of sediment that ends up in streams and rivers. No-till farming can also help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as it requires less energy to implement than traditional tillage systems.

Overall, no-till farming can be an effective way to improve soil fertility and function while also reducing the environmental impacts of farming.

Soil Structure and Crop Productivity

Soil structure refers to the way in which soil particles are arranged and how they aggregate together to form larger clumps or peds. This structure can have a big effect on how well crops grow and thrive. Here's why:

First of all, soil structure can affect how much water and nutrients are available to plants. Soils with good structure tend to have better water-holding capacity and drainage, which means that plants have an easier time accessing the water and nutrients they need. Soils with poor structure, on the other hand, may be prone to compaction or erosion, which can make it harder for plants to get the resources they need.

Soil structure can also affect the physical environment in which plants grow. Soils with good structure tend to be more friable and easier for plants to grow in, while soils with poor structure may be harder and more compact, which can make it difficult for plants to establish roots and grow effectively.

In addition, soil structure can have an impact on the presence and activity of soil microorganisms, which play a big role in helping plants grow. Soils with good structure tend to have higher levels of beneficial microorganisms, which can help to improve soil fertility and support healthy plant growth.

Help Your Soil Be Drought Resilient

 I recently finished reading Dale Strickler's book, The Drought Resilient Farm. Much of his focus was on the midwest portion of the USA. And there is a good deal about how to provide for livestock, especially cattle, during droughts. However, as I read I realized that Dale knows a lot about how to prepare the soil to be capable of supporting crops during dry times. And even more than that, explaining how to help the land provide enough moisture for plants, whether those plants are crops or pasture, was actually his main intent.

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Here are my key takeaways from Dale's book on how to make your soil, whether in a garden plot or a crop field, more "drought-ready":

1. Infiltration - Enabling water to be absorbed into the soil, or infiltration, is, understandably, super important. Otherwise, it just runs off (usually causing erosion) or it evaporates. Either way, it isn't around for your plants to drink up. You can increase the infiltration rate by avoiding tillage, using mulch and/or cover crops, adding fresh (yes, fresh) manure, leaving crop residues to decompose in place, and using a mycorrhizal fungi inoculant.
2. Retention - Once the water is in the soil it only helps if it stays in the soil until it is needed. Evaporation and leeching reduce the moisture that will be available for plants. The practices that help reduce water loss through evaporation or leeching include using windbreaks (even for small gardens this is beneficial for soil and plants), covering any bare ground with organic material, planting cover crops, adding manure, inoculating perennial seeds with mycorrhizal fungi, and using biochar.
3. Access - It doesn't matter if the soil holds all the water a crop needs if the plant's roots cannot get to the water. Keeping the soil "fluffy" is important. You can help maintain the deeper soil by (you guessed it) not tilling, planting cover crops in the fall that have deep roots (turnips, kale, forage radish, and collards are especially beneficial), increasing organic matter in the soil, appropriate mineral fertility (which causes a better functioning plant which results in more efficient water usage), and inoculate with mycorrhizal fungi.

By this point, you may feel you read the same thing three times. The fact of the matter is, many of the same practices support all of the vital functions that enable the soil to have sufficient moisture content, even during dry times. These include no-till, keeping a high level of organic matter in the soil, avoiding bare soil, and using mycorrhizal fungi.

Dale has a lot of detail on the how and why of each of these recommendations. Although he is oriented toward large-scale operations, there is a lot that can be applied to garden plots and permaculture landscapes.