We reveal the principles according to which permacultures work and why this type of cultivation is particularly sustainable.
It is not that easy to explain permaculture in just a few sentences. After all, permaculture is a holistic and multi-layered concept of garden design and sustainable agriculture. Permaculture is derived from the English "permanent (agri-) culture" and stands for permanent culture or land management. Permaculture is about taking natural cycles and ecosystems as models and imitating them in the garden.
Definition of permaculture in the garden: Permaculture is a form of land use modeled on natural ecosystems. Particular attention is paid to the cycles, diversity and resilience of the design and planting.
In this article we will introduce you to the principles of permaculture and explain the benefits of permaculture in the garden.
Permaculture: Principles & Methods
The concept of permaculture was developed in the 1970s by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. They wanted to design an alternative to industrial agriculture that pollutes large areas with pesticides and fertilizers without taking the environment and biodiversity into account. The goal of permaculture is to secure a sustainable yield of sufficient amounts with as little effort as possible (such as work, purchased materials and energy). All available resources should be managed as ecologically, economically, socially sustainable and mindfully as possible.
Permaculture is based on various principles and principles, which we briefly explain below.
The three permaculture principles:
- Caring for the earth (Earth Care): Build up of humus, Promotion of soil organisms, structure and fertility of the soil, prevention of erosion and desiccation.
- Caring for the people (People Care): Caring for yourself and others, cultivating human relationships, taking responsibility, finding solutions together.
- Fair sharing (Fair Share): Loss-free, fair harvesting and utilization through sharing with the community.
The principles of permaculture are not only used in agriculture and horticulture, but also in other areas such as sustainable urban planning or architecture. All further measures and strategies that should be observed when planning and designing a permaculture garden can be derived from the three basic principles.
Common permaculture methods:
- Observe and imitate nature.
- Learn from nature and natural cycles: observe food chains, create habitats that are useful for humans and animals, such as wild fruit hedges or fish ponds.
- Start small and think, plan and act for the long term.
- Creating and preserving diversity: Establishing different zones and small climates, designing peripheral zones.
- Optimizing instead of maximizing: For example, choosing more resistant varieties for cultivation, increasing soil fertility, save water, Mixed cultures establish.
- Conserve resources, avoid waste (zero waste) and, if possible, recycle.
- Create creative solutions in joint projects.
- Cooperation instead of competition.
Benefits of Permaculture
A great advantage of permaculture is that this type of agriculture is particularly sustainable and environmentally friendly. Through the careful use of natural resources and the promotion of biodiversity and cycles in the garden, diverse habitats can be created in the garden. At the same time, it is also about producing healthy and natural foods in sufficient quantities yourself.
All advantages of permaculture at a glance:
- Sustainable and resource-saving.
- Ecologically and socially compatible.
- Contributes to biodiversity and promotes beneficial organisms through various microclimates and diverse habitats.
- Particularly resilient plant communities (high resilience).
- CO2-Binding in the soil through long-term humus build-up.
- Saving and storing water.
- Contributes to the (self) supply with natural and healthy food.
- Creating knowledge and mindfulness about cycles and relationships in nature.
Our sustainable and environmentally friendly products from Plantura can be easily combined with the principles of permaculture. We, too, always value a conscious and respectful approach to nature. Discover in our Plantura shop Soils, fertilizers, flower mixtures and many other products for sustainable gardening that are produced in a climate-friendly manner and that bring the greatest benefit for you, your garden and the environment.
Specific application examples and practical tips on how to create a permaculture garden yourself can be found in our article on permaculture in the garden.
