
Expand All \| Collapse All Thinking Ecologically Introduction Gardening Appropriate Technology Water Usage Passive Building Design Permaculture Community Gardening Gardening intro Seed Balls Compost Companion Planting Sowing Seeds in garden Sowing Seeds Indoors Sheet Mulch Mulching Liquid Fertilizer Transplanting Vermicomposting Appropriate Technology Appropriate Technology intro Solar Ovens Traditional Mud Mass Ovens Mud Bricks Mud\Tire Benches Straw Bale Construction Cob Building Geodesic Domes Compost Toilets Earthships Water Usage Water Usage Intro Rainwater Collection Grey water Systems Bottles Water Vs. Water bottles Passive Building Design Passive Building Design Intro Good Shoes, Good Hat Solar Heating And Cooling Solar Path Ecological Roofs Ecological Windows Dark Sky Lighting Ceiling Fans Permaculture Permaculture Intro History Of Permaculture Three Ethics Of Permaculture Ten Principles Of Permaculture A Permaculture Garden Community Community Intro Community Ecology Community Living Empowering The Individual Local Economy Ecological Footprint Center For Creative Ecology Center For Creative Ecology The Center The Educational Program The Eco Campus Neighborhood Learn More Get in Touch Contact us Have the experience of your life - come learn hands-on from the source!	Permaculture Gardening If designed correctly, a permaculture garden can produce high yeild with little maintenance. The Philosophy A permaculture garden is designed as a self-sustaining system in which all elements involved are used to their maximum potential in the most sustainable manner. True to the philosophy itself, the permaculture garden mimics natural habitats in that the system works as a continuous cycle; there is no weed unwanted or waste product unused. Strength Through Diversity In the permaculture garden each component serves more than one function: needing more or less of nutrients, growth habit (shade or climbers), and pest control and is achieved through concious companion planting. The recipe for a strong and diverse garden: Food for people - the diversity of food maximizes health and nutritional benefits. Food for soil - legumes are Nitrogen fixers; dynamic accumulators (comfrey, daikon radish, chicory) have long taproots to bring nutrients from deep in the soil. Diggers - deeply rooted plants break up the soil, which allows for better air and water absorption. Groundcovers - protects the soil from the sun, which retains moisture and controls weed growth (gourds, melons, potatoes, persilane) Climbers - helps maximize food production by added dimension (beans, peas) Supporters - climbers depend these structures (tall plants, houses, walls, sticks) Protectors - strong smelling plants are protection against insect damage (onions, chives, garlic, pungent flowers, herbs) How the Permaculture Garden Works As a self-sustaining system, the permaculture garden has many elements and resources that support each other in a continuous cycle. The use of grey water systems is a very important aspect of permaculture gardening because it is an example of using a natural resource to its highest potential. An advantage to using grey water is that it lessens the dependency on freshwater, and the chemicals and energy used in water treatment plants; it also increases the awareness of the cycles of water in natural systems. Container gardening is a way to grow food even without having a backyard. You can grow indoors or outdoors- rooftops, patios, stairs, sidewalks, and basically anywhere that you can find space. An advantage to container gardening is deciding where to grow your plants, thus potentially improving your microclimate by placing the containers where the plants will thrive the most. Permaculture Design Elements Every design element in permaculture uses natural ecosystems as patterns to study and mimic for the creation of a new type of agriculture, which in turn encompasses higher yields. Tire Tower A great way to grow potatoes is in a tire tower, which basically consists of a few tires stacked on top of each other, compost and soil mixture, and some mulch. The tire tower is also known as a vertical stacking technique that uses minimal space for the maximum amount of plants. The use of tires is a good way to recycle old, out of commission tires that otherwise will end up on the side of the road somewhere as a fire hazard and pollution problem. A thriving potato tire tower. Spiral Garden The spiral is a popular design method because it is a beautiful addition to any garden and is a stacking for diversity method. All design patterns in permaculture gardening are mirrors of natural landscapes, shapes, and occurrences. The spiral, for instance, can be found on the snail shell. This design is in the shape of a small mound leading upwards towards one point. Some ideas for spiral gardens are salad greens, herbs, or flowers. A spiral garden in Lotan's ecolocial garden supports different plant types. Food Forest The food forest is one of the best examples of reintroducing natural systems into gardening because it begins to recreate the natural stacking and mulching methods naturally found in a forest. In the food forest there are the perennial trees, which are used for wood, biogas, and food. Then follow mostly annuals: bushes, shrubs, climbers, creepers, and root vegetation. The food forest isn’t weeded because of the heavy mulch and the dense layers of edible vegetation, so in its entirety, the food forest is a self- sustaining, densely grown permaculture garden. Resources: Article: “Growing Potatoes in Tyres,” Michael Guerra. Permaculture Magazine. Spring 1994 Book: Edible Forest Gardens, Vol. 2: Ecological Design And Practice For Temperate-Climate Permaculture by Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier Book: Permaculture Garden by Graham Bell Book: Smart Permaculture Design by Jenny Allen, Steve Demasson, and Bill Mollison Book: Edible Container Garden by Michael Guerra Contact Lotan Center for Creative Ecology kibbutzlotan@gmail.com Tel: +972 8 6356935; +972 54 9799030 Toll free (while in Israel): 1800 2000 75