How to use the Permaculture Planning Pack, Elia Charalambides

How does one use the Permaculture Planning Pack?

Mid Size Suburban Yard

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Permaculture Planning Pack, Elia Charalambides

Permaculture Planning Pack

All you need are the cards and something to represent your house.

 

 

Greenhouse, Elia Charalambides

Greenhouse→

 

 

The Beginnings part 2, Elia Charalambides

This is the first plan I drew for the backyard. While drawing this was very enjoyable for me I realized that it was difficult for me to visualize changes to this plan on the fly. I had to re-sketch small sections of it before I committed to coloring them. For this reason it took me several weeks to finalize this drawing…and even now it is only a rough guide. As I look at it I wished I could easily move trees and bushes around. Maybe its because I’m on computers all day and have become accustomed to it but I still believed there could be tools that helped in the design process. These thoughts led me directly to the concept for the Permaculture Planning Pack and in future posts I will show how the cards are used.

Chicken Run, Elia Charalambides

Chicken Run→

Chicken Characteristics from "Permaculture: A Designer's Manual"

Chickens can do far more than just produce eggs and meat. In a permaculture garden they:

Peach, Elia Charalambides

Peach→

Peach Tree

Mimosa, Elia Charalambides

Mimosa→

Mimosa Tree

Though considered opportunistic in some regions. This nitrogen fixing, fast growing small tree is great for attracting bees and especially hummingbirds. Hummingbirds not only drink the sweet pollen of many flowers but they actually eat many insects as well, acting as a predator for many pests in the garden.

The Beginnings, Elia Charalambides

Before this year, the backyard of my parents’ home used to be a mottled grassy/mossy open space. In the span of this spring and summer we have slowly transformed it into what you see below. There is a heavy focus on perennial low maintenance edible plants with a sprinkling of decorative ones.  This is the view from the back sliding door entrance. In total we have done this work, including the laying of the stones for the patio, in 5 weekends. Mostly by two people. There has been slight “weeding”, regular watering during dry the spells to get it started, and mulching. As of now we are probably using around 8-10% of the backyard to its potential.

 

Almond, Elia Charalambides

Almond→

Apricot, Elia Charalambides

Apricot→

For me there is nothing in this world like a ripe apricot enjoyed in the shade on a lazy summer afternoon with the cicadas chirping all around.

Ripe Apricots on the tree

Anyone ever hear of an Aprium? Plumcot perhaps? Or maybe a Pluot? No, these aren’t the tragic results of genetic engineering but the end product of years of cross breeding programs to create new delicious fruits.