Whether you are new to homesteading or just want to refresh on the basics, it’s always best to have a reliable homesteading book in your library. The homesteading lifestyle prompts families, both young and old, to become more self-reliant, which has a lot of benefits. But – finding reliable information about homesteading isn’t as easy as …
If you grow some or even most of your own food, you might think you’re doing your part to live more sustainably. However, if you’re not using polyculture farming or gardening, you could be missing out on big ways to lower your footprint – and increase your harvest! Still, what is polyculture, and what is …
There’s a bit of an odd-one-out among the seven layers of the permaculture food forest garden – a group that doesn’t fit into any one particular compartment of the garden quite so neatly… Like all plants, climbing plants start their growth in the root layer but can then ramble around anywhere from the forest garden …
In our exploration of temperate food forest layers, we’ve been taking a closer look at each of the seven layers, what we can plant there, and how to design each layer for optimum results across the whole garden. So far, we’ve looked at the root layer of a food forest, groundcovers and the herbaceous layer, …
So far, in our exploration of the different layers of the permaculture food forest garden, we have covered the underground and herbaceous layers that comprise the smaller plants of the ecosystem. Today, we’ll look at permaculture shrubs we can grow in a food forest, and how best to manage them. Shrubs In a Food Forest Shrubs …
Edible ground covers and the herbaceous layer of the permaculture food forest. What makes a food forest garden different from an orchard? One of the distinctions lies in what’s growing on the ground… In conventional orchards, the ground is either mown, grazed, or even stripped bare and exposed to the ravages of burning sun, and …
One of the defining features of forest gardens and food forests is how they utilize space to maximum efficiency by growing crops in several “layers” – just as you’d see in natural woodland. These layers can be roughly divided up into 7: In this series of articles, I’ll take you through the 7 layers, starting …
By applying the 12 principles of permaculture to our lives, we can increase productivity, cut down on waste, and boost the health of our own, personal ecosystem. Permaculture is just about sustainably growing your own food, isn’t it? That is a common perception but, for committed permaculturists, it’s much more than that. How to Live …