What is the importance of vegetable/herbs in a permaculture garden?

i need some help with this because i cant find it on the internet



it would also help if you told me the importance of:

habitat

water tanks

chickens+otheranimals



in a permaculture garden



thanks!

What is the importance of vegetable/herbs in a permaculture garden?
Sarah, you would need to write a whole book just to cover the areas you list.



Permaculture is Permanent (agri) Culture.

So plants/trees/vegetables and herbs are essential parts of the garden. The idea is that you and your family become as auto efficient as possible, working with nature not against it. Using the least amount of human energy to provide a yield whilst enriching, not depleting the ecosystem. Permaculture is about creating beneficial relationships with plants, animals and other people.



So for example connections are made between different components. The chicken for example produces eggs, meat, feathers, manures as it walks around, it scratches so it weeds, eats bugs, they breed so repopulate, they free range. A chicken tractor (moveable pen) can be used so that chickens clear weedy plots of land for you and fertilize it. The tractor is then moved along to the next plot for clearing and fertilizing.



The bigger picture is that each component in the ecosystem is beneficial and reliant on the other. So animals are essential for the ecosystem. In my opinion, they do not have to be domesticated animals, they can be wild animals, but then I am a Vegan so my views differ from the majority of Permaculturists' views on keeping animals.



Regarding Habitat: Permaculture is to live ethically and sustainably so we have to understand eco systems and how the natural world works. The key is to understand that we are a single system; not separate. Whatever we do locally affects other people and the environment globally. Local solutions provide the best answers, we have different climates, soils, flora and fauna. Different needs, wants, tradition and cultures. But by acting locally we must keep an eye on the Horizon by limiting the damage on the environment and people globally. For example Global Warming affects us all.



Permaculture seeks to design ways of meeting man's needs by creating permanent high-yielding agricultural ecosystems. It is a solution aimed at how people can live on the smallest amount of land possible. The natural landscape (the rest, the wilderness is then not used by man) it is then left alone to heal and so it functions holistically.



Local responsibility ensures that people become as auto sufficient as possible both individually and as trading communities. Man is responsible for meeting his own needs for fuel, food and dealing with his own outputs and wastes.



Timber is grown on site in mixed native woodlands. This enriches the local ecosystem but its basis is the opposition of meeting man's needs by deforestation of the remaining natural and ancient forests/woodlands. Permaculture is a system of observation and least possible intervention both in terms of the home and the wilderness. It's leading principle is that eco-systems will naturally re-balance if left alone.



Hence the desire to create high yielding 'homesteads' to meet man's needs as efficiently as possible. By creating our own mini high yielding systems for our own use we use the least amount of everything possible. The Ethics of Permaculture are: Earth Care this is simply working with nature not against it. Limiting consumption and self limiting family size so there is less demand on natural systems/finite resources/finite land.



So I will give you lots of links for you to look at:



http://www.homegrowntexas.com/issues/Jul...

http://www.abqpermaculture.net/principle...

http://www.cat.org.uk/catpubs/pubs_conte...

http://www.spiralseed.co.uk/permaculture...

http://www.pfaf.org/

Download the free ebook Essence of Permaculture on David Holmgren's website.

David Holmgren %26amp; Su Dennett

Holmgren Design Services

Email info@holmgren.com.au

Website http://www.holmgren.com.au

http://www.permaculture.org.uk/

http://66.102.1.104/scholar?hl=en%26amp;lr=%26amp;q=...

http://www.terrapsych.com/permaculturede...

http://www.permacultureactivist.net/News...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mVJtpuOyCo0

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wai5nDz_OjY%26amp;m...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=l3_RbgtDnQE%26amp;m...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3jD7rATl39Y

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZOaPFt_ajvU%26amp;m...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye90FxJmu...

http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2007...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr3u8oqsx...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYgQAfxXH...

http://www.sbpermaculture.org/index.html

http://www.thefarm.org/permaculture/

http://search.abc.net.au/search/search.c...
Reply:Thanks bella Report It
Reply:Permaculture (much like this question) is a design principle which works on the basis that energy and resources flow through natural systems sequentially, and that in a good design, one element is useful to many others.



An example of this would be that water is collected from the roof of a house, used for drinking, and recycled as grey water for washing clothes. That water is then channeled down a drip irrigation drainage system where it feeds trees. (see link for water) The first link goes to a permaculture fact sheet which includes this type of system as well as many other good ideas.



Another example would be companion planting where particular plants are known to grow well when cultivated adjacent to one another (for example silver beet and strawberries). This can allow the design of garden beds which produce better yields and are naturally more resilient to pests. (see link for herb spiral).



It's a useful tool to have in the box when you are planning out an eco-home, and it is a great way to understand and take advantage of the interdependences of nature. It has given some really useful insights for me especially in permaculture zones (third link) planning "what goes where" and the incredible value of trees to just about everything else. It has provided great ideas for companion planting (fourth link)



The golden rule is PPPPP.



Prior Planning (and) Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.



When planning out where to put trees and veggies, Permaculture provides a number of very useful ideas at the planning stage. The principles are summarized below (5th reference)



The Principles of Permaculture Design



Whereas permaculture ethics are more akin to broad moral values or codes of behavior, the principles of permaculture provide a set of universally applicable guidelines which can be used in designing sustainable habitats. Distilled from multiple disciplines—ecology, energy conservation, landscape design, and environmental science—these principles are inherent in any permaculture design, in any climate, and at any scale.





1. Relative location

2. Each element performs multiple functions

3. Each function is supported by many elements

4. Energy efficient planning

5. Using biological resources

6. Energy cycling

7. Small-scale intensive systems

8. Natural plant succession and stacking

9. Polyculture and diversity of species

10. Increasing "edge" within a system

11. Observe and replicate natural patterns

12. Pay attention to scale

13. Attitude



In practical terms this could mean planting evergreens to provide shade for many other plants and raise the water table to nourish them.



Planting a circle of herbs round the tree to enrich mineral and nitrogen content of the soil, keep away insects harmful to the tree and vegetables to be planted near it. Act as a green mulch.



Companion planted vegetables spiraling round the herbs channeling water down to a pond containing fish cleaning the water, using the nutrients with run off to high water use pulses such as rice, or berries.



The most important single point is that each thing planted should provide multiple benefits and have multiple uses.
Reply:Try www.wikipedia.org and look under permaculture.
Reply:We plant in guilds many of those have herbs included because so many work as deterrents for pests ,or are good companions to other plants



For example at the base of Tomato plants we put parsley.mint ,oregano and such and



you are asking for many things



i will give you links to questions i have answered dealing with animals





and water harvesting and conservation http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...





fish ponds

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

composting

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

organic pest control

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

using ducks

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

organic farming

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Garden layout

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

planting in guilds

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Permaculture design

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...





also check my 360 page under starred questions http://360.yahoo.com/profile-XWsshpgjeb....

many Permaculturre answers there



and Permaculture bella has all the internet links you could possibly want

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...





get this book the designers manual costs about 40 dollars

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
Reply:Vegetables are the backbone of permaculture, we gotta eat, right?. RScott

erythema