- The permaculture garden
- initial position
- zones
- planning
- Sector Analysis
- List of plants for each zone
- frequently asked Questions
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If you want to cultivate your garden naturally, sooner or later you will come across permaculture. We have put together the basics for you and explain the advantages of a planting plan.
In a nutshell
- Permaculture suitable for gardens of all sizes
- Goal: gardening in harmony with nature
- Plant daily used herbs near the house
- Plant low-maintenance plants in remote areas
The permaculture garden
Permaculture is much more than a way of growing fruit and vegetables. Permaculture is a way of life that defines harmony with nature as the ultimate goal. The Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren are considered to be the founders of permaculture. They spent some time together with the Aborigines. The knowledge of the Australian Aborigines and their deep respect for nature fed into the development of permaculture. Religions such as Buddhism or Taoism also contain similar ways of thinking.
The ethical principles of permaculture:
- care for the earth.
- care for the people.
- Limit consumption and growth and redistribute the surplus.
In his book "Permaculture - design principles for sustainable lifestyles", David Holmgren has therefore summarized the design principles that are used in various areas of life.
Overview of all zones of a permaculture garden
The principles for the permaculture garden at a glance:
- Use of environmentally friendly materials
- avoidance of waste
- Further use of materials that are no longer required, for example through upcycling, recycling or for energy generation
- predominant supply through self-cultivation and production in order to achieve extensive independence from the economy
- ecological-biological cultivation of food
- No chemicals, genetic engineering and monoculture
- respectful treatment of the animal and plant world
- Exchange and give away unneeded goods and products
Notice: In a permaculture garden, people, animals and plants live together in a diverse, complementary community. The aim is for everyone to be able to develop well.
The advantages of the permaculture garden are obvious.
permaculture
A permaculture garden offers many benefits.
- protects the environment
- protects health
- promotes calm and harmony
- reduces resource consumption
Tip: Permaculture is called the smart way to garden for a reason. In addition to its positive effects on the preservation of the habitat, it is even easy on the wallet.
initial position
Before you embark on the exciting path of permaculture gardening, you should observe your garden closely and check the initial situation.
1. Which plants already exist in the garden?
Existing plants should be preserved and integrated into the planning. Exceptions are large lawns. These, too, do not have to be completely eliminated. They can be transformed into wildflower meadows or make way for vegetable beds.
Vegetable patch
2. Which animals live in your garden?
Which useful small animals and insects are at home in your garden? These should definitely find food and habitat in the future.
3. How is the soil quality?
Use a soil sample to check how nutritious the soil already is.
4. What are the lighting conditions like?
Where are the sunny, shady or semi-shady places in your garden?
5. Which places are directly exposed to wind and weather?
Many plants are sensitive to wind and heavy rain. Identify these before planting beds.
6. Is there a watercourse or a pond in your garden?
Small or larger water points are a win! They can be excellently integrated into the permaculture concept of your garden.
garden pond
7. To what extent are storage facilities available for the harvest?
Before you start building, check what storage capacity is available to you. For example, do you have a basement to store potatoes, turnips and other vegetables, as well as preserves?
8. Which fruits and vegetables are among your favorite dishes?
Your preferences play an important role in planning a permaculture garden. Don't grow anything you don't like to eat. Consider how much you can eat.
Notice: Any garden, big or small, sunny or shady, with good or bad soil quality can be transformed into a permaculture garden.
zones
When planning permaculture gardens, different zones are distinguished. The classification contains important care instructions:
Zone 0: The house and areas of most activity on the property.
Zone 1: Plants that need to be harvested and watered every day and stables where animals need to be tended to every day. (Intensive care)
Zone 2: Beds with vegetables that need frequent watering and are used about every two to three days. (Less intensive maintenance)
Zone 3: Plants with a longer development time (occasional care)
Zone 3 forms the agricultural part of the permaculture garden. Here are the fruits and vegetables that take a long time to grow. Potatoes or grain, but also berry bushes find their place here.
Zone 4: Plants that are only harvested once a year (minimum maintenance)
Zone 4 grows hardy, low-maintenance plants that are only harvested once a year. Fruit and nut trees form the transition between zones 3 and 4. There are mainly grassy areas here. A beehive would have its place in zone 4.
Zone 5: Natural wilderness (almost no maintenance)
This is the area where nature remains almost untouched. It offers quiet zones and valuable living space for beneficial insects in the garden. Here, for example, wild plants can grow that serve as food for small animals and insects.
Notice: Not all five zones need to be included in every permaculture garden. In small gardens only zones 1 to 3 may be present. The zones do not have to be the same size. For example, a small untouched area behind bushes can result in wilderness zone 5.
planning
A sketch can help to plan the structure of your permaculture garden well. On paper, relationships between plants, animals, soil quality and environmental conditions become clear. The findings provide important care instructions.
Manual:
- Sketch the outlines of the garden plot on a piece of paper.
- Align the leaf so that the upper side points north, because the cardinal points affect the planting plan.
- Draw in fixed objects, such as existing buildings.
- Divide the different zones around the center.
- Draw in beds and special features.
- Show the influencing factors in the form of arrows.
Sector Analysis
Once you have sketched the structure of your garden, include the influencing factors in your considerations. The founders of permaculture called this "sector analysis".
Influencing factors include:
- points of the compass
- wind
- sun exposure
- shadow areas
- noise
- exhaust gases
- wildlife
- Effects of neighboring properties
List of plants for each zone
The division of zones in a permaculture garden is an indication of how to optimally arrange the plants or elements. You can optimize yields within a zone by choosing the right plants.
Zone 0: residential building
There are no plants relevant to permaculture in the area around the immediate residential building. Although you can use favorable locations for warmth-loving plants directly on the wall, permaculture offers other methods for creating microclimates here.
Storage cellar for vegetables
An important element in Zone 0 is storage and harvest processing elements. This could be a place to air dry, for example. Storage is placed in this area as you should have short distances from the house to the storage area. Even if you don't have a suitable storage cellar, the best place to create an underground heap is immediately in the area around the house. This is often relegated to the farthest corner because it is not always an eye-catcher. As a result, the distances are too long, especially in snowy winter.
Zone 1: Area around the house
Here is the area for growing the plants. Important elements for cultivation are:
- cold frame
- mini greenhouse
- Shelves for storing young plants
Cold frame with salad
In addition, there is a small kitchen garden around the house, where the most important plants that you need on an ongoing basis are. These are often kitchen herbs, but there should also be room for salads.
Plant list for zone 1
- lettuce
- oregano
- Parsely
- pick lettuce
- rosemary
- arugula
- chives
- thyme
Raised bed with herbs
When designing this area, people like to use raised beds. The plants are at a comfortable height and easy to plant and harvest. In addition, the raised bed offers a certain protection and a spatial separation for a terrace.
Notice: In zone 1 there should be a place for your tools somewhere. It does not have to be your own shed, a sheltered place under a canopy is often sufficient.
Zone 2: vegetable garden and small animal husbandry
In zone 2, an area for small animals such as poultry or rabbits is an important element. For safety reasons, the small animals should be close to the house, as this deters predators.
Another central element is the vegetable garden. Here are mainly vegetable plants that have a short ripening period or are harvested continuously. An element in this area can therefore be a greenhouse in which to grow your tomatoes.
Plant list for zone 2
- eggplants
- cucumbers
- chard
- paprika
- salads
- spinach
- tomatoes
- zucchini
An important care instruction in this area is to carry out a daily check, because these cultures are associated with a high level of care. In the transition area to zone 3, vegetables can still be planted that require a little less care, but should be constantly checked when young.
Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) and onions (Allium cepa)
Also at the edge of Zone 2 are:
- beans
- leek
- garlic
- cabbage
- pumpkins
- onions
Notice: Pay attention to the mixed culture here, which can save you a lot of work. Appropriate cultures in a plant community encourage each other to grow and thus sustain themselves mutual pests away.
Zone 3: Storage cultures
Hardy crops that require little maintenance can be found in the acreage for storage vegetables.
Plant list for zone 3
- potatoes
- Grain
- Corn
Potato bed (Solanum tuberosum)
In this area, crops are usually grown on a larger scale. Make sure you combine good and bad neighbors, even if the choice of plants is limited here. As an alternative to vegetables, you can plant flowers between the rows. Good neighbors for potatoes are, for example, tansy or marigolds. The intense smell mitigates an infestation by Colorado potato beetles.
Zone 4: Fruit and large animals
Zone 4 contains fruit trees and berry bushes. If you also intend to cultivate exotic trees and shrubs here, you should create a microclimate with suitable accompanying plants. For example, robust local fruit varieties can be planted outdoors. They keep wind and weather out and thus create a slightly better climate for heat-loving plants such as peaches or apricots. For good yields, the choice of variety for fruit trees is particularly important, because it often takes several years before errors can be corrected here.
Plant list for zone 4
- apples
- apricots
- pears
- blackberries
- raspberries
- currants
- peach
- grapes
Blackberries (Rubus sect. Rubus)
Notice: The list of plants for this area can be extended at will. In climatically favorable regions and with the right microclimate, even exotic plants such as olive trees or hardy banana plants survive the winter.
Depending on the total area, there is also timber in this area. In zone 4 there are also grazing areas for larger animals as well as shelters and stables.
Zone 5: natural zone
Zone 5 represents a kind of natural wall between the kitchen garden and other elements. This can be, for example, the property of the neighbor, an adjacent street or an intensively cultivated area. However, this natural zone not only serves to demarcate itself, it is also a refuge for insects. This should lure them into the garden with an extensive range of food plants and nesting sites. The kitchen garden also benefits from this, where flowering crops are also pollinated by them or beneficial insects help with pest control.
The natural zone is therefore increasingly becoming an area in which wild herbs and wild shrubs are cultivated and processed.
Plant list for the natural zone
- barberry
- rowan
- service pear
- rose hip
- elder
Black elder (Sambucus nigra)
- euonymus
- sea buckthorn
- willow
- sloe
- snowball
- hawthorn
In the natural zone there is also space for different ecological elements that form a habitat for insects or other beneficial insects.
The following items can be found here:
- insect nesting aids
- wild bird feeder
- bird houses
- pile of deadwood
- cairn
insect hotel
frequently asked Questions
Do the zones have to be laid out in a circle around the house?The circular outline of the zones has largely become established. However, if your individual conditions are different, you can of course deviate from them.
Can you design a balcony according to the principles of permaculture?Despite the spatial limitations, it is possible to work on the balcony or terrace according to permaculture principles. For example, you can grow bee plants in flower boxes to support nature. Even compost can be produced on the balcony. Use the advantages of mixed cultures. Vegetables and herbs can be grown vertically on shelves. Various fruit bushes only require a small area and grow upwards. The limited space on the balcony trains the eye for the essentials of permaculture.
Can you build a herb spiral in zone 1?Yes, in this area a herbal spiral is a conceivable element. You can also move the herbal spiral to zone 2 if you don't have enough space here or the lighting conditions are not ideal.
Can you move the plants to other zones?Yes, the plants in the zones are just a guide for you. For example, if you don't eat lettuce often, then you shouldn't necessarily plant in zone 1. In general, when planning, make sure that your walking distances are short and that high-maintenance crops are easy to reach. Plants can also appear in multiple zones. For example, you can cultivate a hazelnut bush in the orchard and plant it in the natural area as a protective wall.