The Permaculture Master Plan

Inspirational!

From the Permaculture Research Institute's page on the Permaculture Master Plan:

The answers to the world’s woes – waning energy supplies, depleted and contaminated soils and water, reduced biodiversity, the dismantling of communities, etc. – are all there. We know how to get the job done, we know how to restore natural abundance where before was only desolation. But, we can get the job done a great deal faster with your help!

Watch this video to learn more:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI7nRoT142Y

Click here for more information...

Principles of Permaculture: Principle Twelve - Creatively Use and Respond to Change

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Holmgren's Twelve Principles of Permaculture
1.  Observe and Interact
2.  Catch and Store Energy
3.  Obtain a Yield
4.  Apply Self Regulation and Accept Feedback
5.  Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services
6.  Produce No Waste
7.  Design from Patterns to Details
8.  Integrate Rather than Segregate
9.  Use Small and Slow Solutions
10. Use and Value Diversity
11. Use the Edges and Value the Margin
12. Creatively Use and Respond to Change

http://permacultureprinciples.com/principle_11.php

Principle Twelve: Creatively Use and Respond to Change
Holmgren's Proverb for this Principle:  Vision is not seeing things as they are but as they will be.

I believe that this principle is really talking about two types of change and our reaction to it.  The first is change that is seen or anticipated.  A prime example of this is the concept of succession.  In ecology, succession is the change that an environment will go through as it progresses toward maturity or climax.  An idealized illustration is how an abandoned farm field will become overgrown with weeds and grasses and then become a meadow then an early forest and then a mature forest.  Another example is the progression of the seasons from Summer to Autumn to Winter to Spring and back around again.  If we are managing our land and garden for this change, which comes as no surprise, then we can incorporate these changes into our Permaculture design.  One quick design example is how we can sow an area that has poor quality soil with a non-frost-resistant nitrogen-fixing plant.  Come winter, the plant will die back providing a mulch, organic material, and nitrogen to the soil.  We don't have to do the work that nature can do for us instead.  That is smart design!

The other type of change is the change that is unforeseen.  The change for which we did not plan.  This can be anything from a tree that is killed by lightning, wind, or pest to the death of your chickens by a raccoon.  It can be as big as the death of a loved on or a house fire or as small as a flat tire or seeds that didn't sprout.  Also, remember that not all unforeseen change is negative.  We may have a bumper crop of tomatoes or peppers, a sheep that bears triplets, or an unexpected inheritance.  The key to success with this type of change is how we handle it, our ability to adapt.  The overused adage, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" is very applicable.  There is a famous quote from Bill Mollison, the co-founder of Permaculture, when discussing pests in the garden.  He said, "You don't have a slug problem, you have a duck deficiency!" That is the attitude and the creativity we need to have in the face of unforeseen change.

"Vision is not seeing things as they are but as they will be" (an old Japanese proverb) reminds us that there is usually an opportunity in all change, unforeseen and expected.  It is up to us to have the vision to plan for or adapt to that change to come out better, or at least not as bad as others in a similar situation, on the other side.

We can have a positive impact on inevitable change by carefully observing, and then intervening at the right time.

- David Holmgren

Permaculture Plants: Rugosa Roses

The Rugosa Rose has a wonderful rose aroma

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Common Name: Rugosa Rose, Japanese Rose
Scientific Name: Rosa rugosa
Family: Rosaceae

The large fruits of the Rosa rugosa... well, large compared to other roses.

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Description:
The rose almost needs no description.  This species is a thorny shrub that can form dense thickets up to 6 feet (2 meters) tall.  Flowers are fragrant and are white to dark pink.  Rosa rugosa will produce fruits called rose hips which are 0.5 - 1.5 inches (1.25 - 3.8 cm) in diameter.

Rosa rugosa by Karen Klugein

http://www.soc-botanical-artists.org/members/images/Kluglein_Rosa_rugosa.jpg

History:
This rose is native to eastern Asia where it has been cultivated for about a thousand years.  It has been rather extensively introduced to Europe and North America.

Trivia:

• Rosa rugosa is also called the beach tomato, sea tomato, saltspray rose, and beach rose - this is due to the large fruit (compared to other roses) and its salt-tolerance. 
• It is highly resistant to common rose diseases (especially rose rust and rose black spot) and it hybridizes (cross-breeds) with other rose species well - this is why it is used by many rose breeders
• Rose hips are very high in vitamin C

 Rosa rugosa in its natural environment (the beach) in one of its naturalized homes (New Hampshire)... although it can grow in just about any well-draining soil

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USING THIS PLANT
Primary Uses:

• Fragrance
• Extract juice with a steam juice extractor
• Fresh eating of hips and flowers
• Preserves, jams, jellies, etc.
• Herbal teas
• Dried
• Syrups
• Cordials
• Soups (a Scandinavian favorite)
• Fruit leather
• Rose Hip Candy

Secondary Uses:

• Shelter to birds and small mammals
• Fall and winter fruit for birds and small mammals
• General nectar source for insects (especially bees)
• Nectar source for hummingbirds
• Hedge
• Screen
• Erosion control
• Flowers can be used for perfumes and other fragrant uses (like pot-pourri)

Yield: 1 bushel (35 liters), up to 75 lbs, but it depends on the size you allow the thicket/hedge/bush to grow.
Harvesting: Late summer into autumn.  Pick anytime after the hips are fully colored.  Most people cut the hip in half, scoop out the seeds and hairs, and then process the fruit.  You can nibble the fruit off larger hips with Rosa rugosa - it is refreshingly tart.  Some will say that the best time to pick the hips is just after the first frost.  The flesh of the fruit will be soft and sticky and easier to process.  I have not tried this yet, so I do not know first hand.
Storage: Fresh hips will store for only a week or two

Rosa rugosa Rose Petal Jelly and Rose Hip Jelly

Learn how to make it here - this is a GREAT video!

DESIGNING WITH THIS PLANT
USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-7 (all the way to 10 depending on which source you read)
AHS Heat Zone: 9-2
Chill Requirement: As this is a fruiting plant from a Temperate Climate, some chill likely increases yield, but I cannot find any research on this topic.

Plant Type: Shrub
Leaf Type: Deciduous
Forest Garden Use: Shrub
Cultivars/Varieties: Many available.

Pollination: Self-Pollinating/Self-Fertile, typically by bees
Flowering: Late spring to late summer and early autumn

Life Span: Can be almost perpetual if you allow the suckers to develop into a new plant

Rugosa roses turn a brilliant yellow in autumn.

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PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS PLANT
Size: 4-6 feet (1.5-2 meters) tall and 4-8+ feet (1.5-2.5 meters) wide
Roots: Shallow, suckers will form and slowly spread outward
Growth Rate: Fast

Another beautiful variety, Rosa rugosa Regeliana

Notice the honey bees on the flowers

http://www.roseweb.co.za/wp-content/uploads/ROSA-rugosa-regeliana-Single-purple-red-flowers-on-a-very-tough-compact-shrub.jpg

GROWING CONDITIONS FOR THIS PLANT
Light: Prefers full sun
Shade: Tolerates light shade (about 50%)
Moisture: Medium to Dry
pH: 5.1 – 7.0 (acid to neutral)

Special Considerations for Growing:
Tolerates juglone (natural growth inhibitor produced by Black Walnut and its relatives).  Obviously, the thousands of varieties have not all be studied for this, but it appears that at least the more “wild” or less developed roses are not inhibited by juglone.

Propagation:  
By seed, needs at least 16 weeks stratification for germination.
Can dig up and replant suckers in a new location.

Maintenance:
Minimal.  May have to remove suckers to keep plant from spreading, and occasional pruning of older stems will improve the appearance.

Concerns:

• Can spread easily through suckering root system - thicket forming.
• Can easily pop up and grow where not planted through seeds spread by birds and other small animals.

Rosa rugosa Blanc Double De Coubert... a beautiful variety

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Humanure How To

Due to the popularity of my previous post on Humanure, I wanted to share a few videos on the subject.  These videos make it clear just how easy it is to compost humanure.  I truly think we need to overcome our quite recently developed (in human history) fecophobia.  We need to be cautious that we properly handle human waste, but, as I have said previously, wasting clean drinking water and all the energy used to purify it just to flush away something that could easily and safely be recycled is a travesty.

Starting a New Humanure Compost Pile

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BWc-RjuWbs

Emptying Humanure Toilet Receptacles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZTZTVv6kYs

Making a Humanure Compost Toilet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPg-n4czGE0

Book Review: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

 

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Let me first say that I am not a vegetarian.  I don't fault those who are, but I don't think that is how we are designed to eat.  The average American eats far too little fruit and vegetable and way too much processed food, bad fat, and grain-finished meat.  I won't go into that big can of worms right now - maybe I'll address that in a later post.  The bottom line is that we really do need to eat more plants!

Now with that said, I will say that this is one of the most used reference cookbooks on my shelf.  I often need a quick reference on how to prepare a specific vegetable that I don't make frequently.  I may have picked up a large bag of a new vegetable at the market because they looked so fresh but I have never cooked.  Maybe I am looking for a way to liven up a common vegetable that I have gotten stuck making the same way over and over.  That is when I grab this book.  There are a few pages devoted to almost any vegetable you can get your hands on, giving selection, cleaning, prepping, and cooking tips.  In addition, there are over 800 recipes!

Other than being a great, encyclopedic resource on vegetables, what I like about this book is that it is practical.  It does not focus on exotic ingredients that taste like you are eating tree bark as many vegetarian cookbooks do.  While there is information on many lesser-known ingredients, the majority of this book is full of recipes that the average person who enjoys vegetables will eat and will be able to prepare with minimal hassle.  There are also many recipes that even the pickiest "meat and potatoes" diner would find appetizing.

You don't have to be a die-hard foodie or militant vegan to enjoy this book.  If you are looking for a way to enjoyably increase the fruit and veggies in your diet, this book will give you many ways to do so.  Highly recommended!

How to Increase the Flavor of Your Herbs

Be a Basil Bully!

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Do you want to know how to increase the flavor of the herbs in your garden?

Be mean to them!

That is pretty much it, but let me elaborate a little.  The flavorful element in an herb comes from specific chemical compounds, often called "essential oils" when extracted from an herb, that give that herb its specific scent and flavor.  These compounds are created by the plant mainly to attract pollinators (bees, moths, butterflies, flies, etc) or repel predators (insects, birds, grazers, etc), although there are other reasons, and I bet many that we don't even understand as of yet.

These compounds are created by the plant in various concentrations.  So how do we increase the concentration in our herbs?  Well, remember that the plant really has one goal... to reproduce itself.  If a plant is growing in ideal conditions, then it can take its time and grow big and lush.  The problem is that when this happens, the "essential oil" concentration typically drops.

If the herb is feeling stressed, feeling like the conditions in which it is living is not ideal, that it may be eating or killed soon, then it will want to do everything in its power to procreate itself as fast as possible.  Of course this is not a thought out process.  It is part of its genetic coding.  It will increase the production of these special compounds to either protect itself more or attract more pollinators.   The increased production of these compounds, the higher the concentration, and the greater the aroma and flavor.

Now to be honest, the concentration change in some herbs will be so minimal that we cannot smell or taste it.  Maybe a bee or caterpillar can.  Who knows?  What I do know is that I have had basil that tastes more like iceberg lettuce when it is growing in rich, loamy, moist soil and that basil is a lush bush over 3 feet tall.  Then I have tasted basil that grew from reseeding.  It was a bit out of the garden by a sidewalk, in hard, dry, compacted soil, and the plant was only about 6 inches tall.  The flavor from one leaf was so intense and the smell so strong, it probably had more of the special basil chemical compounds than that whole lush basil bush with the bland flavor.

My recommendation is to place your herbs in minimally prepared soil.  Intentionally avoid watering them as much as you do your vegetables.  Let them get beat up a bit by intense heat, drought, and pests before you go and save them.  Treat them like you don't really like them.  Be mean to them!


For additional reading on how the growing conditions of a plant affect its flavor, read my article on Terroir.

Permaculture Tips: Bring a Bucket!

Don't miss out on an opportunity.  Bring a bucket!

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I don’t know how many times I have come across something that I thought, “If I just had a bucket, I could bring that back with me.”  Typically, this is something that can be composted.  I’ve seen piles of almost black bananas that someone was throwing away, wet paper bags of used coffee grounds, lawn clippings, even fish entrails outside a fishing dock.  I’ve seen muck from the bottom of a pond that was being drained.  I’ve seen piles of horse, goat, and chicken manure and straw.  It doesn’t have to be things that people are throwing away either.  I’ve seen dead crabs and seaweed washed up at a beach, mounds of ash after a small forest fire, mounds of leaves growing mushrooms on the side of the road in the autumn.  All of these would be fantastic additions to my soil increasing the nutrients, minerals, and overall quality by adding more and more diversity to the soil.  All of these things I have had to pass by and think, “What a waste!”

My tip?  Just bring a bucket with you.  Place one in your car or carry one in your bike basket (if you don’t have one, consider adding one).  If you are going to a place that you know will have a lot of material, then bring a couple of buckets.

It doesn’t always need to be for compostable material.  What about when you seen a field that is about to be bulldozed for new construction and there are wild blackberries or lamb’s quarters?  I’ve “relocated” azaleas from a home site that was condemned – the bulldozers came the next week and leveled everything, plants and house together.  You may want to carry a small shovel in the bucket, too.

The people who benefit from surprise opportunities are those that are planning on those opportunities and are not surprised by them.


A Permaculture Tip is an idea that is derived from observing and interacting with nature.  It is simple.  It is safe.  It is effective.  It helps build a sustainable system of agriculture.  If you have any Permaculture Tips you would like to share, please let me know.  I will post it here, give you the credit, and post a link to your blog or website if you have one.  Email me here: kitsteiner@hotmail.com