Permaculture

[novemba]

I was just watching a permaculture show on my local public programming channel. It was amazing. This man named Charlie, who is a professor at the local university had a backyard full of all kinds of self-replenishing plants and mini-ecosystems which were really cool. No unnatural insecticide or pesticide were used and he had ponds and fruit trees, herbs and everything else that required very little maintainence, and was pretty much self-sustaining. This got me to thinking that in a commune you could utilize this type of gardening to create an allmost completely self-suficient house, and solar power would add even more possibilities. What do you think of this idea, people good grow their own food, soap/shampoo, tea, ink, paint etc etc etc, it really could go on forever. If there were any specialized plants you could have each household in the commune grow one specialized plant and then distribute it among each other every week. This would take all the pressure off providing food and resources to the people, and make an easier path to a stateless society, what do you think?

[Vallegrande]

I agree. Communities would be based on permaculture. I have always pondered this idea. We have cities, but hardly any of those cities grow any edible plants for people to eat. All I see is concrete and run down buildings, where the term "projects" comes in. I would like to see the cement ground broken so that the plants could grow again. Permaculture would be a great advance if all the communities were given the right tools and resources to do it.

[workersunity]

I find permaculture and agro-culture very interesting and am hoping to do that when i own my own place

[pedro san pedro]

look around and see if you can find anyone that is running a community garden - local environment centres are a good place to start - or start one yourself! the basic idea is that an area of land, often donated by council, is set aside to grow organic veges and hold permacutlure workshops. they're staffed by volunteers - who get to take home yummy organic veges.

they are also a really good way of strengthening community bonds - which seem to be sorely lacking in a lo of the western world

[Vallegrande]

pedro san pedro Posted on May 25 2005, 02:26 PM
they are also a really good way of strengthening community bonds - which seem to be sorely lacking in a lo of the western world

True because everyone here in the west expects someone else to grow their food. And the ones growing the food are using cheap labor to satisfy the demands of a population who doesnt know the basics of growing.

The communities need to become stronger and not rely, as much, on government cheese.

[pedro san pedro]

exactly - stregthen communities and help provide cheap access to good food

[Vallegrande]

This is a question I have been thinking about. Is it illegal to grow an excess amount of food per person? Like growing tomatoes or other type of food, I assume that the government would step in and tell you how much you can grow. Because if you grow too much, I think you have to notify the government or something and get a corporation license. Someone clarify this if they know what I'm trying to say.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Originally posted by [email protected] 26 2005, 05:20 PM
This is a question I have been thinking about. Is it illegal to grow an excess amount of food per person? Like growing tomatoes or other type of food, I assume that the government would step in and tell you how much you can grow. Because if you grow too much, I think you have to notify the government or something and get a corporation license. Someone clarify this if they know what I'm trying to say.
What!?! That's the first time I've heard anything like that. I doubt there are any laws like that, especially in the UK. I do know that it is illegal to distil your own spirits, and you must obtain a licence in order to sell any beer and wine that you make, (Nothing to stop you giving it away, of course ;) ) but apart from that, I never heard of any law preventing you from growing as many tomatoes as you want.

This 'permaculture' sounds interesting. Is it anything like a bottle garden? Cause if it is, then it might be useful for deep-space exploration and colonisation of barren worlds.

[pedro san pedro]

i'm not sre what a bottle garden is, but permaculture is the sustainable growing of organic food. the basic concept is that you keep your crops healthy by keeping th soil heathly, and that you 'feed' the soil.

it also uses husbandry techniquies - you grow plants side by side with ones that grow well together or discourage pests etc.

[Jesus Christ!]

I honestly havn't heard a whole lot about this except it sounds like a briliant idea.

[bed_of_nails]

Permacultures are a brilliant idea.

The problem with them on a larger scale is the fact that humans are taking the seeds or the plant themselves to go eat. This stops the reproduction capabilities, and the garden would have to be exponentially larger to sustain more people.

[encephalon]

the US government pays farmers not to grow more than a certain amount of certain crops a year. We've also enough corn-starch in government buildings to feed the world for quite some time that the US government forced farmers to sell (above market price) to stop food prices from getting to low. Nice, eh?


ook around and see if you can find anyone that is running a community garden - local environment centres are a good place to start - or start one yourself! the basic idea is that an area of land, often donated by council, is set aside to grow organic veges and hold permacutlure workshops. they're staffed by volunteers - who get to take home yummy organic veges.

they are also a really good way of strengthening community bonds - which seem to be sorely lacking in a lo of the western world

Wow.. I never thought about that. I may try it. At the least, there are a lot of retirees in this area that might like the idea.

[pedro san pedro]

bed_of_nails Posted on May 29 2005, 03:11 PM
Permacultures are a brilliant idea.

The problem with them on a larger scale is the fact that humans are taking the seeds or the plant themselves to go eat. This stops the reproduction capabilities, and the garden would have to be exponentially larger to sustain more people.

still, it'ld be pretty damned cool if every city block had a community garden. maybe the answer to the problem of scale i to have a whol lotta small ones

[Vallegrande]

We got so much concrete that is useless, it just fills up all the big cities, leaving no room. I say bust up those concrete blocks that have no use.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Originally posted by pedro san [email protected] 28 2005, 03:33 AM
i'm not sre what a bottle garden is, but permaculture is the sustainable growing of organic food. the basic concept is that you keep your crops healthy by keeping th soil heathly, and that you 'feed' the soil.

it also uses husbandry techniquies - you grow plants side by side with ones that grow well together or discourage pests etc.
A bottle garden is what it says it is - A garden within a bottle, wherein water is continuously recycled.

[pedro san pedro]

hydroponic?

if you wanted to grow in soil in a spaceship (i donbt know if permaculture can refer to a hydroponic system) then you would definately want to use permaculture. 'conventional' farming exhausts the soil way too much - permaculture gardens are sustainable. plus, organic veges tend to be much higher in vitamins etc, so you'ld have a healthy barrel'o'spacemonkeys

[Che NJ]

Has anybody heard of the "Do-Nothing" farming method? From what I understand the seeds are planted and left alone for almost the whole year. Weeds and other plants are allowed to grow in the fields and actually make the plants stronger. the crops can stand up to pests and become resistant to bacteria. The yield of these farms are amazing considering what is allowed to grow in them.
The method was created by a lazy Japaneese farmer who wanted to be a philosopher more than a farmer so he just left his farm alone. Now his farm is very prosperous and he doesn't do any work.