Creating abundance on your homestead can be simply you just need to add few permaculture principles to the mix. Today in this fourth installment of the Ultimate Homesteader Design Podcast Series, you and I, are going to be talking about a few ways and ideas that can help you implement permaculture principles 9 thru 12 on your homestead. Let's get growing!
Quick Links
Show Notes
Social Media
Instagram @redridgefarmwyo
Facebook /WyoRedRidgeFarm
Red Ridge Farm Fellow Growers Facebook Group
Time Stamps
Intro 00:47
Slow and Steady Wins the Race- Principle 9- 02:12
Permeant Beds 04:04
Compost Piles 08:22
Tips and Tricks- 12:55
Use and Value Diversity- Principle 10- 16:19
Not always planting the same 18:28
Crop Rotation 20:23
Use Edges to Find Abundance- Principle 11- 25:11
Fedges 28:32
Garden Edge For Perennials 29:44
Growing With God-Ephesians 3:12- 34:10
Change is Inevitable- Principle 12- 38:40
Working in Unpredictable World 41:45
Be Ready For Change 45:29
How to Design your Homestead using Permaculture Principles 9-12
Are you ready to learn more about how you can incorporate permaculture on your homestead?
Today in this, the fourth installment of the Ultimate Homestead Design Guide series we are going to be talking about Permaculture Principle 9 thru 12. Permaculture is a culture designed to bring abundance by using God's design and patterns to grow food. And can be a great solution on the homestead. Let's start with principles 9.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Principle 9 is about Using Small, Slow Solutions. Permaculture isn’t about making big changes overnight but making gradual changes and working slowly on systems makes them much easier to maintain. Plus they tend to have a more sustainable outcome. When it comes to permaculture, slow and steady wins the race.
Permanent Beds
Permanent beds are a great way to bring this principle to the homestead garden. Permaculture means permanent culture doesn't? When we convert our till garden into a no-till we do two things, respect the microorganism and allow them to do their work in our garden. Building soil takes time. There are no quick fixes. But when you till, you are not letting this slow system work because every Spring you are destroying the previous year's work. Permanent Beds are a system of growing that allow for this slow process to build and grow every year.
If you want to learn more about the definition of Permaculture be sure to check out the second installment of this series.
Compost Piles
The compost pile is also an example of small slow solutions. To build beautiful rich brown gold you need to let the process of decomposition take place. And this takes time. Yes, we can speed the process up by turning. But to build compost full of life we need to only turn when our compost pile needs to be turned.
I remember when I first started building compost, I tried to turn my compost once a week. I did get great compost quickly but by not letting the system tell me when to turn I could never reach amazing compost. God made this world to work, you and I just need to use a little patience and allow things to work as God intended!
Use and Value Diversity
Principle 10 is all about Using and Valuing Diversity. Conventional farming is all about monoculture and many farmers traditionally only grow one or two crops, permaculture is big on diversity. A diverse system is much less vulnerable to threats like pests, diseases, and other problems than a homogeneous one. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Not Always Planting The Same
As growers and eaters you and I can sometimes get stuck in a rut. Like always growing Red Lasoda potatoes and Blue Lake green beans. We are creatures of habit. We like what we like and grow what we like. And this is okay to a point. But I just want to remind you that it is also okay to try new things. Maybe try a new type of green bean or better yet grow enough green beans in one year to last you several years. So that you will only be growing green beans every few years.
This can be a difficult change when we get comfortable in our growing journey but that just means it is time to start using crop rotation!
Crop Rotation
Crop Rotation is a classic example of using diversity. One, you are ensuring that multiple plants are being planted and two, you are also rotating those crops to different areas of your garden. Crop Rotation also gives diversity to your soil. When a single crop is grown in the same place year after year. The soil conforms to only what is being asked of it. Let's look at potatoes for an example. Potatoes need large amounts of potassium because they are a root crop and because they are a root crop that grows underground the soil is damaged a little more than in a bed of a non root crop. But by rotating this crop through my garden I am ensuring that potassium is being utilized and replaced over the whole garden. And I am giving the soil time to rest and rebuild itself after being damaged from the digging process when that same bed will not be raising potatoes for 3 to 5 years depending on your rotation style.
If you are looking for more ideas on diversity check out installment three of this series where I share a few ideas on principle 8- Diversity Everywhere!
Use Edges to Find Abundance
Principle 11 is where you Use Edges and Value the Marginal. In nature where two different things meet is usually where the most interesting stuff happens. It’s usually the most productive and diverse part of the whole system. Think about river banks or forest edges. This is where you find a multitude of abundance because you have the benefits of each ecosystem working together.
Fedges
When you look at nature the edges are the most abundant. The edge of a meadow, the edge of a water way, or better yet the edge of a forest. In an edge you can pull benefits for both types of environments. Birds that live on the edge of a meadow and a forest can find shelter in the tree but still be close enough to an open place where there is lots of food.
You can take advantage of these edges on your homestead too. Having trees in your pastures can give your grazing animals shelter from the sun and even help the grass grow more abundant in the shade. Sometimes we think if we don’t have a large piece of land there can be any edges but a fence line can be an edge. Or what about the edge of your garden, I know that the weeds always grow big and tall at the edge of mine. Because those weeds get the benefit of being close to good soil and water.
Also when it comes to edges they don’t need to be big they can be small. Look for little pockets of diversity because that is what an edge is essentially. It is where two or more environments come together to make abundance. I took advantage of this idea in our development of fedges around our homestead. You can read about this in this blog post!
Garden Edge
Another classic edge on the homestead is the garden’s edge. Have you ever noticed how well the weeds there grow? I have. Want to know why? It is because the edge of the garden is benefiting from all we do to the garden soil too. When we add compost to our garden beds some is dispersed to the garden's edge. Or when we water it is really hard to let the garden’s edge not get watered too.
So why not take advantage of this edge and grow something that would hold back the weed and give you abundance as well, like perennials.
Currently on the edge of my garden I grow roses, asparagus and will be planting raspberries this year. I think I mentioned the roses in the last podcast episode on installment three as a bonus connection on the homestead. You are part of your homestead too so why not plant things that can bring you joy! Around the top half of my garden that connects to my yard I have planted many wonderful roses. These bring more pollinators to my garden and take advantage of the edge as well.
Perennials are great to put on the edge of your garden because they are low maintenance and give you continued abundance through the years.
Change is Inevitable
Principle 12 is all about Creatively Using and Responding to Change. Change is inevitable. By making careful observations and then stepping in at the right time, we can make a positive outcome based on changes instead of negative ones.
Working in a Unpredictable World
As growers our season and weather is not controlled by us. And it is our job to go with the flow. You may be in a drought like I have been dealing with for the past couple years or you may be dealing with too much rain or even a sudden hail storm. You and I can not predict what just might be around the corner but we can decide to look on the good side of things.
When a hail storm hit my garden a few years ago and destroyed everything. I could have moaned about the loss of abundance or wasted hard work. I could have dwelled in my loss. And I am going to tell you, I did for a while. I can tell you from experience that this does not help you move forward. It only holds you in the past.
As growers we have to be able to jump back on the unpredictable path and just keep moving forward. Even when we feel lost. Because God has a plan. A plan to only bring you the good!
And the good that I got out of that tragedy was that I am not alone on this growing journey. Many of my neighbors, friends, and family reached out and shared their abundance with us. We still had a full larder that year not because of my hard work but because of the kindness and hard work of others.
Be Ready For Change
Because we live in an unpredictable world, the best we can do is to accept that change is going to happen but that doesn’t mean we can’t still make a plan. And sometimes that plan is what is going to get us through troubles.
In the first installment of the series I talked about making goals on the homestead and in another episode I talk about making big dreams. Both of these are important when it comes to growing because making goals and dreams should be your way of moving forward no matter what is thrown at you.
When a plan is laid out you have a road map. Is it a road map that doesn’t have any mountains and valleys, No! But it is a road map nonetheless. Your growing journey is going to have ups and downs. But it is also going to have detours and road construction. Because you as a grower are going to also have two things that will guide you. God and a plan!
I want to thank you for joining me in this fourth installment of the Ultimate Homestead Designing Series. Permaculture Design can feel like a daunting venture but by looking at God’s design you can find the key to bring it to your homestead.
There is only one more post left in this series and it is all about bringing these ideas into a plan.
Have a blessed day,
Crystal
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