Adventures in Permaculture

This is the first of several posts detailing a major change we're in the process of making outside our home. It doesn't have much to do with Masha, except that it will hopefully create a really fun environment for her to grow up in and explore.

As I was researching how to start our first garden last spring, I came across a book on permaculture called "Food Not Lawns" by Heather Flores. I dismissed it at the time, since it seemed to describe a very unachievable and over-the-top method of gardening that I thought couldn't possibly apply to beginners. Permaculture, which stands for "permanent agriculture," is a sustainable way of landscaping and gardening with groupings of companion plants that work together to decrease maintenance and increase yields. Most of the plants are edible or have herbal or medicinal uses. In the book, the author advocates using the principles of permaculture to replace the traditional high-maintenance, nonedible, fertilizer-and-water-guzzling American lawn with a garden of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and legumes that can produce several hundred pounds of food per year. Not bad when you consider the rising cost of produce, the unsustainable practices with which most of our food is grown commercially, and the increased health benefits of eating freshly picked organic fruits and vegetables. Flores also advocates "alternative" ways for urban dwellers who might not have a lawn to get in on the fun. One such idea is guerilla gardening, where locals "go rogue" and randomly plant seeds in public green places and parks, then come back a few months later to collect the goods. I think it is a very very cool idea, although slightly illegal, I am sure (Oops, did I just drop that tomato seed in the soil and water it? My bad!).

So anyway, as you all know, I tried my hand at a small-ish veggie garden this year. It wasn't too difficult at all, and despite a few setbacks, was really fun! Then I happened to come across the book again at the library in September and picked it up. Around the same time, I saw a flier for a free local workshop on permaculture and decided to attend. (It turns out that Iowa City has its own local chapter of Food Not Lawns). After that I got kind of hooked and decided to start tackling the backyard. Ilya wasn't quite sure about it at first, but I think he's excited not to have to mow in the back anymore! As for Masha, we will mulch off an area in the center of the yard for her to play in, although I think it will be just as fun for her to "play" in the garden, too. Stay tuned for more as the project progresses...