In today’s post I’m going to start discussing some of the design tools for permaculture.  Specifically, I’ll be talking about David Holmgren’s 12 permaculture design principles.  His design principles are kinda like a toolbox to use when designing your permaculture system.

Holmgren’s 12 design principles are:

1. Observe and interact:  By observing and interacting with nature’s ecosystems, we can apply what we learn to our own system.  This is a very important step in the design process as it can show us how best to set up our permaculture system based on the local ecosystem.  When we observe our local ecosystem, we can see what will work well in our area, and use that when we select what plants to plant and where to plant them.
2. Catch and store energy:  If our systems can store energy (and for that matter, resources like water) when it is abundant to be used when it is scarce, our system will require less inputs from us.  Less inputs into our system is definitely something that we want to strive for, since the less we have to put into growing our food, the more self-reliant we can be.
3. Obtain a yield:  Make sure that we get something useful from the system that we set up.  This one is pretty straight forward- we want to be able to produce a yield from our set up, as that is the main reason for growing our own food.
4. Apply self regulation and accept feedback: The system should be set up in such a way that it can self regulate problems.  For example, if we are having a problem with certain insects destroying one of our crops, it would be advantageous to grow some plants which attract predators for that pest insect.  This way the system is essentially looking after itself, with our initial help.
5. Use and value renewable resources and services:  We should try to use solutions that nature has already implemented when possible, to reduce our reliance on outside inputs.  To me, this principle ties very closely with my interpretation of principle number 2, catch and store energy.
6. Produce no waste:  We should try to use “waste” from the system as an input elsewhere.  This is emulating nature, where in a forest, for example, leaves and branches that fall from trees act as a mulch or compost.
7. Design from patterns to details:  Observe natural patterns and try to implement them into the design of the system, filling in details to achieve the pattern.
8. Integrate rather than segregate:  Plants and animals should be put together in strategic combinations, rather than segregated.  By placing things together that complement each other, we can reduce the required inputs.  An example of this may be using chickens around some of your plants to take care of some pests and provide fertilizer.
9. Use small and slow solutions:  Small and slow solutions are easier to set up and maintain than larger systems.
10. Use and value diversity:  Having diversity in your crops will help to mitigate any pests or diseases that affect only a specific plant.
11. Use edges and value the marginal:  The edges between different habitats in nature provide a separate, unique habitat.  For example, the edge between a forest and plains provides a place for plants and animals to live that wouldn’t be able to thrive in either of the two habitats alone.
12. Creatively use and respond to change:  The system will change over time, and if we carefully observe and interact with the changes, we can use them to our advantage or cause the changes to occur in a way with will benefit us.

These principles should help Chelsea and I create our permaculture system for our homestead.

And, besides being a poop factory, they’re also baby factories. “Multiplying like rabbits” is a common saying for a reason! Two does (female rabbits) can produce 600 pounds of meat in a year. If one rabbit supplies 3-4 pounds of meat each, that’s at least 150 babies per year split between two mothers! I can’t imagine having 75 babies every year… man, would I have the gray hair!

Rabbit meat is supposed to be leaner than chicken or beef; which I didn’t know. I thought chicken was as lean as you could get! That means less cholesterol fat than chicken. Seems like everyone is having a panic attack over cholesterol these days. I wonder why grocery stores don’t carry rabbit? Well, maybe they do and I haven’t even looked! I assume it’s probably because rabbits are considered companion animals now rather than livestock. There certainly isn’t a dog or cat meat section, and I’d be quite upset if I saw one.

But why rabbits? Wouldn’t a cow supply more meat? No! Cows usually have to be about a year old before they’re ready to slaughter, and you only get 400 pounds of meat. Plus, you get that meat all at once and have to freeze most of it. With rabbits you can make one fresh meal at a time. They also cost a lot less to feed compared to cows. They need 4 pounds of feed to create 1 pound of meat versus 7 pounds of feed per 1 pound of beef.

A couple of quiet little cute bunnies making all that meat for me sounds like an excellent endeavor over a heard of nasty and noisy cows. We might not have the room for cows anyway, even though I do enjoy a good steak. Some things are better left for the grocery store.

Most of this information was derived from this website.

So what is permaculture?

Permaculture was created in the 1970s by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, and is a set of design principles based on relationships and connections found in nature.  The word permaculture was originally defined as meaning “permanent agriculture”, but has more recently been changed to mean “permanent culture” as the principles can be applied to all parts of life.

Permaculture is based off of a Prime Directive and three core ethics.  The Prime Directive of permaculture is “The only ethical decision is to take responsibility for our own existence and that of our children.”  I believe that it is our responsibility to provide at least some of our own food, water, and energy, and not completely rely on someone else to provide it for us.  This is a big reason why permaculture appeals to me and why we want to base our homestead around its cornerstones.

The three core ethics of permaculture are:

• Care of the Earth- Allow for the continuing of all living systems.
• Care of People- The resources produced should be accessible to be used by people.
• Return of Surplus- The excess produced should be returned to the community and/or system to continue these principles.

These are pretty simple guidelines that can be applied to the design of anything, really.  I like the ideas of permaculture design since they will create systems that are sustainable, hardy, and productive.  I feel like setting up our homestead following these principles will give us a long lasting, robust way to provide for our needs.

Doug and I are in the very early stages of planning a small sustainable farm using the art of permaculture! We’ve only just begun our research and we’re very excited.

I’m mostly excited about the animals we’re planning to keep: rabbits, chickens, and goats. I was a veterinary technician student so I know their basic care and such. However, I am trembling with delight over the goats.

Goats don’t seem like something to get so carried away with at first glance, but you’d be surprised. Goats can provide you with milk, which can reap many other goods; like butter, and cheese, and, of course, ICE CREAM! But, goat’s milk tastes funny, right? WRONG! It is true that sometimes it tastes funny, but there is an easy way to avoid that. You see, male goats (also called bucks, like deer) have a very musky odor about them and if you leave them in the vicinity of your milking does, that odor permeates their milk, thus the funny taste. So, all you have to do is put your buck elsewhere and there is virtually no difference in taste between goat’s milk and cow’s milk.

Did you know that goats can also be used for meat? I just recently found out that people eat them! I can’t wait to try goat’s meat and learn delicious recipes to cook with it.

Goats are also good companion animals. They only require a small shelter, a decent plot of land to forage, and water. They’re pretty easy to care for and supply you with amusement. If there’s anything I’ve learned about goats, it’s watching where I park my car. For some reason they like to play king of the hill and if your car happens to be the tallest thing around… expect hoof marks on your car.

Yay goats! They can supply you with food, drink, and be your friend! Just not all at the same time…

So anyway, Doug and I have been reading about different breeds of goats and what they’re used for. Yes, there are different breeds of goats. There are three breeds that we were interested in: Nubian, LaMancha, and Nigerian dwarf. All three are good milking breeds, which is what we’re looking for.

The Nubian is a good all purpose goat used for meat, milking, and hides for leather. If you know anything about cows, they’re probably comparable to the Jersey breed, both having higher butter fat percentages in their milk. It has long pendulous ears.

LaMancha goats are your standard milking goat, comparable to Holstein breed cows. They have very small, sometimes nearly absent, outer ears.

Then finally we came across the Nigerian dwarf. They’re smaller than other breeds, as you probably could’ve guessed by it’s name. Even though they are smaller, they produce nearly the same amount of milk as other breeds and have a butter fat percentage comparable to the Nubian (sometimes even higher!). Since were going to have a little farm, these little guys will be better suited for us than average sized breeds.

Cute little guy, isn’t he? Can’t wait to have a few of my own!