Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [permaculture]

Horticultural/Agricultural systems modeled on ecological relationships.

Permaculture is the concept of designing an agricultural (or horticultural) system based on ecological relationships found in nature, rather than modern agriculture which tends to be based primarily on strict biological requirements. Permaculture aims to create a stable system that is virtually self-sustaining. Contrast this with modern agriculture which often results in erosion, soil degradation, and can depend on significant fertilizer and pesticide treatments.

The field of permaculture has significant overlap with concepts such as organic farming, sustainable development, and applied ecology.

Use this tag for questions about permaculture - how to practice it, and how to make your approach more "permacultural".

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What types of sorghum works well for syrup and sugar cane?

I'm wanting to grow sorghum next year, and the stuff I purchased for this years growing season is doing very poorly (height/thickness wise). What type of sorghum should I plan to grow a plot of next year for stalks (not grain)? I'm thinking about…
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What type of edible mushrooms can I easily inoculate in logs and grow in USDA zone 4a for full sun?

I'm currently building a home fungal/crop garden, and am wondering what types of mushrooms can inoculate fresh cut oak logs with that will grow in full sun next to tall grass on one side, and a wood chip bed on the other side. It will be cooking at…
black thumb
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Any permanent solution in killing wild grape vines?

I have 80 acre with over 3/4 bush/trees situated about 1 mile from an old CN railway line (no longer in use) where people throw out their fruits among them, grapes. The grapes seeds have made wild grape vines all over the property, in sizes ranging…
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how do I modify the square foot gardening method for a community garden with mushrooms also?

I'm building out my community garden concept this year, and was wondering how I can use square food gardening to grow mushrooms in the walking paths, and vegetables on the sides with none of the same plant roots touching unless they're on the same…
black thumb
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Favorite small-scale gardening books for beginners?

I recently started cultivating a 20'x25' vegetable garden, which is to say, I signed up for a community garden plot and have a few containers for tomatoes on my porch. I don't have any experience gardening, save for what I learned in an agroecology…
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How to use hazelnut shells in the garden

I eat a lot of raw hazelnuts (I love them!) I have been trying to use the cracked shells in the garden for years. Here is a list some of my attempts: Composting them. This wasn't very effective, as they hardly break down at all within a composting…
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How do I erosion proof a hillside with mycelium?

There's a new hill that was built at a friends place, and since I'm into permaculture he asked me what type of mycelium I would recommend covering the hillside with before winter comes. He has also recently seeded it, so it's likely going to be a…
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For 7 layer food forest what should be the sequence of plantation?

Location: Eastern India, West Bengal (Tropical Climate) For the following layer, is there any prescribed sequence of plantation? Canopy Understory Shrub Herb Ground cover Climber Root Questions Can Canopy, Understory, Shrub, Herb be planted at…
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Are moles effective at controlling Japanese beetle grubs?

My garden is under assault this summer by Japanese beetles from above, and moles from below. From my research, Japanese beetles lay their eggs a few inches underground, and moles are voracious insectivores. I've been hand-picking the beetles every…
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Cover crop - cutting rye before it flowers

I planted a fall cover crop last fall to loosen up our compacted yard in Sacramento, California. Currently, it's very tall, like 3 feet, and I'd like to mow it soon. But it contains winter and annual rye that has not yet gone to flower. Everything…
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What does "an extremely popular host plant" mean?

I was reading about sweet fern, and it says "Wind-pollinated shrub that doesn’t attract bees or butterflies, but it is an extremely popular host plant for a wide variety of caterpillars: geometer moths, miner moths, dagger moths, underwings,…
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What is the recommended elevation between the water table and the growing surface?

I'm starting to plan out my garden for the spring planting, and am trying to figure out how much surface I need between where the green part of the plants and the water table. I'm trying to have a big enough garden (about an acre of knocked down…
black thumb
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How do I harvest acorns from a Palestinian Oak (Quercus calliprinos) for planting?

I've got one of these growing by my house, and it's full of acorns. Some have fallen, but most are on the tree and are green (starting to turn brown at the end.) I want to grow a bunch of them for a permaculture project. Should I pick them from the…
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What permaculture crops should I grow together in USDA zone 4a?

I'm trying to work on building a permaculture garden, and was wondering what I should plant in USDA zone 4A. Ideally I'm looking for a list of each bed with crop combinations to have them help each other.
black thumb
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Permaculture and World Food Needs

Can permaculture techniques feed the world's nutrition requirements? Are we stuck with GM crops to feed the worlds burgeoning population?
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