Permaculture for Farmers: Crops, Patterns, Polycultures. Presented at the 2010 Northeast Organic Farming Association Conference by Ethan Roland and Benneth Phelps - read more and donwload resources at http://www.appleseedpermaculture.com/blog

1. Permaculture for Farmers
Ecological Production by Design
Benneth G. Phelps, Mosaic Farm
Ethan C. Roland, AppleSeed Permaculture
Terra Genesis Apios
International Institute

2. Permaculture for Farmers

3. Permaculture Design
• Definition - Ethics - Principles

4. The Permaculture Pie
biochar/
bioremediation terra preta
composting & aquaculture
food forestry
compost tea
coppice perennial
woodcrafts vegetables
& biomass
apiculture
keyline mycoscaping
management- alternative
intensive grazing currencies
edible forest
earthworks
gardening
natural building
green architecture

5. • ]

6. Design Tools
• Zones of Use
• Sector Analysis
• Keyline Design

7. Zones of Use

8. Camp

9. Zone 1

10. Zone 1
Zone 2

11. Zone 1
Zone 2
Zone 3

12. Zone 1
Zone 2
Zone 3
Zone 4

13. Sector Analysis

14. Sector Thinking:
Windbreaks

15. Sector Thinking:
Windbreaks
Zone 1

16. Keyline Design

17. Keyline: Catch+store
Catch
and
Store
Energy
Source: Permaculture:
A Designers Manual

18. Yobarnie

19. Keyline Plow

21. Keyline Design
Sunday 1:00pm - Campus Center 804-08
Carbon Farmers of America

22. Permaculture for Farmers

23. Crop Design Process

24. Crop Design Process

25. Key Concepts
" A geographic group of
site-level ecosystems."
-Bailey, 1998
"The growing of more than
species or crop in the same
space at the same time"
-Jacke & Toensmeier, 2005

27. Main Crops
• Annuals (Starting and Managing a CSA with Permaculture
Principles, Sunday 8:00am Campus center 803)
• Perennials
• Berries
• Orchard fruits
• Nuts
• Animals (fish, fowl, ruminants)
• Fungi

28. Perennial Vegetables
• Permaculture Principle:
Least effort for large effect
• Plants w/ a 3-3000+ year lifespan
• Not destroyed by harvesting
•

29. Perennial Vegetables
LOW MAINTENANCE
• Only plant once
• Years of harvests
• No digging or tilling
• Resist pests, weeds, drought
• Extend harvest season
• Excellent yield/time
Slide: Eric Toensmeier

30. Some (More) Common
Perennial Vegetables
Nettle Asparagus Rhubarb French sorrel
Urtica dioica Asparagus Rheum x cultorum Rumex acetosa
officinalis
Slide: Eric Toensmeier

31. Sea Kale
(Crambe maritima)

32. Multiplier Onion (Allium cepa-aggregatum)
• Shallot, walking onion,
chive, garlic chives

33. Skirret
(Sium sisarum)

34. Climbing Spinach (Hablitzia tamnoides)

35. Climbing Spinach (Hablitzia tamnoides)
Go see Jonathan @
Food Forest Farm Tent!

36. Berries

37. Currants
(Ribes spp.)

38. Juneberry
(Amelanchier spp.)

39. Orchard Fruits

40. Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)

41. Mulberry – Morus spp.

42. Pears (Pyrus spp.)
42

43. Nuts

44. Chestnut

45. Pine Nut

46. Hazelnut
(Corylus spp.)

47. Hazelnut
(Corylus spp.)

48. Animals

49. Pigs

50. Pigs

51. Chickens

52. Fungi

53. Winecap Strophaia

54. Shitake
Oyster

55. Support Crops
Types Functions
• Trees • Biomass
• Shrubs • Accumulators
• Groundcovers • Insectaries

56. Trees

57. Black & Honey Locust

58. Grey & Italian Alder

59. Grey & Italian Alder

60. Willow

61. Shrubs

62. Pea Shrub

63. Seaberry
(Hippophae rhamnoides)

64. Goumi

65. Groundcovers

66. Trefoil(s)

67. Comfrey(s)

68. Comfrey(s)

69. Insectaries

73. Landscape Pattern:
Production Polyculture
Species
• Plants, animals, fungi

74. Vegetable Block:
Salad Hedge
Species
• Fresh eating: Linden, mulberry, sassafrass; saltbush, carolina silverbell
• Cooked: Goji, fragrant spring tree, pea shrub

75. Vegetable Block:
Salad Hedge

76. Vegetable Block:
Salad Hedge

77. Orchard/Forest Garden:
Uncommon Fruit Orchard
Pawpaw
Asian
Pear
Hazelnut

78. Orchard/Forest Garden:
Uncommon Fruit Orchard
Comfrey, chive, sorrel, anise hyssop, and chicory groundcover

79. MOFGA Fairgrounds,
Unity, ME
Alley Cropping:
Fruit trees & annuals

80. Alley Cropping:
Fruit trees & annuals
• Apples, plums, pears
• Pea shrub, grass, clover
• Sweet peppers, kale

81. Windbreak:
Nut Pines

82. Windbreak:
Nut Pines & Fruit

83. Agroforestry:
Pancake Polyculture
Birch
Black
Walnut
Sugar Understory
Maple Fruits:
Black raspberry,
Oak Red currant,
Black currant
Chestnut
Pawpaw
83

84. Agroforestry:
Kazakh Mimic

85. Agroforestry:
Kazakh Mimic

86. Prairie Mimic:
The Land Institute
Species
• Wild Senna
• Illinois bundleflower
• Hybrid sorghum
• Maximilian sunflower
• Leymus racemosus
• Tripsacum dactyloides

87. Silvopasture:
Red Pine, Cows, Grass

88. Silvopasture:
Pigs & Nuts
Species
• Heritage-breed pigs
• Pasture grass & legume mix
• Black walnut, butternut, heartnut, chestnut, hickory, northern pecan, oak

89. Silvopasture:
Pigs & Nuts
Polyface Farm

90. Rotational Grazing:
Animal Tractors

91. Rotational Grazing:
Animal Tractors
Polyface Farm

92. Rotational Grazing:
Animal Tractors
Stone Barns Center

93. Aquaculture:
Tilapia / Tropics
CH_CS_fish1
Cascade Systems
Wadenswil Agriculture Research Station, Switzerland
Photo: Ethan Roland

94. Tilapia
94

95. CH_CS_waterflow
Photo: Ethan Roland

96. Aquaponics
CH_CS_parsley
Tomatoes Parsley
Photo: Ethan Roland

97. CH_CS_papaya

98. CH_CS_banana

99. Landscape Production
Pattern Polyculture
• Vegetable Blocks • Salad Hedge
• Berry Blocks • Mini-thickets
• Orchard / Forest Garden • Uncommon orchard
• Alley cropping • Fruit trees & animals
• Agroforestry • Pancake polyculture
• Windbreaks • Korean nut pine
• Prarie mimic • Land Institute
• Silvopasture • Pigs & nuts
• Rotational Grazing • Animal tractor
• Aquaculture • Tilapia/tropics

101. Permaculture for Farmers

102. Eco-Ag Design Tool

106. Next Steps
• Permaculture Track @ NOFA-SC
• Northeastern Permaculture Wiki:
• www.nepc.wikispaces.com
• Permaculture Design Course
• Consulting w/ Benneth & Ethan

107. Questions?
Benneth G. Phelps, Mosaic Farm
Ethan C. Roland, AppleSeed Permaculture

108. Permaculture for Farmers
Ecological Production by Design
Benneth G. Phelps, Mosaic Farm
Ethan C. Roland, AppleSeed Permaculture
Regenerative Apios
Design Group Institute