A guild isn’t an exact copy of a wild ecosystem. It’s a designed community that borrows nature’s relationships and resilience while also meeting human needs. In Gaia’s Garden, Toby Hemenway describes a guild as a mutually supportive community of plants and animals that benefits people while creating habitat.
By August, the vegetable garden is very different from the tidy, well-spaced collection of small plants we admired in spring and early summer.
Tomatoes are tilting into paths. Cucumber vines are visiting neighboring plants and winding around everything along the way. Basil and dill are beginning to flower, and empty spaces have opened up where peas, lettuce, radishes, or early beans were harvested.
Don’t fret if your garden seems a little out of control or some harvests appear to be winding down. The garden isn’t nearly finished. It is simply ready for its next arrangement.
This month’s principle, “Use Edges and Value the Marginal,” may sound like a riddle—or a cryptic instruction for enlightenment.
It isn’t.Â
It’s a piece of wise advice and a practical way of seeing and cultivating our land and our lives!
It’s the second week of February. The winter solstice is behind us and, as of February 2nd, Punxsutawney Phil has declared that there will be 6 more weeks of winter. For those of you who have never heard of Punxsutawney Phil, think groundhog. If you still draw a blank, watch the movie “Ground Hog Day” or click on the link at the bottom of this section.
January is the perfect time to begin planning gardens and landscape projects for the year ahead. Before rushing into something new, though, it’s worth reviewing last year’s successes, challenges—and yes—unwanted outcomes.
Previous Permie Corner articles and resources can be found here By Lorraine Sharaf December is a busy time as we tumble from Thanksgiving into the holidays. Families often slip back into familiar patterns—old roles,...
Winter sowing is a way to start plants from seeds in the winter time (vegetable and native plants) that require cold stratification to germinate. They receive the necessary cold stratification to activate the seeds, become very hardy from their exposure to the elements, and are ready to plant in the spring! A handy way to winter sow is to use a plastic jug, some soil, and seeds. It’s very easy and lets you garden during the winter time!
In nature, nothing goes to waste. Every leaf, shell, and seedpod becomes food or shelter for something else. The Produce No Waste principle reminds us to design gardens that keep materials cycling—like earthworms turning scraps into fertile soil.
Beech leaf disease is rapidly spreading through our region and is causing significant decline and death in beech trees. Learn more about this emerging threat to our forests and how you can help protect local trees.
Previous Permie Corner articles and resources can be found here By Lorraine Sharaf It is officially Fall, or Autumn if you prefer, and this month I am introducing the Fifth Permaculture Principle: Use and Value...
This month, I am introducing the fourth Permaculture Principle: Apply Self-Regulation and Accept Feedback. The icon for this principle is the Earth, our home and the largest self-regulating system that we know.
The urge to clean up your garden may be strong but RESIST! Leaving your yard looking “untidy” in the fall and winter isn’t neglect but respecting nature. Ignoring fall garden chores benefits wildlife and soil...
