Are you wondering what there is to actually research about turning your lawn into gardens? I mean, just dig up the grass, throw some dirt down, and plant a bunch of seeds and plants, right? Mostly. But there are better ways to do this that create a healthier garden where plants will really thrive. This is where permaculture comes in.
Permaculture is mimicking nature to create harmonious gardens that are sustainable, productive landscapes. I wanted to make sure that if we were going to do this conversion from lawn to gardens to grow food, that it was done right. My usual method of putting plants in the ground and crossing my fingers no longer seemed like the best way to approach this. I also didn’t want put the time and effort into the perennials that need a few years to become established only to realize I’ve planted them in a bad location. Starting over after all that time would be frustrating. So it was time for me to do some research into permaculture to see what I could do better and have a higher chance of success.
My Research Materials
I started with four books that caught my eye after doing a lot on online searching about permaculture and homesteading. Below, they are listed with my impression of each.
Gaia’s Garden
Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway appears to be the “encyclopedia” of permaculture. All of the other books that I have read reference it at least once when mentioning a permaculture idea or technique. This book really gets into the science of compost, no-till gardening, companion planting, fertilizers, beneficial bugs, and food forests among so many other things.
In the book, they turn a yard in the desert of New Mexico into a lush, forest garden bearing more food than the homeowner could keep up with. There were even areas where some plants had to be relocated due to too much water and shade. Too much water and shade in the desert? Our Mid-Atlantic backyard feels a little like the desert in the middle of July with no trees to provide shade and all the watering we have to do to keep up with the scorching sun each day. I took a lot of notes in this section of the book and hope to implement a few of those methods in the next few weeks.
I found it to be a slow read but only because there was so much information to absorb that I had to do shorter sessions so I wouldn’t miss anything. There is so much great information in this book that if you only read one book, this is THE one.
The Suburban Micro-Farm
The Suburban Micro-Farm: Modern Solutions for Busy People by Amy Stross is a book I bought mostly because the title spoke to me. Solutions for busy people? Yep, count me in! Working full time and taking care of a toddler feels like it leaves little time for my husband and I to take care of ourselves let alone a bunch of gardens. I was anxious to read about some methods for keeping up with weeds and watering when we are short on time. The answers are not magical but they are efficient and if we can make a point of incorporating them into our daily lives then I think we can make this work. Fingers crossed!
This book had more complete information on which plants to grow together than Gaia’s Garden. I also found that it had detailed descriptions on the growth and care of each type of individual plant which has been extremely helpful. The author also has a website where you can download some spreadsheets and calendars to help keep track of your garden layout, plants, and timelines to follow. I plan to dig into them soon and will let you know how well they worked for me.
The Urban Homestead
The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen was my instant gratification book. I was able to fly through this book quickly, skimming the sections I wasn’t going to need anytime soon, like “Keeping Livestock in the City” since that is not on our radar at the moment. This book is about how to live as self-sufficiently as possible and that by doing so will also be more friendly to our environment. It discusses ways to stop depending on the availability of gas for your car, access to grocery stores, water supply, electricity, and all the modern conveniences that we are used to. Think of it as living off the grid but in a more urban setting.
We live in the suburbs but the information still very much applied to us. The authors encourage you to pick as few or as many of the suggestions as you want. They believe that even a little step, even if its only one, can make a big impact. This book and the next one both made me very aware of how much water is wasted in our daily lives. I have already begun to make some changes here and there to be more efficient with my water use.
So what does homesteading have to do with permaculture? The main idea is sustainability. I wanted to find out other ways that we could change our lives in order to live a little more earth friendly besides just creating an edible landscape in our yard. This book has it all, from planting a simple container garden on a patio, to canning your harvest, to installing solar panels and solar water heaters. It gets straight into to the “how to” and keeps the science short and sweet.
Food Not Lawns
Food Not Lawns by Heather Jo Flores was offered as a free digital copy by the author for signing up for her newsletter on her website at foodnotlawns.com. (Don’t worry, she doesn’t send you a million newsletters every week.) Her website also contains a free self guided permaculture course if you are looking for more reading material. I found Heather Jo’s book to be the ultimate hippie guide to living off the grid in whatever setting you live in. She feels a real spiritual connection with nature and wants you to find that connection as well.
I found many of her techniques to be similar to that of the other books above with the exception of her emphasis on connecting with the community. She wants you to start community gardens, help individuals start their own, hold seed exchange events, donate excess produce, provide education seminars, etc. I’m a fairly shy introvert but by the end of the book she had me dreaming up all sorts of ways to bring sustainability and community gardening to our neighborhood and the surrounding areas. Who knows, maybe once the gardens become established, I may be feeling bold and ready to pass on my knowledge to more people. In person.
I have a few other books on my wish list that I hope to get to soon. Are there any books that you recommend on this topic?