Urban Permaculture 

"Turning space into place"

What is Permaculture?

What is Permaculture? 

"Design science rooted in observation of natural ecosystems that aid in designing human settlements that have the resilience of natural systems" - Penny Livingston Stark• Earth Care• People Care • Fair Share 

Principles: • Observe- Natural cycles • Connect- Relationships • Catch/store energy- Gain yield • Each element has multiple functions • Problems = Solutions • Creativity is an essential resource

"Urban permaculture is intensely social. Everything you do is within sight, sound, or touch of a

neighbor...or an inspector." - Charlie Headington

Designing the Ecological GardenObservation: Getting to know the Place

- Location of Cardinal Directions- Wind Patterns- Where does water fall and flow- Soil composition (jar test)- Feel temperature changes, know microclimates!- What was here before?    *human impact?    *what was or is currently growing?- Where is the traffic flow?- What goes on in you neighborhood?     *herbicide    *waste/recycling    *zoning rules    *home owners association    *water rationing    *construction restrictions- Resources available locally - Animals and potential pests

Visioning 

- What do you see your space as?    *sanctuary    *commercial area    *entertainment    *food production- What does your space need?    *healthy soil    *biodiversity    *remediation    *giving water back to aquifers          * resilience, the ability to with stand climate change!

VisioningHow can we incorporate Permaculture in

an urban setting?

What are your limiting factors in an urban area?

What are your opportunities in an urban area?

Visioning

What are our limiting factors in an urban area?

- space- time- $- neighbors - laws

What are our opportunities in an urban area?

-mulch- composting- neighbors

Visioning

What do we need to live regeneratively?

Visioning

What do you need to live regeneratively?

* food**water**shelter*

*medicine**healthy soil*

*healthy community*

Planning

-Recognize patterns, form follows function.EX: Branching allows the collection and flow of nutrients throughout a system.

    

PlanningThink outside of the raised bed!

Planning-STACK functions!    *Stacking Functions:      Designing each element to have multiple functions.     EX: Trees        -Provide shade and protection to other plants        -Habitat for animals        -Timber        -Food        -Microclimate 

-Design with convenience in mind.    *Compost close to home    *Plants that are used most frequently close to the kitchen    *Water source near garden    *Appropriate pathways, to prevent compacting the soil.

Planning

Conceptual Design

What is the goal?

What do we need to design to obtain those

goals?• water catchment • building biodiversity• microclimates

Schematic Design 

Making lists of plants, structures, functions, materials needed, etc.

Figuring out zoning.

Drawing it all out

ZoningDesigning conveniently!

Zone 1Areas of your homestead that you visit most. Not based on solely proximity, mostly about convenience.EX: Seedlings, herbs, chicken coop, and compost. Zone 2Also a frequented area, but more vegetables and things that do not need to be tended to daily.

Zone 3Usually areas of the homestead that do not need much management.EX: Fuit trees, nut trees, beekeeping, etc.

Zone 4More wild areas that are barely managed, used often times for resources.EX: Timber, bamboo for building materials, wells, etc. 

Zone 5Unmanaged native lands. Allows for restoration of wild areas.

Zoning

Zoning for Urban AreasUsually in urban areas there is only enough room for zones 1-3. In order to include zones 4 and 5 we must get creative. We need extend the boundaries of our own homes to include the community, and the resources available for us to share. 

EX: 

Zone 1: Your everyday herbs, veggies, chickens, and kitchen scrap composting.Zone 2: Yard trimming compost, water catchment, solar, grey water system, etc.Zone 3: Fruit trees, nut trees, storage, bees, etc.Zone 4: Other fruit and nut trees, building supplies, firewood, etc.Zone 5: Native unmanaged lands for responsible recreational use.

Designing the Ecological GardenAn overview...

1. Observation: Get to know your space 

2. Visioning: How do you see you working for your space and your space working for you? 

3. Planning: Connecting systems and functions 

4. Development: How are you going to implement the design? 

5. Implementation: Be flexible and DO IT!  

Water Cycle "Without water there is no life" 

Where do we currently get our water from and where does it go? 

• Water is pumped to our sinks, toilets, baths, laundry. Its used once then pumped back out to sewers, treated by St. Johns Water Management District then, "often times the treated wastewater is pumped to the St. Johns River for disposal." (SJWMD website) 

• "Treated wastewater is the largest contributor of nutrient pollution in the lower St. Johns River." (SJWMD website)

• Don't forget about that rainwater we force into sewers with driveways, parking lots  curbs and poor city design...that gets "treated" and pumped for disposal too! 

Harvesting Rainwater 

How can we prevent our precious water from being turned into pollution?• Keep it on our land as long as we can! 

Permaculture principle: Take resources out of the waste stream! 

How does nature store water? • lakes, ponds, plants, air and soil

By mimicking how nature stores water through multiple techniques that flow between each other, we can ensure water even through the driest months. 

Harvesting Rainwater in our SOIL

• Cheapest way to store and use rainwater!

• Healthy soil, rich in organic matter can hold rainwater like a sponge! 

• Slow down runoff by creating swales on contours to keep water in the groundo Storing water underground creates a reservoir

that plants can use later on 

• Water, which is life, creates more life! 

Harvesting Rainwater in our PLANTS

• Grow plants that are native or have water needs suited to our climate or create microclimates

• Arrange plants according to water needso Where is there a downspout? o Where does water collect during a rain? 

• "Let nature and gravity do your watering for you." -Toby Hemenway 

• Densely pack plants in to create shade o Mimics a forest systemo shading soil reduces evaporation by 60%o slows transpiration from plants' roots 

 

Harvesting Rainwater by MULCHING

• Mimicking forest systems once again; no soil is barren, always covered by decomposing matter 

• 2-4" layer of mulch, keeps roots cool and slows transpiration 

• Breaks down and creates humus which creates more water harvesting capacity! 

• Prevents erosion and leaching of precious nutrients 

• Where to get mulch? o Leaves from the yard or neighbor's yardo Local tree services deliver for free! o Get creative! Use materials from your

neighborhood 

Harvesting Rainwater with RAIN BARRELS

• Catching water from our roofs • Plants like rainwater not chlorine city water! • How much water can your roof provide? 

o Area X Average yearly rainfall/ 12 = Water X 7.5 o Orlando's avg rainfall: 48.4 incheso 117 days of rain 

• Go outside when it rains! Where is water coming from? 

• Make sure gutters and downspouts are in place or in good shape! 

• Put rain barrels higher than garden so gravity can water for you

Soil "The dance from death to life"

• human comes from the same roots as the word humus meaning "earth" and our bodies are made up of the same elements and microorganisms as fertile organic soil

• What soil is and what soil does:  o One teaspoon of good pasture soil can contain

billions of bacteria, fungi and amoebae o Soil is living and teaming with microbial life! o Soil, microbes/ fungi, plants have symbiotic

relationship ---- Diversity builds diversity! o Microbes decompose organic matter, plants provide

food for microbes so microbes can provide nutrients that plants can't breakdown on their own

o Fungi and bacteria secrete antibiotics that protect plants

How do we create healthy, productive soil? 

• One of the easiest and cheapest ways is SHEET MULCHING

• Building soil through layers

How to:• DON'T PULL WEEDS! Put down a layer of cardboard

or newspaper o restaurants, stores, everywhere! 

• Make sure its wet • Add layer of compost  • Add layer of mulch (2-4") • Plant directly or sow in ground cover • Create a border to prevent leaching/runoff 

Plants 

• Diversity of plants o "The more diverse the plants, the more diverse

the opportunities." - H.C. Flores o Less disease and insect infestation o Less resource competition between plants o Yields more 

• Diversity of plant functions o Edibles o Medicinals o Aromatics/Insectaries o Fibero Dynamic Accumulators/Nitrogen Fixers o Mulches 

Plants Guilds & Polycultures • "Dynamic, self organizing plant communities

composed of several to many species." - Toby Hemenway 

• Mimics nature by filling in niches 

• Blending plant functions so they interact harmoniously

• Looking at how indigenous tribes grow foodo 3 sisters guild: corn, squash, and beans 

Edible Forest Gardens 

• Designing gardens that mimic forest ecosystems where nutrients are tightly cycled and niches are filled 

 o Canopy o Understory o Shrub o Herbo Groundcover o Vine 

• Focuses on perennial and native species • "Incognito Gardening": Using edible analogs of

ornamental plants 

Where to get plants...

• Seed saving (PDF)• Cuttings• Ask your neighbors :) • Simple Living Institute 

o Seed Exchange o Plants for sale through Homegrown Co-op

• UCF Arboretum Plant Sale • Audubon Park Community Market • EOS (Florida Seed Co) • Nurseries •  ECHO 

Reclaiming Community Space • Envisioning what we want our community to look

like • Edible Landscapes/Food not Lawns 

o Ornamentals to Edibles o Trees -----> Fruit o Buffers/ Medians 

Grass -----> Foodo Low maintenance 

Natives/ Naturalized/ Resilient plants • Repairing community space, places to come

together and meet to share ideas o walkableo bikeable o grid system?o City Repair (Portland) 

Portland's City Repair De-paving ProjectThey de-paved 28,000 square feet in 2009 which increased space for more

gardens and native lands in their urban environment!

Reclaiming Community Space...• Vacant Lots 

o Turning unproductive land into FOOD FORESTS!o Cuba o Cleveland o Guerilla gardening o Changing city codes/ zones 

• Skill Shareo Empowering each other! o Sharing the knowledge each of us has o Creating and strengthening                              

  community bonds 

Guerilla Gardening

Opportunities in Orlando to learn more!

Simple Living InstituteA non-profit all about "simple living". This Fall Simple

Living is offering a Permaculture Design Course starting September 17th! 

Florida School of Holistic LivingHere you can learn about everything from Herbalisim to

Permaculture right in the downtown area. Internships opportunities are available too!

UCF Arboretum and Community GardenGreat place to begin learning the basic gardening

techniques for free! Open for volunteers on weekday mornings!

Urban Permaculture Resource GuideWebsites: 

permaculture-media-download.blogspot.com permacultureactivist.net operationpropagation.tumbler.com

Books: 

Intro to Permaculture by Bill MollisonPermaculture: A Designer's Manual by Bill Mollison and David HolmgrenPermaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability by David HolmgrenGais's Garden by Toby Hemenway Food Not Lawns by H.C. Flores Edible Forest Gardens by Dave JackeOne Straw Revolution by Masanobu FukuokaCreate and Oasis with Grey Water by Art LudwigHow to Grow More Vegetables by John JeavonsPerennial Vegetables by Eric Toensmeier