03 May Using Urban Permaculture Techniques On Rural Acreage

City-dwelling permaculturists are very partial to trellis-gardens, container-ponds, and other compact and portable structures. These kinds of structures allow urban folk to enjoy a bit of nature and grow some of their own food in a space that is typically small and governed by landlords' restrictions. Tiny urban rental properties are home to some of the most beautiful, functional, and exciting permaculture design in the world today.

Interestingly enough, it turns out there are lots of compelling reasons to employ these "urban" techniques out in the country as well, even though most rural dwellers have plenty of space and own their properties rather than renting.

Here are just a few reasons why urban-style design techniques can be good for rural land, and for the people and other creatures living there:

– HUMAN ENERGY AND ERGONOMICS. Although rural properties have plenty of space, the limitations of human energy apply just as much in rural settings as in urban settings. Garden beds, chicken coops, and other elements needing frequent attention should be located within easy distance of the door.

– SPACE FOR WILDLIFE AND ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION. Human activities are taking up far more space than they need to, crowding out wildlife and limiting the land's ability to restore itself. By choosing to tighten up our physical footprint even where land is plentiful, we are supporting pollinators and other wildlife, soil, and trees. Things that we depend on for our own health and well-being!

– EDUCATION. In terms of learning the rhythms of nature and the land, humans have a lot of catching up to do. It would be helpful to us and to other creatures if the bulk of our land was given over to "Zone 5", where humans are the visitors and observers rather than the managers. By minimizing our footprint, we expand the size of our "classroom." Our culture needs to regain "pattern literacy" — an awareness of the patterns of nature.

– SOIL FERTILITY. In most places, topsoil is badly degraded. The land can only support so many plants and other creatures. Human activities such as food-growing require fertile soil. Here in central Texas, a lot of homesteaders may need to "jump-start" their soil by importing organic matter such as compost. This is expensive and energy-intensive, and a bag of compost will only go so far. Container gardening can be the best solution even if you have big acreage available. A traditional large rectangular garden can be a bottomless pit for soil and compost. Urban food-growing strategies are a great way to avoid stretching fertility too thin. I seem to recall hearing that some rural dwellers are even experimenting with aeroponics and hydroponics.

– FLEXIBILITY. A lot of people living on country acreage are living in trailers or other temporary structures while they plan their "permanent" house. Container gardens, micro-ponds, and other portable structures allow a resident to get started right away on growing stuff and creating a beautiful and healthful environment for themselves, without having to obsess about coming up with the "final" layout that will be valid even after the "real" house is built. Flexibility is very liberating, and an urban-style approach to the evolution of your rural or semi-rural homestead is a good way to give yourself this flexibility.

– And last but far from least, WATER — USE. By going vertical and "stacking functions" (having each element or space serve two, three, four or more functions), we make it more likely that water will be used two, three, four, or more times. By really making the most of permaculture design principles, we can make a given amount of water go many times further than in the more conventional "modern rural American" homestead layout.

* IMPORTANT NOTE: Food-growing and related landscaping are only one element of permaculture. Permaculture is meant to sustainably address all other basic human needs as well: water, shelter, energy, transportation, and community. The possibilities for applying "urban permaculture" in rural settings to meet these other human needs is rich also. 

Ample fodder for a future blog entry! 

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Playhouse tower gets a new life (or should I say an additional life) as a chicken-coop . And many other possibilities exist! For example: An herb-garden in containers on top of a chicken coop which is right outside the back door of the homestead, could save the human residents a lot of time and energy, and create quite a lush comfortable environment for the chickens.

Sassy vertical aeroponic garden at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Even if you have a lot of land, you might want to experiment with vertical structures.

In "Eco-Cities", many human activities "go vertical" to give other creatures more space and allow the land to heal. Some rural-dwellers might find it in their interest to employ eco-city design techniques on a household scale. 

Arcosanti: An experimental eco-city in the desert.

Austin Permaculture Guild is still accepting registrations for its Fall 2012 Permaculture Design Certificate course, but there are only a very few spaces open, so if you've been meaning to look into this, now would be a good time!