A beautiful, comprehensive guide to going green and living sustainably.
Permaculture is an important but often misunderstood method of growing food and building homes in a manner that workswithnature, rather than against it, to create beautiful, healthy, and useful gardens. Blending ecology, organic agriculture, green home design, appropriate technology, and biology can be confusing and overwhelming, butThe Ultimate Guide to Natural Farming and Sustainable Livingsimplifies this vast field for practical application. This is a hands-on guide, taking the beginner through each step of the design process, so that anyone can apply permaculture principles to his or her life. While the principles are simple, the in-depth topics cover every aspect of permaculture, including:
• building green homes and passive solar design
• growing edible plant communities and forest gardens
• using no-till and natural farming methods
• creating microclimates for extended growing seasons
• raising livestock with ecological foraging techniques
This is a common-sense approach to sustainable living that creates a self-sufficient and low-effort home for the people that live there, whether in the city or the country.The Ultimate Guide to Natural Farming and Sustainable Livingisn’t a philosophy book or a dissertation on theory. It is a step-by-step, complete guide to every aspect of permaculture.
Author(s): Nicole Faires
Edition: Paperback
Publisher: Skyhorse
Year: 2016
Language: English
Pages: 344
Halftitle......Page 2
Title Page......Page 3
Copyright......Page 4
Dedication......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Introduction......Page 10
Introductiona......Page 12
Part 1: What is Permaculture?......Page 16
A Brief History of Permaculture......Page 18
Permaculture Ethics and Principles......Page 21
Values of Permaculture......Page 27
Sustainability......Page 29
Getting Started......Page 32
The Zones......Page 47
Climate and Microclimates......Page 59
Putting It All Together......Page 71
Natural Cycles......Page 78
Part 2: Energy......Page 84
Passive Energy......Page 86
Photovoltaics......Page 93
Hydro......Page 98
Wind......Page 101
Part 3: Water......Page 107
Water Sources......Page 109
Swales......Page 111
Diversion......Page 113
Tanks......Page 118
Dam......Page 122
Ponds......Page 126
Irrigation......Page 136
Water Purification......Page 139
Part 4: Homes and Shelter......Page 143
House Design......Page 145
Building Materials......Page 157
Building with Dirt......Page 162
Other Dirt Building Methods......Page 168
Sustainable Living Habits......Page 171
Compost......Page 173
Graywater......Page 182
Low-Energy Refrigeration......Page 185
Part 5: Gardens......Page 188
Soil......Page 190
Mimicking Forests......Page 200
Putting the Plants Together......Page 207
Design......Page 222
Growing......Page 226
Part 6: Cooking and Preserving......Page 234
Low-Energy Cooking......Page 236
Preserving Whole Foods......Page 242
Freezing......Page 246
Drying......Page 247
No-Energy Storage......Page 255
Fermentation......Page 259
Sugar......Page 268
Part 7: The Zones......Page 274
Zone 1: Design......Page 276
Rabbits......Page 284
Pigeons and Quail......Page 288
Bees......Page 291
Zone 2: Orchard......Page 302
Ducks......Page 311
Chickens......Page 315
Geese......Page 326
Pigs......Page 330
Goats......Page 335
Sheep......Page 347
Cattle......Page 351
Zone 3: Barn......Page 359
Grain......Page 362
Cash Crops......Page 376
Zone 4: Pasture Management......Page 382
Woodlot......Page 386
Zone 5: The Wilds......Page 389
Part 8: Community......Page 391
Like-Minded People......Page 393
Village Design......Page 398
Business......Page 401
Community Resources......Page 407
Part 9: Plants......Page 411
Alphabetical Plant Guide......Page 413
Soil-Improving Plants......Page 493
Other Uses......Page 495
Bibliography......Page 498
Biblioa......Page 499
Index......Page 506
Indexa......Page 507
