|
How do I start using permaculture at home?
Ecoseries
– Article 3
With
most things the best place to start is normally the beginning.
One of the key aspects of permaculture is using what you already have
about the place. Having decided that
you are going to enter the wonderful world of permaculture, one of the best
things to do is to look around your home at what things can be of use to
you. Try to look at things with a different pair of eyes and it is amazing
what you might see. For example:
·
Instead of
seeing an area where there are always weeds – this is an area, which
provides a great source of green material for your compost and has been
prepared for the next stage of planting. Weeds being the first stage of
re-growth do an amazing job of breaking down the soil and drawing up the
nutrients .
·
Instead of
seeing scrap paper – either from your printer, junk mail, newspapers etc
– you can see a great source of food for your worms, material for you
compost, and free cover material for a no dig garden. You can’t get enough
of it!
·
Instead of
seeing those old rubber tyres that you can not give away – you can see a
great place to grow potatoes vertically, excellent roosting nests for your
chickens or a great resource for making the best swings.
·
Instead of
seeing a shed full of junk or the “got to get rid of that” pile in the
back corner of your yard – you see an endless source of covers, stakes,
perimeter border material, seed pots, containers, tie material etc.
·
Instead of
seeing grass and weeds that grow berserk over your septic system – you see
a great location for a herb and vegetable garden.
·
Instead of
seeing food and organic scrap that have to be thrown out – you see great
source of material for your compost, food for your worms, scraps for your
ducks and chickens.
It
is amazing what you can see when you really start to LOOK.
Take
your time just wandering around, exploring, going through the shed, those
hard to get spots in those cupboards, in the roof space or the space under
the house - rediscovering and then finally working out something to do with
all those things that you were keeping for “that special purpose”.
This
stocktaking process enables you to fully understand what you do have around
the place and all the things that you can use around your home rather than
sending it away for someone else to deal with. Not only are you moving
closer to sustainability, you will save money, and also provide some
excellent learning opportunities for children and adults alike.
When
considering change in any area, the starting point is to carry out what is
known as a “situational assessment” – in simple terms where are we
now! It is much easier to work
out how you are going to get somewhere when you know exactly where you are
starting. Great foundation for moving on forward.
So
get out there and look at the space and things around your house through the
eyes of a bargain hunter and opportunist. After this prospecting journey –
which can be a heap of fun – the next step is getting a plan together as
to how you can use all this new found treasure.
Ciao
for now
Paul
Antonelli
www.quolkids.com
|
