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Permaculture's 12 principles, over the back fence

Nana Bea walks through David Holmgren's twelve design principles in plain English, one cuppa at a time.

Where do the 12 principles come from?

They come from David Holmgren, the Australian co-originator of permaculture. He set them out in his 2003 book Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability. They aren't rules for one garden. They're a way of thinking you can carry from a balcony pot to a hundred acres.

Holmgren's own network page carries a line from Graham Burnett that sums up the spirit nicely: permaculture as revolution disguised as organic gardening. Nana Bea would add: and a good excuse to sit down and watch.

Which ones are about watching and catching?

1. Observe and interact. Good design starts with good looking. Before you dig, notice where the water runs, where the frost sits and where the afternoon sun bakes.

2. Catch and store energy. Capture what comes your way, in soil, water, buildings and community. Holmgren compares it to growing your capital, not just spending the interest.

3. Obtain a yield. Every design should give you something real back. Food, shade, firewood, a bit of joy. If it gives nothing, it won't last.

And the ones about limits?

4. Apply self-regulation and accept feedback. Build in ways to notice when something isn't working, and to stop doing it.

5. Use and value renewable resources and services. Lean on what renews itself. It's fine to use some non-renewable help to get a system started.

6. Produce no waste. Waste is just an output you haven't found a use for yet. Peelings become compost. Prunings become mulch.

What about the big-picture ones?

7. Design from patterns to details. Look at the patterns nature uses first, then fill in the fine print. A pattern travels from site to site in a way a single technique doesn't.

8. Integrate rather than segregate. In a healthy system, the relationships between things matter as much as the things themselves. The chook near the orchard. The pond near the frogs.

9. Use small and slow solutions. Small, local and energy-wise beats big and far-flung. A slow fix is often the one that sticks.

And the last three?

10. Use and value diversity. Holmgren calls diversity the very essence and joy of life. More kinds of plants and creatures means more ways for a system to cope.

11. Use edges and value the marginal. The edge between two habitats, where bush meets paddock or creek meets bank, is often the richest and busiest ground.

12. Creatively use and respond to change. Things will shift, from the climate to what's in the shops. The trick is to adapt with it, not dig in against it.

So where does a beginner start?

With the first one. Take a chair outside at different times of day for a week and just watch. Where does the rain go after a storm? Which corner stays green in a dry spell? Which plants do the birds visit? You'll learn more from that week than from any shopping trip.

Then pick one small thing to change. A compost bin is principle six in a box. A bit of mulch where the soil was bare is principle two. A mix of herbs under the fruit tree is principle ten.

None of this needs a big block or a big budget. It needs patience, and a willingness to let the garden teach you something.

Want to go further?

Holmgren's network page lists permaculture groups across Australia and overseas, including Permaculture Australia. It's a good place to find people near you who have already made the mistakes, so you don't have to.

Sources

• Permaculture Association (UK): David Holmgren's principleshttps://www.permaculture.org.uk/principles/david-holmgren-principles
• Holmgren Design: Permaculture networkhttps://holmgren.com.au/permaculture/permaculture-network/

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