Help with Permaculture

Elan_Rasa · Tar Sands Joined: Jun 28, 2006 Posts: 54

After learning about PO and its consequences I decided to move and we are now living in a property that has about 3-5 acres. However most of those acres came with grass/lawn. The last thing that I would want to do is keep it as a lawn and have to use my lawnmover 4-6hrs every other week. What a nightmare that would be.

I am looking for some help/ideas on permaculture. I would like to use most of the acreage for permaculture purposes. I am trying to come up with a sustainable plan for the land that will require no chemical fertilizers and as little work/energy input as possible once it's completed.

Also, the soil is not the best and I want to improve on it in a natural way over time through composting and other means. Finally, I have practically no experience on gardening/farming or any field work, but I am open to new ideas and eager to learn.

With this in mind, can anyone recommend a really good permaculture/organic book. It would be ideal if the book was very practical and easy to understand. I'd like to be able to grow a variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

I recently bought square foot gardening (the updated version) and it seems to have some good ideas but I don't entirely agree with part of his philosophy. For example, he emphasizes that you should not worry about improving the existing soil.

I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.

Shannymara · Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 6:50 pm Post subject: Re: Help with Permaculture

This one might be a great one to start with for your purposes:

Gaia's Garden

It's got a lot of very practical things in it, like step by step directions on how to build a sheet mulch bed, etc.

If you haven't taken a permaculture class or read any of the more fundamental texts (Holmgren, Mollison) I would recommend that you do so at some point, but the book above will at least get you started with some things you can do right away.

Good luck and congratulations on your new place!
_________________
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Ludi · Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 7:01 pm Post subject: Re: Help with Permaculture

One of the techniques of permaculture which I've used with success is the layering of mulch on top of the existing soil or grass, and then planting in soil pockets dug into the mulch. This allows you to avoid a lot of the work associated with removing sod, digging in compost, etc, and you can plant immediately in poor soil.

The basic idea has been popularised in the recent book "Lasagna Gardening" which you don't need to buy Smile

http://ourgardengang.tripod.com/lasagna_gardening.htm

It helps in the improvement of the soil if you grow some deep-rooted plants such as daikon radish, which punch deep holes in the soil.
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pstarr · Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 7:39 pm Post subject: Re: Help with Permaculture

Ludi · Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 7:57 pm Post subject: Re: Help with Permaculture

Oh yeah, cardboard is such a valuable material. I don't dig up grass at all, I just cover it with cardboard, and leaves, etc.

I don't think alfalfa would be overkill....lately I've been trying to implement Mollison's suggestion of using about 25% legumes in any given planting, to provide nitrogen, and of course, if the legume is deep-rooted, so much the better.

I haven't been successful getting alfalfa to grow so far. I've done well with Fava beans (excellent with human liver as we all know ), and it looks like Medium Red Clover and Hairy Vetch might work this year also.
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Elan_Rasa · Tar Sands Joined: Jun 28, 2006 Posts: 54

Thanks for the suggestion so far. I am planning on buying Gaia's garden and also looking into the forest garden idea.

I hope I don't get into any difficulties with the neighbors or the association -- people are still stuck on the idea of having a neatly manicured, green lawn. I'll start small and go from there.

Thanks again. Best

pstarr · Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 1:48 pm Post subject: Re: Help with Permaculture

Fishman · Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 1:50 pm Post subject: Re: Help with Permaculture

A quick start would be to scatter white dutch clover seeds in your lawn . The clover will provide nitrogen for your lawn while you start patches of permaculture trees, bushes with the cardboard, clippings mulch. Today I planted a persimmon, wolfberry, goumi, saskatoon blueberry and a nanking cherry in a large mulched area that had been grass. I recommend you try a variety of trees and bushes to see what works best for you

green_achers · Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 2:26 pm Post subject: Re: Help with Permaculture

Be careful with fava beans. The were the legume that worked best in my N Cal permaculture garden. Unfortunately, I found out I am quite allergic to them. A significant number of people, esp of Mediterranean and Middle-east background have this problem. In severe cases, even the pollen can cause very bad effects. In my case, eating the beans made me piss blood.

Still, I plan to use them in a buffer/farmscaping/wildlife strip I'm planting this spring.

Ditto on the mulch (cardboard) and trees.
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pstarr · Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 2:38 pm Post subject: Re: Help with Permaculture

Mechman · Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 11:17 pm Post subject: Re: Help with Permaculture

Hello Everyone,

I have been lurking around yahoo - energyresources, PO, and TOD for some years but to help specifically with your request I figured I would register and post for my first time. I just finished a 10 day class in Permaculture Design here in Austin, TX, USA and I am working on my own Permaculture project. For the class we got a list of many good Permaculture Resources, many of them specifically in the Austin Texas area but the books and other website info should be helpful to anyone. You might be overwhelmed by all this. Just take what you can and go for it. Do something even if you get it wrong or right, you will learn.

Ludi and Shannymara have some very good ideas.

I too am working on my own square foot garden (five of them and adding more) using the new book. I agree that the new version of the book focuses on starting with a near perfect soil mix rather than spend about 6 years bootstrapping bad soil to good soil. You might be able to do this much quicker with Permaculture principles and double digging. However I don’t think we have 6 years of good economic conditions in the USA. Today is better than tomorrow which will be better than the day after tomorrow. Also with compact, lightweight, perfect soil mix, if you have to move, you can take your special garden soil with you and be ready again ASAP rather than working for another six years.

Below is the information of the class Books, times, topics, and contacts. Permie’s are out to help each other and the world if we can.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(fairly short intro letter sent to the Austin Class Students)

Subject: Hello Permaculture Students

Dear Students,

We are looking forward to seeing you at the
Permaculture Design Course starting Saturday January
20. Thank you for your commitment to making Austin,
Central Texas, and the world more sustainable.

Following are directions to the classroom; a list of
relevant reading; and other information. If you have
questions, please contact me, jenny, at 512-619-5363
anytime. I get up early and stay up late.

Although I myself (the course organizer, and provider
of solar-cooked goodies and sinfully rich cocoa), will
not be physically present at the course for the first
two weekends (because of a prior commitment), I will
be there in spirit, and will see you February 3. In
the meantime, enjoy the challenging, exhilarating,
caring environment that Dick, Selwyn, and our other
teachers love to create.

I have received your deposit check (many have already
paid in full) and registration information. The
balance is due January 12 (a business-week before
class starts, to allow for processing time) unless we
have made prior arrangements. Call or email me today
if you haven't yet arranged to pay your balance.

The classroom is at Treefolks headquarters near
Hornsby Bend Center for Environmental Research (CER)
in East Austin. The address is 10803 Platt Lane Austin
TX 78725.

DIRECTIONS: Platt Lane is 1 mile north from the CER on
FM 973. FM 973 runs roughly north-to-south between Rte
71 (Ben White) and FM 969.

Assuming you head out Ben White from Austin toward
Bastrop and turn left on 973, Platt Lane is the first
left you can take after the entrance to the Hornsby
Bend facility and is clearly marked by a sign and a
big pile of red sandy loam from the gravel pit along
the left side of FM 973.

Drive down Platt Lane 1 mile (it turns left, then
right) and the first house on the lane is the
Treefolks office. Please park along the lane. Please
ignore the sign that says "no cars beyond this point."

If you have trouble finding us, please call jenny
512-619-5363, Selwyn 512-431-8860, or Dick
512-695-3425 (our cell phones).

Please arrive with enough time before the opening
session to get parked, settle in, and meet your
classmates. There is a good deal of material to cover
and we want to have as many hands-on activities as
possible. Starting on time will be important in
maximizing your educational experience. Please bring
note paper, pens and a 3-ring binder for handouts and
a folding chair, cushion or backjack to accommodate
your seating needs. The seating at the site is
somewhat limited.

We will be doing some outdoor projects, so working
clothes/gloves/shoes and a little sunscreen and
non-toxic insect repellant would be appropriate.
Please try to use environmentally friendly unscented
products where possible.

Coffee, herbal tea, water, and a few snacks will be
provided. Please bring a bag lunch so that you can
spend lunch time connecting with other students and
enjoying the nearby walking areas. You can walk to the
river during lunch also for some lovely scenic views.
The fridge and kitchen are available for your
lunchtime needs. There are limited restaurants within
five miles.

Class time is 9:00am to 6:00pm and wherever possible
will include two fifteen minute breaks and one hour
for lunch. Please plan to arrive a few minutes early
to get situated - we want to get started promptly so
we can end on time.

Jan 20,21 Permaculture Basics Weekend
Jan 27 Water & Soil
Feb 3 Urban PC, Plants & Gardens
Feb 10 Buildings & Energy
Feb 17 Rural, Ranch, Farm
Feb 24 Design Intro & Basics
Mar 3,4 Permaculture Design Weekend
Mar 10 Design, Wrap-up & Graduation Pot-Luck

READING LIST - Many of these will be at the Course for
you to browse

*Introduction to Permaculture, Bill Mollision
Permaculture: A Designer's Manual by Bill Mollison
Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry
The Art of the Commonplace by Wendall Berry
*Gaias Garden by Toby Hemenway
*Gardenville Method or any other books by Malcolm
Beck
Central Texas Trees and Fruit Trees Poster from
treefolks - 512-443-LEAF
Holistic Resource Management by Allan Savory
A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander
Places of the Soul by Christopher Day
The Chalice & The Blade by Riane Eisler
The Great Work by Thomas Berry
Dream of the Earth by Thomas Berry
The Humanure Handbook by Joseph Jenkins
My Name Is Chellis & I'm In Recovery from Western
Civilization by Chellis Glendinning
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk
The Magical Child by Joseph Chilton Pierce
Diet For A New America by John Robbins
In Absence of the Sacred, The Failure of Technology &
the Survival of North America by Jerry Mander
Rebels Against The Future by Kirkpatrick Sold
Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
Permaculture Activist Magazine (
www.permacultureactivist.net)
Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough
The Closing Circle by Barry Commoner
The Green History of the Earth by Clive Ponting
Gardening for the Future of the World by Howard
Shapiro
A [Native] People's Ecology by Gregory Cajete
Natural Capitalism by Hawkin/Lovins
The Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawkin
From Mondragon to America - Commun. Econ. Dev. by
Greg MacLeod
Farms for Tomorrow - Commmun. Supported Farms, Farm
Supported Commun's., by Trauger Groh

(*) Helpful to read before/during the class

Classes & Topics

Permaculture Basics: ethics, principles,
observation, soil, water , patterns, ecosystems,
microclimate, trees, design, build herb spiral
Water & Soil: Soil food web, soil exercises, water
catch, store, use, swales, ponds, aquaculture
Urban Permaculture , plants, gardens: home systems,
plants, trees, small animals, food
Building & Energy: Green Building, Natural Building,
Energy, Design/Layout, Wood, Clay, Straw, Cobb,
Urban/Rural, alternative energy
Rural, Ranch, Farm: Sites, Soils, Water Harvest,
Orchard, Forest, Wetlands, Animals, Crops, Economics,
visiting farmers & ranchers
Permaculture Design: Designing the home system,
mapping and measuring, economics, wild design
exercise, client interview, elements of design, design
exercise, design project; culture of cooperation,
wrap-up, next Steps

*******************************

Thanks and see you soon!

jenny

*******
Jenny Nazak
Austin Area Permaculture Group
Austin, Texas, USA
512-619-5363 / austinperm@permie.us

(There is a fairly long Resources List provided to the class that I can email or maybe post as a file if someone tells me how because when I attempted to add this list as text to this replay there was repeated errors in the preview and submit attempts so I had to delete the list)
_________________
Mark

Been getting out of the "Beast" for 3 years and counting. Get a helmet as quick as you can.

Ludi · Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 8:13 am Post subject: Re: Help with Permaculture

I'm guessing that course is damn expensive....I didn't see a price in the post there, how much is it?
_________________
"...powerdown so soft and fluffy you'll think you're living in a pillow." - jboogy

Mechman · Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 11:15 am Post subject: Re: Help with Permaculture

> Ludi
>I'm guessing that course is damn expensive....I didn't see a price in the post there, how much is it?

Ludi,

The course cost to me was $500 ($100 to register and $400 before the class) at the time and I think this is the standard rate. I think they have reduce cost rates for people that want to take the class again ($250?) and college student discounts. Also I think you can pay per day or added a shorter version of the . Contact the teacher directly. I found the cost to be very reasonable and the teachers very good and in love with the Permaculture work they are doing. Selwyn and his chicken tractors are a hoot, I did not think of owning chickens until the class. The money they are charging is small compared to the information you will learn. I have already recovered the cost of the class many times over just by not doing the wrong things and wasting time and money.

For those that are interested and in the Texas area you can go to the classes. For those that cannot come to the classes there is still a wealth of information for those in the central Texas area and references for searching in areas in areas outside of the central Texas area.

One of the problems one may have with Permaculture is that one often doesn’t even know about the information to even ask questions about the information. Q: I can do rain catchment at home? A: Yes Q:What is rain catchment? With Permaculture you are replacing methods and current cultural concepts with something different. Great thing is that you can take it a piece a time and learn as you go. It is not all or nothing but the background information will help so you don’t waste effort and money during the learning curve.

For example Elan_Rasa is looking at Square foot gardens which is very good for individuals and families but you really don’t want to do this with acres of land. Elan_Rasa would need to establish a good soil food web with compost teas and have the soil tested for missing critical minerals. Sometimes you might be missing something simple and very easy like copper (apply copper sulfate 3 to 5 pounds per acre) or boron (Borax 20 mule team 0.5 pounds per acre), etc. You really don’t know what the ground has or is missing without testing. This is why in the Square foot garden they recommend starting with near perfect soil so you don’t have to test or guess to build near perfect soil. In the class they recommended Texas Plants and Soil Labs and Texas A&M and others in the resource list but I am sure there are other local labs.

However, if you have acres, not square foot gardens (generally 4’ by 4’ raised box gardens), find out what the land needs with soil tests and then bootstrap the “soil food web” with compost tea. Double digging acres would be impractical or near impossible on the individual level. For those that don’t know, compost tea is water that has be air bubble “brewed” through high quality compost that contains the necessary fungus, bacteria, worms to improve the soil. You then spray the compost tea on the land acres and the little buggers take off and do much of the work for you generally faster and deeper and at less cost than using lots on money industrial equipment and monoculture based industrial nutrients. See (http://rossfarm.com email betsy@rossfarm.com with any questions to Betsy about soil food web, aerobic compost tea, natural beef. Betsy Ross came to one of our classes to each us about the soil food web and compost tea and answered any questions we had. Great and grand lady!

I will go ahead and start posting the class resource list in smaller parts so you can read and research for yourselves locally. Some of you might even learn about things you don’t even know about.

Enjoy!
_________________
Mark

Been getting out of the "Beast" for 3 years and counting. Get a helmet as quick as you can.

Mechman · Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 11:19 am Post subject: Re: Help with Permaculture

(Big long list of Permaculture Resources provided to the class students. I am sorry if this is too long, it is my first post and I am only trying to be helpful with what I know. Mods please feel free to move, format, or relink somewhere else)

Broken into parts - Part 1

Permaculture Resources

Author: Selwyn Polit & permies
Created: 3-18-05
Updated: 2-20-07

Permaculture Resources
Books & Online:
Building and Design
Compost, soil and worms
Critters
Energy & fuel
Food, fungus, farming, plants, food production, gardening
Health
Other
Permaculture
Strategies
Shopping
Texas: places to visit
Water & rainwater harvesting
Government Offices
Texas Cooperative Extension Office
Texas Natural Resources
Natural Resources Conservation Service, Texas chapter
Travis County Tax Office
Hays County Tax Office
Natural Resources Commission
Natural Resource Conservation Agency (NCRA)
Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TECAP)
Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources
Travis County Appraisal District
Find locations of water and utility lines before excavating
Permaculture Education (from Ricardo & Patricia)
Plants and their zones and requirements:
Texas
Other
Chickens
Aquaculture
Events
Composting
Starbucks Coffee
Wamplers Sawmill
Mountain of muck from horse stalls
Picloram free horse poop
Free Horse Manure for composting!!!
Healthy Food Sources
Places to visit
Materials
Researching Maps online by Toli Lerios
Elizabeth’s Plant Palette (from Elizabeth McGreevy Seiler)
Beneficials
Other Critters
Building
Paper Recycling in North Austin
Trees
Drip Irrigation
Integrated Pest Management IPM
Composting toilets
New permaculture forum
Aerial Photos

Books & Online:
Building and Design
Alternative Construction Lynne Elizabeth, Cassandra Adams
Austin Green building Program http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/greenbuilder
Build a cob garden wall http://tona.bigbite.org/film/earth-wall-community1.htm
Christopher Alexander - books on transitional spaces
City of Austin water-wise awards and pictures at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/greengarden/awgg.htm
City of Austin water-wise design templates at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/greengarden/designtemp.htm
Property - TCAD – GOOGLE – “TCAD Austin”
Slope/Flows -topos – MAPMART – GOOGLE “MAPMART” or Topo maps
The Cob Builders Handbook Becky Bee also online at http://weblife.org/cob/
The Cobber’s Companion Michael Smith
www.mapmart.com to download/print/buy topo maps
www.worldgame.org – How would you run the world

Compost, soil and worms
Changing the pH of Your Soil http://www.savvygardener.com/Features/soil_ph.html
Do it yourself soil testing http://doityourself.com/gardenmaint/soilcommonsense.htm
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/soilmakers Soilmakers is about humus-intensive, organic soil building and seems to attract knowlegeble people that are often commercial and semi-commercial in their current growing or intentions. They will also have more information than I do, and of the organic-specific type that you are seeking.
http://www.purehealthsystems.com/hydrogen-peroxide.html Source for food grade 35% hydrogen peroxide
Liquid Gold: The Lore and Logic of Using Urine to Grow Plants by Carol Steinfeld (www.liquidgoldbook.com)
Soil - http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/WebSoilSurvey.aspx
Soil and Civilization by Tom Dale and Vernon Gill Carter at http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010113top/010113topsoil.toc.html
Soil and water conservation society www.swcs.org
Soil testing AgriEnergy sources www.agrienergy.net
The Compost Tea Brewing Manual by Dr. Elaine Ingham http://earthfortification.com/shopexd.asp?id=18
The Compost Tea Brewing Manual by Dr. Elaine Ingham http://earthfortification.com/shopexd.asp?id=18
The Humanure Handbook by Joseph Jenkins also available free online at http://www.weblife.org/humanure/default.html
The Soil Biology Primer – Elaine R. Ingham
The Worm Cafe: Mid-scale Vermicomposting of Lunchroom Wastes by Binet Payne
United States Geological Survey http://www.usgs.gov/ for soil information
Worms at http://www.yelmworms.com
Worms Eat Our Garbage by Mary Applehof
WormWoman.com – Worm Composting Resources (Vermicomposting, vermiculture)

Critters
Bat Conservation International at http://www.batcon.org/
Building Homes for Bats with Merlin D. Tuttle
Chicken Tractor: The Permaculture Guide to Happy Hens and Healthy Soil
by Andy Lee, Pat Foreman
Texas Bug book by Malcolm Beck and John Howard Garrett
Worms at http://www.yelmworms.com

Energy & fuel
American Solar Energy Society www.ases.org
Backwoods, solar electric systems (208) 263-4290 Off-grid solar electricity for sites without utility services, 2005 http://www.backwoodssolar.com
Bicycling Energy Calculator
Carbon Calculator - Calculate your personal CO2 emissions.
Chuck Wright Consulting http://www.chuck-wright.com/calculator_home.html
Electric Utility Pollution Calculator - Other environmental effects of Electric Usage.
From the Fryer To the Fuel Tank Joshua Tickell
hobbyist PV cell calculator
Home Power Magazine www.homepower.com
How to build a solar hot water system http://www.jc-solarhomes.com/how_to.htm
Insulation Calculator - Figure out where your home energy dollars are going.
Insulation Rate of Return Calculator - Thinking of insulation as an investment.
Non-electric catalog www.lehmans.com 1-877-438-5346
PV Calculator - Do a quick PV system sizing.
Silver in the Mine Michael J. Osborne at http://www.austinenergy.com/About%20Us/Newsroom/Reports/silverInTheMine.htm International expert on future energy supply has created a realistic and comprehensive outline for the City of Austin, Texas to transition from present fossil and nuclear fueled energy supply to renewable energy supplied from sun, wind, and biomass. Mr. Osborne's outline for Austin's transition to renewable energy is fun to read and is applicable to world energy supply.
Small Wind in Texas website http://www.awea.org/smallwind/texas.html
Small wind turbines www.bergey.com
Stack Effect Ventilation Calculator
Survival Scrap Book #3 – Energy Stefan A. Szczelkun
Texas Solar Energy Society www.txses.org
Turbines and power generation from GE. www.gepower.com
Water Heating Calculator
What's a Watt? - Energy and Power Conversion Calculator

Food, fungus, farming, plants, food production, gardening
A Biodynamic Farm by Hugh Lovel
Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
Brenton Johnson - bjohnson@earthlink.net with any questions to Brenton. Holly street csa and intensive food production
Canning your food - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/home_canning
Central TX Plants - http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/growgreen/plantguide
Edible and Useful Plants of Texas and the Southwest by Delena Tull
Edible Forest Gardens by Dave Jacke & Eric Toensmeier http://www.edibleforestgardens.com/
Edible Landscaping by Robert Kourik
Farming with the Wild by Dan Imhoff & Roberto Carra
Farms for Tomorrow by Tranger Groh
Foodfirst.org - Food First/The Institute for Food and Development Policy is an education-for-action center and non-profit think tank focusing on issues of hunger, food, ...
Food drying http://foodforest.com.au/dehydrationOfFood.htm
Fresh from the Farmer's Market by Janet Fletcher
Fruits, Nuts and Berries for the South and Southwest (recommended by Scott Harris of Treefolks for fruit tree growing)
Fungi Perfecti® www.fungi.com is a family-owned, environmentally friendly company specializing in using gourmet and medicinal mushrooms to improve the health of the planet and its people. We are leaders in a new wave of technologies harnessing the inherent power of mushrooms and fungal mycelium worldwide. Fungi Perfecti® is Certified Organic by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. In business since 1980, offering an ever-expanding product line for the mushroom enthusiast:
Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway
Gardening For the Future of the Earth Howard-Yana Shapiro, John Harrison
Holistic Resource Management: Allen Savory info; the Savory Center, a non-profit that works for Holistic Management www.holisticmanagement.org
How to Grow More Vegetables: And Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine by John Jeavons
http://hrm-texas.org Holistic Resource Management of Texas
http://rossfarm.com email betsy@rossfarm.com with any questions to Betsy about soil food web, aerobic compost tea, natural beef (purchase at People’s pharmacy)
http://www.main.org/aog/ - Austin Organic Gardeners group that meets at Zilker one Monday a month
http://www.seedstrust.com/ Source of seeds and good information especially about F1 hybrid versus open pollinated varieties
http://www.tofga.org Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not-So-Wild) Places by Wildman Steve Brill (http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/)
Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats Sally Fallon
Oasis Gardens CSA http://www.greenbuilder.com/oasisgardenscsa
Permaculture Information Web http://permaculture.info/
Plants For a Future http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/D_search.html
Say No To GMOs!: "Grassroots education, activities and resources in Texas for consumer choice and a genetically viable future" www.saynotogmos.org
Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholemew
Texas Mushrooms, A Field Guide, by Susan Metzler and Van Metzler
The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping by Rosalind Creasy
The New Organic Grower – Elliot Coleman (http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/MagRack/SF/Autumn%2090%20U.htm) book review
The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman - http://www.fourseasonfarm.com/main/books/books_eliot2.html
The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming by Masanobu Fukuoka
The USDA Plants Database: http://plants.usda.gov/ (obviously, this also includes many other kinds of plants!)
The Wild Vegetarian Cookbook “Wildman” Steve Brill
Travis County Master Gardeners at http://www.tcmastergardener.org/
WaterWise Landscaping - http://www.cityofaustin.org/greengarden/designtemp.htm
Weeds: Control without Poison by Charles Walters http://www.amazon.com/Weeds-Control-Without-Charles-Walters/dp/0911311580
Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods by Sandor Ellix Katz
www.felcostore.com place to buy your Felco pruner and other tools

Health
Healing With Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition
Other
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins
Corporation Man by Anthony Jay
Hard Times, Hard Tomatoes by Jim Hightower
Hochheim Prairie Insurance Agency – for insuring rural properties – www.hochheim.com
In the Absence of the Sacred by Jerry Mander
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
Local Schools of Thought by by Clark D. Webb, Larry K. Shumway, R. Wayne Shute
New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook by Betty Edwards
Nothing is in the Middle of the Road except Yellow Lines and Dead Armadillos by Jim Hightower
Psychic Warrior by David Morehouse
The Chalice & The Blade by Riane Eisler
The Closing Circle by Barry Commoner (page vi of Preface)
The Explorer’s Texas – Del Weniger, published by Eakin Press, San Antonio www.eakinpress.com They are actually situated in Austin. On the website, search the book title than go down the list and click on ‘Texas History’. Scroll down and there it is. Can be ordered.
The Land that Could Be by William Shutkin
The Living Planet by David Attenborough
The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins, Christopher Bird
Thy Will Be Done: The Conquest of the Amazon : Nelson Rockefeller and Evangelism in the Age of Oil
www.ecoworldadventures.com/Trees/ecoworld_trees_articles.cfm For some articles on re- and de-forestation, i.e. TREES
Permaculture
Austin Permaculture - Selwyn’s web site www.AustinProgressiveCalendar.com
Beyond Sustainability by David Holmgren
Gaia's Garden Toby Hemenway
Introduction to Permaculture Bill Mollison, Reny Mia Slay
Permaculture - principles & pathways beyond sustainability by David Holmgren
_________________
Mark

Been getting out of the "Beast" for 3 years and counting. Get a helmet as quick as you can.

Mechman · Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 11:25 am Post subject: Re: Help with Permaculture

(Big long list of Permaculture Resources provided to the class students. I am sorry if this is too long, it is my first post and I am only trying to be helpful with what I know. Mods please feel free to move, format, or relink somewhere else)

Broken into parts - Part 2

Strategies
Beyond Civilization by Daniel Quinn
Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough
Findhorn Garden- pioneering a new vision of human and nature in cooperation, by the Findhorn Community www.findhorn.org
From Mondragon to America by Greg MacLeod
Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World by Alan Weisman
How would you run the world? www.worldgame.org
http://www.travelrooms.org Belle Starr (Sun Festival, Arizona) new website; Travelrooms.org. TravelRooms.org is an innovative concept matching people who are traveling with like-minded people interested in hosting them in their homes. Rates are negotiated or bartered between host and guest.
Natural Capitalism by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, L Hunter Lovins
Natural Capitalism www.natcap.org
New Urbanism in the Bluegrass
Permaculture Credit Union: http://www.pcuonline.org/
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
The Complete Illustrated Guide to Feng Shui by Lillian Too - http://www.lillian-too.com
The Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawken
World game institute: What the world wants and how to pay for it using military expenditures: http://www.unesco.org/education/tlsf/theme_a/mod02/www.worldgame.org/wwwproject
www.coopamerica.org for coop banks and other organizations
Shopping
Aust