Permaculture does not require Chickenwire

I recently attended a land trust conservancy conference where, in casual conversation after a session, I mentioned my interest in working to combine good lawyering with permaculture design to help my community address the effects of New York City migration and climate change. The response was polite, but skeptical. The reasons given were varied and certainly can be the topics of later blogs. But I was most struck by my colleagues’ deep and abiding perception of permaculture as inextricably bound to chicken wire, rocket stoves and the 70’s.

I get it. I have a Certificate in Permaculture Design from Midsummer Farm in Warwick, NY (www.midsummerfarm.com) and it must be said that chickens, chicken wire and rocket stoves were discussed. But a quick search on the internet surfaced the following images (and many more like them):

John Hansen, Some of our structures 2012

from “The Basics of Permaculture: Our Story,” by J. Hansen accessed on 12/5/2022 [https://dengarden.com/gardening/Permaculture-the-Basics].

Rocket Mass Heater built by Jon Santiago

in collaboration with Julian Irust and El Manzano Permaculture School, Chile from Facebook.com/Rocket Stove Science/ accessed on 12/5/2022 [https://www.facebook.com/photo/?ibid=763059277139837&set=a.395827100529725]

The Permaculture Woodland Garden 2016

from “The Woodland Permaculture Fruit Garden,” web blog post Herbidacious, accessed on 12/5/2022 [https://herbidacious.calamus.graphics/the-garden-design/the-woodland-garden/]

Each of these photographs was posted with pride by a permaculture practitioner. Each speaks to the same principles of making life and cultivation both easier and more sustainable by mimicking the permanent, regenerative systems that can be found in nature. Yet each reflects a very different aesthetic. Only some would be effective in persuading a stockbroker from New York City to adopt these same principles in designing the gardens surrounding her newly purchased weekend home in the Hudson Valley.

It is a fair question whether permaculture principles can successfully yield a beautiful woodland garden when applied to a part-time residence or in the hands of an indifferent gardener. This is the topic I intend to explore in this blog and the accompanying gallery, for I am indeed an indifferent gardener.