Thank you for the article regarding organic gardening in the Nov. 2 Columbian. I was happy to see that. An article on permaculture would be wonderful. I realize that method isn’t for everyone, but it makes for much easier gardening.
Permaculture is a system of gardening and agriculture which seeks to become self-contained or self-sustained without any need for outside input. It was a system almost forced upon early settlers because outside resources were most often unavailable or in very limited availability.
The main things we buy every year are fertilizer, seeds and plants. An organic gardener who wanted to move toward permaculture might start by producing his own fertilizer by raising chickens, rabbits or a horse. A gardener could almost get along without any fertilizer if all organic matter was returned to the soil as occurs naturally in a forest.
As a young homeowner with limited financial resources, I not only composted all my own grass clippings and leaves but I obtained more grass clippings and leaves from my neighbors.
The next step might be to produce your own plants from seeds rather than purchasing them. Those varieties which need started plants could be started in a sunny window.
The next step might be to save your own seed. Several books on seed-saving are available online. On one occasion, I saved my own seed without realizing it was happening. In late February, I went outside to my vegetable garden and saw what I thought were weeds coming up. Upon close examination I realized it was lettuce. I had not removed last year’s lettuce plants until after they had matured some seed. The seed had fallen to the ground and was now sprouting.
One problem with saving seed is that many of our best vegetable varieties are hybrids whose seed does not come true to type. But there are still many good open pollinated varieties available that can be saved.
We often buy the same seeds every year. We would need to buy a lot less seed if we stored it properly. Most seeds will store for several years if placed inside a sealed jar with moisture absorbing crystals in a refrigerator. This provides the dry humidity and cool temperature needed for long storage life.
You do not need to adopt all aspects of permaculture to enjoy some of its benefits.
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