6‘ . If there is a single claim, that I could make, in order to distinguish Permaculture from other systems of agriculture, with the notable exception of keyline concepts, it is that Permaculture is primarily a corzscio~sly designed agricultural system . a system that combines landscape design with perennial plants and animals to make a safe and sustainable resource for town and country. 4 truly appropriate technology giving high yields for low energy inputs, and using only human skill and intellect to achieve a stable resource of great complexity and stability.” 6‘ . Permaculture Two is about design, not gardening or livestock per se but as elements in a system intended to serve man, and the ends of good ecology . Good teachers have nothing to give but enthusiasm to learn; they cannot with the best will in the world, give their students knowledge. Thus it is ‘how’ to design, rather than designing your site which I am attempting here . .” ,‘ . both individual and competitive enterprise, and ‘free’ energy have faiIed us. Society is in a mess; obesity in the west is balanced by famine in the third world. Petrol is running out yet freeways are still being built. Against such universal insanity the only response is to gather together a few friends and commence to build the alternative on a philosophy of individual responsibility for community survival.” INTERNATIONAL TREE- CROPS INSTITUTE BOX 1272 l WINTERS. CA 95694 J ollison. PERMACULTURE !I: Practical Design and Further Theory in Pcrmancnt Acrisulture. A Tagari Community Book First Publication Australia, 1979 First Print 25,000 Copyright ‘~1 Bill Mollison, 1979 Nattonal Library of Australia Card and I.S.B.N. 0 938228 00 7 The contents of this book, and the word “Permaculture” are copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private stud!. research, criticitm or revicvv as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced hy any process without written permission from the author. Enquiries should be made to the publisher. Cover design and illustrations: Janet Mollison. Andrew Jeeves Photographs: Bill Mollison Tagari Books are published by TAGARI P.0. Box 96, Stanley, Tasmania, 733 1, Australia. Ph: 004-581105. (Mail-order and trade enquiries welcomed) Made and printed in Australia by Hedges and Bell, Maryborough. Victoria. ii “ . that veteran of Virgil’s I recall Who made a kitchen garden by the Galaesus On derelict land, and got the first of spring From airs and buds, the first fruits in the fall And lived at peacethere, happy as a king. I seeman’s native Stock is perennial, and our creative Winged seedcan strike a root in anything.” Cecil Day Lewis” . 111 Conventions As in Permaculture One, minor references are given in the text; major sources are listed in full, sometimes with a short annotation as to their usefulness, in Section 10 of this book, and Appendix D of Permaculture One (with some overlap in references). Seasonsand Dirtxt ions All months, seasons and directions are given for the southern hemisphere. For corresponding equivalents in the northern hemisphere it is simply necessary to reverse directions, and for plan- ting times add 6 months. All units are used in the original form. AbbreviationsUsed P.I. = Permaculture One P.11 = Permaculture Two P.C. = Permaculture P.Q. = Permaculture Quarterly, the journal of the Permaculture Association. Tagari is a small group of about 30 (but growing) parents, single people and children devllted to the evolution of the meta-industrial village*, and to experiments in alternative systems of agriculture and industry. It is a non-profit association, where surplus goes to furthering these aims. The writer is a foundation member, with his wife and friends. Please keep letters sparse and informative; we are very busy. If impelled to write, enclose self-addressed and stamped envelope; a few spare stamps also help. Workers are welcome in season, but please write first. *See, for a model, William Thompson, Darkness and Scattered Light, Anchor Books, 1978. Cover Story_I Concept: Janet Mullison, Artwork: Andrew Jeeves. Within the circle is a “rolling permaculture” systemof linked sun trap/wind break plantings (seeFigs. 4.5,4.6). each containing an element which takes advantageof the extra heat and light: a dwelling (glasshouse-fronted with reflec- tion pond in front) and annual garden; a milking shed; a polycultural pond: and a “simultaneous rotation” Fukuoka grain/legume/pulse plot. Outside the circle are the elements of life: air, fire, water, earth and time. Between these lies the landscape shaper of aboriginal mythology , . “We have a legend that explains the formation of the hills, the rivers and all the shapesof the land. Everytime ir rains and I see a beautiful rainbow I am reminded of the legend of the Rainbow Serpent . In the beginning the earth was flat, a vast grey plain. As the rainbow serpent wound his way across the land, the movement of his body heaped up the mountains and dug troughs for the rivers. With each thrust of his huge multi- coloured body a new land form was created. At last, tired with the effort of shaping the earth, he crawled mto a waterhole. The cool water washed over his vast body, cooling and soothing him . Each time the animals visited the waterhole, they were careful not to disturb the Rainbow Serpent, for although they could not seehim they knew he was there. Then one day, after a huge rainstorm., they saw him. His huge coloured body was arching up from the waterhole, over the tree tops, up through the clouds, across the plain to another waterhole. To this day the Aboriginals are careful not to disturb the Rainbow Serpent, as they seehim, going across the sky from one waterhole to another.” From Gulpilil’s Sfories ofthe Dreamtime, compiled by Hugh Rule and Stuart Goodman, published by William Collins, Sydney, 1979. iv Acknowledgments P.11 is rather a family affair, with Phil (my wife) typing, correcting and enduring; Janet (my daughter) fitting in some illustrations between formal studies and the members of Tagari assisting as needed. Andrew Jeeves in particular assisting with illustrations and proof reading. A great many people have contributed ideas and solutions to this book. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the fruitful discussions I have had with Geoff Wallace, Ken and P. A. Yeomans, Deborah White and Victor Papanek; and the encouragement of people I admire, like Ken Kern, Earle Barnhardt (New Alchemists), Stephen Gaskin (The Farm, Tennessee), Robert de Hart (co-author of Forest Farming) and innumerable friends in the alternative lifestyle move- ment. In Australia, Terry White continues to edit the Permaculture Quarterly despite financial con- straints, and a great many self-sufficiency freaks (with and without blue rinses and bare feet) have implemented many of the designs that were still theory in P.I., and have spread acceptance of the system far and wide. Contents conventions iv acknowledgements V 1 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Underlying Philosophy. 1.2 On Permanent Agriculture. : 2 6 DESIGN IN 2.1 On Design. 7 LANDSCAPE 2.2 Design Criteria. 7 1 Deciding Priorities 2.3 Zone and Sector Ground Planning. 10 1 How to Place Elements in Zones 2 How to Place Eiements in Sectors 2.4 Broadscale Landscape Analysis 16 1 Taking Advantage of Slope 2.5 How Much Land? 22 2.6 The Stacking of Plants. 23 1 System Establishment 2.7 The Interaction of Plants and Animals 24 1 Animals 29 soi! 3.1 Broadscale Soil Improvement 29 IMPROVEMENT 3.2 No-tillage Cropping 33 1 Green Crops 2 Pulses and Legumes, Hedgerow, Oil Plants 3 Distribution of Yield 3.3 Sheet Mulch for Home Gardens 40 1 Living Mulch 2 Stone Mulch 3 Keeping your Annuals Perennial 4 BROADSCALE 4.1 Planning an Even Fodder Distribution 46 TECHNIQUES 4.2 Rolling Permaculture for Larger Properties 48 1 On-farm and Urban Production of fuels from Plants 4.3 Orchards 52 1 Pruning-Necessity or Habit? 4.4 Woodlots and Hedgerows 53 5 56 DESIGN FOR 5.1 Arid Lands 56 DIFFICULT 1 Local Strategies CLIMATES 2 Livestock 3 Aboriginal Skills 4 Permanent Grain Plots vi Poultry Forage Systems 5 Notes on Aboriginal Nutrition 6 Annotated List of Useful Arid Land Species 7 Acknowledgements and Apologia 8 85 Tropics 4 2 Humid Tropics I 87 Sea Coasts 5.3 89 The Creation of Small Climates 5.4 90 6 90 The Reactive House 6.1 STRUCTURES 92 House Modifications 6.2 94 The Basic Sun-Wind Defences or Alliances 6.3 95 Some Novel Houses 6.4 Earth Houses 1 Plant Houses 2 102 Minor Designs and Techniques 6.5 Sound Walls 1 The Sod Roof 2 Fire Mandalas 3 Windows 4 Back to the Cave 5 Sewage and other Filthy Matters 6 7 107 Aquatic Polyculture 7.1 WATERWORKS 107 Waterworks Construction 7.2 Nomenclature of Ponds and Lakes 1 124 Pond Cuiture 7.3 129 Public Policy-the Sport Fishery 7.4 129 Salicornia Flats 7.5 130 Mariculture 7.6 Tidal Stone Traps 1 Seagrasses (Zostera, Heterozostera and Posidonia) 2 133 8 136 Establishment 8.1 FREE RANGE 136 Forage Storage 8.2 POULTRY 136 Regulation of Yield 8.3 DESIGN 138 Documentation 8.4 Species with Seeds and Pods in Summer 1 Trees and Shrubs yielding Nuts or Acorns for Storage (autumn-spring) 2 Berries and Fruits yielding Flesh or Seed (late summer-mid-winter) 3 Vines for Fences and Trellis 4 Roots 5 Greens and Seeds as Herb Layer 6 Species for Broadcast Sowing in Straw-Yards 7 Herbs, “Weeds” and “Throwover” Crop 8 Layout 9 vii 9 142 ON Action for People I43 PERMACULTURE AND COMMUNITY 10 145 FURTHER Design Consultancy I45 RESOURCES Standard Designs 145 Permaculture Quarterly and Association 147 The Permaculture Institute 147 Permaculture Species Index 147 Tagari 147 11 138 MAIN REFERENCES .