Categories: Sustainability

What is Permaculture and How is It Related to an Edible Garden?

Our business model at PermaScapes Unlmtd., Inc promotes sustainable and regenerative land use by encouraging clients to rethink possibilities and expectations for their outdoor spaces. We are passionate about permaculture training and helping our clients adopt and adapt to more conscious, organic and sustainable ways of living.

So, What is Permaculture?

Following are a few definitions from the pioneers of permaculture to get us started:

Graham Bell, The Permaculture Way
Permaculture is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive systems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is the harmonious integration of the landscape with people providing their food, energy, shelter and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way.

Bill Mollison, Co-Founder of Permaculture

Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless action; of looking at systems in all their functions rather than asking only one yield of them & of allowing systems to demonstrate their own evolutions.

Here’s a rare and candid interview (Part I of 3) with David Holmgren, co-originator of the permaculture concept was obtained by Sam Collins during a Permacuture Design Certificate course David taught at The Food Forest in April 2010. David reflects on the future of human occupation on the planet and permacultures template for survival and abundance. The Food Forest offers a wide range of permaculture related courses as well as YouTube videos and website info. Click here for Part 2 of 3 and Part 3 of 3.

To fully embrace and act in accordance to permaculture’s intentions can require some training and conscious efforts you may or may not be prepared to handle. Any degree of conscious intention however, is a great place to start. And for most of our clients in Aspen and throughout the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado, an edible garden and raised garden beds is a great “starter kit” to the “permaculture way”.

Raised Garden Beds to Edible Gardens….a Wave for the Sustainable Future.

Growing your own food is without a doubt among the most fulfilling and meaningful activities a person might undertake – from planting the seeds of learning as a gardener begins her journey to the bounty of a fruitful season, every step of the path is an opportunity for learning and personal development.

Since the advent of 1950’s suburbia, our national paradigm for landscaping was simple: a big lawn, some shrubs, and maybe a few trees. As our understanding of nature and ourselves evolves, our landscape paradigm is shifting from a purely decorative aesthetic to include a desire for functionality – production of food and other useful resources.

People become interested in functional gardening for a variety of reasons. Some desire to know exactly where their food has come from, how it was grown and what was put on it. Others enjoy the peace of spirit that comes from a well-tended garden. Still more become frustrated with the financial, physical and resource inputs needed to successfully grow useless decorative crops like traditional lawns, shrubs and trees. Whatever the reason for your interest in edible gardening, it is helpful to get expert assistance during the planning stages for edible gardening and raised garden beds in order to make your current dreams a reality sooner than later.

Whether you’re just looking to get your feet wet with a single raised bed or you’re ready for a full landscape renovation, an experienced landscaper and edible garden specialist has expert knowledge and service to help ensure that your thumbs turn green. For those who desire the freshest possible food from a progressive landscape design, but who don’t have the ability to do their own gardening, consider the services of a recommended landscaper that offers a full range of garden upkeep and harvesting services.

Permascapes Unlimited, Inc. is one of very few landscaping companies in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado specializing in permaculture design, edible gardens and raised garden beds.

As a full service landscaping company, Permascapes Unlimited offers not only landscaping services, but help with installation of irrigation systems and sprinkler repair, lawn service, lawn maintenance and mowing as well as landscape construction of hardscapes, retaining walls, rock walls and overall hard landscaping services.

Principal, Scott Levine offers full service landscaping services including permaculture consultation and planning, edible gardens and raised garden beds throughout the Roaring Fork Valley including the communities of Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, Basalt, Snowmass, Woody Creek and Aspen, Colorado.

Now that we’ve answered the question “what is permaculture?” and you’re ready to get your feet wet with edible gardening and raised garden beds, give Scott Levine a call today in Colorado at (970) 510-5663 and check out his 5 Star reviews here.

Liz Gracia

Liz Gracia is the Founder & Editor in Chief of The Mind Body Spirit Network and loves to bring visionary thought leaders, teachers and speakers as well as luminary healers, change agents and transformation specialists to light in order to assist in the evolution of consciousness on Mother Earth and all its inhabitants.