Permaculture Workshop: details

Initial/ice-breaker session

Introducing myself:

  • Permaculture in Pots: Juliet Kemp, wrote Permaculture in Pots, very interested in permaculture in containers as a way of doing permaculture in cities. Lots of us (including me at the time) don’t have ‘real’ ground!
  • Been growing in pots for over 10 years and interested in permaculture for about the same time; so both things have grown together.
  • Permaculture important because it’s about sustainability, and it’s vital that we become more sustainable in our lives. Container growing is important because it allows us to grow food in cities, and sustainability in cities is also vital.

Intro exercises:

  • Introductions exercise – listening and introducing each
    other. Students are put into pairs – preferably with someone they
    don’t know; each person is given 2 minutes to introduce themselves to
    their partner. The partner listens carefully and takes notes if they
    want. After 2 minutes they swap over. Now do a go-round, asking each
    person to introduce their partner to the group. (From PA materials.)
  • Go-round: introduce yourself and what your experience of permaculture has been.
  • Go-round: introduce yourself and what you think permaculture is.
  • Spectrum line: permaculture experience along a spectrum (for large groups).

Defining permaculture

  • Web of life exercise?
  • Brainstorm definitions?
    • Less popular with more experienced participants.
    • Need to have idea of what MY answer is / what the takeaway from the exercise is.
    • Focus on breadth, not just on gardening.
    • “A revolution disguised as organic gardening.”
  • Idea: have index cards with definitions on, each pick one and read it out. Combine as icebreaker?
  • Idea: provide examples of permaculture projects, with pictures.

Input/output

Permaculture ethics

Permaculture principles

Permaculture principles for container design.

  1. What is permaculture? DISCUSS (15-20 min):
    • Sustainable cycles; using natural patterns; working with the earth and not against it.
    • Permaculture ethics as basic guidance. ACTIVITY: write them down and discuss applying them to a specific container garden situation (eg acquiring containers; but how to apply all of these?)

    NOTE: find a way to more clearly use/describe the permaculture aspect of this — how does it differ from ‘regular’ container gardening?

  2. Input/output analysis (45 min):
    • Discuss basic idea (5 min)
    • In small groups: list inputs and outputs of a container garden. (10 min)
    • In whole group: discuss, write down, and start connecting them up. Then think about inputs/outputs from other systems. (30 min)
    • Draw attention to application of permaculture ethics as relevant.
    • See example here (from 12 July 2014).
  3. Resources and limitations analysis:
    • Mention “the problem is the solution” idea. (IMPORTANT! really helps)
    • ACTIVITY: in groups, list resources and limitations of container gardening. Include absolutes, and those that may vary with the site.
    • ACTIVITY (30 min): in whole group, shout out a resource or limitation then how we might work with it or turn it into a positive. (Example here from 12 July 2014.)
    • Some things to consider if needed:
      • Size of space and of pots.
      • Sun/shade/wind/rain (flows; see below).
      • Insect life.
  4. Plants that work well in pots:
    • Perennials (book p13).
      • Herbs: thyme, rosemary, parsley (self-seeds), oregano, chives, savoury…
      • Fruit: trees (!), soft fruit canes/bushes, strawberries.
      • Green leaves: sorrel, watercress, Turkish rocket, rocket (self-seeds)…
      • Veg: perennial brassicas, chard (self-seeds), tree onions…
    • what have you got / what do you want / what do you need analysis:
      • Compost and worms.
      • What do you eat and cook with?
      • What do you value/what is particularly good fresh?
      • What’s easy in pots?
      • ACTIVITY: spend 5 min each doing this for yourself, then discuss.
  5. Design exercise! very popular, works very well. Can use this to explain ideas of flow, diversity etc:
    • Flows (book p10):
      • Watch if possible for a year. Photos and notes. Though the advantage of containers is that you can start anyway and move them if necessary.
      • Sun/shade/frost: consider direction (N/E/S/W facing) & shade from elsewhere eg other buildings.
      • Water: do you get rain? Can you fit a water butt (even a little one)? Where does tap water come from?
      • People: do you pass through the space, how can you move within the space (to access things), how else do people use the space?
    • Diversity:
      • Multiple crops (book p10): fruiting plants, cut and come again plants, succession sowing.
      • Multi-dimensional design (book p14): use height.
      • Polycultures (book p13): diversity means more choice for you and more resilience to problems.

Extras:

  1. ACTIVITY: For experienced participants: shout out a principle and discuss how it applies to pots.
  2. Permaculture Principles (beginners, 30 min) ACTIVITY:
    • Give out 4 cards to small groups (1 card each).
    • Spend 5-10 min discussing how it might apply to containers.
    • Report back and discuss further.

Samples of specific courses:

  • 3-hr Permaculture in Pots session at Burgess Park (didn’t use extras, timing was a little out as marked).
  • Repeat of session: didn’t set up explicit timings at the start, which was a mistake.

Design process

  • General introduction. med
  • Surveying. med
  • Forms of analysis:
    • Input/output.
    • Zones. med
    • Flows. higher
    • Other. higher
  • Design activity ideas and setup. med
  • Wind-up ideas and feedback. all

Container design activity

  • Provide a list of useful plants (printout).
  • Give a clear structure: provide a list of questions to ask and a guidance about sketching (handout (.doc)).

Container specifics

  • Getting containers: applying permaculture principles.
  • Useful plants.
    • Perennials
      • Why are they good in permaculture?
      • Which perennials work well in pots? Fruit, veg, green leaves (see resource list (.doc))
    • Self-seeders.
    • Herbs (perennials!): thyme, rosemary, parsley (self-seeds), oregano, chives, savoury…
    • Plants that like containers.
    • Plants that don’t like containers.
    • How to choose plants: try input/output analysis.
  • Making and getting soil: permaculture principles.

Poster version of Intro to Permaculture

  • “What is Permaculture” A3 laminated page (lots of different phrases/definitions).
  • Ethics/principles A3 post download.
  • Local permaculture connections map (GNR example).
  • Ethics handout with things to consider yourself.
  • To think about for another time:
    • More interactivity — how to get people to interact with the posters? how I can talk to people about the posters and thoughts?
      • Have 2-minute elevator pitch in mind?
      • Have specific questions to ask people when they’re interested and work from those?
      • Have wider variety of handouts?
      • Get people to write definitions of the principles on the laminated poster (did a bit of this but not well organised in advance). Have ongoing activity of adding more explanations and definitions.
    • Have a board rather than laying things out on a table? (if possible)