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The video discusses the 12 principles of permaculture, a design approach that aims to create sustainable and self-sufficient systems by mimicking the patterns and relationships found in natural ecosystems. The principles can be applied when designing gardens, farms, and even entire neighborhoods.
Huw’s examples for applying the permaculture principles
- Observe and interact: Watching how the sun moves across your garden and using that knowledge to determine where to plant different crops.
- Catch and store energy: Installing a rainwater harvesting system to capture and store water for later use in the garden.
- Obtain a yield: Growing vegetables and herbs for personal consumption, or selling surplus produce at a farmer’s market.
- Apply self-regulation and accept feedback: Adjusting your watering schedule based on how your plants are responding to the amount of water they receive.
- Use and value renewable resources and services: Using compost as a natural fertilizer instead of synthetic fertilizers.
- Produce no waste: Composting kitchen scraps and yard waste instead of throwing them away.
- Design from patterns to details: Using companion planting to improve plant growth and health, and to control pests.
- Integrate rather than segregate: Combining elements of a garden, such as using a compost pathway or interplanting flowers and vegetables.
- Use small and slow solutions: Starting with one or two raised beds and gradually expanding the garden, or using no-dig gardening techniques.
- Use and value diversity: Planting a variety of crops and using different growing techniques in the garden to promote biodiversity.
- Use edges and value the marginal: Using underused spaces in the garden, such as the back of a polytunnel or the edges of raised beds, to grow plants or create useful spaces.
- Creatively use and respond to change: Turning a crop failure due to blight into an opportunity to experiment with different crops and growing techniques.
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