Permaculture is a portmanteau of “permanent” and “agriculture”, and is really all about growing food and living sustainably. So, if you’re thinking about permaculture, you might be thinking of starting a homestead? Or a commune? A farm? Or buying some land and seeing what you get into?
Don’t just think, Act
Even if you’re just thinking, I’d suggest that you plant some fruit trees now! To me, fruit trees and other perennial food-bearing plants are the foundation for any type of sustainable living off the land. Though perennials only need to be planted once and can bear large amounts of food with minimal effort, they take years before they start producing any food. This principle of low-effort food production is central to permaculture homesteading.
The other great thing about fruit trees and shrubs is that they are easy to multiply through propagation of cuttings. The sooner you plant the trees, the sooner there will be more fruit. Additionally, you will also be able to take cuttings sooner and start making even more plants.
So, even if you don’t have land, but are looking to get some in the next 3-5 years, you should start growing fruit trees and bushes in containers now! I’m serious!
Time is Money is Food when Homesteading
The thing is, it takes a long time for trees to bear fruit, and when you start your homestead you want to hit the ground running. Now, the nice thing about fruit trees is if you don’t start them now, you can buy that time back. What do I mean by that? Well, when you buy trees, you can buy them at a range of sizes and ages. Thus, you can spend more money to buy a bigger tree that will bear fruit sooner.
Or you can just plant your fruit trees now, and save that money down the line. This is a key strategy in permaculture homesteading. You pay a bit more time, money, or energy now to reap the benefits later.
Though permaculture is generally a set of principles, it relies on the growing of perennial fruits, nuts, and trees. It also encompasses an annual vegetable garden and the general ecosystem of where you homestead. The perennial plants are much hardier than any annual vegetables. Therefore, they are the foundation upon which your food production system should rely. For example, a couple of mature (8ish years old) cherry trees can produce 20 gallons of cherries a season! When was the last time you even saw a gallon of cherries?
I’m telling you to plant your trees now because I’m trying to teach you from my mistakes. I bought my land in 2015 and didn’t plant any fruit trees or berry bushes until last year (2024). I was beating myself up about it for months.
Permaculture Now is Better Than Permaculture Later
My family hemmed and hawed on whether or not we were going to stay in this house for the long term. Though I had considered planting trees, I didn’t want to spend the money. Now 10 years later, I spent a few thousand dollars on larger fruit trees to play catch-up and get closer to bearing fruit. But hey, I was young and ill-informed (well, at least influenced by the non-homesteaders around me) and fought against nature to try to have a well maintained front lawn in the midst of a forest. Don’t be like the old me, and get into permaculture now even if you are not 100% serious about permaculture homesteading!
Adding to Your Permastead Over Time
Since permaculture is the foundation for homesteading, you will still need to add other aspects to your homestead over time. There are 12 permaculture principles developed by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren often found in permaculture homesteading. However, they go far beyond the roots of the words “permanent agriculture”.
- Observe and interact
- Catch and store energy
- Obtain a yield
- Apply self-regulation and accept feedback
- Use and value renewable resources and services
- Produce no waste
- Design from patterns to details
- Integrate rather than segregate
- Use small and slow solutions
- Use and value diversity
- Use edges and value the marginal
- Creatively use and respond to change
I’m trying to live these principles. But of course, there will be deviations, and I won’t beat myself up about those deviations. The important thing is to try to do what I can.
Experimenting with Plants and Growing Techniques
A permaculture homestead is hopefully a lifelong endeavor, and all of life is an experiment. We live in a “Goldilocks” time and place, and should take advantage of that. So, experimenting with plants is also a lifelong endeavor – just look at this broccoli that I’m trying to grow from grocery store stems. There is no reason not to try experiments – they may fail, but you will learn something about the thing you’re trying to grow, or you might even learn something about yourself, your community, or the world at large.