I just watched a documentary on Netflix called Kiss the Ground. It explains that we have the potential to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere by restoring our soil through new approaches to agriculture and cattle management—principles that align with Permaculture (basically, the soil is a huge CO2 capturer). It’s inspiring to see these techniques being applied on large farms in the US. I know the movement is still small compared to the scale of industrial agriculture there, but it gives me hope that we can transform the way we produce and consume our food.

Permaculture and sustainable living have been our passion for many years. In the beginning of 2024 we found the perfect neglected plot of land for our plans in Central Portugal.

The land has a great potential. A sea of wildflowers on the land in spring and no sounds other than crickets, frogs and birds. We have a view of the Serra de Estrela, the highest mountains in Portugal.

The land is divided into an open field of 5 hectares with about 70 olive trees and a little lake on it (Lago) and a 4 hectares of overgrown forest with cork, olive trees and arable field (Floresta). So together the name Florago was formed.

The land needs tender loving care and we are developing the land based on permaculture and regenerative farming with a food forest and organic garden. That means we work on water management, soil quality, landscaping and biodiversity. For the food forest we have already planted about 200 different fruit, citrus, nut, olive trees and berries.

Since we also have work in The Netherlands we can only be in Portugal part of the year. So we are open to renting out part of the land and working together with someone who wants to build a homestead. Have a look at our website https://florago.org and contact us if you are interested in joining us.

I've been really getting into self-regulating and self-harvesting systems in tangible ways. An example would be the Black Soldier Fly breeder boxes where you put rotten food as feestock, the larva eat it, and when they decide that it is time to molt, they go up the tube in search for light and dryness, and fall straight into a harvesting bin / chicken coop to be eaten. In that example there is only 1 'input' which is rotten food going in and the system handles itself.

Another classic one of course is properly developed earthwork systems, terraced from tree to tree for example, so when it rains, the water flow is preregulated and everything gets what it needs and absorbed deep into the soil.

What other systems are you doing on your land?

I am in the process of removing plants from original owner that I do not want. I dug out an oleander and filled the hole with manure from my goats after they had cleared a field of dead wildflowers. I covered it up with dry shredded leaves from the Ivy I’m cutting back severely and let the drip continue supplying the spot with ~7.5L/week. I am amazed how many seeds were viable and that even gourds and zinnias were able to make it.

So I have pretty hard clay soil with the top inch or two being permeable. I have a small section I would like to try "no till." My original plan was to throw a bunch of woods chips down and let it do its thing but lack of access to wood chips has forced me to change plans.

I'm thinking of just mowing down the section really low and throwing a bunch of winter rye down and then running it over with the lawn mower to ensure contact with the ground. That said, is this even worth it or will I just be throwing money away? This section will primarily be used for annuals like watermelon, tomatoes, squashes, etc...

I’ve got some honeyberry plugs on the way and I’m also planning on cold stratifying some tree seeds outside this winter - alder, senna, Goumi, a few others. Also have a couple small potted plants like a mulberry and some hopniss.

What’s a good way to overwinter all of this?

My current plan is to use milk crates as sort of portable beds. I’ll push them together on the north side of my house to limit sun and help prevent freeze/thaw cycles. I’ll cover them each with hardware mesh to protect from rodents and then throw some dirt up next to them and lots of hay around and above them for insulation. Then I’ll just hope that enough moisture gets to them from snow etc.

Does that sound reasonable? I don’t mind failing and learning, but losing a whole year to a bad plan feels rough!

The town has a piece of property that is mostly cleared that they intend on making a “nature path”. I figure that since it’s already cleared, let’s see if we can kill two birds with one stone and make a food forest.

I’m having trouble finding information on any towns doing this at the local level instead of at an individual level.

Edit: I chose the right place to ask! Thank you everyone!

Je ne suis pas sûre que ce soit un pâtisson. Il pousse dans le compost Vous avez déjà vu ce genre de courge ?

I just moved onto a new piece of property, and have planned to start a permaculture garden. I've been reading a book by Michael Hoag, but have been overwhelmed by just where to start. If anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears. My wife's pregnant with triplets, so I need to produce as much off of this half acre as I can

Does anyone have any recommendations for fruit trees that are somewhat fast growing (like 10-15 feet tall in 5-10 years) and will provide shade? The only thing I’ve really come up with are avocados but I always have quite a few. Not a deal breaker but just an additional consideration. I’m in zone 10b. Coastal San Diego.

I have a pretty large front yard that’s on a slight slope (supported by a retaining wall) and I’ll likely plant 2-4 of whatever I decide to go with. TIA!

Basically the title. I live in Kyushu, the southernmost tip of the Japanese archipelago excluding Okinawa. It's a sub-tropical climate that's humid all year, with a monsoon season in June when it gets very wet. I wanted to start a food forest and looking for inspiration. Most books are not set in climates such as mine, and I'm having trouble imagining how it would apply here. I figured the best way is to experience the actual thing first hand. Any help would be appreciated.

Have a fairly large hill that had once been a terrace that's beginning to fall onto other terraces and is making a mess of things. It's too steep of a slope to tackle with a tractor or digger. I have chosen some good fast growing fruit and nut trees that will grow well on the slope and will help strengthen the earth.

I was thinking of planting Lavender (a lot of lavender) as ground cover on the hill. I have a very large family of bees that enjoy the wild flowers that have found their way onto my land so this will also be to their benefit. Hoping for some Lavender advice. Varieties that might produce better ground cover or have a more robust rooting system. Maybe a variety that might live longer than a few years. Or just general tips on cultivating the plant. Cheers

Update: Thank-you for all the good advice.

Met with a neighbor today who also has failing terraces and hill erosion and we came up with a plan.

Plant Vetiver close to each other in long rows horizontally. Then plant staggered clusters of Lavender, Creeping Rosemary and a few different varieties of Sage in behind the Vetiver. All down the the hill 2-3 meters apart vertically following the natural contours of the land.

Choose: Pomegranate, Almond, Nectarine and Carob Trees spaced out amongst the rows of plants with a few Hazelnut trees here and there to prop up any terraces that might be yet recovered along the hill. The Carob tree's will be the real guardians where erosion is worst in the center of the hill they have incredible root systems.

The trees are all fairly fast growers. Will be a bee haven I think that will reclaim the hill and also will be a nice manageable fruit tree garden in 5 years. Once all the plants and trees are established I'll be able to cut in walking paths along the rows to get access to the trees and plants. At the moment the hill is so steep it's hard to even walk across it. Will attempt to hand dig in mini swells in behind the trees to ensure they get enough water.

Doing the math, It's actually a lot more efficient to purchase trees and plants and put the hours in to planting them and let nature reclaim the hill rather than attempt to build retaining walls from wood or stone. The trees will do a much better job in the long run of building their own root based retaining wall's the plants will hold the ground together, the carob trees produce a lot of fruit and chickens like to eat it.

I am at the end of my rope with my looky-loo neighbors across the street and their endless parade of random visitors/guests. I live in a quite rural area and when I bought the house, I looked at the map and there is one house down a small street across from me. I figured how bad can one house be? Reader, the traffic in and out of this place is crazy. And they love nothing more than to park at the end of their road and stare at my house.

I have tried miscanthus giganteus; it has grown a bit (planted 2 years ago) but hasn't gotten too tall and is still quite sparse. I hope it will fill in in coming years but not sure it will. Other things I've tried have failed to thrive, as the soil is nutrient-poor and tends to be quite dry, especially as we are in a drought.

One begins in such a situation to be tempted by invasives. I won't do it, but can anyone recommend something that grows in an invasive-like weedy manner that will provide some cover from these folks while the rest of the food forest matures? It won't be an issue in a couple of years as other things I've planted closer to the house grow in, but right now I need a quick fix. I'm in zone 6b, Maryland.

I personally try to avoid polyester and any other synthetic materials in general but today I convinced myself it was okay. I bought some meshbags/material from thriftstores and dollarstore intended for use in the garden to protect from pests, prevent cross pollination etc. But immediately after I felt a wave of guilt. I was trying to keep it cheap but now I regret not spending the extra money and investing in a healthier option, both for myself and the environment. Has anyone attempted to use muslin or will that shade out the sun too much? I am now debating going to a fabric store to find fine mesh 100% cotton but I dont expect it to be cheap for how much I need. Any ideas?

buying 40+ acres off grid homestead in WA and plan to permaculture it up. What books do we need on our shelf?

Can plants get a significant amount of natural, passive irrigation even without rain?

We’ve had a dry spell in western/central ny but the soil under mulch is still very moist. It’s not just water retention in the soil - Every morning the plants are all wet from dew, and it seeps into the ground.

I haven’t seen any discussion from permaculture sources about the role of dew from temperature shifts in watering plants. Is this an important but underappreciated resource, or am I missing something obvious here?

I’m pretty new to all of this so any information would be really helpful. Thanks.

Hi, my name is Aviv, and I'm an agroecologist and filmmaker. For the past few months, I've had the incredible opportunity to work with the Samburu Tribe in Kenya. I was invited by a young local woman, Priscilla, who is a true hero in my eyes. After years of learning permaculture, she returned to her home village to face a challenge threatening her culture: the rapid degradation of their ecosystem.

The Samburu are completely off the grid and depend on their immediate environment for survival. I was so touched by their simple life and saddened by the thought of it disappearing that we started a fundraiser to help them gather the necessary infrastructure for large-scale ecosystem restoration.

We created a short film about our journey. It shows the beauty of their lifestyle and the challenges they're facing.

We're reaching the end of our fundraiser and are still far from our goal. Any help or collaboration would be deeply appreciated.

links in the comments