What is permaculture farming? Learn what permaculture is, the 12 principles of permaculture, its benefits, and several permaculture practices.
Plant guilds are an important aspect of permaculture design. Food forest garden design examples, plant guild examples & the 7 layer food forest
Biodynamic Farming is essentially a spiritual, ethical, ecological approach to agriculture, food production, and nutrition.
Discover how Ben Shaw transformed his Geelong backyard into a productive, thriving paradise.
We want to support and grow more teachers - people that will grow to be like dandelion seedheads, distributing seeds of knowledge far and wide. Seeds that
Every space can utilize permaculture design! Here's how you can play with permaculture zones and customize them to suit your unique space.
"Afristar Foundation utilises Permaculture design systems as the primary methodology of our community development strategy. Permaculture is an optimistic,
Take a look at growing mushrooms in a laundry basket - outdoors or indoors
Permaculture has been challenging to succinctly define, so let’s explore it a bit. What is permaculture? And why is it so important?
Permaculture food forests are autopilot gardens that need little human intervention except in the beginning. Here's how to build one.
Let’s start out with a basic understanding of what full scale Hugelkultur and full scale swale based systems are. Then we can jump into what they are not and why combining them can be a very bad idea.
The classic garden Fennel with "bulb". https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Bk_XrFrmkOwFMDp5chJh1ru4LD-xOV1jsU5nKMxWW7xz5ZUNNhjkBtbxxhwt1pm7JH8O6K1I0ms86G3hJlPHHSMVB2vs2t-dKaqwevFAVFkfvFoLGGZdZ5t25PhzkY9ZgcrZOUFFqMs/s1600/fennel.jpg Common Name: Fennel Scientific Name: Foeniculum vulgare Family: Apiaceae (the Carrot or Parsley family) - formerly known as the Umbelliferae family Harvesting Fennel http://www.lizcrain.com/foodloversguidetoportlandblog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/fennelharvest.jpg Description: Fennel is a cold-hardy, perennial herbaceous plant with feathery, bluish-green leaves, hollow stems, and an anise (or black licorice) scent and flavor. It is a very common culinary herb with a long history of medicinal use. With edible leaves, flowers, pollen, seeds, root, and "bulb" (only present in the Florence cultivar), its ability to attract beneficial insects, its ability to grow in a wide range of soils, its drought resistance once established, and its beautiful appearance, Fennel deserves a place in all gardens, traditional garden and Forest Garden alike. Foeniculum vulgare http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Foeniculum_vulgare_-_K%C3%B6hler%E2%80%93s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-148.jpg History: Originally from the Mediterranean, Fennel is now found around the world, often near the ocean. Trivia: The chemical that gives Fennel its characteristic flavor is called anethole. It is found in fennel, anise, licorice, star-anise, and tarragon, and basil (especially thai basil). Used as one of three herbs to give flavor to absinthe, along with wormwood and green anise. It is commonly mislabeled, and I have see this, as Anise (Pimpinella anisum) which is a very different plant. The feathery leaves (fronds) of Fennel. http://www.calabriafromscratch.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Wild-fennel-fronds.jpg USING THIS PLANT Primary Uses: The primary use is as a cullinary herb to provide an anise (black licorice) flavor to foods. The flavor is strong when fresh or in large amounts, but even if you do not like the flavor of black licorice, a small bit as a base to a sauce imparts a deep, subtle flavor that most people enjoy. Leaves - fresh or cooked. Pick young leaves at the base of the plant as older leaves become more tough. Flowers - Bright yellow flowers can be eaten raw or cooked. Great addition to salads or desserts. Pollen - can be collected by placing a paper bag over a mature flower head and shaking. Added sparingly to meat Seeds - Green seed pods (fresh or cooked) or ripe seed (typically dried). Stalk - when still a little green can be placed on coals to impart a smoky, anise flavor to meats; when dried the stalks can be used as straws since they are hollow - they will give a faint flavor to whatever liquid passes through. Bulb - the "bulb" is really fattened leaf bases and can be used as a vegetable itself or mixed with other dishes Root - apparently a bit like parsnip, which makes sense since they are both in the Carrot family Tea - both leaves, flowers, and seeds Medicinal - many historical uses, especially to aid in digestion Secondary Uses: General insect (especially bees) nectar plant. Benificial parasatoid wasps and spiders prefer the foliage. Lacewings prefer to lay eggs on Fennel over many other plants. Yield: variable Harvesting: Year round in mild climates, anytime during the growing season in colder climates, seeds in Autumn Storage: Fresh parts can be stored for up to a week in a cool environment (bulbs longer than the leaves); Dried seeds and pollen can be stored in an airtight container for a long time Fennel flowers give little bursts of flavor. http://www.lifemelusa.com/assets/images/foeniculum_vulgare02.jpg DESIGNING WITH THIS PLANT USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-10 (a lot of variation depending on the souce) AHS Heat Zone: No reliable information available Plant Type: Large Herbaceous Perennial Plant Leaf Type: Deciduous, but is cold-hardy, so it can be Forest Garden Use: Herbaceous Layer Cultivars/Varieties: Many varieties available. The common "garden" fennel, Florence Fennel (F. vulgare var. azoricum) has been bred for large, bulb-like lower stems. The wild fennel is identical but for the bulbs. Pollination: Self-Pollinating/Self-Fertile Flowering: Spring (May-June... depending on the USDA Zone where it is planted) Life Span: Not really relevant as it reseeds so easily. Fennel and Parsnip roots... yeah, almost identical in appearance, but not flavor. Check out this blogger's account: http://frenchcountrychallenge.typepad.com/blog/2010/11/experimenting-with-fennel-root-an-identification-challenge.html PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS PLANT Size: 3-5 feet (0.9-1.5 meters) tall and 1-3 feet (0.3-0.9 meters) wide Roots: Tap root Growth Rate: Medium to Fast Fennel seed is commonly seed in stores, but is easy to harvest. http://www.indianfood.ro/product_images/r/500/05_05_10_02_32_fennel2__28785_zoom.jpg GROWING CONDITIONS FOR THIS PLANT Light: Prefers full sun Shade: Tolerates light shade Moisture: Medium to Dry, can be fairly drought tolerant pH: prefers fairly neutral soil (6.1 - 7.0) Special Considerations for Growing: Avoid growing Fennel near Dill as it can cross-pollinate. The offsping of this pairing will be of bland taste. It is best to grow Fennel out a bit, by itself. It produces some growth inhibitors that are not kind to annual vegetables. Fennel is not a good ground cover, but grows well through many ground covers. Propagation: Usually by seed. Direct sowing is best. Can be divided in late Winter/early Spring. Maintenance: Almost none. Concerns: Can spread annoyingly well by seed. Just snip these little, wayward plants when they are young, and use in the kitchen. Fennel pollen is easy to obtain and is a "new" trend in cooking. http://www.silkroadspices.ca/assets/products/1244/large/Fennel_Pollen.jpg?1242536384
Perennial vegetables, or crops that are planted once and harvested year after year, are the perfect way to turn a single spring's worth of work into a lifetime's worth of vegetables for your table. Annual
Fed up with mowing the lawn? Learn how to create a front yard permaculture garden that is low maintenance, looks good and benefits the environment.
An in-depth talk about what hugelkultur beds are and why you need them in your permaculture efforts.
Backyard Permaculture Design to create an amazing garden! Permaculture design principles & permaculture design ideas to grow your permaculture garden
This article reviews perennial staple crops, a little-known group of species with tremendous potential to address world problems. Ricardo Romero of Las Cañadas in perennial staple food forest featurin
An in-depth talk about what hugelkultur beds are and why you need them in your permaculture efforts.
"The abundance of this place, the songs of its people and its birds,will be health and wisdom and indwelling light." - Wendell Berry, Kentucky farmer, philosopher and poet from Work Song, Part 2, A VisionYou may review and print the complete set of r
This image shows the different layers that make up a Hugelkultur bed. It also shows how different methods of watering (drip or swale) penetrate the mound. I believe I’m right in saying the co…
Radical Regenerative Gardening and Farming informs and inspires gardeners, and farmers, who wish to bring quality and integrity into their work with the land.
If you have been listening to The Urban Farm Podcast you have probably heard a lot about permaculture. I have been listening to/reading about permaculture ideas so much it is hard for me to believe there is a person on the planet that doesn’t know about...
