Cj Blanco wrote: what permaculture things do you do while living in the 'burbs?
This is my 'thing', I love talking about urban permaculture! I started a
thread ages ago, which may be helpful.
I suggest reading as much as you can. Be warned though, permaculture's
insanely complex...
water, heating/cooling, building, growing plants, animal husbandry,
food preservation...
First off though, it would be great if you add climate/geographical info
like this.
You are much more likely to get relevant advice. Mine's pretty detailed, cos I like that sort of thing...
Do you hope to spend the five years or so years till you buy property in the same place? It's well worth thinking about your systems' portability/permanence/expense.
Do you have soil/ground, or is is it all paved? I'm
rubbish with pots. Basically the only thing I have potted is a bay tree, which I'm sure would take over the world if it wasn't totally stressed all the time! Aside from my inability to keep things watered, from what I understand, pots can't maintain the beastie populations needed for soil health. Check out
Teaming with Microbes for a great introduction to soil life.
I think an understanding of soil is an important place to start.
I try to think of everything that comes onto my place as a resource rather than potential waste, and respect the
energy that goes into creating many things we generally take for granted.
Everything that I think will break down goes in the
compost or as mulch on the garden. I use things that some people aren't comfortable with, like printed paper and
cardboard.
You can see how easy it is to keep narrowing focus. I often have to remind myself to pull back and look at the 'big picture'.
