Detailed permaculture design examples

Does anyone know of permaculture gardens/farms where the creators have kept and made available detailed design information. I have seen many websites for permaculture projects which give a high level overview of the site, but it would be really cool if there were any that included more details like maps, plant lists, design decisions, other anyalysis, etc.

This Mobile Home Garden in the UK might be of interest to you. She goes through her design step by step with pics to see it develop.

Chelle

great link, thanks

I don't know if it is allowed to promote oneself, but I have just started a blog (see adress in my signature) about my ventures into permaculture.
It is brand new now, but I will write about what I will do and did and my thoughts about why.

Great little helper you have there..  ..... already testing soil samples and wielding a big black watering can almost as big as he is!

Nice blog.

Chelle

Cyara wrote:
Great little helper you have there..    ..... already testing soil samples and wielding a big black watering can almost as big as he is!

Nice blog.

Chelle

Thanks. I'm so pleased that he loves to be in the garden too. It's also great fun to make the garden interesting for him  - which luckily coincides with making a more wild/natural garden.

I agree, there is definitely a lack of detailed design information out there. Maybe it exists but it hasn't been found or released on the web. It would be good to have this resource available so we could form a solid network of people with different design experience, plant selections, guild layouts, etc.

Eric Toensemeir and Jonathon Bates have a very nice permaculture site in Holyoke, MA. They are experimenting with some innovative forest gardening techniques as well as testing many plants for use as perennial vegetables. They have a nice website with detailed design information: http://permaculturenursery.com/hefg.htm

They have also created the Apios Institute, which is designed precisely for the purpose of collecting plant specs, design info, pix, etc. I encourage you forest gardeners out there to join!
http://www.apiosinstitute.org/forestgardens/holyoke-edible-forest-garden

We recently hired a permaculture landscape designer to do a food forest/wildlife habitat design for our backyard - see "Miller Final Design" on this page: http://www.livinggardenspdx.com/designs/ 

I would love to share it in hi-res here, along with the plant list, but I'm not sure if that sort of thing is frowned upon because it may negatively impact the designer's future business?  Or perhaps it would positively impact their future business?  I'm not sure what the accepted practices are around clients sharing their designs with others.  I can certainly ask the designer how she feels about me sharing it.

I hope she will let you share.  I can not find the Miller Final Design.

What I can see I can't tell much from.  I do look forward to photos and descriptions of how it all works for you.

I found a direct link.  Too small I know but this gives you an idea.  There are a number of existing trees & features on the site, some of which we wanted to keep so she had to work around those.

@Trevor,
Thank you for that wonderful and informative link to the holyoke perma forest garden.
I am so glad to see someone freely sharing information like this.

I was a biologist and very interested in what this thing called permaculture was. It alarmed me that it cost thousands to learn more than the littlest teaser and when it really comes down to it, the information seems to be for sale.

I am very grateful for this link and the inspiration it provides to share.

Of course, this permies forum is a great place to share, which Is the reason I came here. so thanks everybody for sharing.

jeanna

Thanks for the links everyone. Especially the one for apios institute. It's exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. Hopefully their wiki catches on and other people start documenting their projects on it.

Just some thoughts...

If Permaculture can be a site plan, then Pc hasn't jumped that far from traditional gourmet landscaping... I'd suggest that the heart of a permaculture is in the energy/output audit of the operations and maintenance plan... and the documentation and lessons learned through that process.

The other angle.  1 season site installation takes a fair amount of cash up front... low cash cost, incremental installation using natural processes is another side to Pc that goes beyond the design and brings it to the people.

I am not trying to discredit good designs and I am greatful for any peak into the head of folks working with these ideas.  Just trying to expand the scope of 'design'.

I have to agree, Paul.

Every site is so specific in its needs and advantages that it is no surprise that there is so little out there. It takes a lot of knowledge to just arrive into a site and start designing. Some designers will therefore naturaly have a better insight than others... determined by experience. No doubt this factors in the cost.

Learning Permaculture through books is probably the fastest and most economic way to learn when finances matter... as they do for me.... It does take time though... but time well spent. ..

It is really wonderful to keep reading and know that you have just found another nugget that can be used to tweak your own growing design... a design that you fully understand in terms of maintenance because you understand all the reasons for it.

To be able to pay for the insights of an experienced Permaculturist is a privilege. But I can understand why it must needs be a more expensive excercise.

This forum is such a rich resource. You cannot spend better time than just assigning time each day to read and learn about something that specifically interests you. The wonderful thing is that it is interactive. You have questions... so you ask... and people as interested as you are... will share what they know.

You either spend money or you spend time. The time spent is worth more IMO.

My 2c.

Chelle

Just some thoughts...

If Permaculture can be a site plan, then Pc hasn't jumped that far from traditional gourmet landscaping... I'd suggest that the heart of a permaculture is in the energy/output audit of the operations and maintenance plan... and the documentation and lessons learned through that process.

The other angle.  1 season site installation takes a fair amount of cash up front... low cash cost, incremental installation using natural processes is another side to Pc that goes beyond the design and brings it to the people.

I am not trying to discredit good designs and I am greatful for any peak into the head of folks working with these ideas.  Just trying to expand the scope of 'design'.

In other words, permaculture design is figuratively AND literally no walk in the park!