A 6'x6' permaculture garden: is it possible?

I'm not really much of a gardener, I live in an apartment but have a bit of space to plant some things.  I've only recently began looking into permaculture.  Will your book help me or should I maybe start with a "greener" book?

Thanks.

Gregg

Gregg, what does your gardening space look like?

paul wheaton wrote:
Gregg, what does your gardening space look like?

Very small, like a 6 foot x 6 foot area.  I realize my possibilities are quite limited but I figure it can't hurt to start small and then in a couple of years when/if we buy a home I'll be at least that much more prepared to take it to the next level.

How do you live in an apartment and get a 6x6 patch?  Wacky!

Well, does it get lots of sun? 

What's there now?

paul wheaton wrote:
How do you live in an apartment and get a 6x6 patch?  Wacky!

Well, does it get lots of sun? 

What's there now?

Grass is there now.  Each building has 6 apartments.  2 on each floor.  We are on the first floor and our back patio has an area between the patio and the steps leading up into the building.  It gets a lot of morning sun but gets shaded quickly, by noon time.

Gregg, a 6x6 space can have a lot stacked into it. You could have one or two mini-dwarf or columnar fruit trees in large pots (so you can take it with you) at the back (north side) of the bed, a bunch of perennial greens that will give year-round food in milder climates (down to 25 F or maybe less), such as bush collards, good king henry, New Zealand spinach (those all taste a lot like the stuff you're used to, but they don't need to be replanted and go year round. Stacking things by height will fit more into the space; tall stuff at the north side, short herbs and greens to the south. My main garden bed is 4x8 and I get a one or two daily salads for two, plus apples, and several servings a week of veggies from it. Grow the stuff you love in it. Two great resources for really dense planting are John Jeavons' How to Grow More Vegetables and Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening. Another key is to get your soil in the best possible shape so food will just come pumping out of it. Those books (oh, and, incidentally, my own) tell how to do that.

I was thinking this was going to be about carbon footprint when I clicked on the thread.

I also live in an apartment, but I have a small area that is mine.  6x6 sounds huge.  I have enough width for a lawn chair and probably 5 feet out.  I haven't planted anything per se, but I have a nice variety of wildflower "weeds."  The space is green and has pretty flowers.  Makes me happy

Thanks Toby.  That helps quite a bit.