Where do I start?

Hello fellow permies!
I am overwhelmed here on where to start. I have scoured the depths of YouTube, trudged through the Google-mire and... I am utterly lost. I know just enough to make me stupid (lol).

I am currently living in the city (I even have my own tiny patch of dirt :D), but I am getting ready to work on becoming a Registered Herbalist with the goal of opening my own shop and creating a permacultured-principle garden (forest?) not only for my family but for future customers as well.

Yeah it's a lot but step by step right?
So my biggest issue right now is, where do I start? The ground? In a book? Compost bins? Graphs? charts? I am just a very confused new permie and I would deeply appreciate some pointers!  

I recommend Toby Hemenway's book Gaia's Garden, which is a really helpful guide for the beginner permaculturist.  http://tobyhemenway.com/resources/introducing-gaias-garden/

I agree with Tyler on the book choice.  Gaia's Garden is an excellent book starter book.  I also suggest  Stefan Sobkowiak's videos on his permaculture orchard.   His videos solidified basic permaculture concepts for me, especially when it comes to biodiversity.  He talks about interplanting nitrogen fixers and testing new plants to go into your forest.    Stephan practices a very simple trio system so it makes the process easy to understand.

Start a nursery of trees and plants, it is a great start.   Get some beds started and buy seeds this winter.      


Planning, observation these are all things you will want to do.  But I'm a fan of starting.  If you aren't homesteading or doing big earthworks I would just get some stuff going.  If you don't have the biomass to build beds and hugels start planning how you are going to build them.  The permie style beds get better as you amend

them and over time.   You may want to get some started.

Plant for biomass if you don't have any.   Things like comfrey work well for chop and drop.  I would also pay attention to sun exposure.

Tyler Ludens wrote:I recommend Toby Hemenway's book Gaia's Garden, which is a really helpful guide for the beginner permaculturist.  http://tobyhemenway.com/resources/introducing-gaias-garden/

Thank you for the pointer! I ordered it and will be getting it at end of week (gah waiting lol).

Scott Foster wrote:I agree with Tyler on the book choice.  Gaia's Garden is an excellent book starter book.  I also suggest  Stefan Sobkowiak's videos on his permaculture orchard.   His videos solidified basic permaculture concepts for me, especially when it comes to biodiversity.  He talks about interplanting nitrogen fixers and testing new plants to go into your forest.    Stephan practices a very simple trio system so it makes the process easy to understand.

Start a nursery of trees and plants, it is a great start.   Get some beds started and buy seeds this winter.      


Planning, observation these are all things you will want to do.  But I'm a fan of starting.  If you aren't homesteading or doing big earthworks I would just get some stuff going.  If you don't have the biomass to build beds and hugels start planning how you are going to build them.  The permie style beds get better as you amend

them and over time.   You may want to get some started.

Plant for biomass if you don't have any.   Things like comfrey work well for chop and drop.  I would also pay attention to sun exposure.

Alrighty thank you!

Cassie, welcome to permies!  If you are wanting to learn more about Permaculture we have a forum for that:

permaculture a designers manual

https://permies.com/f/142/pdm

Here is an introduction:  Contents of Designers' Manual and links to study threads

https://permies.com/t/31001/Contents-Designers-Manual-links-study

Hello cassie
This post was made to try and wrangle all of that glorious data out there and keep it in one place. The second and third links are more general data unlike the very specific first link. I hope it helps some, and suggestions are much appreciated as it grows.