Permaculture Experiment Site
At the beginning of the summer we decided to take another step in the “green” direction by experimenting with different permaculture and sustainable gardening practices on a plot of land in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.
The parcel of land belongs to Jonathan Butler, owner of Biz611 in Hendersonville and advocate for sustainability, who purchased it about 10 years ago to prevent it from being developed. He has dedicated a lot of his free time to learning about and implementing sustainable practices throughout the property. Most recently, he has been working on his new aquaponics system and chicken coop. Jonathan set aside a chunk of the land for GreenBy3’s own permaculture site and with his expertise and continued support, we have been able to learn a few things about what it takes to get things growing.
Permaculture?
Permaculture is and idea that flies in the face of modern agriculture. For centuries we have been fighting nature in order to grow food, a battle we are sure to lose in the long run. Permaculture asks us to instead work with nature to grow our food, not only because its better for humans and for the environment (and it certainly is) but also because its easier in the long run. The hard part is changing the way we think.
Instead of rows of the same crop being forced out of dead soil year after year, imagine an agricultural system that is designed to mimic natural ecosystems and is therefore self-sustaining. With permaculture, we can replace much of the hard labor of with careful observation and planning.
The vision
The Permaculture Experiment Site was originally envisioned as an educational tool for GreenBy3 employees, volunteers and the community. Teaching alternative ways to do things is one of GreenBy3’s main initiatives as a business and so learning about self-sustaining gardens, and in turn being able to share our experience with others, goes along with our community and environmental goals.
Our progress
We started planning mid-summer 2014. This year was all about experimenting with companion planting techniques, raising worms, building up our compost heap and slowly trying to amend the sandiest soil on Earth. We joined the Charleston Permaculture Guild to learn from like-minded folks and purchased seeds from Sow True Seed in Asheville, NC for our fall planting, which is now underway. Our rainwater capture/storage/watering system is nearly complete; we are laying kill-mulch (instead of tilling soil) to prepare it for next spring’s mini food forest experiment!
