Permaculture for the Rest of us: Abundant Living on Less Than an Acre by Jenni Blackmore is a wonderful book on how to live a sustainable, self sufficient life with less than ideal circumstances. This book is an insightful, down-to-earth, user-friendly guide. If you have small acreage, have poor soil, don't live in the ideal climate, have a lack of water, are discouraged or overwhelmed by other permaculture resources, or just don't know where to start, this book is for you!
Jenni takes you on her journey from how she got started to what she did and encountered herself through trial and error over the course of 20 years. She is a great teacher for those of us that are novices to permaculture because she tells from experience. For those of us that are experts I am sure this book will provide a great refresher. In her book Jenni talks about building soil, planning, planting a veggie garden, seed saving/swapping, easy starter crops, her suggestions about what and when to plant, greenhouses, poultry and meat rabbits, ethics and principles of permaculture, & harvesting and preserving. Her book doesn't cover every aspect of permaculture, but it covers enough of the basics to get a great start. With main information consolidated into sidebars of what she calls, "executive notes", this book is an educational easy read.
As I am still learning a lot in my own journey in permaculture, I found this book to be a wonderful resource of sage advice and wisdom and while reading I highlighted my favorite parts. When I was reading I heard her mention keyhole gardens and hugelkultur and I had never heard of these garden bed methods, so I started pinning them on my Pinterest Garden Path board so that I might incorporate them into my own techniques down the line. I already have 8 raised beds, but they are rectangular, which is fine for what we have done with them. As I am learning though I feel compelled to mold and shape my land how I see fit with the knowledge amassed under my belt.
I am learning about soil and soil building to make my own fertile soil. I even went to "Soil School" after I became a Master Gardener in my state, so that I could learn more about soil. I might be a geek, but I think it is fascinating. Permaculture for the Rest of Us goes into some depth about this in chapter two, "The Nitty Gritty on Building Dirt". Most of this was review for me, but only because I had taken these classes.
My farm already has one laying hen and 10 chickens we raised from chicks, of which I hope will provide me and my family with many eggs soon as the hens of the flock start laying. They have already supplied me with rich manure to add to be composted for my gardens. I love Jenni's idea for a "Hen-poster", a compost pile set up in the chicken run. The chickens scratch at it and mix it while adding chicken manure to it as well. What a great idea! I want to set one up now too. I love her and her husband's ingenuity.
I think Permaculture for the Rest of Us: Abundant Living on Less Than an Acre is a wonderful addition to my library as it would be to yours. It opened my eyes to some techniques and things that I could do, or do better on my own property. I love Jenni's encouragement and her friendly, genuine demeanor. She helped me feel welcome and more capable to accomplish even the most surmountable of tasks.
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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review and an opportunity to give away another copy. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review and giveaway.
5 comments:
I am new to the term permaculture. My spell check doesn't even recognize it. lol
We're about to leave our apartment for a house, and for the first time ever I need to learn how to landscape and plant a garden. Oh, and operate a lawn mower! At this point anything I can learn would be beneficial! :)
I've always wanted to have my own little "farm", meaning just big enough to sustain my family. Right now we live in the suburbs, so that won't happen any time soon. but my dream is still to move out to the country at some point. we just grow a little veggie garden but i do want to learn more. I'm working on the hubby to see if we can get some chickens :)
Permaculture is new to me. I grew up in a family that has always canned and preserved vegetables and fruits. Now I would like to grow and preserve for my family.
I have gone to workshops about permaculture, and when I move to my new home, want to practice!
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