Another piece for those beginning a permaculture journey and confused about where to start. My goal is to provide easy to understand information to help elucidate the process. If you find this article helpful you might want to check out this and this. Special thanks to Joey Peterson aka joeydrawspictures for his herb spiral illustration. If you like the spiral, you will love his supercool t-shirts with original art.
The herb spiral is an ingenious way to enhance small growing spaces. Stones or blocks are placed in a spiral, usually about four feet wide and of similar height, which tapers down from a high point in the center. After filling the interior space with soil, plants that require good drainage can be planted at the top, with moisture lovers near the bottom, and less picky plants in between. In addition to a variety of moisture conditions, a microclimate is created as stones soak up sun during the day and release heat at night. Taller plants may be strategically placed to protect shade lovers, and there is also now a cooler, shaded area on the north side of the spiral that can be utilized.
The herb spiral is a good choice for urban or suburban gardeners with access to appropriate building materials. Such structures can transform an otherwise small, flat area, expanding growing space and possibilities, and adding beauty. Along with swales and hugelkultur, herb spirals are excellent examples of the end result of thoughtful application of permaculture principles. Each of these components offers a solution to a common problem:
Herb spirals add space and diversify growing conditions
Swales retain moisture on site to establish plantings
Hugelkultur uses organic waste materials to establish low-input growing areas
While many practitioners might immediately employ these features in their design with positive results, their greatest value is not as universal solutions, but as iconic examples to illustrate the design process. This post isn't about herb spirals and why and how you should build one. It's about learning how to solve problems with the tools, materials, and time that are available to you.
While I find herb spirals beautiful, and admire the simplicity of this solution, I haven't built one at my site. Under the green layer of vegetation on my farm lies a deep deposit of clay laid down by the Ohio River and its tributaries over eons. It's thick and pure and though I've done lots of post hole digging and tree planting, I've rarely encountered stones. In fact, stones are so few and far between in these parts that in my family they are treasured heirlooms. When my mother could no longer maintain her flower beds, she offered me the stones that formed the borders so they wouldn't simply sink into the earth and be lost.
If I decide to build an herb spiral because I've read that it's a great permaculture element, I've already set myself up with the problem of acquiring materials. Purchasing the building blocks I need might be an option if I had the money and if the benefits that will accrue justify the expense, but in reality, lack of space isn't a problem. The yard is sprawling and has lots of grass covered spots that could be converted to growing areas for herbs. The natural contours of the land provide a variety of growing conditions.
Since I lack rocks and money, but have space and microclimates, building an herb spiral doesn't make sense. It solves problems that I don't have. Bypassing the decision making process and immediately installing popular permaculture features might produce some useful results in the near term, but long term potential of a site will be stunted. Rather than cutting to the chase, a good first step is to identify a small, existing problem that you would like to address. If you don't like the word problem in this context, ask yourself instead, “What is my goal?” “What challenge do I seek to overcome?” “What limitation do I seek to transcend?” You can think of it any way you like as long as goals are broken down into small, do-able bits.
Perhaps you're aware of the permaculture principle “Design from patterns to details.” Don't interpret this to mean you need to be able, from the beginning, to step back and envision an overarching design for your site. Such an interpretation is unrealistic and counterproductive. A more useful understanding of this principle is that it means that over time you will be able to pick out patterns in nature and eventually integrate them into your designs. Continuing observation of your site will nurture this ability.
“Use small and slow solutions” should be your operative principle at this point. Of course you are “observing and interacting” at this time as well, but this doesn't mean you need to be paralyzed and unable to undertake any projects whatsoever. It shouldn't be controversial that many practitioners will want to take immediate steps to provide food, medicine, or fuel for their families, or restore ecosystems for nonhuman residents. To this end, identify a small goal or challenge you would like to address.
For example, while I have plenty of space, I also have moderate deer pressure on the farm, so the majority of vegetables are grown inside a deer fence. I'm always trying to figure out how to maximize growing opportunities inside the fence so we can eat more home grown and less store bought produce. I have some black locust fence posts harvested on-farm and some leftover fencing taking up barn space. By building a climbing structure for peas, beans, and cucumbers, I can take advantage of vertical space to produce more veggies. My structure can also be used to tie up tomatoes or peppers if I want to rotate crops in alternating years. Besides increasing food production and returning to me valuable barn space, a bean vine covered wall creates a shady spot so we can actually hang out in the garden on hot sunny days, without having to wait until the sun goes down. While it does require an initial outlay of time to build, it should last many years.
Once you've identified a problem to solve, ask yourself these questions:
Is the goal small and clearly delineated?
Is this a realistic goal with the time and money I have to work with?
Do I (along with family members, friends) have the skills and strength to complete the project?
Can I use waste or salvage products, or complete the project with minimal purchases?
Will the end result provide multiple benefits (aka stacking functions)?
Will the end result last many years, reduce work, and simplify my life once completed?
If I apply these questions to my simple garden trellis project, I can answer yes to each one. The trellis is a wonderful element to add, not because it's a great permaculture solution, but because it's my great permaculture solution. Once you understand the difference, you will be well on your way to discover your own best ways to transcend the limitations you face.