Permaculture Design Manual
Permaculture Pioneer Bill Mollison created an owner's manual for the planet when he wrote Permaculture: A Designers' Manual. If you want one, you can order it directly from the publisher at https://www.tagaripublications.com/permaculture-designers-manual/
I'm going to put an outline of the book here so you have an idea of what you're getting when you buy your own copy. When you finish reading Permaculture: A Designers' Manual, you'll realise that you've just consumed a masterpiece that should have cost 10 times the price.
There will eventually be an interpretation of the book, chapter by chapter, section by section, from Permify's point of view. Eventually is a long ways away, but it's on the to-do list.
Preface
Author's Note
Permaculture defined and its use
Conventions used
Access to information
Cover story
CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION
1.1 The philosophy behind permaculture
1.2 Ethics
1.3 Permaculture in landscape and society
1.4 References
CHAPTER 2 - CONCEPTS AND THEMES IN DESIGN
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Science and the thousand names of God
2.3 Applying laws and principles to design
2.4 Resources
2.5 Yields
2.6 Cycles: a niche in time
2.7 Pyramids, food webs, growth and vegetarianism
2.8 Complexity and connections
2.9 Order or chaos
2.10 Permitted and forced functions
2.11 Diversity
2.12 Stability
2.13 Time and yield
2.14 Principle summary
2.15 References
CHAPTER 3 - METHODS OF DESIGN
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Analysis: Design by listing characteristics of components
3.3 Observation: Design by expanding on direct observations of a site
3.4 Deduction from nature: Design by adopting lessons learnt from nature
3.5 Options and decisions: Design as a selection of options or pathways based on decisions
3.6 Data overlay: Design by map overlays
3.7 Random assembly: Design by assessing the results of random assemblies
3.8 Flow diagrams: Design for work places
3.9 Zone and sector analysis: Design by the application of a master pattern
3.10 Zoning of information and ethics
3.11 Incremental design
3.12 Summary of design methods
3.13 The concepts of guilds in nature
3.14 Succession: evolution of a system
3.15 The establishment and maintenance of systems
3.16 General practical procedures in property design
3.17 Principle summary
CHAPTER 4 - PATTERN UNDERSTANDING
4.1 Introduction
4.2 A general pattern model of events
4.3 Matrices and the strategies of compacting and complexing components
4.4 Properties of media
4.5 Boundary conditions
4.6 The harmonics and geometries of boundaries
4.7 Compatible and incompatible borders and components
4.8 The timing and shaping of events
4.9 Spirals
4.10 Flow over landscape and objects
4.11 Open flow and flow patterns
4.12 Toroidal phenomena
4.13 Dimensions and potentials
4.14 Closed (spherical) models; accretion and expulsion
4.15 Branching and its effects; conduits
4.16 Orders of magnitude in branches
4.17 Orders and dimensions
4.18 Classification of events
4.19 Time and relativity in the model
4.20 The world we live in as a tessellation of events
4.21 Introduction to pattern applications
4.22 The tribal use of patterning
4.23 The mnemonics of meaning
4.24 Patterns of society
4.25 The arts in the service of life
4.26 Additional pattern applications
4.27 References and further reading
4.28 Designers' checklist
CHAPTER 5 - CLIMATIC FACTORS
5.1 Introduction
5.2 The classification of broad climatic zones
5.3 Patterning in global weather systems; the engines of the atmosphere
5.4 Precipitation
5.5 Radiation
5.6 Wind
5.7 Landscape effects
5.8 Latitude effects
5.9 References
5.10 Designers' checklist
CHAPTER 6 - TREES AND THEIR ENERGY TRANSACTIONS
6.1 Introduction
6.2 The biomass of the tree
6.3 Wind effects
6.4 Temperature effects
6.5 Trees and precipitation
6.6 How a tree interacts with rain
6.7 Summary
6.8 References
CHAPTER 7 - WATER
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Regional intervention in the water cycle
7.3 Earthworks for water conservation and storage
7.4 Reduction of water used in sewage systems
7.5 The purification of polluted waters
7.6 Natural swimming pools
7.7 Designers' Checklist
7.8 Reference
CHAPTER 8 - SOILS
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Soil and health
8.3 Tribal and traditional soil classifications
8.4 Primary nutrients for plants
8.5 Soil and water elements
8.6 Primary nutrients for plants
8.7 The distribution of elements in the soil profile
8.8 pH and soils
8.9 Soil composition
8.10 Soil pores and crumb structure
8.11 Gaseous content and processes in soils
8.12 The soil biota
8.13 Difficult soils
8.14 Plant analysis for mineral deficiencies; some remedies
8.15 Biological indicators of soil and soil conditions
8.16 Seed pelleting
8.17 Soil erosion
8.18 Soil rehabilitation
8.19 Soils in house foundations
8.20 Life in earth
8.21 The respiration of earth
8.22 Designers' checklist
8.23 References
CHAPTER 9 - EARTHWORKING AND EARTH RESOURCES
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Planning earthworks
9.3 Planting after earthworks
9.4 Slope measure
9.5 Levels and levelling
9.6 Types of earthworks
9.7 Earth constructs
9.8 Moving the earth
9.9 Earth resources
9.10 References
CHAPTER 10 - THE HUMID TROPICS
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Climatic types
10.3 Tropical soils
10.4 Earthshaping in the tropics
10.5 House design
10.6 The tropical home garden
10.7 Integrated land management
10.8 Elements of a village complex in the humid tropics
10.9 Evolving a polyculture
10.10 Themes on a coconut or palm-dominant polyculture
10.11 Pioneering
10.12 "Animal tractor" systems
10.13 Grassland and range management
10.14 Humid tropical coast stabilisation and shelterbelts
10.15 Low island and coral cay strategies
10.16 Designers' Checklist
10.17 References
CHAPTER 11 DRYLAND STRATEGIES
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Precipitation
11.3 Temperature
11.4 Soils
11.5 Landscape features in deserts
11.6 Harvesting of water in arid lands
11.7 The desert house
11.8 The desert garden
11.9 Garden irrigation systems
11.10 Desert settlement - broad strategies
11.11 Plant themes for drylands
11.12 Animal systems in drylands
11.13 Desertification and salting of soils
11.14 Cold and montane deserts
11.15 Designers' Checklist
11.16 References
CHAPTER 12 - HUMID COOL TO COLD CLIMATES
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Characteristics of a humid cool climate
12.3 Soils
12.4 Landform and water conservation
12.5 Settlement and house design
12.6 The home garden
12.7 Berry fruits
12.8 Glasshouse growing
12.9 Orchards
12.10 Farm forestry
12.11 Free-range forage systems
12.12 The lawn
12.13 Grasslands
12.14 Rangelands
12.15 Cold climates
12.16 Wildfire
12.17 Designers' Checklist
12.18 References
CHAPTER 13 - AQUACULTURE
13.1 Introduction
13.2 The case for aquaculture
13.3 Some factors affecting total useful yields
13.4 Choice of fish species (varieties, food, health) and factors in yield
13.5 Fish pond configurations and food supply
13.6 Farming invertebrates for fish food
13.7 Channel, canal, chinampa
13.8 Yields outside the pond
13.9 Bringing in the harvest
13.10 Traditional and new water polycultures
13.11 Designers' Checklist
13.12 References
CHAPTER 14 - STRATEGIES OF AN ALTERNATIVE GLOBAL NATION
14.1 Introduction
14.2 Ethical basis of an alternative nation
14.3 A new United Nation
14.4 Alternatives to political systems
14.5 Bioregional organisation
14.6 Extended families
14.7 Trusts and legal strategies
14.8 Developments and property trusts
14.9 Village development
14.10 Effective working groups and right livelihood
14.11 Money and finance
14.12 Land access
14.13 An ethical investment movement
14.14 Effective aid
14.15 Futures
14.16 References and resources
Plant list by common name
Plant list by species name
Glossary
Resources
References
Index