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