Permaculture Farming & Moundlife
Seal has spent the last year since moving to our home, researching and diving deep into the magical world of permaculture and specifically regenerative farming that employs hügelkultur mounds. One of his dearest mentors and former industrial design professor developed a food forest in the Sierra Foothills and with the practice of permaculture reengineered his land, created incredibly nutrient rich soil and developed a sustainable ecosystem that will live on well past his son’s life. We knew when making our move, we wanted to do the same, but how would we possibly go about this and where in the world would we start?
Also…what is permaculture…regenerative farming…a “hügelkultur mound” exactly? Oh my! So much more than most people really understand. Definitely more than we could have imagined. According to the renowned Sepp Holzer, for whom much of our farming practices mirror, the basic principles of permaculture are as follows:
-All of the elements within a system interact with each other
-Every element fulfills multiple functions and every function performed by multiple elements
-Use energy practically and efficiently, work with renewable energy
-Use natural resources
-Utilize and shape natural processes and cycles
-Create highly productive small-scale structures
-DIVERSITY instead of monoculture
Simplified, the landscape is designed in a way that all plants, animals and available resources are used, included in the plan and work in harmony with each other. Everything is utilized in a manner that is natural and appropriate for the environment they are in. Earth shouldn’t be modified for our use. Our use, our mindset needs to be modified for earth.
Now, the regenerative part is bit trickier because it requires that “humans see themselves not as separate and superior to nature, nor as separate and inferior to nature, but simply as members of a community of sentient life-forms that are working towards the collective and interdependent goal of well-being,” according to two of our favorite and most influential authors and partners in life and in permaculture, Rob and Michelle Avis. They are also co-owners and operators of Adaptive Habitat, a leading-edge property design firm for resilient homes, acreages, and farms and Verge Permaculture and too have influenced our thought process in the development of our permaculture food forest. They remind us that one big complex system and we should always ask ourselves, “how do I do more good?”
Asking ourselves this question certainly clarified our future.
When we were searching for our Seal Dove Hacienda, our number one priority was finding near flat land. Being newer to farming, we knew we did not want to take on the battle of terrace farming or moving a lot of land to get our homestead started. Additionally, we were focused on finding a spot with quality soil, a quality pumping well and finally to reside in an agricultural zone where we could work on growing food year-round, with limited concerns for below freezing temperatures. We absolutely love our Hacienda because our land is nearly flat on all five acres, boasts a truly outstanding well, and we also inherited some nutrient rich zones, thick with permaculture like farming already established.
While we did not plan to start the farming aspect of our endeavor so soon, we were fortunate enough to come into over 70 fruit bushes and trees from our dear friends that we now needed to establish a home for and thus begins our adventure into our regenerative food forest!
-🧡Seal + Dove
