Horticulture

Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture

Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture

  • Downloads：7263
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-08 09:57:46
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Toby Hemenway
  • ISBN：1603580298
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

The first edition of Gaia's Garden sparked the imagination of America's home gardeners， introducing permaculture's central message: Working with Nature， not against her， results in more beautiful， abundant， and forgiving gardens。 This extensively revised and expanded second edition broadens the reach and depth of the permaculture approach for urban and suburban growers。

Many people mistakenly think that ecological gardening--which involves growing a wide range of edible and other useful plants--can take place only on a large， multiacre scale。 As Hemenway demonstrates， it's fun and easy to create a "backyard ecosystem" by assembling communities of plants that can work cooperatively and perform a variety of functions， including:





Building and maintaining soil fertility and structure

Catching and conserving water in the landscape

Providing habitat for beneficial insects， birds， and animals

Growing an edible "forest" that yields seasonal fruits， nuts， and other foods

This revised and updated edition also features a new chapter on urban permaculture， designed especially for people in cities and suburbs who have very limited growing space。 Whatever size yard or garden you have to work with， you can apply basic permaculture principles to make it more diverse， more natural， more productive， and more beautiful。 Best of all， once it's established， an ecological garden will reduce or eliminate most of the backbreaking work that's needed to maintain the typical lawn and garden。

Download

Reviews

Andrés Sanguinetti ，

Super interesante y didáctico。 Una mirada más allá de lo tradicional， intentando despertar en uno la necesidad que presenta el planeta en cuanto al cuidado de la naturaleza。 La mejor manera es empezar por lo más cercano a uno， el hogar y su comunidad。 Aborda desde vida en el campo hasta en la ciudad。 Recomiendo。

Tia ，

My favorite permaculture book， beautifully written， informative， and practical。

Jenka Van de Voorde ，

Broadens the horizon on permaculture for homescale （urban and suburban） gardening。 You will never look at gardening in the same traditional way again as you might have before。 Very good in depth introductory book on permaculture and sustainable farming/gardening。

Lana Moore ，

Buy

Kami ，

Excellent for what it is。 Made permaculture sound not overwhelming which was good。 Also， I don't feel bad for wanting to put 8 gazillion plants in my yard now。 Excellent for what it is。 Made permaculture sound not overwhelming which was good。 Also， I don't feel bad for wanting to put 8 gazillion plants in my yard now。 。。。more

Dosia ，

Świetny wstęp do ogrodnictwa permakulturowego i ekologicznego。 Autor z entuzjazmem i humorem przekazuje fachową wiedzę， a także przybliża czytelnikom filozoficzne podstawy tego stylu prowadzenia ogrodu。 Szczególnie przydatne i praktyczne są tabele roślin - zawierają akumulowane pierwiastki， stanowisko i funkcje。 Nic tylko komponować swoje pierwsze gildie 😎💚

Alexa Rohn ，

One of the go-to's on my shelf for inspo on developing a thriving permaculture ecosystem。 This book is based in the pacific northwest， so that informs the kind of climate their methods are best suited for。 If you're in a higher elevation or more alpine area， go for Sepp Holzer's methods or Jerome Osentowski's greenhouses instead， and if you're looking for desert suited permie knowledge you're best seeking out an author that writes for a similar climate （like Fukuoka's Sowing Seeds in The Desert） One of the go-to's on my shelf for inspo on developing a thriving permaculture ecosystem。 This book is based in the pacific northwest， so that informs the kind of climate their methods are best suited for。 If you're in a higher elevation or more alpine area， go for Sepp Holzer's methods or Jerome Osentowski's greenhouses instead， and if you're looking for desert suited permie knowledge you're best seeking out an author that writes for a similar climate （like Fukuoka's Sowing Seeds in The Desert）。 That's the thing with permaculture， it's a system and ideology so what works in one ecosystem won't work in all of them。 Your best bet is to find one that applies to the conditions you're working with。 For sure this book is a keeper for me， but with the knowledge that many of their methods aren't quite suited to my hot， dry climate。 。。。more

João ，

I found this to be a really good， principled introduction to permaculture。 It doesn't have a ton of information specific for someone in the city with a small or non-existent yard， so I'm not 100% sold on the home-scale part of the title， but I learnt a whole lot。Not only is it a good basic introduction to permaculture principles， I also suspect I'll be using it as a reference。 It's filled with mentions & tables of plants with their useful properties & interactions。Can definitely recommend :） I found this to be a really good， principled introduction to permaculture。 It doesn't have a ton of information specific for someone in the city with a small or non-existent yard， so I'm not 100% sold on the home-scale part of the title， but I learnt a whole lot。Not only is it a good basic introduction to permaculture principles， I also suspect I'll be using it as a reference。 It's filled with mentions & tables of plants with their useful properties & interactions。Can definitely recommend :） 。。。more

Angela ，

Upper level gardening/ecology text - well written but more info than I could’ve tolerated at the beginner or early intermediate level。 I’ve been square foot gardening for 20+ years and I learned a lot about permaculture/ecological design and allowing nature’s pairings and systems to do a lot of the work。 We do not garden in a vacuum and when we try to we usually set ourselves up for either failure or much maintenance。

Luca ，

I highly recommend this book to anyone that is curious about permaculture but is a newbie to the field。 Many of the processes that happen in the soil （including CO2 sequestering， microbes ecology， interaction between plants and soil organisms etc） are explained in full length but in a understandable manner also for readers that are not familiar with the concepts。 It was a big pleasure and very inspirational to read this book， full of practical techniques to build soil and good examples from pion I highly recommend this book to anyone that is curious about permaculture but is a newbie to the field。 Many of the processes that happen in the soil （including CO2 sequestering， microbes ecology， interaction between plants and soil organisms etc） are explained in full length but in a understandable manner also for readers that are not familiar with the concepts。 It was a big pleasure and very inspirational to read this book， full of practical techniques to build soil and good examples from pioneers that managed to grow a forest in desert zones。 。。。more

Laura ，

i’m so hype about permaculture， y’all

Lanche ，

Wonderful book。 I think that a sail from Shadeg Shade Sails would make any garden look artistic。 Wonderful book。 I think that a sail from Shadeg Shade Sails would make any garden look artistic。 。。。more

Catherine Claridge ，

Reference books can be very dry reads， but this book was not。 The author is a talented writer and weaves interesting stories into his instructions that make this a very readable text as well as a valuable resource for both city dwellers are rural townsfolk alike。

Russell Tassicker ，

An inspirational introduction to the practical implementation of permaculture design。 Extremely dense with both knowledge and wisdom。

Kayla Green ，

My best friend’s mom says this is the only gardening book you’ll ever need and she’s right！

Amy ，

Possibly my favorite gardening-related book ever， and an easy to digest introduction to permaculture。 The tables alone are worth the price of the book - lists of notrgen-fixing plants， dynamic accumulators， and （my favorite） lists of which plants attract which beneficial insects to police your garden and eat the pests that want to eat your plants。 No matter how big or small your garden， you will find ways to make it more connected and sustainable。 I'm already on my second copy， because I lent it Possibly my favorite gardening-related book ever， and an easy to digest introduction to permaculture。 The tables alone are worth the price of the book - lists of notrgen-fixing plants， dynamic accumulators， and （my favorite） lists of which plants attract which beneficial insects to police your garden and eat the pests that want to eat your plants。 No matter how big or small your garden， you will find ways to make it more connected and sustainable。 I'm already on my second copy， because I lent it to a friend who loved it and kept putting off returning it， and I couldn't live without it for that long。 ;） 。。。more

Jacynthe ，

What a beautiful， beautiful gardening book。 Yes， it took me over a year to read it。 No， I won't apply most of the content to my tiny urban garden。 Still， the permaculture mindset will surely guide my steps and it feels good to see that the way I've kept thinking about gardening bears a name and has extensive theory written about it。 Yes， it's a lot of common sense。 And this common sense is written with such beauty and passion - as dry the content might be， you still find yourself picturing sooth What a beautiful， beautiful gardening book。 Yes， it took me over a year to read it。 No， I won't apply most of the content to my tiny urban garden。 Still， the permaculture mindset will surely guide my steps and it feels good to see that the way I've kept thinking about gardening bears a name and has extensive theory written about it。 Yes， it's a lot of common sense。 And this common sense is written with such beauty and passion - as dry the content might be， you still find yourself picturing soothing and generous forest gardens。 I truly enjoyed reading this one and I totally get why many consider it as a classic。 。。。more

Mason ，

An excellent introduction to ecological gardening， chock full of implementable advice， tools for future planning， and a well-annotated bibliography。

Andrew Mathis ，

A very informative and easy-to-read guide to creating abundance by working with natural systems。 This is an essential resource for anyone looking to grow food with minimal effort。

Suzanne ，

Life changing！ I read this informative gardening manual like I would a novel。 Hemenway perfectly balanced charts and science and theories with storytelling and anecdotes。

Kirsten T ，

Excellent。 Inspiring。 I've wondered frequently through the years of how yards and gardens can be used more efficiently-I was fortunate enough to stumble across this book with so many answers and easy ways to start。 He gave so many ideas and examples， without making you feel like you needed to do it all。 Excellent。 Inspiring。 I've wondered frequently through the years of how yards and gardens can be used more efficiently-I was fortunate enough to stumble across this book with so many answers and easy ways to start。 He gave so many ideas and examples， without making you feel like you needed to do it all。 。。。more

Molly ，

This book is clearly written， with a lot of great suggestions for creating an ecologically friendly and productive food forest garden。

Matthew Brand ，

This was almost exactly what I was looking for to convert my grass into something more useful。 I can't wait to start putting these things in action。 My only complaint is that the author addressed （sub）urban sized lots at the end。 Up until then it was assuming you had at least an acre。 Anyone redoing their yard should get this book。 This was almost exactly what I was looking for to convert my grass into something more useful。 I can't wait to start putting these things in action。 My only complaint is that the author addressed （sub）urban sized lots at the end。 Up until then it was assuming you had at least an acre。 Anyone redoing their yard should get this book。 。。。more

Amy ，

Good informative book， wouldn't mind owning it Good informative book， wouldn't mind owning it 。。。more

Enantiom3r ，

This book offers plenty of practical information， but the key element of Gaia's Garden is its optimism。 Hemenway offers much-needed belief in humanity's capacity not just to exploit and destroy， but to actually aid the living world。 From a broader and gentler viewpoint than your typical garden manual， he paints a picture of a garden that's sympathetic to the needs of other species as well as our own。 Gaia's Garden describes a wide array of ecological gardening techniques that take into account t This book offers plenty of practical information， but the key element of Gaia's Garden is its optimism。 Hemenway offers much-needed belief in humanity's capacity not just to exploit and destroy， but to actually aid the living world。 From a broader and gentler viewpoint than your typical garden manual， he paints a picture of a garden that's sympathetic to the needs of other species as well as our own。 Gaia's Garden describes a wide array of ecological gardening techniques that take into account the complexity of the world around us—the need for an ecosystem to be resilient， diverse， and self-sustaining， but also the riches that await its human stewards if they choose to adopt a closer relationship with their environment。 Marrying science， tradition， and an enthusiastic vision of what's possible， this book inspires immediate action， and I can't imagine a better review than that！ 。。。more

Johan Langenhoven ，

Although I recommend this book as 'n good introduction to sustainable gardening， it has it's flaws。I found the content very repetitive。 The auther is very passionate about the benefits and long term impact of permaculture principles， but repeats his arguments over and over。 I got to the point where I wanted to cry out "I got it， already！"。The writing style is enjoyable; not an academic textbook at all。 Although I recommend this book as 'n good introduction to sustainable gardening， it has it's flaws。I found the content very repetitive。 The auther is very passionate about the benefits and long term impact of permaculture principles， but repeats his arguments over and over。 I got to the point where I wanted to cry out "I got it， already！"。The writing style is enjoyable; not an academic textbook at all。 。。。more

Pasquale DeAngelis ，

Best book to understand permaculture。 I have given the book to a number of people once they have expressed an interest in the subject。 Hemenway writes in a way that thoroughly pulls the reader into the subject。

Christy ，

Absolutely a fantastic book。 Every gardener should read。 While some permaculture gets a bit messy and chaotic looking to me， I definitely plan to implement all the ideas in this book。 I have so much to learn， but this book definitely put me much father along on the learning curve。

Flutlicht ，

One of the best books to get started with permaculture in your own garden。Great lists and charts to select plants for their specific functions。Great garden design examples and all the basics you need to know about the topic。

Matt ，

A great introduction to permaculture gardenings。 Standard American yards consist of a monoculture of grass along with， maybe， some intensively managed garden beds。 Copious resources resources （in the form of fertilizer， pesticides， water， physical labor） are imported to sustain this impoverished landscape yet low yields and pests are common。 Permaculture gardening proposes to mimic design principles from nature to produce sustainable， resource-efficient landscapes that are useful to people as we A great introduction to permaculture gardenings。 Standard American yards consist of a monoculture of grass along with， maybe， some intensively managed garden beds。 Copious resources resources （in the form of fertilizer， pesticides， water， physical labor） are imported to sustain this impoverished landscape yet low yields and pests are common。 Permaculture gardening proposes to mimic design principles from nature to produce sustainable， resource-efficient landscapes that are useful to people as well as local wildlife。 A few intensively managed spaces like traditional garden beds or lawns are incorporated near the home， but most of the lawn is transformed into a semi-wild state brimming with a diverse array of plants that are beneficial to each other， local wildlife， and humans。 Soil quality is built through traditional composting or sheet-mulching （composting in place）， which create a large， diverse base of soil life。 Healthy soil natural holds large quantities of water， which can be supplemented by installing swales and graywater systems or collecting roof runoff。 Plants are selected that create litter for mulch， attract insects， fix nitrogen， produce food， and shelter wildlife。 A premium is placed on diversity。 The emergent interactions among these diverse agents naturally control pests （e。g。 by providing habitat for predators）， retain moisture （e。g。， by producing shade and mulch）， and build fertility （through decomposition）。 Domestic animals can weed and produce manure and food。 Over time the yard develops into a self-sustaining， complex system with different mini-biomes that range from "food forests" filled with fruit and nut trees densely interplanted with other useful plants to meadows of shrubs and smaller herbaceous （non-woody） plants。The end goal is not dominion over the yard， but to nudge nature's talent for producing self-sustaining complex systems in a manner that is beneficial to humans。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0