Practical Permaculture: for Home Landscapes, Your Community, and the Whole Earth

Got as a gift for my hubby and he loves it

I bought this book because it is required for a permaculture class I am taking through a University extension.This book is a really good balance of science without jargon, so a non science major like me can clearly understand, and real-life, attainable application with full color photographs or diagrams on every page. They include large and small scale applications. And I especially appreciate that small scale city and suburban lots are addressed with equal importance and set of pros and cons as large scale, rural opportunities. The font is text book size for highlighting, and the margins are wide for taking notes. It surpasses other permaculture books I have ordered in the past in its usefulness and engagement. I recommend above others out there.

Explores the mindset and ethical considerations behind permaculture. There are some really useful lists of plants. However, much of the book is devoted to definitions and indexes. You'll have to move on from here to other sources for the real nitty-gritty on how to do things like establishing a water system, providing for power needs, planning an edible forest or other tantalizing ideas. Start here, then make a list of what else you want to learn.

I am so happy with this purchase because the book is full of detailed information, photos, and artistic diagrams. I have read Gaia's Garden three times through our local library, and was looking for another permaculture book. It absolutely exceeded my expectations, and I feel even more equipped to start implementing permaculture principles around my home. A definite favorite for me!

The book is really thoughtful, practical, and excellently produced and written.It starts with a brief introduction to permaculture that builds on historical origins but avoids being a repeat of Mollison's visionary work. Practical Permaculture gives very clear examples, bases information on science, and modernizes concepts appropriately for 2015. The framework of the book is a step by step, well thought-out- process to designing a site using permaculture principles . "Designing a site" is one of the most important permaculture activities - the book helps you learn the important characteristics of your farm/backyard/community garden, deciding your goals, and placing elements such as plants, orchards, households, coops, ponds etc so they can reinforce each other following the dynamics of nature. It teaches the use of design tools such as sectors, zones, edges, and patterns in non-nonsense, approachable style. By following this book you'll have learned a lot and taken many of the important first steps in setting up a sustainable and enjoyable system.While many other other general permaculture books may be a repeat of Mollison's "Designer's Manual", the authors here provide genuine value and insight into the process of design, considering modern tools and options, and focusing on the actionable and pragmatic aspects of implementing a permaculture project. They also bring experience applying permaculture in colder climates and can put forth relevant species and examples of techniques to the table.The quality of the book is very high - materials, design, layout, illustrations are great.Having read many (most) of available books on the topic, and as a holder of a Permaculture Design Certificate I find myself recommending and gifting this book again and again for those who are new to Permaculture, and to those that are more aware of Permaculture generally but ask "so... how do I start"? This has been a great addition to my library - even though it ends up open on my desk most of the time. I hope the authors consider embarking on additional writing projects.

Practical Permaculture offers a wide variety of suggestions for making land more sustainable. The book lists ideas to improve just about any piece of land and at different costs. Some of them are cheap and easy, like composting, while other require more money, like building an energy efficient home. This means that there is something here useful regardless of a reader's income level . The book also offers useful tips for different climates and what plants and building techniques work well there. Most of these suggestions are light in details, but the authors list books that interested readers can go to for more in-depth coverage.There are a few things I take issue with in the book. The section on building houses includes wattle and daub and straw bale houses. I understand that these building materials are sustainable using local resources, but I have to question whether sustainability is being given more consideration than durability. People stopped using these building materials long ago and for good reasons. The authors also advocate guerrilla gardening, making changes to someone else's property without their permission. Improving a piece of wasted land is noble when it's yours, but some of the changes in this book are criminal, like cutting off a branch of someone else's tree and grafting on one that yields fruit or planting your vegetables seeds in their flowerbeds and expecting to harvest the produce. If you wouldn't want someone else messing with your land, don't expect them to like you doing it to theirs. Lastly, near the end of the book the authors basically say the readers should decide whether to follow laws they consider burdensome or just ignore them. This is dangerous territory. Nobody likes it when the rich and powerful ignore laws they don't like, so why is it good when laws are ignored by those of us with more limited means?I know that sounds like a lot to complain about, but the book is so long and many portions so useful that I feel these issues warrant only a drop of one star.

I purchased this book as an intro to permaculture for my property and have learned a lot about the topic. The margins are wide for note taking, and the pages durable for pen and highlighters.

Full of practical details, well illustrated and easy to take book.Some aspects should be more detailed, but I understand it is difficult for a single volume book.

Like the title says, all of the info you need to apply permaculture design. You can always find more philosophy on permaculture, but as a manual, this is great. Purchased as part of my online PDC with Oregon State University.

Great information! Easily understood and very informative. I love the holistic mindset of permaculture and this book lays it out clearly. I also love the wide margins that allows for note taking!

Absolutely fantastic book! It is the required textbook for my upcoming Permaculture Design Certificate program, and I'm having a hard time putting it down. It is easy to understand and filled with so much variety of information, I am so anxious to start this amazing permaculture learning journey!