Customer Reviews (6)

Best PRACTICAL Permaculture Book....PERIOD!
For practical permaculture advice, no one does it better than Ms. Morrow writing and Allsop illustrating.The book is divided into easy to reference chapters and did I mention it is practical.Most permaculture books spend hours talking about design methodologies and theory.Rosemary shows the practices in action and the results.

Of particular benefit is the design analysis at the beginning of each chapter.It is basically a why and why not section."What results will we get with this way of thinking"

One of the previous reviewers talked about the Liberal leanings but I didn't pick that up.Sure there is the "cars are bad message" and not everything here can be followed to the letter.But regardless of how permaculture helps the environment it will help us be more self-sufficient.And that's coming from a crazy Libertarian. So there...

I'm lucky I stumbled upon this book before I started working on my vacation property.I plan to put many of these suggestions into action and observe.I've learned a lot in this book that I've tried and adapted to my way of thinking into my blog at[...] and my podcast "The Self-Sufficient Gardener".

Lacks Depth
Let me begin by saying this isn't a bad book, but it doesn't begin to compare with "Gaia's Garden". A look at the index will explain why. The index is a whole 2-pages long. Would you like to look up "no-till"? You won't find it under either N or T. Sphagnum peatmoss? Not under S or P. Lots of drawings, and some of them useful, even if a bit amateurishly executed. In short. It's useful, but a bit too heavy with ideology and light on instructive info. Again, for an understanding of the importance of permaculture and ecology, there are better books than this.

Great hands-on Permaculture book
This is my favorite Permaculture book so far.I've read several, but "Earth User's Guide to Permaculture" seems to have the most practical, hands-on information.It is presented in an easy to understand format, with exercises that will help the reader gain the necessary skills.A wonderful overview of Permaculture.

Excellent starting point for permaculture newbies
I stumbled across the Earth User's Guide to Permaculture when I was searching for good books on the topic as I was looking for material to help start our permaculture garden, and the good reviews I read online convinced me to buy it. And am I glad I did!

I only had a very general idea about permaculture, and most of it was "theoretical". There's a plethora of free information available online as to WHY permaculture, but there isn't much about HOW. This book is an excellent guide which addresses this need, explaining in a simple manner the varied and multi-faceted techniques and processes of creating and nurturing your own permaculture garden/farm.

The book is divided in to 6 main sections:
Part 1: An observing and appraising eye
Part 2: Ecological themes in permaculture
Part 3: Applying permaculture
Part 4: Adding resilience to design
Part 5: Social permaculture

The first two parts talk extensively on the WHY of permaculture, and the next three sections talk about HOW in detail.

If you are like me, a newbie to permaculture, this is the one book you should have on your shelf. I'm sure veterans too would find it quite useful.

Earth Users Guide to Permaculture
The author has had many years of international experience in training people
in all aspects of the permaculture philosophy and lifestyle.
With global warming making the whole issue more pressing, the book is
easy to read, covers all areas including disaster planning and shows how
fulfilling is is to tread lightly on the earth and regain control of basic
aspects of living. To become a permaculturist is to join a world-wide
movement of individuals determined to leave the world a better place. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Permaculture Book of Ferment and Human Nutrition
Just so you all know, the publisher of this book, Tagari, is re-printing it this year. It should be in the $50 range.

Comprehensive Book on Storing and Preserving food
Emphasizing the enhancement of nutrition, this is one of the mostcomprehensive books available today on the subject of storing andpreserving foods.Recipes and processing methods have been collected fromindigenous people worldwide.These practical and traditional techniques ,many of which were nearly lost forever, have been collated and set out in awell-defined and easy to follow manual which is of value to anyoneinterested in processing and storing food.Chapters are set out under thefollowing headings:

Storing - Preserving - Cooking Foods

The Fungi -Yeasts - Mushrooms, Lichens

The Grains

The Legumes

Roots - Bulbs -Rhizomes

Fruits - Flowers - Nuts - Oils - Olives

Leaf and Stem -Aguamiels

Marine and Freshwater Products

Fish - Molluscs - Algae Meats - Birds - Insects

Dairy Products

Beers - Wines -Beverages

Condiments - Spices - Sauces

Agricultural Composts - Silages - Liquid Manures

Nutrition and EnvironmentalHealth

"A trulyfabulous book, a quirky gem, a classic.Mollison has written acomprehensive monograph on the international use of microbial fermentationin food and beverage production, from a cross-cultural, anthropological,and biological perspective." Dr. Marion Nestle,Dept, of Nutrition and Food Studies, New York University

Learn what your ancestors knew all along
This book is a tome. A holy bible.

I ahve made my own Koji, Tempeh, Tofu, Kim Chee, and Saur Kraut with this book. Admitedly the Saur Kraut was wierd but my German relatives confirmed what I had done and were overjoyedthat I had done it the old way.

My long experience in microbiology andfermentation (beer, beer, beer, beer) mean

I KNOW THIS IS GOODBOOK.

But the most ignorant (but literate) mudsquating yokel can pull ofalost any ferment cuz the techniques are thousand years old.

Get thisbook and get on it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This is the Designers' Manual
Few people know that this is the same book as Permaculture: A Designers' Manual. I've compared them side by side and only the cover and first few pages are different.

Anyway, the book is essential. Of the two permaculture founders, David Holmgren writes "why" books, trying to define permaculture and establish principles, while Bill Mollison writes "how" books, loaded with dense information and examples of how to do stuff. ... Read more

Product Description

"Permaculture" (permanent agriculture) is the conscious design and maintenance of economical, agriculturally productive ecosystems that have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. While focusing on agriculture, it also establishes the importance of integration between landscape and people.

Permaculture is a step-by-step working manual providing a dozen design methods replete with map overlays, flow diagrams, and component, zone, and sector analyses. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

permaculture in practice and thought
This is a small, personal and powerful book.In it the author takes you through his journey to permaculture and how he used it on the land he revitalized at Sol y Sombra in New Mexico.It is a good starting point for permaculture users who live in much drier climates than the typical semi-tropical ones depicted in most permaculture books.It is 151 pages in length.It is in no way a textbook, so the lessons have to be gleaned from the prose.But it is beautiful if nurturing land speaks to you.The Table of Contents:

Sol Y Sombra
Learning to Think Like the Land
Ethics and Design
Nets and Flows
Patterns of Life
Long Horizons
Starting on the Ground
Water in the Desert
Earth's Green Mantle
Where the Wild(and Tame)Things Are
A Circle of Friends
Reclaiming Hope
Afterword
I found this book very inspiring.One more book to help green the land. ... Read more

Product Description
"Permaculture Two" delves deeper into the concept of "consciously designed agricultural systems." Author, Bill Mollison, describes new approaches and solutions that have evolved around the world. Ways in which plants can modify climate and many forms of pollution are discussed. Highly productive, low-energy systems, are made clear, in this fascinating book that offers some concrete solutions for saving Mother Earth. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an easy-to-use guide to selecting hundreds of perennial species. It is indispensable for growers and designers working in subtropical and warm temperate/arid climates, and also includes some cool-climate tolerant species. Permaculture Plants: A Selection details hundreds of common and unusual edible, medicinal, and useful plants. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

OK only for advanced Permaculture Designers
The selection is OK for me. This book reflects practical experience from Australian Permies, and is really not so much an academic manual. Of course it needs more depth, but on the other hand, the "multiple functions" of the different species are really quite complete, covering topics that I miss in most other resources (mostly research work from botanists or biologists) - we really need to get more of this generalistic style"Permie information" out...this book is a good start-

As a first, introductory plant selection manual for some "quick" design solutions" this book helped me out many times. When you get more "into" project, you deepen your investigation, maybe with works like "Cornucopia" or "Edible food forests" from Jacke/ Toensmeier or "Perennial Vegetables" from Toensmeeier, but the last two have the disadvantage that they are more focused on temperate climates....

No photos...just technical jargon
I was very disappointed when I received this book. There are no photos or even paragraphs...Just a directory of summarized botanical information about plants...The plants listed don't even have drawings or anything that would allow you to know what plant is being described (if you aren't already familiar with the plant). Unless you are looking for a boring botanical directory, this is not the book for you. I didn't find the book very helpful at all. Sad. ... Read more

Product Description
A totally integrated system of gardening - a labour-saving way to grow fruit, vegetables and herbs that taste great and help to keep the environment healthy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Worthwhile, unique, brilliant, frustrating
This is the first permaculture book I have found that really concentrates on the annual vegetable garden, almost to the exclusion of perennials. Perennial herbs are mentioned, and fruit trees are grown in the garden, but it's really all about the annual vegetables. Her "chook dome" (chicken tractor) system is brilliant--at least for her mild climate; chickens may need more warmth and shelter in much of North America. And yes, she's Australian, so the references to north/south and the months/seasons are "backwards" for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. (Or you could say that we are the backwards ones. Fair enough.)

She starts almost all of her vegetables (except carrots, turnips, radishes, and a few others) as seedlings and plants them out into the garden when they are about 6" tall. That certainly has its advantages, but I really wish she'd included a chart to tell me how long it takes each vegetable to get to that stage--especially the ones that we usually direct-seed. The lack of such a chart is my number one frustration with this book, and its inclusion in later editions would be the number one thing that the publishers could do to make it more useful! Also, she lives in a year-round gardening climate, and although they apparently do get some frosts, there is no reference to planting in regard to frost-free dates, which would have been useful in much of North America.

Nevertheless, this book is a good read, and worth the time. There are some good tips for growing specific vegetables, dealing with pests, etc. And it's the only book I've found so far that really addresses the annual vegetable garden in a permaculture context. In most permaculture books, the annual vegetable garden rates just a passing reference as to where it should be located.

A good book, but flawed...
This is a good book - thorough, instructive, easy-to-read, and well thought-out. Every aspect of the permaculture 'mandala' system is covered, and the section on moveable 'chook domes' is worth the cover price in itself.

HOWEVER - the author fails to deal with some issues that may cause problems in this system, may make it less efficient, and may cause problems for some home permaculture enthusiasts.

The first of these is that the system discussed in the book works very well if starting from a flat, square, bare piece of land with nothing already planted and established.

However, this is not usually the case. Most gardeners come to their property with established planting that they do not wish to remove even though the plants may be in awkward positions.

The book does not discuss how to deal with strong slopes or cliff gardens, and does not discuss water restrictions which may be problematical. In short, it all works very well on paper but may not work brilliantly in reality.

Then there is the issue of the 'chook domes' themselves. Gardeners in cold and very windy climates may find that these structures are simply not suitable and workable, yet they are central to the premise of the book.

Overall, the book is worthwhile, but I would argue that better permaculture books exist for a similar price. Jackie French's 'Backyard Self-Sufficiency' is excellent, and most of Bill Mollison's books, though pricier, are a good grounding in permaculture.

It is also important to note that many copies of this book exist second-hand. If you are a keen permaculturalist and food gardener, I'd recommend a secondhand copy, or a copy from your library.

Efficient backyard vegetable, fruit and herb production
This is the best book Ive read to date on food production in the suburban (or rural) backyard.The author makes very clever use of many permaculture principles and comes up with an incredibley efficient, yet enivironmentally friendly and sustainable system of vegetable and herb production.

I also like this book as it balances the practical with the theory in a balanced and entertaining format.

My permaculture bible
Linda Woodrow's book has fast become my bible as I establish my own home permaculture garden. The concepts she presents are simple and easy to apply, and she writes with a delightful style which invites me back again and again. Whenever I introduce this book to friends, it only takes them a day or two before they are Linda Woodrow converts too! A 'must read' for any beginning permaculturalist.

Inspiring and Grounded, Wonderful to Read
This was the first permaculture book I have ever read and it was so wonderful to read, I have been inspired to create a Canadian version of Linda Woodrow's mandala garden.The book hits home to me because it is realistic.She tells us exactly how much time and work energy we will need to put in to this system to recieve bountiful gains, and she is a mother of two kids, not a research scientist telling us how to garden.
The book is enjoyably light to read and sometimes funny, not a boring technical gardening book.I recommend this book to everyone, it has become my bible. ... Read more

Product Description
Much more comprehensive than the introduction, which we also sell, with little repeated, its goals are local food production and regional self-reliance constituting a sustainable earth care system.  This is the bible of the world wide permaculture movement.  Essential for students, landowners, public-policy-makers and others interested in revolutionizing modern farming and land use.   ... Read more

Product Description
Dr Sharashkin shows how Russian families have preserved a unique traditional lifestyle grounded in self-sufficiency and self-reliance - offering a path to a more fulfilling, independent, connected and mortgage-free existence. As millions of people the world over begin to embrace these ideas, humanity may now be entering an age of harmony and peace. This insightful presentation - revealing how we may each play our part - met with a standing ovation at the 2007 Earth Transformation Conference in Hawaii. Running time 1 hour 12 minutes. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Permaculture, Allotment, Food Security, Green Wall, Community Gardening, Vertical Farming, South Central Farm, List of Permaculture Projects, the Gardeners of America/men's Garden Clubs of America, Ecological Sanitation, Guerrilla Gardening, Jesse Collings, Dewitt Clinton Park, Victory Garden, South End Lower Roxbury Open Space Land Trust, Interbay P-Patch, the Trust for Public Land, Intercropping, Searsolin, Urban Homesteading, City Farm, New England Grassroots Environment Fund, Metropolitan Agriculture, Hobby Farm, Growing Power, Intercultural Garden, Manor Garden Allotments, Container Garden, Urban Horticulture, Boston Natural Areas Network, Kumpula Allotment Garden, Rushall Garden, Melbourne, Rooftop Farming, Sub-Irrigated Planter, Meanwood Valley Urban Farm, Urban Chickens, Danny Woo International District Community Garden, American Community Gardening Association. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 245. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Food security refers to the availability of food and one's access to it. A household is considered food secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. According to the World Resources Institute, global per capita food production has been increasing substantially for the past several decades. In 2006, MSNBC reported that globally, the number of people who are overweight has surpassed the number who are undernourished - the world had more than one billion people who were overweight, and an estimated 800 million who were undernourished. According to a 2004 article from the BBC, China, the world's most populous country, is suffering from an obesity epidemic. In India, the second-most populous country in the world, 30 million people have been added to the ranks of the hungry since the mid-1990s and 46% of children are...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=216361 ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Permaculture. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 282. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in natural ecologies. Permaculture is sustainable land use design. This is based on ecological and biological principles, often using patterns that occur in nature to maximise effect and minimise work. Permaculture aims to create stable, productive systems that provide for human needs, harmoniously integrating the land with its inhabitants. The ecological processes of plants, animals, their nutrient cycles, climatic factors and weather cycles are all part of the picture. Inhabitants needs are provided for using proven technologies for food, energy, shelter and infrastructure. Elements in a system are viewed in relationship to other elements, where the outputs of one element become the inputs of another. Within a Permaculture system, work is minimised, wastes become resources, productivity and yields increase, and environments are restored. Permaculture principles can be applied to any environment, at any scale from dense urban settlements to individual homes, from farms to entire regions. Permaculture as a systematic method was first practised by Austrian farmer Sepp Holzer in the 1960s and then scientifically developed by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren and their associates during the 1970s in a series of publications. The word permaculture is a portmanteau of permanent agriculture, as well as permanent culture. The intent is that, by rapidly training individuals in a core set of design principles, those individuals can design their own environments and build increasingly self-sufficient human settlements ones that reduce society's reliance on industrial syst...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=78214 ... Read more