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What do you imagine it would be like to live in Eden? Would you be able to pick your food and eat it as you strolled through the garden? That is the vision permaculture reaches toward. Permaculture means designing human-friendly sustainable ecosystems.

Permaculturists work with nature rather than against it. Their approach is collaborative, not competitive. No chemicals or pesticides; no tilling or weeding. More planning, planting and observing. This is definitely not mono-crop agribusiness. It's about encouraging healthy interaction between the species that most benefit us.

Think about all your favorite foods. Which could be grown in your climate? Which would be hearty enough to grow year after year with minimal attention? What fruit and nut trees grow in your area? Learning the needs and habits of these plants might be a good place to begin your local study of permaculture.

Permaculture is not about your annual garden. Nothing prevents you from including a bed or two of annuals, but unless the plants self propagate, they aren't part of a permaculture system. Still, there are some practices from organic gardening that will be useful to you as you practice permaculture.

Companion planting is one such concept. Some plants like each other. Blueberries or blue huckleberries prefer to live under conifers, while blackberries or red huckleberries prefer to be near deciduous trees. Walk around the woods and undeveloped areas near you and notice how various plants are grouped. This is a good clue to the types of ecosystems you may want to incorporate in your plans.

Permaculture is all about edges. The places where different systems meet are often the most productive. Where the deciduous forest meet the grassland or the wetland meets the conifers, etc., there is denser undergrowth and more foliage. It is generally a good idea to maximize the edges to facilitate a broad diversity of plants.

The concept of weed blurs as you study permaculture. Nature doesn't make mistakes. Any plant grows where it does because conditions are right. you may succeed in substituting a related, but more useful plant. Or you may learn to use the weed. Study local ethnobotany. How did the first people in your area and each successive wave of immigrants fit into the local environment? Would it be practical to restore ancient relationships? Does it make sense to compromise with invasive species?

Forests change as they grow. Every plant impacts every other. As trees get bigger, they have a dampening

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