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effect on all weather. When the sun is hot, there's shade under the trees. When the night is cold, it's warmer under the insulating trees. When it rains, it falls more slowly under the trees. When it's dry, it's moister under the trees. Trees will have an impact upon you and every other life-form around them.

While trees are the biggest and slowest part of permaculture, we're talking about growing an integrated system, not an orchard. Plants of all sizes are important, with special emphasis on those which produce food, fiber, or other useful substances. It is good to plan methods of using plants, like eating fruit, that don't kill the plant or prevent it from propagating.

An ecosystem also includes animals. From insects to coyotes, animals will move into your space. Plan for them and the food chain they complete. Determine where you're comfortable fitting into that system. Perhaps you choose to be vegan. You still need to determine how much you're willing to share and what control methods you might need to defend your share.

The Lenge people of Central Africa taught me that it's a good idea to plan to eat low on the food chain, but if something eats what you were planning to eat, move up a step to feed yourself. Thus locusts can be a bonus, rather than a plague. Rather than fencing deer out, you may choose to feast upon one when their eating habits overwhelm your own.

What grows best in your specific location will be different than anywhere else. As you plan, please get to know your special place. Look for micro-climates, spots that have unique wind or solar patterns because of the lay of the land. Consider how these will effect whatever you plant.

Study the hydrodynamics of your site. How much precipitation falls each year and in what forms? (NOAA has this data, along with important information about wind and other weather patterns.) How does water flow or gather? Could fish, ducks, watercress, cattail or other edibles be introduced? What would be their effects? Where does the water go? Always consider downstream effects.

I take delight in the fact that people can rarely accurately predict weather, much less control it. It's good to know we're part of something bigger than our comprehension. At the same time, there is value in studying the patterns and speculating about the future. Consider the impacts of people who live upwind and upstream. What power do you have to change or mitigate their destructive practices?

I'm not going to ask you to be as foresighted as the Iroquois, who traditionally considered the impact of any decision on the next seven generations. Still, it's good to look as far into the future as you can. Considering everything you have learned about plants, climate, and your site, what will it look like in five years? twenty? fifty? How will that change if you plant things another way?

You won't be the only person served by your permaculture experiments. To the extent that you succeed in creating a sustainable system, it will likely feed future generations and propagate further than your original plantings. Consider every possibility before you make your decisions. Then enjoy making the world a better place by planting your own little Eden.

Learn more about this author, Vernon Huffman.
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