Discover permaculture in the Vosges: place, visit

What is it for me at verbamont?

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The practice is first of all a trial and error process, helped by several years of volunteering around the world in the field of organic farming or agronomy in different climates. This approach approaches the movement known as " permaculture ".

The objective is to understand and design one's environment and thus be able to create more autonomous, sustainable and resilient habitats.

Beyond organic farming, this approach uses concepts:

• ecology,

• landscape architecture,

• of philosophy,

• biomimicry.

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I am of course open to share your / my experience on natural gardening. In the blog section you will find several annual events focused on the gardens at the Verbamont glade or nearby.

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The clearing of Verbamont is part of the seed barter network and willingly exchanges its seeds (non-hybrid reproducible), You will find at the reception a grain library (in order to freely exchange your non-hybrid / reproducible seeds please).

In addition to this, you need to know more about it.

In addition to this, you need to know more about it.

The main principles of permaculture

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What is permaculture?

In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.

Permaculture is a mode of cultivation (or, on a larger scale, an agricultural system) that uses ecological principles and traditional knowledge to reproduce a natural ecosystem in its sustainability, stability, resilience (i.e. - say its ability to return to its initial state after having undergone a modification) and its diversity.

More simply, permaculture reproduces what nature does: living beings, animals and plants, live there in equilibrium; the soil is nourished by plants which grow there and then die there; large plants protect the most fragile from the wind and the scorching sun; the plants are adapted to the soil, to the climate, and they reseed themselves on their own ...

A permaculture garden therefore represents a more autonomous, perennial system, where the gardener lets nature take its course instead of going against it. It takes advantage of natural interaction rather than transforming an "artificial" system. It deals with bio-diversity and the recycling of matter, rather than tending towards monoculture with a lot of chemistry.

The 10 pillars of permaculture

This is what the basis of permaculture is:

• living soil (earthworms, micro-organisms, organic matter, etc.);

• a rich biodiversity (many cultivated species);

• associations of plants on the same board;

• operation in a closed circuit: no waste generated, little or no exogenous inputs (no purchase of fertilizers, choice of traditional varieties that can be reseeded, green waste recycled on site, etc.);

• optimized use of water (rainwater harvesting, soil protection);

• produce on a small surface: crops in the air, cultivation mounds in floors, etc.

• introduction of animals (chickens, ducks, etc.);

• permanent soil cover ( green manure , mulching , succession of crops during a season, etc.);

• very limited or even non-existent tillage so as not to disturb the balance;

• a small cultivated area but with good productivity.

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Draw the plan of your permaculture garden

A hedge makes it possible to enclose the visu but it is also a refuge for birds, other auxiliary insects which the vegetable garden will benefit from: do not hesitate to multiply the hedges. They are all useful refuges between the fauna and the crops to be protected. Pay attention to their orientation.

A pond or a small pond are also valuable in permaculture: they attract many predators of garden pests (frogs, toads, dragonflies, etc.), and the water stores solar energy and releases it in the form of heat.

A few trees are also useful for providing shade for your vegetables which appreciate cool soil and fear the sun.

In permaculture, the idea being to promote interactions, we will not isolate the henhouse at the back of the garden, but rather place it where the hens will be useful: near the orchard, so that they eat unwanted insects, or from the vegetable garden, where they will hunt slugs and snails. Likewise, rather than separating an ornamental garden from a nourishing garden, it is a good idea to install vegetables and fruit trees next to decorative flowers that are attractive to pollinating insects. The aromatics will be in their place near the vegetables, rather than in a planter in front of the house, the vegetable plants will benefit from their repellent effect on certain pests.

To draw your plan, take into account the orientation, the favorable interactions between the different areas of the garden, but also the existing elements that you want to keep, the crops you want to develop, the practicality and your desire.

Here are the elements that you can show on this map:

• orientation

• ponds

• rainwater collector

• greenhouse (ideally, leaning against the house or against a south-facing wall)

• garden shed

• tools

• compost bin

• maintained forest

• "wild" area: meadow, thickets, pond

• henhouse, hutches, shelter and pens for sheep or goats ...

• House

• access to the garden

• fences

• large trees already present or to be planted

• orchard and berries

• vegetable garden with the different vegetables to grow

• space dedicated to seedlings with frame

• paths and alleys

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Getting into permaculture: creating the garden

Observe and take into account the existing

Choosing to switch to permaculture involves completely rethinking your garden while retaining what can be. The first step is an observation step: nature of the soil, slopes, orientation, shade, pond, wetland, hedges, walls, organic indicator plants, proximity, needs, water resources, ...

Depending on these different elements, you will have the first bases for the plan of your garden, the choice of plants to cultivate there (in particular by adapting them to the nature of the soil and the climate) and the location of the most appropriate garden.

In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.

In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.