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Permaculture Gardens
The centers gardens are
at the very heart of our
work both in terms of
developing the local
community’s skills
whilst enabling the
center to be self
sufficient and creating
good nutrition via a
varied and balanced
diet. Due to the
climatic conditions (4
months drought per year)
the local community grow
one crop once a year
(mono culture). The
garden’s provide a
template for an
alternative – growing a
diverse range of crops
using the principles of
permaculture: raised
composting beds,
companion planting and
organic pest control.
All these methods serve
to nurture the soil so
in turn the soil can
nurture and nourish the
plants.
The raised beds resemble
a compost heap with
green matter placed on
the very bottom of the
structure, decomposed
material (wood chips,
leaves, etc.) is layered
on top of the green
matter, followed by a
mix of soil and compost.
Seedlings are planted
and mulch is added to
protect the soil on top
of the bed, while herbs
are planted on the
sides, creating a
network of strong roots
to help contain the soil
in the garden structure.
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These beds can be
implemented anywhere but
are ideally suited to
areas that have high
clay content in the soil
structure. Though
clay-rich soil is ideal
for keeping nutrients in
the soil, it can also
retain too much water.
The raised structure
design allows better
drainage, minimizes the
threat of root rot, and
enables rooting
vegetables (carrots,
beets, onions, etc.) to
grow significantly
larger than when planted
directly in the ground.
The structure's unique
shape also makes
monitoring the fertility
easier and the overall
planting surface is
greatly improved.
Whilst most of the
gardens products are
harvested some are
allowed to go to seed,
thus enabling us to
create a seed bank and
allowing us to
continually plant
without having to source
seeds externally. Unused
green matter is either
composted or thrown
directly back into the
beds allowing the
release of nutrients
back into the soil. All
materials used in the
design of these gardens
are easily obtainable
and locally sourced
therefore easily
replicable by the local
community. A group of
local women have
successfully built their
own gardens using these
methods following
learning the skills in
the center’s gardens.
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