Permaculture Design Principles: 13 Best Sites for Beginners

Are you interested in permaculture? It’s a hot topic these days. Whether you’re hanging out on Facebook, or scrolling through Pinterest, permaculture design principles are everywhere.

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Permaculture is an ethical gardening method that emulates patterns found in nature. This is called biomimicry.  Permaculturists also take great care to inflict as little harm as possible on the earth. If it’s doable, permaculture activities should improve the earth. This is in keeping with the basic permaculture tenets of earth care, people care, and fair share.

Permaculture depends heavily on making use of microclimates. A microclimate creates pockets of weather conditions atypical of your area. And this may allow you to grow things which surprise you. For example, growing watermelons in Canada’s far north.

Today, there’s a growing movement towards creating low-maintenance backyard homesteads. And this provides a perfect opportunity to practice permaculture.

Permaculture is a long-term commitment. It may take years to build up nutrients in the soil. And it’s hard work to create garden elements (such as swales or berms) where none exist. Yet permaculture design principles require these elements. They act to as natural barriers and conduits for natural growth.

The result?  A low maintenance high-yield garden.

If you’d like to learn more about permaculture, check out these 13 sites. Some offer an introduction to permaculture basics. Others include diagrams of possible garden layouts. Others offer tips and tricks for permaculture success.

Top 13 Sites for Beginners to Learn About Permaculture Design Principles

1. The Urban Farmer: The Urban Farmer’s Permaculture Design page offers a simple permaculture overview. It also discusses the history and development of permaculture design principles for beginners.

2. Permaculture Principles: At Permaculture Principles you can see a video with David Holmgren, one of the founders of permaculture. And the site also includes ideas on how to use permaculture design principles to your suburban home and yard.

3. Permaculture Visions: Confused about the difference between permaculture and organic gardening? The Permaculture Visions site includes an informative article that highlights the characteristics of a permaculture garden. It isn’t the same as organic gardening. It also offers a free Permaculture Ethics Course.

4. The Family Food Garden: This site has all sorts of useful gardening information for aspiring homesteaders and gardeners. In addition, The Family Food Garden includes a post on permaculture design layouts with several clear backyard design diagrams.

5. Neverending Food: One of the rules of permaculture design is to mimic natural growth patterns in your part of the world. At Neverending Food, learn how permaculture design principles inform gardening efforts in the dry and difficult environment of Malawi in southeast Africa.

6. Deep Green Permaculture: This site includes a ton of information for budding permaculturists. Look through Deep Green Permaculture for detailed DIY posts on plant stacking, edge effects, and water gardens for beginners.

7. Temperate Climate Permaculture: Interested in getting your Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC)? If so, you’ll need to complete a design project. Browse through the Temperate Climate Permaculture site design diagrams for inspiration. Currently, I see eight projects in PDF form suitable for 1 acre to 6 acre lots.

8. Dr. Axe Permaculture: Use the Dr. Axe Permaculture site to explain permaculture to your kids. They’ll enjoy the simple explanations, colourful diagrams and basic projects.

Related: Foraging for Medicinal Plants: 7 Easy To Find Northern Greens

9. Natural Living Ideas: Many people become interested in permaculture while living in cities. The Natural Living Ideas site shares many urban permaculture ideas. Find advice on container gardening, vertical planting and balcony gardens.

10. Permaculture: Think of this UK-based site as a news site with the latest trends.  This is the site for the print and digital magazine Permaculture. It lets visitors subscribe to the magazine format of their choice, or buy back issues. It also has a handy article on hugelkultur. Hugelkultur is the art of gardening in a specially crafted “no-dig” raised bed.

11. Oregon State Open Text Books: Are you looking for some textbook-style information on permaculture? Visit the Oregon State Open Text Books site. It includes a free downloadable PDF version of Andrew Millson’s 28 chapter Introduction to Permaculture textbook. And it even links to a couple of permaculture YouTube videos.

12. The Permaculture Apprentice: William Horvath’s The Permaculture Apprentice site is chock full of useful information for permaculture newbies. Check out the resources page. It’s a gold mine of valuable ebooks, print book listings, videos and online permaculture courses.

13. Permaculture News: This is the site of Australia’s Permaculture Research Institute, and it’s an excellent source of current news and events in the global permaculture world. Look for updates on the latest workshops, courses, and worldwide permaculture research.

What’s your favourite permaculture website? Let us know and we may add it to our list.

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