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The illustrated guide to profitable, vibrant and sustainable permaculture-based market gardening
Permaculture tends to be very much in the domain of home gardeners and property owners. But what if we could take it all a step further, and merge the fields of permaculture and market gardening?
In The Permaculture Market Garden , author Zach Loeks brings together his passion for sustainable permaculture food production systems and beautiful, vibrant illustrations to provide a highly visual guide to the smooth integration of permaculture into the market garden, in ways that are scalable to specific situations. Profiling crops and ecosystem-based techniques, Loeks demonstrates a profitable, sustainable and approachable model for the future of market gardening.
Along the way, Loeks introduces his own system of PermaBeds, season extension techniques, intensive and rotational interplanting, in-depth discussions on soil health, and more, bringing activities, designs and prospects of farming to life through illustrations, so the reader can be immersed within the world of permaculture farming. Playful, informative and curious, inspiring and beautiful and packed with accessible practical information, The Permaculture Market Garden will inspire both the seasoned market gardener as well as anyone aspiring to start a business.
Zach Loeks is a market gardener, farm consultant and educator living in the Ottawa Valley. Winner of two regional awards for sustainability and innovation in agriculture, he shares his expertise in farming, design and business through a successful series of on-farm workshops, conferences and schools, as well as a successful year-round CSA.
"Bringing permaculture's holistic thinking to the problems of market farming, Zach Loeks has done this burgeoning economic sector a world of good with his pithy words and lovely drawings. Not a book about carrots, but one in which vegetables, children, customers, trees, vision, and earthworms shape a matrix of success. Business planning was never before this colorful, soulful, or needed for the times."
— Peter Bane, author, The Permaculture Handbook
"A commendable permaculture guide. If you're serious about generating a livelihood in partnership with the land, this book is your compass. Zach Loeks details an approach to informed ecological decision-making so close to my own work I can be sure this book will improve agricultural landscapes and lives."
— Jason Gerhardt, permaculture designer, Real Earth Design
"A legacy of grateful land is surely a memorial that can capture both our imagination and our physical effort. Such a sacred mission deserves the level of thought Zach beckons us to pursue. Engaging in this discovery and planning process is worth the effort, and Zach gives us another tool to engage more strategically.Now get out paper, pencil, ruler, and graph paper. It's that simple, and that rewarding."
— Joel Salatin, Polyface Farm
"A permaculture market garden is a living thing, with many moving parts, tied to the breath of the seasons and the pulse of the earth. To grow good food while regenerating the soil and nature is a noble endeavor. To do it profitably is essential for both the farm and the community it serves. The Permaculture Market Garden clearly demonstrates, with lavish illustrations and intricate details the processes of applying permaculture theory to the design, creation and management of these evolving systems."
— Darrell E. Frey, Three Sisters Farm, author, Bioshelter Market Garden: A Permaculture Farm
Zach Loeks is a market gardener, farm consultant and educator living in the Ottawa Valley. Winner of two regional awards for sustainability and innovation in agriculture, he shares his expertise in farming, design and business through a successful series of on-farm workshops, conferences and schools, as well as a successful year-round CSA.
Introduction
1 Farm Ecosystem
EARTH SYSTEMS AND NATURAL SCIENCE
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
2 Whole Farm Mapping
WHY MAP YOUR FARM?
3 Holistic Planning
DEFINING THE WHOLE AND MAKING A HOLISTIC GOAL
HOLISTIC BUDGETING FOR PROFIT RESILIENCE
GUILD ENTERPRISE PRODUCTION
4 Design Management
WHY DESIGN?
DESIGN MANAGEMENT
5 Our Permabed System
THE PERMABED SYSTEM
PERMABED PRINCIPLES
LAYOUT AND LAND PREPARATION
ORGANIZED GARDEN PATTERNING
GUILD CROP PRODUCTION
GUILD CROP DESIGNS
PERMA INVESTMENT
Conclusion
Glossary
Resources
Index
About the Author
About New Society Publishers