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Harmony with nature is one of the foundations of the Ringing Cedars ideology. That is why in many kin’s domains life is organized according to the principles of permaculture. Today we want to talk about what the essence of this approach is and how you can implement it in your domain.
Permaculture is a way of sustainable design that helps grow food, build homes, and create communities with minimal environmental impact. The environment is organized according to the principles corresponding to the natural ecosystem. The goal of permaculture is to develop systems that are both economically viable and environmentally sound. This means that they must provide for themselves, not deplete and not pollute the environment: in this way they can exist for a very long time.
Principles and methods of permaculture transform the surrounding landscape: thanks to this approach, it is possible to create flowering gardens even in places with poor soil and water imbalance. This is exactly what Tatyana Chistyakova-Pilipenko, who lives in the settlement «Mirodolie», achieved. Tatyana is a landscape designer by education and one of the most prominent promoters of permaculture. She has answers to any questions and a lot of practical advice: she gives them at seminars and webinars that are attended by thousands of residents of kin’s domains. “Permaculture is a dialogue with nature on an equal footing, when both hear and listen,” says Tatyana, “it is a living substance, it lives and changes. Permaculture is not static, it is dynamic, and Nature always makes adjustments.”
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What important practical advice can you give to those who are planning to build their domain in accordance with the principles of permaculture?
1. Study in advance the activity of the sun, the strength / direction of the wind, and the frequency of rains. You will need this information to change the landscape of the domain: in most cases, it is necessary to build earthen windbreaks to protect the plantings.
2. First of all, provide the site with renewable biodiversity: shrubs and trees. They serve as a natural barrier from the winds and as a home for orderly birds.
3. Plant only those crops that are suitable for this climate zone. Learn the history of the region, find out what your ancestors planted here.
4. Water balance is very important. Each domain must have at least one pond.
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5. Create waste-free cycles. Weeds and tops from the harvested crop should serve as natural fertilizer for high warm garden beds. Warm beds are a special type of planting widely used in permaculture. These beds are completely organic. They consist of plant residues and are arranged in such a way that decaying organic matter releases heat, warms up the roots of plants from below, helping them to endure night frosts, summer temperature drops, and cold dews.
6. Mix different types of plants. Do not make a clear division of garden beds for different vegetables. Due to the biodiversity in the beds (cabbage grows next to zucchini or pepper, etc. — various combinations are possible), there is a natural compensation of minerals in the soil, there are practically no weeds, and plants grow in ecologically clean soil.
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In compliance with these principles, most of the domains in the settlements «Mirodolie», «Rosy», «Grishino», «Milyonki», and many others are built. All the photographs that you see in this letter were taken in these settlements.
Permaculture can be used not only for kin’s domains, but also for public areas. For example, according to this principle, the territory of the socio-cultural center «Good Earth», built by several settlements, is organized.
Permaculture is not only in harmony with Nature, but also a more natural way of farming, thanks to which you can harvest more crops with less effort and less time.
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