Zones
Permaculture zones describe areas within a farm landscape that have different frequencies of use and would therefore suit different land-uses. Those areas closest to the house and are frequented most often would suit placement of systems that require regular maintenance and inspection. A good example of this are chickens that require checking of food, water and predation and harvest of eggs. Their house can therefore be placed in close proximity to a pathway leading away from the house. In this same location, can be placed plant propagation areas, glasshouses, kitchen gardens, herb gardens and similar that require frequent attention. In clustering these features in close proximity time and effort are not wasted in moving between locations. Also if the output of one system, such as manured wood chips from the chicken coop are a input into another system (mulch around fruit trees) by locating them in close proximity time and effort are not wastes in moving materials any great distance.
These efficiency of time and effort result in great savings of personal energy and efficiency of operation which allow a person to economise time spent on tasks and focus on areas with the greatest return of yield, without being bogged down with routine maintenance tasks.
Those that require lest maintenance can be locates further away. These systems are often natural areas, which require little or no maintenance and can be maintained as natural habitat.
Permaculture designs can be organised into the following zones:
Because each zone can be based on different types of ecosystems with different inputs and dynamics it pays to mark out clearly from the start where each zone fits into the overall property design.
The most favourable arrangement may be zone 1 around the house, zone 2 in areas that border access driveways to the house, zone 3, on flatter areas that extend beyond the house, zone 4 on stepper more marginal areas and zone 5 on areas that border the property or surrounding areas of significant natural importance such as wetlands, remnant forests, streams, ponds and rivers.
These efficiency of time and effort result in great savings of personal energy and efficiency of operation which allow a person to economise time spent on tasks and focus on areas with the greatest return of yield, without being bogged down with routine maintenance tasks.
Those that require lest maintenance can be locates further away. These systems are often natural areas, which require little or no maintenance and can be maintained as natural habitat.
Permaculture designs can be organised into the following zones:
- Zone O, the house, which often reflects passive solar design using locally sourced natural materials and construction using a low carbin foorptiint.
- Zone 1 is high intensity vegetable production with some high yielding fruit trees, heavy mulch, composting, worm bins, tools shed, glasshouses, aquaponics systems and perhaps integration of chicken tractors or other small animals. Zone 1 is high intensity, diverse and modelled upon efficiency, aesthetics and functional use.
- Zone 2 is often modelled upon a perennial orchard, which integrates nitrogen fixing trees, berries, fruits, perennial vegetables, herbs and understory plants that help build soil fertility and compete against weeds. Animals are often commonly integrated into this zone as tractors to limit impact upon understory plants (so that grazing focused on grazing rows between planted rows) or larger animals with less diversity in plant community.
- Zone 3 is commonly modelled upon a natural woodland grazing system, which integrated larger trees (nut trees, animal fodder, large fruit trees, or nitrogen fixing trees with pasture. The larger grazers (cows, sheep, goats, geese, etc) are carefully rotated through areas of this zones, allowing good recovery of plant communities of pasture herbs and grasses and trees between grazing events.
- Zone 4 is often a timber-producing zone, often on more marginal land, wind breaks, stream banks or similar. This zone acts as a buffer between more intensive areas of production and wilderness areas. As such it should be modelled as much as possible on surrounding natural systems and ideally be based on native timber species to allow migration of wildlife between habitats and create buffers between land use types.
- Zone 5 is minimally impacted wilderness areas, which are commonly influenced by selection of native species most useful for sporadic harvest, but otherwise left to resemble natural ecosystems as closely as possible.
Because each zone can be based on different types of ecosystems with different inputs and dynamics it pays to mark out clearly from the start where each zone fits into the overall property design.
The most favourable arrangement may be zone 1 around the house, zone 2 in areas that border access driveways to the house, zone 3, on flatter areas that extend beyond the house, zone 4 on stepper more marginal areas and zone 5 on areas that border the property or surrounding areas of significant natural importance such as wetlands, remnant forests, streams, ponds and rivers.
