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The Ultimate Guide to Permaculture

Nicole Faires (Goodreads Author)

3.63 · Rating details · 75 ratings · 12 reviews

Permaculture is an important but often misunderstood method
of growing food and building homes in a manner that works
with nature, rather than against it, to create beautiful, healthy, and
useful gardens. Blending ecology, organic agriculture, green home
design, appropriate technology, and biology can be confusing and
overwhelming, but The Ultimate Guide to Permaculture simplif ...more

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Paperback, 330 pages

Published May 1st 2012 by Skyhorse Publishing

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Jan 18, 2013 Sarah rated it it was ok

Shelves: nonfiction, gardening, permaculture, sustainability, 21st-century

A better title for this book might have been, "An Overview of Common Strategies and Techniques Used by Temperate-Climate Landowners in Their Permaculture Designs." Though I am loath to give a book that purports to be about permaculture such a poor review, I feel that this book is a dud compared to the great body of literature already out there on the subject.

After one scanty chapter at the beginning that tries to encompass the whole of Bill Mollison and David Holmgren's original permaculture cur A better title for this book might have been, "An Overview of Common Strategies and Techniques Used by Temperate-Climate Landowners in Their Permaculture Designs." Though I am loath to give a book that purports to be about permaculture such a poor review, I feel that this book is a dud compared to the great body of literature already out there on the subject.

After one scanty chapter at the beginning that tries to encompass the whole of Bill Mollison and David Holmgren's original permaculture curriculum, the rest of the book bullet-points some ways one can put specific permaculture strategies and techniques into practice (usually in temperate climates, and usually on large plots of land - which is not a complaint, but an FYI to anyone who might want to read this book as part of their design process).

We must be careful in our design methodology not to confuse these practical applications (the visually noticeable techniques) of permaculture with the science and philosophy of permaculture itself, else we fall into the trap of "doing without thinking" that leads to wasted energy, time, money, and human labor. The author gives us an overview of the proverbial (and literal) swales and herb spirals, but doesn't tell us why we design and build them and put them in relationships to other elements in such a way - and that why is really the heart of permaculture. As such, I would recommend this book only to someone who already has a solid grasp of what permaculture is about, and is just looking for some project ideas. You will need other books, however, on those specific projects, as this one merely scratches the surface on any one topic.

Unfortunately, this book is also terribly written and feels disjointed. There seems to be about an average of one grammatical error/incomplete sentence/typo every few pages that at times make the author's writing incomprehensible. For example, on page 88, in a section about building underground homes (punctuation and capitalization as it is in the original text): "The house is built with either a circular or dome shape for strength, It's not clear what is built small. in the parts of the house that are covered in dirt."

For a better, more understandable introduction to permaculture, I recommend the following books:

Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture
Earth User's Guide to Permaculture
Introduction to Permaculture ...more

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Nov 03, 2015 Amy rated it it was ok

Shelves: gardening, clearwater-library

My thoughts are identical to this review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
including the recommendation to read these 2 books instead:
Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture and Earth User's Guide to Permaculture ...more

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Oct 21, 2019 Jane G Meyer rated it it was ok

Shelves: adultnon-fiction, gardening

There's quite a lot of information shoved into this book, with a fair amount of specifics on individual themes from farming, to home gardening, to raising chickens and quail and how to process them, etc... But the book must have put together hastily, or had a terrible proof reader, because it's filled with typos and small text errors that make a reader question the authority of both the writer and the publisher.

Overall, it's another good general resource, serving as a nice introduction to the u ...more

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Apr 26, 2018 Justin rated it really liked it

Shelves: gardening

This is both comprehensive and superficial (though less superficial than almost all of the other permaculture books I've seen). That being said, I haven't found any permaculture books I really like despite liking the idea. ...more

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Sep 28, 2020 Abby Q. rated it really liked it

A very detailed guide to permaculture. Informative. Technical. May be too much information to take in but I'm also interested in her other books. ...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Marie rated it really liked it

I like the way the author makes some of the peramculture principles more obvious that other books Ive read, which seem to give advice on ways to set up a permaculture farm but aren't as specific as I would like, eg you like in a temperate climate and are facing increasing impacts of drought and climate change, so what to do, for this reason I wish the book focussed on the future a little more.
They did incorporate aspects of we are currently doing on our small permaculturish property eg rabbits, ...more

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May 13, 2015 Guy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: technical, non-fiction, to-read-again

This is a great read for anyone interested in permaculture, regenerative agriculture, homesteading, agroforestry and sustainable animal husbandry. It's accessible, practical and informative. Topics are covered at a high level, and then buttressed with greater detail. Recommendations are not just offered, but supported with a reason why, which I so often find lacking in these kinds of books. This really helped my comprehension of the subject matter. ...more

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Nov 23, 2012 April Franklin rated it it was amazing

I've skimmed through several permaculture books lately; I've become fascinated with the ideas and practices behind permaculture. I've been a backyard gardener for years but I am just now realizing how much farther some people take it. This book was by far the most approachable permaculture book I picked up. Highly recommended! ...more

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Jun 04, 2014 Diana Par-due rated it really liked it

This is a good guide but doesn't have a lot of practical examples. I really found the planting guide super helpful because it listed good companion plants for each variety and mentioned the bugs they repel and attract.

The pictures are beautiful as well. ...more

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May 29, 2012 Anna rated it really liked it

Shelves: gardening-homesteading

The Ultimate Guide to Permaculture is a simple, mainstream sum up of permaculture philosophy, which would make it a good gift for your neighbor or mother who look at your crazy projects with a skeptical eye. ...more

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Sep 16, 2014 Cindy Deister rated it really liked it

Shelves: gardening

Very informative, but more for people who own large plots of land. Not for suburban life or backyard design, but interesting if you are looking for information on permaculture.

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