Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture | 
|  | | | Title: | Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture | | Author: | Toby Hemenway
John Todd (Foreword) | | Publisher: | Chelsea Green | | Type: | Book / Paperback | | Publication Date: | 01 April, 2001 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 1890132527 / 9781890132521 | | List Price: | $24.95 | | You Save: | $8.48 | | Amazon Price: | $16.47 | |
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| Editorial Review / Publisher's Information:
Product Description
Permaculture is a verbal marriage of “permanent” and “agriculture.” Australian Bill Mollison pioneered its development. Key features include:
use of compatible perennials;
non-invasive planting techniques;
emphasis on biodiversity;
specifically adaptable to local climate, landscape, and soil conditions;
highly productive output of edibles.
Now, picture your backyard as one incredibly lush garden, filled with edible flowers, bursting with fruit and berries, and carpeted with scented herbs and tangy salad greens. The visual impact is of Monet’s palette, a wash of color, texture, and hue. But this is no still life. The flowers nurture endangered pollinators. Bright-featured songbirds feed on abundant berries and gather twigs for their nests.
The plants themselves are grouped in natural communities, where each species plays a role in building soil, deterring pests, storing nutrients, and luring beneficial insects. And finally, you--good ol’ homo sapiens--are an integral part of the scene. Your garden tools are resting against a nearby tree, and have a slight patina of rust, because this garden requires so little maintenance. You recline into a hammock to admire your work. You have created a garden paradise.
This is no dream, but rather an ecological garden, which takes the principles of permaculture and applies them on a home-scale. There is nothing technical, intrusive, secretive, or expensive about this form of gardening. All that is required is some botanical knowledge (which is in this book) and a mindset that defines a backyard paradise as something other than a carpet of grass fed by MiracleGro.
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Customer Reviews:
• Well Documented, Practical And Enticing 24 July, 2007
I bought this book together with Patrick Whitefield's "Permaculture in a Nutshell" and read the latter first, which is a mere introduction compared to Toby Hemenway's "Gaia's Garden". Toby transmits his love for and knowledge of permaculture very well. I am trained as an agricultural engineer and did learn a lot while reading. He first teaches the basics and then rehearses them in the different chapters. The concepts sort of grow and develop while reading, which leaves you with the feeling that you don't have to open the book again to start designing your own garden. Toby's enthusiasm is also tangible and infectious.
The only thing that's missing for me is more examples and better documentation about existing permaculture gardens/farms. My design would be quite different from Toby's (I live in Spain and we have our own favourite mediterranean crops) but the book provides the tools needed to do it your own way and Toby comes over as an open minded teacher.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A2XP9136D78B2P
• Inspiration And The Tools To Go With It 14 September, 2007
I have totally enjoyed this book. The principles are a little murky because apparently this is a pretty new field and not very well developed for the eastern seabord which I live but it does provide enough guidance to begin setting up your own permaculture areas and start developing areas to be more ecologically sound food producing and living environments. I would HIGHLY recommend it as a first book on permaculture and the resources section alone has been a joy.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A2FTCK5ATJLFDC
• A Must Have Book For The Coming End Of Oil 09 November, 2007
This book is excellent for establishing new concepts of applying time tested old technology. I use these principles everyday and I look forward to the days when we need to rely on our local resources and skills in order to make a living. This book teaches you how to make a start with permaculture.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1P48VXJRYT98F
• Permaculture In Your Own Yard 26 December, 2007
This was recommended by someone when I started asking questions about permaculture. I am glad he did! It is a great introduction without being too simplistic. It is showing me how to start small and gradually increase the use of permaculture.
I have shown it to friends who are all waiting to borrow it from me!
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1MF9PUDA7ODCY
• Great Book 23 August, 2007
I highly recommend this book.
It is a fun place to start, if you wish to create a sustainable garden. All the basics are covered, from grey water, to ponds, to guilds, to forest gardens, and it is enjoyable and easy reading.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3MZ4UGPCW62YM
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