Build Your Own Natural Swimming Pool

2 COMPETItiONS & Many READERS OFFERS
p INSPIRATION FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING
FREE
Green
Shopp
ing
Catalo
gue 2
UK sub 011
scribe
select rs &
stores
only
Build Your Own Plus

feel-good
Natural Swimming Pool ideas to
help you
and a through
the winter
Self-Watering including:
Greenhouse How To Boost
we show you how! Your Immune System
Growing Winter Vegetables
Recipes for Outdoor Choosing an Energy Efficient
Cooking in Winter Woodburning Stove
No.66 Winter 2010 £3.95 UK / $7.99 US / $8.99 CAN
Feeding Your Dog Permaculture Magazine

and/or Environment
Category: Lifestyle
As Nature Intended
INFORMATIVE ARTICLES  News  Courses  CLASSIFIEDS  Book, DVD, Tool & Product Reviews
ED
pm
BY
t u r e i s . . .
ermacul
OW R
TH E S
E
P
P UN
Contents an inno v a t i v e f rame w o r k

living; a
f o r creati
pr a ct ic a
ng
l method
a in a b le w a ys o f
l y h a r m onious,
sust ca l
FEATURES
v e l o p i n g ecologi s t e m s t h at can
3 WINTER IMMUNE BOOSTERS for de p r o d uctive sy
a n d
FROM KITCHEN & GARDEN
efficient n e , a nywhere.
Julie Bruton-Seal and Matthew Seal explore
ya n y o
the useful remedies to be found close at hand. be used b
7 DIY NATURAL SWIMMING POOL
David Butler recounts the experience of
creating his own.
12 OUTDOOR COOKING IN WINTER!

Trish MacCurrach extols the virtues of cooking
alfresco, even in the depths of winter.
20 EDUCATION FOR A HANDMADE FUTURE
© Rebecca Hosking & Tim Green

Maddy Harland explores the stunning new
Woodland Classroom built by Ben Law.
23 A WOLF IN DOG’S CLOTHING

Rebecca Hosking and Tim Green, makers of
23
the highly respected ‘A Farm For The Future’
film, turn their attention to the health of our REGULARS
domesticated dog population.
16 Solutions!
29 CHOOSING A WOODBURNING STOVE 17 Product Reviews
Maddy Harland explains the benefits of a
woodburning stove and the process she went 37 Permaculture News
through to choose the stove of her dreams. 63 GEN News
34 SACRED FORESTRY 65 Letters

Reforestation of the sacred mountain of 69 Reviews
Arunachala, in South India, has been resoundingly
successful. John Barrie Button explains his 72 Courses
permacultural approach to the challenge.
7
© David Butler
77 Classified Exchange
43 GROWING VEG THE INCAN WAY 80 Subscriptions & Renewals

Steve James adapts an ancient farming
method to create a self-watering greenhouse.
47 HOW TO GROW FOOD IN WINTER

Janet Renouf-Miller explains how you can
create a harvest of fresh, nutritious food
throughout the cold months.
52 THE SITTING ROOM SESSIONS

Brian Boothby sings the benefits of taking live
music back home.
55 GROWING TOGETHER
Louise Cartwright describes a way of growing
food on a large scale, as a community.
60 DESERT TO OASIS
Karen Olsen tells the story of living
permaculture legend, Scott Pittman.
52
www.permaculture.co.uk No. 66 Permaculture Magazine
Welcome
PUBLISHER
PERMANENT PUBLICATIONS
Hyden House Limited
to Permaculture Magazine
The Sustainability Centre, East Meon
Hampshire GU32 1HR, England
Tel: +44 (0)1730 823 311
Studio 46
Email: info@permaculture.co.uk
Web: www.permaculture.co.uk
EDITOR Winter is coming in the northern hemisphere and we have been preparing for the
Maddy Harland short days and the cold. The summer and autumn glut of vegetables is over and
FOUNDING EDITOR any we could store are safely racked in a cool room. Cold frames have been moved
Tim Harland from the melon crop and now shelter the salads until a hard snap wipes them out.
GRAPHIC DESIGNER The meadows are cut, fruit trees and bushes are mulched with the cut and new bulbs
John Adams have been planted. The greenhouse has been resown with crops that will hopefully
ADVERTISING, MARKETING & MEDIA
fill the hungry gap next year. The raised beds are sown with next year’s garlic and
Tony Rollinson broad beans. The woodstore is full. It’s been hard work cutting, splitting and stacking
ONLINE EDITOR
the seasoned wood but there is nothing more satisfying than sitting by a warm stove
Mark Anslow and passing the dark evenings together, preferably sharing stories by candlelight.
The publishing cycle turns as well and we pause and review the year. This one
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Hayley Harland has been busier than any before. Not only have we published four issues of PM,
we have also produced two new films. One presented by Ben Law and filmed by
ACCOUNTS
Carolyn Pennington Undercurrents, Roundwood Timber Framing, introducing and explaining this new,
low impact architectural vernacular (see p.22 and 70). It is abundantly practical
ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT
Sam Blanchette and inspirational, taking building back into the local community and we hope it
will encourage people to make their own beautiful structures from local materials.
CONSULTANT EDITORS
Patrick Whitefield, Chris Marsh, Michael Guerra,
The other film is by David Butler and is a step by step guide to making your own
Andy Goldring, Hildur & Ross Jackson, natural swimming pools (see p.7). It shows every detail of construction for larger
Max Lindegger, Dieter Duhm, Vandana Shiva, scale pond making and gives the know-how to create healthy aquacultures, so clean
Helena Norberg-Hodge, Jonathan Dawson
you can swim in them yourself.
SPECIAL THANKS This year, we have also produced Ben’s latest book by the same title as the DVD,
Pete & Emma Cooper, Pete Ellington,
Rebecca Hosking, Tim Green, Martin Crawford, Roundwood Timber Framing, plus Simon Fairlie’s controversial and scholarly text,
Georgina Norfolk, Patrick Harland Meat. This urges everyone to eat far less of the stuff and, if you do, farm or buy it in
UK & WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTOR as low an impact and responsible way as possible. I have to admit it has been good
COMAG to see this – essentially a permaculture book – being talked about in all the UK
Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE
Tel: 01895 433 600 broadsheets, plus the New York Times and Time Magazine. I have no doubt that the
debate will run on and on. Three more books will also be in print by the end of the
US & CANADIAN DISTRIBUTOR
Disticor Magazine Distribution
year, Gaian Economics, David Holmgren’s Permaculture – Principles and Pathways
www.disticor.com and Sepp Holzer’s Permaculture, an extraordinary exploration of his way of farming.
COVER PHOTO
This autumn, we were joined by Mark Anslow, former editor of The Ecologist,
© David Butler who is working with us to relaunch PM online this winter. This will allow us to publish
weekly permaculture news, reviews, articles and designs – all at www.permaculture
Printed on Lumi Core Silk
FSC Certified mixed credit material .co.uk. We will also gather our blogs and our film media under one roof and offer
Printed by Warners Midlands plc, you new blogs from prominent permaculturists. Our aim is to create the best possible
FSC certification number permaculture information service, both for newcomers and for seasoned practi-
TT-COC- 002452
tioners. Behind the scenes, we have completely relaunched Green Shopping online
COPYRIGHT (www.green-shopping.co.uk) to provide you with a secure, efficient and useful
© All writings are the copyright of Permanent Publications
and/or individual contributors. All rights reserved. service for books, tools and products that we personally recommend and use.
No part, written or visual, of this magazine may be
reproduced, except for short credited and sourced
2010 has been a year of intense activity for all the PM team. We have watched
passages for criticism or review, without written the world slide more deeply into recession and many people and organisations
permission of the publisher.
experience financial difficulties. We have noted extreme weather events, the
DISCLAIMER subsequent suffering of millions and the lack of global political will to deal with
The opinions expressed in PM are not necessarily those
of the publisher. Whilst the publisher takes every care climate change. All these and other events have fuelled our passion for what we
in checking the validity of information given in articles do and made our resolve more steely. We have scrutinised our work and stretched
and other contributions, it cannot accept responsibility
for its accuracy or liability for any form of damages ourselves further in our attempts to raise our standards, learn new skills and
incurred by the use of any such information. absorb new ideas. We feel passionate about our work and privileged to be able
to produce positive, life affirming and practical media. We hope you enjoy this
magazine and the cutting edge thinking in its pages. We wish you well for 2011
and ask you to stick with us for the journey.
Maddy Harland and the Permaculture Magazine Team
Permaculture Magazine No. 66 www.permaculture.co.uk

Winter Immune Boosters
from
Kitchen & Garden
Julie Bruton-Seal and Matthew Seal explore the useful remedies
to be found close at hand
I
n the cold dark days of winter we Soups Immune–Boosting Soup
are much more prone to sniffles, Ginger & Onion Soup Research in Japan and China has
colds, ’flu and other infections. Chop up three onions. Sauté in a established over the last half century
We tend to spend more time indoors little oil until transparent, then that shiitake and reishi mushrooms
than out in the fresh air, and we are add three cups of water or vegetable are strongly immune-supporting and
not getting the benefit of vitamin D stock. Add three teaspoonfuls of display anti-cancer activity.
from strong sunshine. Luckily, there grated fresh ginger. Then, add two What is fascinating
are plenty of remedies available from cloves of garlic, pressed or chopped is that new research
the garden and pantry that can keep finely, one fresh chilli, chopped suggests ordinary
us healthy and fight infections. finely (or one teaspoonful of dried edible mushrooms
Kitchen immune boosters include chilli powder) and one small stick share, to a greater
onion, garlic, chillies, ginger, pepper, of cinnamon (or one teaspoonful of extent than hitherto
thyme, marjoram, cinnamon, cloves cinnamon powder). realised, the immune-
and horseradish. The hot spices Bring to the boil and simmer supporting and cancer
among them are especially helpful gently for a few minutes, then treating qualities of the
to keep the lungs and mucous serve. explicitly medicinal
membranes clear. There is nothing mushrooms. For
like a bowl of hot soup to comfort example, a 2009
in cold weather, and there are all study of 2,000
sorts of recipes that will help your
immune system. Here are a few of
our favourite recipes:
© Julie Bruton-Seal

Chinese women found that those Barley Soup The vinegar is good for head-
who ate fresh mushrooms daily Put in a saucepan: three cups water aches (rubbed onto temples and
were 64% less likely to develop and ½ cup barley. Simmer for half an swallowed in small amounts), as a
breast cancer; those who combined hour. Sauté one onion (finely diced), general antiseptic and for cleaning
daily mushrooms with green tea 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and ½ cup kitchen surfaces.
reduced their risk by 90%. of sliced mushrooms until cooked,
A 2008 paper reported in then add to the barley soup. Add Four Thieves Vinegar
vitro trials of white miso, tamari or sea salt to taste. There are as many recipes for Four
button mushrooms Add ½ cup chopped parsley and a Thieves vinegar as there are
enhanced matur- handful of chopped chives or spring versions of the myth. Basically, in
ation of bone onions, cook for about a minute early eighteenth century France
marrow antigen longer and then serve. four thieves were arrested for
cells. If someone is very weak stealing from the homes of dead
and ill, strain the soup and plague victims. They were given
just give them the broth. their lives and freedom in exchange
for the recipe they used to keep free
of the disease. The recipe entered
Vinegars the official pharmacopoeia, and it
Cider vinegar is still sold in France today as Le
has its own vinaigre des quatre voleurs.
antiviral The essential ingredients are
properties, vinegar and garlic, and then you can
and is a good add other aromatic herbs and spices
preservative for as available: rosemary, sage, oregano,
herbs to fight mint, lavender, cinnamon, cloves etc.
infections. Here Some people like to add an onion,
are some easy recipes for and horseradish or hot chillies.
thyme vinegar and for the It is worth making quite a big
©
ul
ie
J
Br
batch. Use roughly equal parts of
u to
n-S
e al famous ‘four thieves’ vinegar.
crushed garlic and each of a selection
Thyme Vinegar of four or five other aromatic herbs.
Thymol, the main essential oil in Put in a jar large enough to hold
Other research is ongoing into thyme, is twenty times stronger them and cover with red wine
the antibacterial, liver protective, than phenol (carbolic), the standard vinegar (or cider vinegar). Seal and
hypoglycaemic and immuno- medical antiseptic. Thymol was put in a warm place for two or
modulating potential of mushrooms. first isolated in Germany in 1725 three weeks, then strain and bottle
Take a dozen or so shiitake and has been in pharmaceutical use for use.
mushrooms or button mushrooms: ever since. It was used to medicate
use fresh if available (you may bandages and made a local anaes- Your thieves’ vinegar can be used
have grown your own), or soak thetic for dentists. Chewing fresh or several ways:
dried ones in water until soft. dried thyme leaves at home brings
Slice and set aside. Chop one emergency pain relief for toothache ◗ Take a teaspoonful several times
small onion, slice one carrot and or inflamed gums. a day.
slice one potato. Heat olive oil in Thyme’s rich chemistry includes
a pan, sauté the mushrooms, then tannins and phenols that make it ◗ Add to salad dressings.
add the onion. As onions brown, bitter medicinally, but it also contains
add in carrot and potato, plus an uplifting sweetness that can be ◗ Use a tablespoon in the bath.
one clove of chopped garlic and tasted and smelled. In ancient Rome
a teaspoon or so of grated ginger. thyme was a mainstream remedy ◗ Use topically as an antiseptic on
Add more oil as needed to brown for melancholy. Numerous varieties the skin.
all the vegetables, then add stock of thyme are grown in gardens,
or water (quantity depending on and any of them can be used but ◗ Use as a topical spray for dis-
whether a more solid or liquid few are as medicinal as common and infecting kitchen surfaces.
result is desired). Bring to the boil, wild thyme.
add soy sauce or miso to taste, and/ Pick enough fresh thyme sprigs
or salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 to fill a jar (use at least 464g or 1lb Honey
minutes and serve hot. size); crush the herb in a mortar. Garlic Honey
If you are congested and catarrhal, Put into the jar and cover with a Peel a whole head of garlic. Mince
add some hot chillies or black wine, cider or fruit vinegar. Keep the finely by chopping or squeezing
pepper to the soup to help clear the closed jar in a sunny spot for at least through a garlic press. Put in a
mucous membranes. a month, then strain off the vinegar. mortar and pound until the garlic

begins to go transparent. Spoon into St John’s Wort before being strained, bottled and
a jar with 225g (½lb) of honey. Stir St John’s wort has powerful anti- labelled. Echinacea tops and root will
well, seal and label. It can be used viral properties, and has the added need to infuse for about two weeks,
straightaway or will keep for months. benefit of lighting you up from as will St John’s wort flowering tops.
inside with some summer sunshine – You can use the colour as a guide –
Dose: Half a teaspoonful daily as a just what’s needed on a dark chilly when most of the colour has gone
tonic or preventative. For acute day in winter. To make sure you out of the herb and into the liquid,
infections, take half a teaspoonful have the right species of St John’s it is ready to strain. St John’s wort
up to six times daily. This can be wort, Hypericum perforatum, hold tincture should be a lovely bright
taken directly, or taken with ginger a leaf up to the light. The medicinal red colour.
and lemon tea or cider vinegar. For species has tiny oil glands, which
infants and young children, rub onto look like tiny perforations in the
the soles of the feet. leaf. Both Echinacea and St John’s Glycerites
Garlic honey can also be used wort can be prepared as tinctures, Some herbs are better preserved as
directly on the skin for bites, and as which will keep for a year or more. glycerites, as the glycerine preserves
a wound dressing for cuts and grazes. the fresh taste of the herbs better than
How to make a tincture alcohol. Elderflowers and berries, roses
For making your own tinctures, and lemon balm are tastiest when
Tinctures vodka is one of the best alcohols made as glycerites.
Echinacea to use. It has no flavour of its own,
Echinacea is one of the best-known and allows the taste of the herbs to How to make a glycerite
immune-stimulating herbs, and it is come through. Whisky, brandy or rum Vegetable glycerine is extracted from
easily grown in the garden. Three can also be used. Most commercial coconut or other oil, and is a sweet
main species are used medicinally, tinctures contain at least 25% alcohol. syrupy substance available from herb-
with Echinacea purpurea being the The process is straightforward: alists and some chemists. It is particularly
most common and easiest to grow. you simply fill a jar with the chosen good for making medicines for children,
With this species, the flowering tops herb or herbs and top up with alcohol, and for soothing preparations intended
are used in addition to the root, so you or you can put the whole for the throat and digestive tract, or
don’t necessarily have to dig up your lot in the blender coughs. A glycerite will keep well as
entire patch to make your Echinacea first. The mix- long as the concentration of glycerine
tincture. A good quality Echinacea ture is then is at least 50%
should make your mouth kept out of to 60% in
tingle when you the light to the finished
taste it. infuse product.
© Jen Bartlett

Glycerites are made the same way Julie Bruton-Seal is Master Herbalists, a co-organiser of
as tinctures, except the jar is kept in a medical herbalist the annual HerbFest gathering, and
the sun or in a warm place to infuse. and photographer. editor of the quarterly journal, The
She is a council Herbalist. Matthew Seal is a writer
An Antiviral member of the and freelance editor, and a former
Formula Association of director of the Society for Editors
This is a tasty mixture to and Proofreaders. Together
ward off viral infections. Julie and Matthew have
Make each part over written Hedgerow Medicine
next summer and (2008) and Kitchen
autumn when the Medicine (Sept-
plants are in season, ember 2010).
and then combine Contact them at:
them in roughly www.hedgerow
equal parts or to medicine.com
taste. Combining
tinctures and glycerites Resources
improves the flavour Hedgerow
of the final mixture. Medicine and
Combine elder- Kitchen Medicine
berry glycerite, St by Julie Bruton-Seal
John’s wort tincture, & Matthew Seal, both
lemon balm gly- £16.99 are available from
cerite or tincture www.green-shopping.co.uk
and rose or call us on 01730 823 311.
glycerite.
Selfheal Kitchen Medicine is
tincture can featured in the reviews
also be added © Julie Bruton-Seal section on page 71.

All photos © David Pagan-Butler
DIY Natural
David Butler
recounts the
experience of
creating
his own Swimming Pool
A
round ten years ago, my partner Alison and I were lucky enough
to buy an old derelict barn with two acres of land in Norfolk.
The barn is still to be fully renovated but we have been living
there in its half built state for the past four years. My energies have
been diverted to a far more exciting building project: three years ago
I started making our swimming pool.
Conceptual Beginnings
I have always thought that it must be possible to build a swimming
pool that doesn’t use chemicals to keep it clean. One summer, I
had seen our water butts either choked with blanket weed or turning
peagreen with other algae. Except for one: the neglected one with
couch grass growing in it. Pulling up the floating mat of grass revealed
stunningly clear water. I read a book on reedbed sewerage systems and
realised it was basically the same biology as my couch grass water butt
algae killer. Instead of reeds taking out the nutrients, it was couch
grass.
Surely it must also be possible to use other plants to clean a swimming
pool? Searching the web to confirm the originality of my concept
dashed all pretensions of genius. It had all been thought of before.
Peter Petrich had been making them, along with others, for twenty
years over in Austria and Germany. His company, Biotop, had made
hundreds of them.
I couldn’t afford to have a pool built professionally, so building it
myself was the only option. At that time, in 2007, there was very little
information available for self-build swimming ponds, so it was all
a bit of an experiment.
Swimming Pool Zones

The Natural Swimming Pool (or Swimming Pond) is divided into two
equal area zones: one zone for plants, the regeneration zone; and one
zone for swimming. The plants have only sand or gravel to grow in so
Above: their only chance of getting nutrients is to take it from the water. Then
The natural hopefully the algae, like blanket weed, have little left to feed on. The
swimming pool regeneration zone is separated from the swimming zone by a submerged
is enjoyed by the wall. This is to stop the plants colonising the whole pool.
whole family.
Planning & Digging
Left: I decided on a swimming area of 4.5 x 11.5m (15 x 38ft), about 2.2m
Removing a (7ft) deep, with a shallow 3m (10ft) wide regeneration zone all around
floating mat of it. I needed an area roughly 20 x 15m (66 x 49ft). I chose one corner
grass in a water of the field sheltered by a bramble filled bund. I was also able to align
butt reveals clear it north – south, forming a pleasant sun trap at the south side against
water below. the bund.
I hired a man with a digger for a few days and eventually I had
Below: a basic shape. My original intention was to build the wall from sandbags
Swimming area filled with sand and clay from the hole. But this was a disaster. When
defined by block- it rained the bags became squidgy, and started slithering and slumping
work wall. until the wall gently collapsed. I tried again, this time filling them with
clean sand. These were more stable but the sunlight started to turn the
synthetic sandbag material into something no harder than tissue paper.
They split and sand trickled out like 25 kilogram egg timers. The wall
was punctured with sandbag-sized empty husks and heaps of sand.
Building the Block Wall

I reluctantly had to start again, this time digging out some foundations for
a concrete block wall. I flung the sand from the sandbags into the mixer
to make the concrete for the foundation. After a week I had built a block
wall on the foundation, with solid 440 x 215 x 100mm (17 x 8.5 x 4in)
concrete blocks, five courses, to just over 1m (39in) high. The void
behind the wall was packed with sand and rammed with a tamper (a heavy
metal lump on the end of a broom handle), left to settle, and rammed
again over a period of weeks. This was to make sure the outward
pressure of the water was not going to push the wall over.

The land was free draining, containing some clay but mainly stony
and sandy. This meant I could lay the liner (with an underliner) on a layer
of building sand laid directly on the pool subsoil floor. If it had been a
waterlogged site then the floor would have had to be concreted to stop
ground water coming up and ‘floating’ the liner in a completed pool.
This concrete box approach is used by some professional installers,
as there is very little chance of it going wrong – but at a cost: a lot of
resources and a lot of cash, £50k to £60k for a natural swimming pool
is not uncommon.
Outside the swimming zone the pool floor was formed into a giant
basin shape and compacted with a petrol engine driven Wacker plate
from a local tool hire company.
Lining the Pool

My greatest expense was the pool liner. It was also one of the hardest
purchasing decisions. There is so much conflicting advice around,
a lot of it from manufacturers claiming superiority of their product.
Pond liners come in various thicknesses and materials. A thicker liner
is obviously stronger and more expensive but it is also heavier to
manipulate. I opted for 0.75mm EPDM from Flexible Lining
Products. Although I think this was more a random choice born from Above:
a frustration of indecision, it seems to hold water, however, so not a bad Laying out the
decision in the end. fleece under-
The liner was going to be buried in shingle contained in a 0.3m (1ft) lining. The
deep ditch around the perimeter of the pool, and formed into a curtain pieces were
drain. This keeps water run-off from the field from entering the pool joined together
and introducing nutrients, which would encourage algae. So, taking by heating the
this into account, I needed a liner 26 x 20m (85 x 66ft). It cost £2,300 edges with a
– the most expensive bit of plastic I have ever bought. blow lamp.
Underlining Right:
A fleece underliner, from the same supplier, was laid in strips over the Insulating
whole floor and walls of the pool. As part of some film research I was around the
doing, I had just been to see The Swimming Pond Company install block walling
a pond in Suffolk and I picked up a vital tip. The fleece underliner, before the 26m
supplied in a roll, is laid in strips. It needs to be stuck to the next strip (85ft), half ton
to form a blanket over the whole pool area. Strips can be bonded to roll of lining
each other with a blowlamp. A very quick sweep of the flame along was unrolled
the edge melts a few fibres, so pressing this onto the edge of the next into the pool.
sheet makes them stick together.
Below:
The Liner The liner finally
When the underliner was complete, the liner was brought next to unfolded into
the pond basin by a friendly farmer with a Teleporter (a tractor with place.
a large retractable hydraulic arm)
and placed onto a small scaffold
rig. The roll was suspended on a
scaffold pole threaded through
the cardboard former the supplier
had rolled the liner onto. Now
it could be pulled and unrolled
rather like a toilet roll, but bigger.
The liner was 485kg (1,069lb)
and it bent the scaffold pole.
Nonetheless, my partner and I
managed to roll it out.
A 26m (85ft), half ton snake
of liner folded like a concertina.
We ‘rippled’ it along, inch by inch,
with a fence post held between us
and under the folded liner using
a sort of peristaltic motion, rather
like the pump in a dialysis machine.
We then unfolded the liner and

wafted the edges up and down to get air under to help it ‘fly’ over the
whole area. I recommend you get as many friends as possible to help.
It still would have been hard work even if there were ten of us.
It was about this time when I spoke to Michael Littlewood and
he sent me his book, Natural Swimming Pools, A Guide for Building.1
It was great to have some real information at last.
I had made paper models of how the liner should be folded within
the shape of my pool. This was very helpful because I knew what shape
I was aiming for and where the big folds should come.
Overlining & Drainage

When the liner was in place and as many creases shuffled out of it as
possible, a fleece overliner was laid on top. On top of this sand bags
filled with a weak sand cement mix (10 parts sand, 1 cement) were
placed immediately above the concrete wall defining the swimming
zone. The wall was effectively continued up with more sandbags to
a height of around 400mm (16in). Each row of sandbags pushed back
about 25mm (1in) compared to the row below, making the wall lean
outwards against the ballast it has to retain.
Flexible drainage pipe was laid around the wall and then buried in
Above: shingle. The pipe terminated by emerging through the sandbag wall
Overliner in and into what would be the swimming area. This ultimately helps the
place and water circulate below the roots of the regeneration zone. If necessary,
planting areas a solar powered pump can be fitted but my pool water, so far, is perfectly
defined by tyre happy without any artificial circulation.
walls. I put a geotextile membrane over the shingle and covered it with
many tons of the stony sand that had been excavated from the hole
Left: to make the pool. This was all done by hand because machines would
Soil being added damage the various linings. Around the pool I put up a chestnut paling
to the planting fence. This is for safety; keeping children or visitors from straying near
areas. The the pool. It also helps as a windbreak while the newly planted bushes
swimming zone and trees are too small to contribute any resistance.
is separated off
by a low Filling the Pool Naturally
sandbag wall. Then it was just a matter of letting the pool fill with rainwater. I pumped
it from the water butts around the house as well. Even with this add-
Below: ition it still took about a year to fill up (over here in East Anglia we
The finished don’t get that much rain), but it was well worth waiting for. If I had
natural swim- used tap water the pool could have been more prone to algae problems.
ming pool. The This is because of the phosphorous that is added to mains water, which
planting zones is effectively a fertiliser. Having said this, commercial installers use
and swimming mains water, but their pools then rely on powerful circulation pumps,
zone are clearly and filters, including phosphorous filters to help remove the impurities
defined. in the water.
Costings
2,300 liner
700 underliner/over
1,000 diggers
500 shingle
400 block
200 cement
900 other stuff
£6,000 Total
DVD COMING SOON!

David Butler’s DIY Natural
Swimming Pools DVD is to
be published shortly by
Permanent Publications.
10 Permaculture Magazine No. 66 www.permaculture.co.uk

Planting Up
It was deeply satisfying eventually putting plants into the sand. I
had to select them to be ‘soft rooted’. I sought guidance from
Michael Littlewood’s book. And today, the iris and Ranunculus,
lilies and curly pondweed are all doing their job wonderfully. Most
of the pool and the bank I have just left for wild plants to colonise
and the sandy banks are now home to some beautiful tiny native
flowers, as well as my friend, couch grass, some of it growing below
the water line. And, so far, I have not needed to artificially pump the
water around at all. The plants and animals keep the water crystal
clear. Chemical free!
A Meeting of Minds
While I was building this pool, I made a film for BBC East ‘Inside Out’,
on natural swimming ponds, and I was privileged enough to meet
professional pool builders and Peter Petrich himself. As well as the Above:
interview and filming, I had the opportunity to discuss at length some This under-
of my non-conventional ideas on natural pools. I thought he would water picture
dismiss them, but instead, he was very supportive. It was heartening. demonstrates
I also spoke with Michael Littlewood. He, like me, also believed that the excellent
some commercial companies make their pools far more complicated water quality
than they need to be. achieved.
Natural Pool Benefits Right:

Building my own natural swimming pool has been my most rewarding Much of the
experiment. Three years in the making, the ecosystem is stabilising planting is
and the water is sparkling clear. Just like that couch grassed water beautiful as
butt. I even became fitter than I have ever been with all that digging. well as useful.
And those couple of years of hard work ripple away with every
splash of a bathing swallow, and each sight of a kingfisher hunting Below:
for water beetles. And, of course, there is the joy of swimming in Enjoying the
soft rainwater! Your skin feels soft and healthy and your eyes don’t pool.
sting with chlorine. One day I think we will look back and wonder
how we ever thought it was reasonable to let our children swim
in anything other than natural water
David Butler is the director of BBC East ‘Inside Out’ programme and
with his partner Alison and four children, Jasper, Theo, Felix and Otter
are enthusiastic newcomers to permaculture. They live in Norfolk in an
old barn with two acres and thirty chickens.
Resources
Before building a pond, seek planning advice from your local planning
authority on whether you need to apply for planning permission.
For excellent guides to creating ponds, see:
www.pondconservation.org.uk/advice/makeapond
Peter Petrich’s company website:

www.biotop-natural-pool.com
Where David sourced his liner:

www.flexibleliningshop.co.uk
The Swimming Pond Company:

www.theswimmingpondcompany.co.uk
1 Natural Swimming Pools: A Guide for Building by Michael

Littlewood, price £39.95 + p&p, is available from www.green-
shopping.co.uk or 01730 823 311.
Next Issue
My latest project: building a sauna, using a wood burner gas bottle
stove, so the pond comes alive in the winter as a plunge pool.
www.permaculture.co.uk No. 66 Permaculture Magazine 11

M
y experience of living in Serbia for seven years
tells me that we all need an outdoor kitchen.
O utdoor
At the moment mine consists only of a tripod,
a hanging enamel kotlich/cooking pot, a grill with three
chains to hang from the tripod and miscellaneous enamel
bowls and utensils. An outdoor kitchen can be anything
C ooking
from what I have described, in a corner of the terrace, to
a covered area, with maybe two walled sides to keep out
the prevailing wind and rain, maybe a partial roof covering,
sink with running water, work surfaces and chimney. I can’t
wait to have my own place so I can really make a decent
in
outdoor kitchen!
The kotlich is a double dipped enamel cooking pot with
W inter !
an attractive grey and white easy to clean enamel inside.
I never clean the outside and my kotlich lives in a bag ready
for any adventure. Cooking with a kotlich is really straight-
forward and can be as sophisticated or as simple as you wish.
Trish’s Tips
◗ Keep a good supply of wood.
◗ Make sure there is some liquid or oil in the kotlich

when you hang it over the fire, and start slowly. It is Trish MacCurrach
easier to build up the fire than damp it down.
extols the virtues of
◗ Use more liquid in a stew than you would normally; cooking alfresco,
the kotlich cooks by reduction. Once it is boiling, a
meat stew will take about 1 hour and 20 minutes to even in the
cook, vegetables much less. depths of winter
◗ Keep an eye on your cooking and stir regularly.
Don’t let it get dry.
◗ To clean, refill kotlich with water, hang over the fire By October, apart from a few leeks, some sprouts and
for 5-10 minutes and wipe clean. Don’t use brillo kale, my small plot is looking a bit sad. Pride of place
unless you have a burning episode. still are pumpkins and gourds. I grow types with firm,
dry and sweet flesh that are excellent for making soups,
If you have any windfalls or surplus fruit stored in your pumpkin pie and chutney, or delicious just roasted.
deep freeze get it out, light a fire and get preserving outside. Each plant has many fruiting bodies, maybe five or six
The kotlich is perfect for jam making not least because each! They take up a lot of room but can be trained and
you keep all that sticky mess out of the kitchen! Use all tied up, or maybe simpler, just planted in a big space
your favourite recipes but just do it outside for a change. and left alone.
Above: Kotlich cooking in

the snow.
Left: Author Trish

MacCurrach cooking at her
simple outdoor kitchen.
Right: Preparing to make

pumpkin soup.
Far right: Welsh lamb

hotpot just waiting for the
dumplings to be added.

W elsh L amb H otpot
There are many locals supplying Welsh lamb near us,
and nothing can beat it. At this time of the year we want
to make the most of what is in the vegetable plot,
mostly onions, roots, brassica and squash. So here is a
recipe for Welsh Lamb Hotpot with dumplings, using
seasonal vegetables.
For an 8l kotlich, roughly:

Garlic
2 onions
1 swede/gourd
2-3 carrots
2 leeks/celery stalks/cabbage/chunks of marrow
400g (14oz) chopped lamb
Stock, and maybe beer or cider to fill kotlich
Tinned tomatoes, optional
2 tbs sweet paprika
Chilli to taste
Sour cream and chopped mixed herbs to garnish
Gather whatever you have in your veg patch. At least three

types taken from the list above. A simple measurement is to
start with the kotlich approximately half full of solid ing-
redients – veg and meat – then fill to the top with stock/liquid.
Chop the onions and garlic into small pieces, throw
them into some oil, then simmer while stirring (until
browned) over a small fire.
Add diced lamb, stir in, browning quickly, then add
stock, tinned tomatoes (optional) and bring to the boil.
Allow to boil for ½ hour then add large chunks of potato.
After another ½ hour add your finely cubed vegetables,
and the beer or cider.
All photos © Trish MacCurrach When the meat is nearly cooked (approximately 1½ hours)
add 2-3 tablespoons of red powdered sweet paprika. The
P umpkin S oup potatoes will by now be letting out starch as you stir, which,
A creamy smoky-tasting soup, for chilly days outside. plus the sweet paprika, will thicken the hot pot.
Season with salt and pepper and chilli if you like it peppery.
60g (2oz) butter Serve with sour cream stirred into each portion and
6 rashers smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs.
0.9kg (2lb) pumpkin, cut into chunks The dumpling recipe is on the side of the suet pack.
3 medium potatoes, cut into chunks Last time I mixed chilli into my dumpling mixture to
3 large tomatoes, skinned great effect. They should be added to the pot about
1l (2pt) water or more 45 minutes before the end.
Salt and pepper
A little milk if necessary
3 large tablespoons of double cream
A handful of chopped fresh herbs, to garnish
The quantities can be doubled. Always make sure the

potatoes and pumpkin are well covered with liquid.
Fry the finely chopped bacon in the butter gently.
Throw in the chopped pumpkin, potatoes and skinned
tomatoes, (tinned tomatoes can be used instead), cover
with the liquid and boil until well done.
Whiz up, put over the fire again to reheat, add milk if
necessary and finally the cream. Serve piping hot with
herbs and fresh bread.
A delicious alternative is to leave out the bacon and
instead fry up onions and curry spices. Sprinkle with
coriander before serving.

Left & right: Beautiful
sweet fudge. Making it
outdoors over an open fire
minimises clearing up.
Centre right: Some of the

ingredients for making
chai. It makes a pleasant,
warming winter drink
which can be enjoyed by
all ages.
Far right: A seasonal

occupation for the hardy
– making marmalade in
the snow.
A Sweet Treat So here is a chai recipe which is great for an outdoor

I have tried something new and sweet in the kotlich, great winter evening event with friends. I drank it first at a
to make for presents on a warm autumnal day – fudge. small festival in Devon and fell for it. It may be easier just
It is quite painstaking and you need to manage the fire to make mulled wine or cider but this is a little different
well to prevent burning. However, I was able to make and the children can drink it too. There are loads of chai
quite a large amount in a much shorter time than I would recipes on the internet and they all include a mixture of
have done inside on the cooker. It was amazing how little the same ingredients in differing amounts. Very much
clearing up I had to do afterwards. No sticky surfaces or a case of adapting to taste.
saucepans to clean.
C hai
F udge Tea of your choice
You will need: Cardamom pods, crushed a little
0.9kg (2lb) brown sugar Cloves
0.3l (½pt) milk Cinnamon stick
110g (¼lb) butter Fresh root ginger, sliced
3 tbs powdered chocolate (optional) Black peppercorns
Vanilla essence Bay leaves
Vanilla bean, cut up
Soak the sugar in the milk for an hour. Nutmeg
Melt the sugar in the milk over the fire, slowly. Kotlich ¾ full of water
Add butter and bring to the boil, stir regularly and Honey or brown sugar to taste
twizzle kotlich to prevent burning. Adjust height.
Heat for 10-15 minutes to reach ‘boiling point’, try Try mixing a small amount first with a little of each spice
not to splash mixture up the sides of the pot. in your favourite tea, in a small pan. When you decide
The sides will start to crystallize and the centre will which flavour you like predominantly then reproduce
sink, test by dropping into a bowl of cold water. It should it in your kotlich for greater numbers. Vanilla is very
form a soft ball when you handle it. expensive so you might decide to leave that out!
When ready, take off the fire and leave to stand for a Simmer for at least 15 minutes then raise the kotlich so
few minutes. it is just keeping warm and serve. However, I’m sure it
Add two drops of vanilla essence and beat with a wooden does not matter if it simmers for a little longer.
spoon or hand whisk. Mixture will become creamy and
start to set. M armalade
Quickly pour into a buttered tin and leave to cool. It does We will always remember our first year in Herefordshire
not need the fridge. as the year of the big snow, when we made our marmalade
In two hours it will be set and you can cut it into squares. outside. I did chop and prepare the Seville oranges inside
It will keep for several weeks in a sealed jam jar. Ours and sterilised the jars in my oven – but apart from that,
usually gets eaten or given away within the week. we sat in the sun stirring the marmalade and waiting for
setting point to be reached. We were in our thickest winter
Winter Warmer woollies, drinking coffee and feeling exhilarated. Choose any
There are many opportunities to celebrate outside in autumn of your favourite marmalade recipes but for a change add
and winter. We all love Harvest Festival, and children some chopped fresh root ginger or some grapefruit skins.
enjoy Bonfire Night – in fact they love any chance to go
outside after dark, look at the stars and hear the noises of Cooking outside regularly throughout the winter might
the night. Don’t forget Christmas Day and Boxing Day. be a challenge. However, if you choose simple things to

cook, always have a supply of suitable wood and are well for the kotlich, new places to take it to cook, and developing
organised, then you will not only save money by cooking the Outdoor Kitchen brand. Trish demonstrates ‘Kotlich
off-grid but will give your family a different perspective on Cooking’ and has even been a ‘cafe’ at a small green festival.
life, a sense of resilience and adventure
Resources
Trish became an avid outdoor cook while working in Serbia Cool Camping Cookbook by Tom Tuke-Hastings &
for several years where cooking on a kotlich is a common Jonathan Knight, price £12.95*
sight. She recently moved to Herefordshire with her husband,
who is a forester, where they live in rented accommodation Serbian Kotlichs, Tripods & Grills – individual items and
and have a small veg patch. “For me Kotlich cooking sets from £29.95 to £89.95*
combines several key elements. Being outside, growing,
preparing really fresh food and using less energy.” Trish * Available from www.green-shopping.co.uk or call us
spends much of her time thinking up new vegetable recipes on 01730 823 311.

germinate in the greenhouse. The
germination rate was fantastic
compared to what I was used to.
© China
Once they were growing well I
Wind/S
wheeled them out into the garden.
hutters
tock
The crop was amazing for such a small
Permaculture Magazine Readers’ Solutions area, with plentiful thinnings and then
large carrots, often up to eight ounces
each, with no sign of carrot fly.
EASY FREE COLD FRAMES the bees to do their thing. When the
Place two 6 x 2in (150 x 50mm) green buds show I can close it and
boards cut to the size of the window, open the window. The screen keeps
front and back. On the back board out the slugs and also keeps the robins
add a 4 x 2 (100 x 50mm) or from their share of the bounty.
another 6 x 2 if depending on the Rick Brannan, Bainbridge Island, USA
pitch you want. Nail them together
with a short 4 x 2 on each end. Next SHOPPING FOR CARROTS?!
nail on 6 x 2 end pieces flush with I have tried unsuccessfully to grow
the ground. To get the angled piece, carrots for many years. I have
just set a 4 x 2 on the ends and draw struggled with germination at 900
or snap a line, cut and nail in place. feet in Cumbria when the last frosts
Next build a 4 x 2 frame for the are often into June. I have also tried
window to sit in and attach it to the many approaches to trick the pesky
base with hinges. I used salvaged carrot fly to no avail. However,
hinges from an old door. They’re finding an abandoned shopping
made of heavy brass, can be sepa- trolley got me thinking: knowing
rated easily by removing the door that carrot fly cannot fly higher than We enjoyed a very dry couple of
pin (making the cold frame easier to about two feet and a shopping months at the beginning of summer
transport in two sections) and they trolley’s base is about that height, followed by the usual Cumbrian
were free. maybe it held the answer. monsoon after mid-July. I feel this
The slider works well at maintaining I lined the sides with post-election method of growing is very suited to
the temperature because I can slide it campaign billboards and used a our northern British climate and is
open to control the heat build-up on permeable lining taken from my definitely one I shall be using again.
sunny days. Strawberries are perma- children’s old sandpit for the bottom. Next year I shall be experimenting
nent residents with enough room left I filled it with a mix of three parts with different soil/sand mixes. My only
for tomato, cucumber and other sand to four parts compost to three disappointment in this year’s plan was
tender starts. When the strawberries parts garden soil. After sowing the not being able to wheel it around to
bloom I prop the top open to allow seeds in the trolley I set them off to my neighbour’s to water when I
went on holiday as it was so heavy!
Maybe I should try replacing the
wheels with larger ones...
Jane Corrie, Cumbria
FREE BOOKS
Every contributor published on our
next Solutions page will receive a
FREE copy of one of the following:
Roundwood Timber Framing

or
Meat
Please send your solution/s,
stating your book preference, to:
PERMACULTURE MAGAZINE
The Sustainability Centre, East Meon,
Hampshire GU32 1HR, U.K.
Email: editorial@permaculture.co.uk

PRODUCT
Reviews
Power Struggles energy bulb has an output equivalent Top left: My studio lit by the Solar
It’s October, cloudy and raining, so why to a 45W mains one but it seems a lot Mate1 kit. The solar panel is just
am I outside testing solar products? brighter than that when surrounded by visible at bottom right of the window.
Well, to see if they are really viable to darkness (see above). The makers claim
use in winter. I have got three prod- you can enjoy up to 7 hours light every Below: PowerPlus Eco-powerstation
ucts out here in the rain with me, a night and while I am a bit sceptical about and Albatross solar panel.
that, it certainly does charge well even in
low light conditions and should be able
to provide enough light to do routine
tasks every evening. If you need more
than this there are bigger SolarMate
kits (see www.green-shopping.co.uk).
Being based on a leisure battery these kits
can of course provide many hours of light
or power as a one off in an emergency.
With winter power cuts in mind, I
tried using the solar charged battery as an
emergency power source. By attaching
a 300W mains inverter (www.maplin.
co.uk), I was able to get my combi-boiler
gas central heating to run. I estimate
that with the heat turned right up and
the boiler fired up in bursts of an hour
or so as required I could keep warm
for a couple of days with a bit of solar
Solar Mate 1 off grid lighting kit, charging in between (Note: do not try
a PowerPlus Eco-powerstation and a this unless you are confident about all
PowerPlus Albatross solar panel. the safety aspects involved). Alternatively
The Solar Mate 1 consist of a 5W rigid it would for instance, power a low energy
solar panel, a 9W 12volt long life bulb, lamp, laptop computer and modem for
bulb holder, wall switch, cables fuses, many hours.
etc. Everything you need to set up a Another way of providing emergency
mini off grid lighting system in a stable, backup and general portable power is
shed or polytunnel, except a 35 -70Ah, the PowerPlus Eco-powerstation (also
12volt leisure battery (I got mine from called an Elephant) which is a neat unit
www.alpha-batteries.co.uk). that resembles one of those jump-start
The system is easy to rig up, though kits garages use. Indeed it can be used to
I would have liked a bit more wire, and do this if required. There is a lot more
the resulting light is very good. The low to this unit than that though, it has a
14000 LUX led flashlight, and from its
Above: Solar Mate 1’s solar panel charg- Above: Solar charged battery and 300W 12Ah battery can output 12V, 5V USB,
ing well despite the inclement weather. inverter running my 135W combi-boiler. and 230V AC via a built-in 100w mains

inverter. It can be charged via a mains in my opinion a nicer display, a two
adapter, a 12V power supply, its hand year memory and user friendly software.
cranked dynamo or by a suitable solar It’s down to personal choice.
panel like the PowerPlus Albatross.
The Albatross flexible solar panel Old Favourites & New Ones Too
had no trouble charging it despite the I now own three of the Helle sheath knife
awful weather and the rather loose range so I think it’s fair to say I like them.
adaptor supplied for the purpose. In The latest, the Helle Eggen, has the same
tests it was quite amazing to see an tri-steel super sharp blade as the others
11W mains uplighter running from but has a curly birch handle that just fits
this portable powerpack and had it the hand so well, that I had to have one.
been a real powercut would have been It didn’t really need testing but I used
very comforting (it should be able to Above: Owl CM160 (left) and Current it to make kindling to test the wood burn-
keep this up for 6-7 hours). As well as Cost’s Envi (right), go head to head. ing capability of a Honey Stove. This is a
lights it can power a wide range of mains hexagonal back-packing stove made of
appliances providing they pull less than Since trying an AlertMe (www.alertme. stainless steel which packs flat into an
100 watts (unfortunately this rules out com), however, which has no display but incredibly thin wallet. It can be fired by
the gas central heating trick) and charge feeds data directly into the internet most cooking fuels from hexamine tablets
your mobile phone etc., via the USB. so you can view realtime and historical to a gas burner but its real claim to fame
Talking of phones, if your house phone data via Google Powermeter, I realised is its ability to work as a woodburner.
relies on electricity to work, it won’t in what was needed was a monitor which Having tried several small wood-
a power cut but the Eco-powerstation had the attributes of both. So I was burning devices over the years I was
could resolve that. intrigued to try the Current Cost Envi very doubtful this would work. Boy,
These two products were never monitor which not only displays current was I wrong! This little stove lit easily
intended to compete but the Power usage but, via a USB cable, can down- and then really went for it boiling my
Plus is a portable unit (you could even load data to a computer, which if internet soup before I even had time to stir it
carry it around to keep your portable connected, can be displayed in Google. properly. It’s just amazing, it didn’t
tool batteries charged up or take it The best of both worlds has arrived. scorch the log I stood it on and when
camping), has more charging methods Then, with just days to spare before cool, packed away into my pan set. It
and is also an ideal stand-by unit for this went to press, Owl announce the will certainly get a lot more use in the
powercuts, etc. The SolarMate is a fixed Owl CM160 which also has a USB future. An instant favourite product.
unit which should provide useful light port for data download. They sent me Another favourite which has been
on a day to day basis. It does however one and I set it up beside the Envi and re-released is Burgon & Ball’s Potting
use a much larger battery which could plugged them both into my netbook. Scoop. It has all the old functions; a
usefully be borrowed in the event of Surprisingly this worked and I could curved pointed nose for digging, a scoop
a power outage. display both sets of data side by side. shape for carrying soil, serrated edges
Envi was displayed via Google while for cutting roots etc., and seed dispens-
More Power Struggles the Owl’s data was displayed via its ing notches, only the size has changed
I am still convinced that one of the best own windows software which came with slightly. This hand tool is a must have
ways to save electrical energy in the home it on a CD. Both units work well and item for any gardener whether they own
is by being able to see how much you are have only minor pros and cons. I like just a couple of pots or a couple of acres.
using. If you regularly read this column the Envi’s porting to Google, the mains Indispensable.
you will know my favourite monitor is adaptor for the display and the seven
the Owl. It has an easy to read display year battery life of the sender unit. On John Adams
which my whole family take notice of. the other hand the Owl is cheaper, has http://tiny.cc/pmreviews
Above: A joy to use, the Helle Eggen knife. Above: The incredible Honey Stove. Above: Burgon & Ball’s Potting Scoop.

Education for a Handmade
Future
T
he Sustainability Centre was a was to become an educational charity,
project inspired by Agenda 21 The Earthworks Trust.
in the early 1990s. A redund- When Tim and I visited the site in
ant Naval Base on top of the South the mid ’90s, conventional foresters
Downs was to become an ‘executive’ told us that this neglected squirrel
housing estate with the remaining and deer damaged plantation was
one third of the site – 52 acres of worthless. Ordinarily it would be
neglected plantation – gifted to what clear felled, but to retain ‘amenity
value’ the Trust was advised it should
Top: The woodland classroom has fell and replant in blocks. Something
© Tim Harland
a naturally inviting quality. in my heart sank at the thought

Left: Dipped roof on the north end. of a woodland being so worthless.

© Tim Harland
regenerating as the softwoods are

felled. I was still, however, yearning
for something more to express the
creativity and innovation of good
permaculture design. I wanted a
Ben Law building.
In 2008, a local charity approached
the centre with an offer of funding © Penny Rose
linked to our educational programme.

Mary Lewis, the manager of the
Centre, immediately suggested an
outdoor classroom. We have a Top: The sloping site makes the struc-
successful educational programme ture appear to float above the ground.
and were desperately short of space. Above: Builder Ben Law.
It seemed natural to contact Ben and
ask for his input. He quickly came
up with a design that would use the
Maddy Harland timber on the site – mainly Lawson
explores the stunning cypress (called Port Orford cedar
in the USA) and Douglas fir – and
new Woodland would sit in the woods, opening out
into the woodland. The roof was to
Classroom be curved like the hull of a ship and
© Penny Rose
built by Ben Law the north end was to have a cordwood

wall with a cob fireplace.
© Tim Harland
Drawings were made and planning
was applied for. Because the classroom Above: Cordwood and cob wall,
is open-sided its woodland site wasn’t earthen floor and Rumsford fireplace.
I was sure Ben Law would see more a ‘development’ issue and building Below: Looking up from inside.
here than just firewood and wood- regulations were a little more relaxed.
chip for a biomass boiler. Ben came and taught an ONC
Over the years a biomass boiler was (Open College Network) course on
indeed installed to heat the Centre’s woodland management and identified
buildings and wood is harvested for the trees required for the building as
it. Another part of the site has become part of the training. They were felled
a popular and well run woodland from within 200 metres of the build
burial site. Children play and learn in site and then we waited until May
the woods, and owls nest there too. this year for the Roundwood Timber
© Tim Harland
New trees are being planted and Framers and four apprentices to arrive
orchids and other flora are naturally and start the build.

In the meantime, Ben finished his be substituted for many components always my dream to have one of
latest book with us, Roundwood Timber of a building usually reserved for oak. Ben’s buildings at the Sustainability
Framing, whilst we raised the funds Ben and his roundwood timber Centre, but what is more heart-
to make a professionally produced, framers trained apprentices during warming is to see the reactions of
step-by-step film (see box below) the build and volunteers helped our numerous visitors, young and
about this building method, using the make the cordwood and cob wall old, from all walks of life. They too
construction of the classroom as the and earthen floor that surround the are captured by its magic. It gives me
main example. Stacking function in energy efficient Count Rumsford hope for a handmade future
true permaculture design style! fireplace. Training local people to
The build was finished in late July build from local materials is important Ben Law is a woodsman and round-
2010 – just three months after it was to Ben. He doesn’t want to win work wood timber framer. He runs a variety
started – on time and on budget. It is outside his bioregion and needs more of courses and open days. For more
extraordinary. Ben turned forestry on roundwood framers. Since finishing, information see: www.ben-law.co.uk
its head by using our slow growing, one apprentice has emigrated to
light-deprived softwoods and crafting timber frame build in Canada, another Ben’s new book, Roundwood Timber
them in the round. His design combines has returned home to Greece and Framing, and DVD of the same title
old traditions with new technologies a third set up a roundwood timber are now available (see box below).
and ideas, building from timber framing business in Dorset. Ben is also author of The Woodland
produced as locally as possible – and Roundwood timber framing itself Year, The Woodland House and The
eschewing concrete foundations, is becoming a new vernacular in Woodland Way.
cement, steel pins and skips to take architecture and is as low impact and
the rubbish away at the end of the ecological as you can get. This is All the above are available from
process. The classroom itself has a permaculture design at its best: Green Shopping. Order online at:
Lawson cypress frame that sits on intelligent, ecologically sustainable www.green-shopping.co.uk or by
pits of scalpings capped by reclaimed and involving the local community. phone on: 01730 823 311.
York padstones. The floor joists are It is also fluid, adapting design to
Douglas fir and roof shingles and local trees and materials, and looks Further information about the
floor boards are locally sourced ahead to our needs and resources in Sustainability Centre:
western red cedar – another locally the future. It is ultimately beautiful, www.sustainability-centre.org
abundant and durable wood that can making our hearts sing. It was 01730 823 166
Roundwood Timber Framing

The NEW Book & DVD
ROUNDWOOD TIMBER FRAMING BOOK
This definitive manual marks the birth of a new vernacular for the 21st century. Over 400
colour photographs and step-by-step instructions guide you through the building of
anything from a garden shed to your own woodland house. This practical ‘how to’ book
will unquestionably be a benchmark for sustainable building using renewable local resources
and evolving traditional skills to create durable, ecological and beautiful buildings.
ISBN 978 1 85623 041 1 Hardback 168 pages £19.95
ROUNDWOOD TIMBER FRAMING DVD

This DVD perfectly accompanies the book. Ben presents the step-
by-step design and build process for a locally sourced beautiful roundwood timber framed
building, as well as showing other examples of builds including houses, a shop and a small
outhouse. Also includes guidance for the creation of cordwood walls and rammed earth floors.
Highly informative and inspiring. ISBN 978 1 85623 057 5 60 minutes PAL Region 0 £19.95
“Arguably Britain’s greatest living woodsman.”

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Order today either online at
“Ben Law is a national treasure!” www.green-shopping.co.uk
Felix Dennis or call 01730 823 311

A
Wolf
in
Dog’s
Clothing
© Rebecca Hoskins & Tim Green
Rebecca Hosking and Tim Green, makers of the highly respected

‘A Farm For The Future’ film screened on BBC2 in 2009,
turn their attention to the health of our
domesticated dog population.
S
o much of permaculture design is about recognising the social organisations, trade networks, politics... The applications
obvious, but in our muddled up world of advertising, are endless. Yet as we sat by our computers researching, theorising
self-delusion and false promises, this is, bizarrely, and designing, our new best friend, a border collie, lay at our
seldom obvious. A wake-up call is usually required. Being feet somehow immune to our new found common sense.
from farming stock, ours was the sudden realisation of
the madness of fossil fuel dependent agriculture and the Above: Young Dave learning
rapidly approaching limits to growth. Our search for to herd. The sheep recognise
solutions led us to discover holistic farming and then took him as a type of wolf, so why
us to permaculture. don’t we?
With our newly discovered permacultural mindset, we’d
sit and apply the rules of ecology and natural systems to
© Tim Harland
increasingly broad subjects; the ecology of the forest and veg Right: Tim Green and
patch could apply to an entire farm, the whole of agriculture, Rebecca Hoskins.

The Rules of the Wild A Healthy Diet
It was clear to us that our herd of cattle were really a herd of We all live busy lives, so understandably we delegate the
oddly patterned wild ox and our hedge-lined fields were open responsibility of devising a healthy diet for our animals to
scrub woodland arranged roughly into rectangles. So why the specialists. As most of us are on a budget, this means we
couldn’t we see that our young collie, Dave, was just a wolf trust the pet food manufacturers with their teams of scientists
in dog’s clothing? and the global purchasing power to source nothing but the
Every breed of dog from a Pekinese to a Great Dane is a best ingredients to formulate the perfect balanced diet for ‘all
domesticated strain of grey wolf. They may differ dramatically your pet’s needs’.
in appearance but inside they are still wolves and the rules However, your pet’s health is no more the principal concern
of the pack still apply. In the wild, wolves live in the way that of the big pet food manufacturers than human health is the
suits them best and we should never fall into the trap of main concern of a chain of burger bars. Make it cheap, sell
thinking that a life with us primates is an improvement. lots, make a profit... This isn’t a conspiracy theory, it’s the
We are merely a less-than-perfect substitute for the pack. prevailing business model.
When we take on the responsibility of being a pet owner we Like the majority of pet owners, we trusted the pet food
take on all the responsibilities of the pack leader and, for people and the ‘wholesome meaty goodness’ of our dog’s food...
the well-being of our dogs, we should strive to reproduce until he got sick. Poor Dave’s problems were serious and
(as best we can) everything a wild pack provides. complicated. At only 11 months old he began having huge life-
The absolute essentials are love, shelter, exercise, water, threatening seizures. Dogs can have seizures for many reasons,
discipline and healthy food. Every good pet owner provides so we set about trying to identify the cause and started on a
the first five without a second thought. Getting the sixth journey of discovery that went far beyond canine epilepsy.
one right, however, requires considerably more than a We knew that dogs could have health problems but we were
second thought. in no way prepared for the sheer range and ubiquity of canine
illness. Dogs everywhere, it seems, have diseases of the joints,
bones, heart, liver, kidney, immune system, eyes, ears, skin,
teeth, gums, digestive system, nervous system; not to mention
cancers and behavioural disorders. These conditions are not
limited to aging dogs or those inbred for the showroom; sturdy
mongrels and young pups are suffering as well.
Does What It Says On The Tin?!

We began asking whether this had anything to do with the
commercial food we are now feeding our pets. I set about
deciphering words like ‘extracts of vegetable origin’, ‘meat
derivatives’ and ‘oils’ on a kibble packet and, after a few hours
of code breaking, I had a list of ingredients in plain English.
We’d been feeding Dave a cocktail of low-grade cereal
grains, miller’s chaff scraped off the mill floor, woodchip,
and diseased meat mixed with the old fat from restaurant fryers,
all preserved with powerful anti-oxidants (banned in the UK
for human consumption) proven to cause cancer, liver failure
and neurological damage amongst other ailments. This wasn’t
some bargain basement food either; this had Her Majesty’s
Royal Seal stamped on the packet!
Euthanised Snacks – North America-Style

In North America ‘mammalian meat and bone meal’ – a key
animal component in pet food – is known to contain the ground
up remains of euthanised cats and dogs – collars, name tags,
microchips and all – horrific!
We couldn’t say if this junk food diet was the cause of Dave’s
illness but it most certainly wasn’t helping. So what to do? The
first reaction is to search around for a better brand of food.
80% of the world’s pet foods are manufactured by just four
companies – Mars, Nestle, Proctor & Gamble and Colgate-
© Pyshnyy Maxim Vjacheslavovich/Shutterstock
Palmolive – so you can be

Left: The natural diet for fairly sure that most brands
a wolf is raw meat. To are much of a muchness.
maintain health, they will There are a few independent
eat almost all of a kill companies left that make a
including bone, skin and better pet food but this is still
the internal organs. processed food.

The Natural Diet (paunches frozen separately) and had a stack of frozen meaty
We were determined to finally apply the rigours of ecological lamb bones courtesy of the local organic butcher. Then finally
thinking to our dog’s diet and bring it as close to a wild-type – and this isn’t for the faint hearted – we’d occasionally pop
diet as we could manage. The glaringly obvious clues are in a down the local slaughterhouse and pick up a couple of complete
dog’s physiology and anatomy. A dog’s carnassial teeth are one sheep paunches that the slaughterman was more than happy
of its defining features; these have evolved over countless to part with. We cut up the stomachs into meal size portions
millennia to shear raw meat off the bone and crush them into and froze them in pots with some of the lovely grassy gravy
digestible chunks. from inside. This is known as green tripe and really is magic
It has a thick muscular gut to protect itself from bone food for dogs; you’ll be pleased to know it is also available
shards, and very strong stomach acid to dissolve bone and commercially, pre-frozen. The only things we ended up paying
destroy the pathogens found on scavenged meat (as well as for were additional rabbits from a local shooter and a few
antiseptic saliva). Dogs can manufacture their own vitamin C, lamb hearts, livers and kidneys from the butcher.
which is deficient in a pure meat diet and their whole digestive
system extracts energy from animal protein not carbohydrates. The Effect
Unlike you, your dog is very much a carnivore. So did this diet cure Dave? No, sadly it didn’t. Dave’s
The observation of wild canine behaviour is the other great condition was progressive and we simply ran out of time.
source of information on how to feed our domestic friends. That’s not to say the dietary change was a failure, far from it.
For instance, you don’t see wild dogs cooking their food. The In the three months we had Dave on a wild-type diet we
simple act of cooking meat tends to destroy much of its saw some remarkable improvements in his overall health
nutritional value. Obviously we’re not suggesting this is why and condition.
wolves don’t have barbecues, merely that the way pet food is Within days his rather manic behaviour had stabilized
produced is totally at odds with their evolutionary history and and he became a much more obedient, attentive dog.
dietary requirements.
After a pack has made a kill, the first thing they eat is the
stomach. This is a very important component of the diet as
the stomach of a herbivore contains large amounts of partially
digested vegetable matter along with a host of digestive
enzymes a carnivore cannot produce itself.
Plant matter is very rich in various vitamins and minerals
but members of the dog family are unable to digest them in
their natural state. The herbivores’ gut does the work for them
but also breaks down phytic acid which is found in most
vegetable matter and which dogs and other carnivores are
unable to digest. Phytic acid is referred to as an anti-nutrient
and actually binds with essential vitamins and minerals in a
dog’s stomach and prevents them being absorbed. As an aside,
the heaviest source of phytic acid is cereal grains and soya
which both make up the bulk of commercial dog food.
Replicating the ‘Wild Diet’

What to do with all this information is not as easy as you may
think. We can’t send our dogs out to kill a deer and feast
on what they want so we have to compromise somewhere.
Effectively replicating a wild diet is a task not to be taken
lightly and I urge you to exhaustively research the options
yourself before you start. The most useful resources we found
to guide us are listed at the bottom of this article.
Living on a farm, we had access to a fair few rabbits, so
for us that was a good place to start. As far as we could tell
a small whole raw rabbit contained just about everything
Dave needed in all the right proportions: guts, pre-digested
vegetable matter, fur, bones, muscle tissue, organ meat,
all perfectly balanced for a small carnivore. Feeding time
was suddenly enjoyable and the entire bunny was demolished.
Occasionally we’d throw him
a reasonably fresh road-kill Right: Dave finishes off the
pheasant, which went the remains of a fresh road-kill

same way as the rabbits. pheasant. These along with
Even on a farm rabbits aren’t rabbits, green tripe, hearts,
always available so we’d fill livers and kidneys formed
the freezer when we could the basis of his new diet.

This page:
(inset) Sick Dave – after a seizure he would lose his
memory and would sit like this for days.
(main) Dave after changing his diet – two days after a

seizure – memory back and full of life.

Also within days his coat became super glossy and he
completely lost that dog smell we assumed was normal. His
teeth became pearly white and any signs of gum disease and
bad breath disappeared. This is actually very important as
tooth and gum problems are the single commonest disease in
domestic dogs and are the precursors to a whole host of
secondary ailments and untimely deaths. The reason his dental
condition improved so drastically was the chewing of tough
raw meat, bones and fur. These are nature’s toothbrushes
for wolves and wild dogs.
Other things we noted were that his mild skin allergies
cleared up after a week, his eyes became brighter, gums became
noticeably darker (indicating possible anaemia before) and,
for those of you interested in such things, his poos were
transformed into small, hard pellets with next to no odour
and absolutely no affinity for the soles of your shoes. For
a while, even the severity of his seizures was reduced and Weaning Your Dog
he recovered from them in hours rather than days.
Off Commercially
With all the vet bills for tests, medications and emergency
treatments, our dear little Dave was as costly as a short Produced Food
university course, but what he taught us was priceless. We
may have lost him but every dog we have from now on will If you decide to wean your dog off commercial
be much happier and healthier as a result; and if you can apply food there are some very important things to
the same detailed thinking to your pets as you do now for your remember:
permaculture garden, then so will yours
1. Do your research – there is a minefield of
After retiring from full-time film-making Tim and Rebecca information out there, some good, some bad.
have quietly continued to live and work on their family farm. Triple read, double check and cross reference
By studying the rules of nature around them, rediscovering everything. You are the one ultimately responsible
some of the lost arts of farming and experimenting with and this is the welfare of your best friend we’re
the latest advances in ecological agriculture it is their aim talking about. If you’re not certain then consult
to create a resilient farm that is both ecologically and a holistic vet or canine nutritionist.
economically sustainable. They both fully admit it is a
lifetime’s work. As an aside and hopefully a happy ending, 2. Beware the human food chain – your dog
they have a new working border collie puppy on the way can deal with a lot of bacteria that would be
– he will be called Wilf. Tim and Rebecca will be travelling harmful to us, but our industrial meat chain
up-country to collect Wilf at the end of October. can culture pathogens dangerous to your dog.
Select meats and bone wisely and know where
Resources they come from.
www.ukrmb.co.uk 3. Never feed your dog cooked bones; they could

Invaluable yahoo forum for fledgeling raw feeders splinter and rupture the gut.
www.dogfoodproject.com 4. Avoid bones with sawn sharp edges. Bones
www.rawmeatybones.com broken at the joints are much safer.
www.dogtorj.com 5. Don’t feed ‘bite-size’ bits of bone or carcass,

inset © Redphotographer/Shutterstock background © Daniel Korzeniewski/Shutterstock
these could be a choking hazard. As a rule of

www.rawfeed.com thumb go for something the size of your
dog’s head.
www.ukrmb.co.uk
www.truecarnivores.com/greentripe.shtml 6. Don’t rush it – your pet may have been on junk

food for a while and a change to a healthier diet
The Complete Herbal Book for the Dog by Juliette De Bairacli could come as a bit of a shock to their system.
Levy; second-hand copies available from Amazon in variable Make the changes gradually.
condition, from £4.67 - £25.00.
7. Do even more research – the Resources at the
The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog & Cat by end of this article were a great help to us (be sure
Juliette De Bairacli Levy; second-hand copies available from to study the FAQs).
Amazon in variable condition, from £8.45 - £27.99.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES
at Permaculture Magazine
Accounts
Manager
& Admin/Sales Assistant
Accounts Manager Full Time Post £19,000 pa

An exciting opportunity to join award winning green publisher,
Permanent Publications, publishers of Permaculture Magazine, an
international book list plus our e-commerce site www.green-
shopping.co.uk. The ideal candidate will have experience of sales
and purchase ledgers, credit control, bank reconciliations, month
end VAT returns, customer service plus general office skills.
Attention to detail and a working knowledge of Sage Accounting
required. Flexibility, good communication skills and a passion for
the environment essential.
Admin/Sales Assistant Part Time Post £6.50/hour

The position will be providing support to the Accounts Manager on
various tasks, such as purchasing, general accounting and
administration tasks plus customer service. Flexibility, good
communication skills and a passion for the environment essential.
Send CVs for either position by 29 October 2010 to:
Job Application, Permanent Publications,
The Sustainability Centre, East Meon, Hampshire GU32 1HR
Tel: 01730 823 311 Email: info@permaculture.co.uk

Choosing a
W oodburning S tove
Maddy Harland explains the benefits of a woodburning

stove and the decision-making process she went
through to choose the stove of her dreams.

All photos © Gail Harland
I
guess most of us have a We have a woodburner in Above: a stove that wasn’t too ‘olde
dark green secret, a naughty the ‘snug’. It is 30 years The new stove worlde’, yet fitted in my
carbon guzzling habit we’d old, about 25% efficient and has improved cottage, and I wanted to be
rather keep to ourselves. Ours belts out the heat in the small comfort levels able to cook on it. I also
was the open fire in our living room. We can cook on and considerably wanted it to be installed by
room. We live in a nineteenth inside it (with the help of an and the Eco-fan local people who knew their
century flint cottage and the old biscuit tin). on top helps to stuff. Lastly, I wanted to be
Inglenook fireplace is the sort There are a lot of stove distribute heat able to see the flames so that
of size in which you could manufacturers springing up in around the my connection with Fire was
roast a small goat. 24 years Britain and for good reason. room. not sacrificed in the quest for
ago we added a fire basket and A new generation of stoves greater eco-efficiency.
a cast iron back plate from a has appeared, inspired by I pondered on whether I
local forge to theoretically belt the efficiency levels of our should plumb in a back boiler
the heat out, but in reality Scandinavian friends, changes to heat the water, but I decided
our fireplace was like an old in legislation, and by clean that the layout of the house
Jaguar car: Classic but greedy. burning designs pioneered by made this too complicated
When the fire was lit it guzzled Clearview Stoves. (and expensive). In time, my
logs and was maybe 10% I wanted a fuel efficient old 25% efficient woodburner
efficient, i.e. 90% of the heat modern stove that was at in the other room, located
went up its capacious chimney. least 60% efficient or more Right: directly below the hot water
When it wasn’t lit the central and one that was British Opening the tank, will be replaced with a
heating was heating the sky. made to a very high standard, front air vent, new stove plus back boiler.
It was wonderful for roasting not manufactured in Eastern which is only Then there will be little
chestnuts, lovely for toasting Europe or beyond and just used to get the need for any central heating
bread, useless for heating a house. assembled in Britain. I wanted fire started. in the house.

Which Stove? Below: single large glazed door that the firebox to initially draw
Years ago I visited our friends, Clearview can warm the whole house. in air at the front. It can be
Angie and Andy Polkey in stove air flow The stove itself is a heavy steel gradually shut down as the
Wales and admired their diagram. construction, welded inside fire fully catches. Below the
Clearview Stove, a toasty and out for durability. If stove is an adjustable lever that
smokeless stove with a large any parts break, Clearview allows air to draw into the fire-
glass front. My research led will replace them. They are box via the preheating channels
me to another company too, committed to the long life of adding oxygen above the fire
Dunsley Heat, who have an the product and will upgrade for secondary combustion.
excellent reputation and make models and add back boilers We positioned the flue at
smokeless stoves that are at if required. the rear of the stove so we
least 70% efficient. I am sure The Vision 500 has two have a large flat top to cook
there are more up and coming controls. The wheel at the and heat water on. If space is
stove makers, but these two front of the stove is opened an issue you can pipe the flue
have been around for years fully on lighting. This allows out of the top. The firebox
and have been tried and tested
by friends.
The most important aspect Downward draft
to a good woodburner is ‘washes’ glass –
that it is smokeless and has a keeping it clear of tar
double burn system. This
means the stove is designed to
allow a fresh supply of oxygen
above the fire. When you
burn wood in a hot stove
woodgas is release. Add
oxygen and the gases are
burnt that are otherwise
sucked up the chimney,
creating secondary combustion
and producing extra heat as
well as reducing emissions. Rotary vent at front –
Clearview add another clever used to create a draft
design by heating the supply to light fire only
of air before it reaches the fire
box by drawing the air through
channels next to the box in
the hot stove. The gases
ignite, creating a beautiful
aurora borealis effect and also Bottom air intake – pre-heats air that produces double
increase combustion and combustion in the top of stove above the logs
efficiency. Added to this, they
developed the air wash system.
This basically draws air from has a refractory lining and takes
above the fire over the glazed 38cm (15in) logs. All the hinges
door, preventing tar depositing and door catch are adjustable
on the glass. which means you can maintain
Clearview pioneered these air tightness throughout the
designs and they are passionate life of the door seals.
about energy efficiency. They
also talk to people on the The Installation
phone. All this, plus their Focus Stoves came and did a
local installers, Focus Stoves, survey with a full explanation
who make all the additional about the process, safety and
parts required for the instal- building regulations. Since
lation, are just up the road 2002, a fixed vent to the
from me. outside is required for all
We measured up the room stoves over 5kW to avoid
and Clearview helped me carbon monoxide poisoning.
choose their Vision 500. That in itself can be difficult
This is a 8kW stove with a in a flint cottage with 45cm

(18in) thick exterior walls! We who are passionate stove
solved the problem by venting users. Some heat their houses
though the porch door and and water entirely with their
then the porch wall which is wood-burners. They don’t
a modern construction. use logs but are urban
The installation itself was foragers, using bike trailers to
painless. Focus installed a find untreated waste wood,
register plate in the fireplace tree prunings and broken
which has a layer of insulation pallets for fuel.
on it. The difference was The initial investment of a
immediate – no more howling stove is expensive but with gas
gales down, and suction and oil bills rising every year,
draughts up, the chimney! besides house insulation and
They also installed a fireproof double or triple glazing, a
heat shield over the beam modern cleanburning wood-
above the fireplace as it was stove would be my number
within 450cm of the stove one eco-renovation purchase
itself (another regulation). now. It is a pure pleasure to
Then the stove itself was live with. I wonder how we
installed on the brick hearth ever lived with that draughty
with a 1mm flue pipe that old open fire
joins the stove to the liner.
This is a 0.12mm thick twin Costings
wall flexible liner, made of Once I get the stove fired up Clearview Vision 500 £1,269
several layers of stainless steel. I have to add just one or two Focus Installation £1,400-
It was lowered down the logs an hour and it maintains a 1,600 (depending on model of
chimney and capped with a constant temperature between stove, length of chimney etc.)
stainless steel chimney net. 150 to 200ºC, depending on
This stops birds nesting in your how much I load the firebox. Useful Contacts
chimney and the rain pouring It can go hotter. Clearview Stoves, Dinham
down the flue. Focus Stoves We cut all our own wood House, Ludlow, Shropshire
manufacturer all these parts. and season it, exposed to sun SY8 1EH
We were issued with a and wind but not rain – the Tel: 01584 878 100
HETAS certificate at the end top of the pile is covered. Two Web: www.clearviewstoves.com
of the installation. Without years is ideal. It’s hard work
one, the stove does not meet but more fun than the gym. Focus Stoves Ltd, Station
building regulations and, if If you use wetter wood the Approach, Four Marks, Alton,
you have a chimney fire, you stove is forgiving (unlike some Hampshire GU34 5HN
are no longer covered on your other makes) but it means you Tel: 01420 561 010
house insurance. You also need to burn more wood to Web: www.focusstoves.co.uk
need a carbon monoxide alarm generate heat. I calculate that Focus work within a 35 mile
with a seven year battery in we are using at least 60% radius of their factory in
the room. In addition, to less wood than in our open Hampshire and supply register
satisfy building regulations it fire days. The house is warmer plates and flues to the trade.
is also necessary to fit a data even when the stove is unlit
plate detailing any changes to because the chimney is now Dunsley Heat Ltd, Bridge Mills,
the hearth or fireplace as well sealed, and we’ll inevitably Huddersfield Road,
as details of the liner fitted. save on gas. Holmfirth, Yorkshire
The Clearview double glazed HD9 3TW
So How Does It Burn? front is easy to keep clean. I Tel: 01484 682 635
The stove is easy to light. The wipe the glass with damp Web: www.dunsleyheat.co.uk
vents are easy to manage. newspaper and a little ash
There is a rotary grate for from the fire once a week to Look for ‘I Love Woodstoves’
riddling and a stainless steel remove any tiny traces of tar. group on Facebook for practical
ash pan inside. I empty it Used properly, it shouldn’t Above: advise and enthusiasm!
about once a week and it is ever tar over. So far I haven’t Maddy’s dream
surprising how fine the ash left the fire in overnight as the comes true. A film detailing our installation
is. Everything is burnt, unlike house is warm and it is easy to Starting up the so you can see for yourself,
the old open fire that left get it started again the next day. Clearview will be available soon at:
lumps of charcoal in the ash Woodstoves aren’t just for Vision 500, www.youtube.com/user/
bed (appreciated by the dogs). country cottages. I have friends woodburner. PermacultureMedia

SACRED FORESTRY
© arunachala-ramana.org
Reforestation of the sacred mountain of Arunachala, in South India,

has been resoundingly successful. John Barrie Button explains his
permacultural approach to the challenge.
I
n 1989 I was asked to co-ordinate a had little to do with the kind of actions overseas projects. “Write yourself a letter,”
reforestation project in south India, which the Rainforest Information Centre she advised, “about all the things you
specifically, the sacred mountain was usually was involved. This is because think you are going to do over there.
Arunachala, recognized as Shiva in the the arid and barren region where the As many as you can think of. When
form of Light or Fire. As the legend holy mountain stands is far removed you have finished this list, put it in an
relates, Shiva, Lord of Destruction and from rainforest. However, the letter envelope, seal it up, and place it safely
Recreation, was asked to adjudicate an pointed out, if the forests outside the in the luggage you take with you. Don’t
argument between Vishnu (Lord of receding rainforests of India were not open if for at least three months. Even
Preservation) and Brahma (Lord of enhanced, then there would be little longer would be better.” Do nothing,
Creation), as to who had precedence. chance of ensuring the survival of those observe everything – Masunobu Fukuoka.
Having manifested Himself as a rainforests themselves. A good point. Inspired by Bill’s advice, I had images
column of the pure light of conscious- I bought my plane ticket. of great chains of pilgrims passing seed-
ness, Shiva bade both of them to find lings up the mountain, our forest growing
His limits; one to seek the lowest Advice & Motivation rapidly tall with the abundance of their
point, and the other the highest. Neither Having done plenty of tree planting but enthusiasm. The problem is the solution.
apparently was successful, and in their with no experience of projects beyond I imagined that my presence would be
awe of Shiva’s brilliance, they pleaded my own neighbourhood, I sought all the irrelevant after a couple of years.
with Him to take a form less dazzling, advice I could find. My original teacher
which mere mortals could then behold. of permaculture and dear friend, Bill
Shiva agreed and transformed Himself Mollison, suggested that if I didn’t have
into the form of the mountain Arunachala, volunteers, then I wouldn’t have a
which has been venerated ever since. project. His implication was that if local
people didn’t believe in the aims of the
A Call to Action project enough to offer their services,
The request for help from the small and then it had little chance of success.
radical rainforest action group which I Observe and interact.
was associated with in Australia, arrived The other wisdom which comes to
in the form of a very poetic letter which mind, was offered by a woman with
acknowledged that reforesting Arunachala long experience working with various

Realising The Challenge The local librarian assured me other- suggested approaching the main
I still recall vividly my first view of the wise. Having studied old texts, there temple. Temples are often constructed
mountain, seen through the window were abundant records of great forests on springs. In this case, several. Not
of the bone-shaking bus. We were still on the mountain, which had been re- only did it harbour this abundance,
20 kilometres away and the dusty haze nowned as a source of diverse medicines but the traditional design of the
blurred any detail beyond the distinctive and a sanctuary for wild animals. temples consists of many walled
shape. Drawing closer, my perspective Observation over time. All this, though, compounds focusing inwards to the
sharpened. It was so barren, brown, was negated by photos dating back sanctuary. Perfect protection. Further-
dry, and almost devoid of vegetation, almost a hundred years which depicted more, the temple authorities control
much less trees. The work would start barren slopes with no more vegetation 50% of the mountain, and a lot of land
from zero. than there was on my arrival. around it.
The full significance of the fire
manifestation of Shiva came to light. Stepping Forward Planting & Growing
The mountain ablaze was a common We raised a nursery nonetheless, They were happy with our proposal to
sight, deliberately lit to encourage the watered from an open well in a secluded create a nursery while refurbishing the
grasses used for thatching, and to backstreet. For all it was worth, our compounds with gardens that had not
discourage any trees or shrubs that first two significant plantings on the existed for many years. We selected
may impede their growth. Not to mountain were both abject failures. our plants to supply their needs in
mention the pyromania inspired by What the flames did not claim, the goats flowers and coconuts, as well as
those coming to the mountain to pray certainly did. “If you have no problems, planting sacred constellations long
for divine intervention to dissolve debt, buy a goat,” says one Sufi wisdom. We neglected. In the following years we
deliver a son, cure a hernia, or an infinite did not even need to buy our problems. raised between 200,000 and 350,000
number of other earthly needs. Mistakes are tools for learning. saplings for planting on and around
Shiva in his form of Fire was honoured One of our small team of volunteers the mountain, and for sale to service
with matches and cigarette lighters. inspired a major step forward. He the wages of our growing workforce.
Arunachala was little more than a great Optimize edges. In this case, it was the
mound of rock. social edge between the spiritual and
earthly life; for the first time local
Confronting Scepticism people volunteered their support in
Even the task of growing seedlings to significant numbers. Make the least
plant on the desolate mountain was far change for the greatest effect.
from simple. In a district where the Our next planting was much smaller
local population often had to line up in area. Use small-scale intensive systems.
for hours at a public tap just to get their We selected our planting sites carefully,
most essential household water needs, where the least likelihood of fire
lavishing water from a private well on casualties lay, where we might zealously
plants to raise a nursery was hardly guard our vulnerable young ones. Use
likely to nurture all that enthusiastic relative location. Ah, hard-earned
support I had dreamed of. success. Our trees grew, planted with
“Give yourself up to the mountain, the monsoon’s first drops. We had
Shiva will prevail” was advice I heard selected well, choosing the hardiest
more than once, offered by the spiritual species that would need the least
seekers who flocked to the mountain. watering, if any. Multiple elements
I was there to work, to get the task serving every function.
done, not to adhere to any doctrine
or superstition. “Arunachala is a Fire Careful Selection
mountain, and has always been rocks. We planted at least 80 different species
You can’t grow a forest on Arunachala,” including shrubs and groundcovers,
other sceptics declared. fast-growing pioneers, and climax
Top left: Arunachula clothed in green

What is Permaculture? after years of being barren rock.
Permaculture is an ecological design
system. Using nature as its guide, Bottom left: The mountain as it
Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, looked in the 1980s.
permaculture’s co-originators,
have developed sets of principles Above: Carrying seedlings up the
to guide the design process. The mountain for replanting.
essence of many of these (in italics)
© Dev Gogoi
are found in this article. Right: Villagers tackle one of the fires
that frequently threaten the trees.

swarm up the mountain to beat out the
fire before it can grow. The mountain
is not yet fully forested by any means
but it will be. The sceptics are silent
now. The biggest limit to abundance
is creativity
John Button, an Australian, has worked

and played with permaculture for 30
years, designing, teaching, consulting
and implementing diverse projects.
His affair with permaculture began
in the late 70s when, having bought
33 hectares (82 acres) of degraded
cattle land, he realised he knew almost
nothing about what to do with it,
and was inspired to participate in a
species. Use and value diversity, follow stumps. People can actually harvest the workshop by Bill Mollison. Having
natural succession. Fruiting species, fuelwood from pioneer trees already built his house and planted a botan-
trees for timber, plants for medicines dying off, and abundant medicinal ical rainforest fantasy of 2,000 species,
and other uses. Each element performs plants are thriving. Obtain a yield. he was then asked to consult and
multiple functions. It is now more than 20 years since teach. He has worked in India, the
Every plant was bunded with a micro- our first small failures. It has taken a Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia,
catchment arc to catch and localise lot of work, as all projects do at first. Holland, Germany, the Canary Islands,
water, silt and organic material. Tree Transformation requires energy from Russia and Italy, where he mostly
‘smiles’. Catch and store energy. I heard somewhere. Many firebreaks have lives, with his partner agronomist,
some foreign pilgrims complaining been cut by the different groups that Francesca Simonetti.
that all the trees were spoiling the have grown on the inspiration of the
sunset view from the mountain. Ah, first successes. These days, when the You can email John at:
disgruntled whisperings of success! first traces of smoke on the mountain johnnaturedesigns@yahoo.com
After less than two years, when a fire are seen, watchmen with mobile
broke out amongst our plantings, local phones quickly alert small armies Or visit his website:
villagers spontaneously extinguished of school and college students, who nuke.johnbutton-permaculture.net
the fire. They knew the plants would
be more value to them than rocks and Top: Part of the reforestation viewed
grass. Real genuine success – the locals from the one of the pilgrims’ paths up
were volunteering. Creatively use and the mountain.
respond to change.
Right: Author, John Barrie Button.
Biodiversity Returns
Animals and birds not seen for years Below right: KattuShiva tree nursery
are now becoming commonplace. in the courtyard of the temple.
We create nothing; we can only support
the conditions for creation to take Below left: Mountain of Medicine
place. Humility, always. Great bamboo meetings led to the reintroduction of
groves not seen for tens of decades medicinal plants.
are now regenerating rapidly. The great
trees that once covered the mountain Below centre: A talk circle ensures
are regenerating from their long-ravaged everyone’s views are heard.
© Dev Gogoi
© Dev Gogoi
© Dev Gogoi

permaculture NEWS
Ben Law’s Outdoor Sell Out London Permaculture Festival

Classroom Opens – 2011 Date To Be Announced
Photographs by James Piers Taylor, London Permaculture, http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturewise/
The Duchess of Norfolk & Ben

Law at the Opening Ceremony
The Woodland Classroom at the
Sustainability Centre was officially
opened by Georgina, Duchess of
Norfolk on 21 September 2010.
Permanent Publications and
the staff of the Sustainability The main hall during the London Permaculture Festival at the Cecil Sharp House was often full to bursting
Centre were joined by film-
makers, Undercurrents and a wide The 1st London Permaculture around 80 attendants in total.
selection of representatives from Festival turned out to be a great This time the festival’s crew and
NGOs and local and national success, writes Stef Geyer of the workshop holders alone out-
government, environmentalists, London Permaculture Network. numbered that total!
timber framers and transit- Over 850 people from all We really couldn’t have taken
ioners. A trailer from the new over London and beyond filled any more people. The main hall
Roundwood Timber Framing the Cecil Sharp House and was crammed with groups and
DVD was shown (available from gardens to capacity. It showed projects of all shapes and guises
www.green-shopping.co.uk). the level of interest that can be showing off what they are up
Earlier this year Ben’s pre- mustered even in London’s quiet to. The hall also played host to London-grown plants on sale
vious build, the Lodsworth Larder mid-August period, and it high- music, demonstrations and a
(see PM63), won the Sussex lighted that now more than ever ‘permaculture question time’ that to offer it’s knowledge to each
Heritage Award 2010 for the is the right time to publicise the could proved a popular feature. other, the heat from the analysis
best community building. growing achievements of the The film and workshop of what was missing will, I’m
For the latest developments permaculture and transition co- spaces were often packed to sure, keep us warm all winter.
at the Sustainablity Centre call mmunity in and around London. their limits (these included a web As it was our first event it
01730 823 166 or view: www. One of the most memorable link talk by Patrick Whitefield) was a steep learning curve for
sustainability-centre.org things said to me at the festival and people over-flowed out into the newly created co-ordination
was from Andy Goldring, CEO the gardens or joined Chris team, we had no idea of how
of the Permaculture Association. Hedley on his herb walk around many people would turn up, so
DEADLINES Apparently last time London the venue’s immediate vicinity. we were very happy that it went
Permaculture Magazine No.67 had a Permaculture gathering We worked with the idea mostly to plan. However, we
(about 10 years ago) there were that we would offer a space for unfortunately did commit the
EDITORIAL 22 November 2010
whoever wanted to do a talk, cardinal sin of running out of
DISPLAYS 30 November 2010
workshop or stall which fits in cake at the festival! We’ll make
& CLASSIFIEDS
with our vision of permaculture. sure we have a whole team
PUBLICATION 24 January 2011 The only things that we sought dedicated to that next year.
Contributions and enquiries to: out were local organic food and For details on how to attend
PERMACULTURE MAGAZINE a programme for children. or take part in next year’s festival
The Sustainability Centre Everything else came in from view: www.londonpermaculture.
East Meon
Hampshire GU32 1HR, U.K. all corners of London over the few com and of course keep reading
0845 458 4150 or 01730 823 311 months preceding. The event was Permaculture Magazine www.
info@permaculture.co.uk Chris Hedley’s popular herb walk really a chance for our community permaculture.co.uk

NEWS IN BRIEF Wide Range Of Activities At Permaculture Convergence
The Permaculture Association Photographs by Jay Ashton, Permaculture Association
is compiling a list of forest
gardens that will be planted
this winter to help connect
learners and volunteers with
opportunities for practical
experience. A research project
is also planned to record
designs, planting schedules
and long term yields. Tell Many of the 360 attendees at the 2010 Permaculture Association Convergence, Lambourne End, Essex
them about your project by
contacting them at: research@
The Permaculture Association’s The new Diploma System 5 For further information view:
permaculture.org.uk
2010 Convergence was held at was launched (new applications www.permaculture.org.uk
Jagran Jan Vikas Samiti, a Lambourne End in Essex, a 53 are welcome) and there were
non-government organis- acre venue discovered during reports on proposed polyculture
ation in Rajasthan, India the Association’s LAND Project. research trials and community
are in need of volunteer The Association’s CEO, Andy supported agriculture.
permaculture students or Goldring, reports that 360 people With 100% of people saying
graduates to help them. For attended. The programme featured that they would “thoroughly
details view: www.jjvs.org workshops, talks, presentations recommend” the convergence to
and permaculture practicals such a friend, we can say we were
Access a map of traditional
as scything, rocket stoves and pleased. A lot was learnt, new
craftspeople in the UK at www.
a magnificent dragon cob oven. plans were hatched, and we can
heritagecrafts.org.uk/map.html
Core theory looked at everything hardly wait for the next one.
The Low Carbon Trust (www. from ethics to design tools, while It really does feel like we are
lowcarbon.co.uk) has won the people care sessions offered a breaking through to a new level
Green Building category of the range of powerful tools for use globally. Memberships are up
Sussex Eco Awards for its in life and work. The education substantially, and following email
Earthship Brighton project. group looked at the Association’s discussions from Australia, it
The Awards board sited it as strategy, future thinking and seems like it is bursting at the
“a case study for eco-living.” Low Carbon Farming initiatives. seems over there too. This year’s event got the thumbs up
The trustees of Emerson
College have handed over
the deeds for the building and Work here at PM Haiti, Chile, Tibet Relief Projects
the 20 acres of land around it,
securing them as an education As part of our expansion desperately need donations and
and research centre dedicated Permaculture Magazine / volunteers and this CD is one
to biodynamics, permaculture Permanent Publications are way to make a contribution.
and sustainable food production. looking to recruit an Artists such as Bob Dylan,
View: www.bdacollege.org.uk Accounts Manager and an Gorillaz, Coldplay and Dizzee
Administration Assistant. Revival by Rhythms Del Mundo Rascal are given the trademark
Worth seeing! Gaia Theatre The positions are based at
Collective’s play Tipping is the third collaboration with RDM Afro-Cuban twist.
the Sustainability Centre, Artists Project Earth (APE) For further details of how APE
Point (pictured) is on at East Meon, Hampshire.
Hamilton House, Stokes Croft, which promotes permaculture and are supporting some of the
See the advert on page supports the relief efforts in Haiti, remarkable permaculture projects
Bristol, 1 - 11 December 2010. 28 of this issue for details
For further details please call Chile and Tibet following this year’s in Chile view their website and
on how to apply. catastrophes in these regions. this link: www.apeuk.org/260-
07932 074 201 or view
www.gaiatheatre.org Each of these regions still Transition-Chile
Hollywood Star Joins Permaculture Design Course

Students on a recent Perma- solutions are some of the best
culture Design Course led by tools we have for creating a
Darren Doherty in Australia viable and thriving future”.
were delighted to be joined by Over 3,000 copies of each
Daryl Hannah, the Hollywood issue of Permaculture Magazine
star of films such as Kill Bill, are now sold in New Zealand and
Splash and Blade Runner. Australia (where permaculture
Daryl, who is now just as began). Look out for forthcoming
well known for her commitment features from the Australian
to environmental issues, told practitioners, teachers and
Permaculture Magazine “in writers who have helped define
these critical times permaculture permaculture in these pages. Ned, Eliza, Darren and Daryl

01730 823 311
www.green-shopping.co.uk
BOOKS MAGAZINES DVDS TOOLS OUTDOORS HOME & GARDEN SOLAR & WIND-UP CLEARANCE
Welcome to the new-look Green Shopping website and catalogue supplement

Green Shopping is run by the team at Permaculture Magazine. As Permanent Publications
Purchasing from Green
Shopping helps support
we also specialise in publishing permaculture books. Our aim is to offer you inspirational
Permaculture Magazine
books, tools, products and DVDs to help you live more sustainably. We hope you like our
new look Green Shopping and enjoy shopping with us.
NEW BOOKS & DVDS Order online & get your books p&p FREE (UK only, £15 min.)
THE GARDEN AT THE END I LOVE MY WORLD

OF THE WORLD DVD Chris Holland
Gary Caganoff Far beyond a collection of outdoor learning
This is a deeply moving film about the activities, Chris takes a holistic view of our
nobility of the human spirit amid the horrors global environmental crisis and presents a
of war. Made in 2004, it records perma- heartfelt as well as intellectual response to
culturist Rosemary Morrow’s return to it by taking young people outside to learn
Afghanistan after 30 years absence, working with Mahboba’s and play, and play to learn. Full of bushcraft,
Promise, a small NGO. It compares her understanding of past environmental art, nature awareness and
social and agricultural structures with the present. She explores outdoor play activities, as well as mentoring
how social and ecological design can restore a nation suffering tips, this book is for parents, play rangers, forest school learners,
from malnutrition and the loss of the majority of its adult teachers, uncles and aunties... actually anyone who loves this world
male population. Highly recommended. 75mins and wants to spend time outdoors and share it with others. 200pp
DVD-GEW £19.95 ILM £15.95
THE STORY OF WATER HOW TO GROW FOOD IN YOUR

Alick Bartholomew POLYTUNNEL ALL YEAR ROUND
This book is strongly influenced by the Mark Gatter & Andy McKee
work of Viktor Schauberger and new Being a fan of Eliot Coleman (The Winter
quantum biological research (and I suspect Harvest) I immediately picked up this UK
Dr. Masaru Emoto). It controversially book. I like the simple plan for year one,
suggests that water not only shapes our the way it is divided in to seasons month-
landscape and sustains life, it is the by-month with preparation, sowing,
medium of communication between all growing, harvesting and problem solving
living organisms. Covered are all aspects of tips including all possible pests for every
water from water in the cosmos, landscape, plants and our fruit or veg covered. There’s a useful chapter devoted to
bodies to water’s cosmic role, memory in water and its ‘the hungry gap’, my larder nadir(!), and the whole book is
relationship to the quantum field. It then looks at the future, organic. The perfect companion for the Incan greenhouse
the water crisis and ways to access ‘living’ water. 328pp design featured in PM66 on p.43. 192pp
SOW £12.99 HGF £10.95
READER’S OFFER £10.99 Saving £2.00 Offer code: SOW/PM65 READER’S OFFER £8.95 Saving £2.00 Offer code: HGF/PM65
THE BEE-FRIENDLY BEEKEEPER KITCHEN MEDICINE

David Heaf Bruton-Seal & Seal 224pp KM1 £16.99 Reviewed on page 71
PM recently published two articles by MEAT – A Benign Extravagance
the author about Warré beehives and Simon Fairlie 236pp MBE £19.95 Reviewed on page 69
sustainable beekeeping. Here is a detailed
ROUNDWOOD TIMBER FRAMING
investigation arising out of that research
Ben Law 168pp RTF £19.95 Reviewed on page 70
as to why conventional beekeeping is
contributing to the drastic decline of the ROUNDWOOD TIMBER FRAMING DVD
global bee population and the alternatives. Ben Law 80mins DVD-RTF £19.95 Reviewed on page 70
It draws on bee biology and apiculture in order to call for SOLAR DOMESTIC WATER HEATING *
more bee-appropriate ways of keeping bees. It presents a Chris Laughton 192pp SDW £34.99 Reviewed on page 71
strong case for making natural honeycomb to boost healthy STAND-ALONE SOLAR ELECTRIC SYSTEMS *
bees by allowing species specific behaviours to be expressed. Mark Hankins 224pp SAS £34.99 Reviewed on page 71
Included are detailed Warré hive construction plans and
modern management tips. A fascinating mine of information SUSTAINABLE HOME REFURBISHMENT *
for the radical beekeeper! 150pp David Thorpe 256pp SHR1 £34.99 Reviewed on page 71
BFB £25.00 * READER’S OFFER Buy all 3 & get £5.00 off. Offer code: SSS/PM65
TO ORDER PLEASE EITHER PHONE 01730 823 311 OR ORDER ONLINE AT WWW.GREEN-SHOPPING.CO.UK
www.permaculture.co.uk No.green
66 shopping supplement
Permaculture winter 2010
Magazine 39
THESE ARE A FEW OF OUR CHRISTMASSY FAVOURITE THINGS
Tony Rollinson Maddy Harland
Kelly Kettle – just a The Garden at the

totally classic product End of the World
and now in Stainless – this DVD about
Steel. KKC-SS3 £55.00 Afghanistan moved me
deeply. Full of insight
The Power Of and human dignity.
Community – DVD-GEW £19.95
How Cuba
Survived Peak EcoFan 800 – a beautifully
Oil – a DVD that engineered product that
shows you what improves the heat distribut-
you can do as ion from your
an individual, a woodburner.
community or as a whole CF-EF800
country. DVD-PCH £14.95 £114.95
Vegan Rustic Cooking – how to The Moneyless Man – my

make the tasty most of seasonal current bedtime reading!
produce and written by lovely Entertaining and thought-
people as well. VRC £9.95 provoking. TMM £10.99
Carolyn Pennington Mark Anslow
Meat – Packed with Garden Tool Sharpener –

critical analysis of modern If you’re baffled by wet-
agricultural arguments, stones this tool is brilliant.
this wonderful book gives Put an edge on my shears
plenty of food for thought. in seconds! WB-S3 £12.50
MBE £19.95
Permaculture & Aquaponics
Dowse It – It’s not all forest gardens...
Yourself – A DVD of fun for the this inspiring DVD shows real
whole family. Learn how to system thinking in action, and
dowse and tap into the earth’s producing great food to boot.
energies. DVD-DIY £14.00 DVD-PAA £19.95
Flexcut Whittler’s Set

– Ideal for those winter Creating A Forest Garden –
evenings by the fire. Beautiful and practical – an
These popular knives will encyclopaedia of plants and
give hours of carving fun. wisdom for permaculture
BMC-WK £48.50 growing. CAFG £30.00
Further details of the products listed here can be found on the Green
Shopping website and in the 2011 printed Green Shopping catalogue.
green shopping
40 supplement
Magazine No. 66 www.green-shopping.co.uk
www.permaculture.co.uk
01730 823 311
CHOSEN BY THE STAFF HERE AT PERMACULTURE MAGAZINE
John Adams Hayley Harland
Bon-Fire Outdoor Kitchen Starting With Chickens –

– This is my system of Contains all the essential
choice for outdoor tips for anyone wanting
cooking both at home these feathered friends
and away. LAM- for 2011. SWC1 £6.95
BSETFP £275.00
Potting Shed Collection –

This is a beautifully made
present for any enthusiastic
Game On – Make the most of
gardener. NW-PSC £29.95
your catch – the DVD for hunter
gatherers. DVD-GON £24.95
Solar Home Design Biodynamic Gardening –

Manual for Cool I will be giving this DVD to
Climates – a must for both my other half this year, who’s
new builders and retro- dream is to grow biodynamic
fitters. SHD £29.99 wine. DVD-BGT £18.50
Sam Blanchette Tim Harland
A-Z of Bushcraft – This DVD Gränsfors Bruks Splitting Hatchet –

demonstrates 26 skills of Hand-forged with pride and bearing
bushcraft including how the forgers own stamp. My absolute
to make shelters, identify favourite tool. GB-439 £59.95
edible plants, etc.
DVD-AZB Roundwood Timber
£14.99 Framing DVD – Both
a documentary and a
101 Uses For Stinging Nettles step-by-step guide. A
– What could be better than perfect companion to
finding 101 uses for this Ben’s book of the same
prolific weed? OUS2 £5.95 name. DVD-RTF £19.95
Bucket In A Bag – Find Your Power – Both the

packs away small so best ‘self help’ book I have ever
its easy to keep read and the most powerful
around - loads of uses personal transformation tool
from foraging to for those wanting to give skilled
watering your pets. responses to Peak Oil and
BBL-BIB £15.95 Climate Change. FYP £12.95
Still stuck? Why not give a present that lasts all year: a gift subscription
to Permaculture Magazine (see page 80 or www.green-shopping.co.uk).
www.permaculture.co.uk No.green
66 shopping
supplement 41
winter 2010
01730 823 311
NEW TOOLS & PRODUCTS All TOOL & PRODUCT prices include postage & packing (UK only)
OWL CM160 MONITOR WITH USB ENVI MONITOR & USB CONNECTER
Monitor, transmitter, sensor jaw, batteries, USB Monitor, power adapter, transmitter and sensor
connector and Windows software. jaw, USB connector. Volts: 240AC
New updated Owl monitor with USB connectivity. This energy monitor, shows current energy
Shows you how much electricity you are using, use, trend, previous day/week/month, cost
how much it is costing you and the related per day, cost per month, day/evening/night
CO2 emissions. Accommodates up to 6 tariffs, split, time and temperature. Seven year
has a feature to enter a weekday/weekend tariff memory and transmitter battery life. Supplied
and can also work with either Economy 7 or Economy 10. with a USB connector to download data to your PC.
Two year rolling data storage and Windows connectivity. Output can be displayed in Google Power Meter.
OWL-CM160 £45.00 Reviewed on page 18 TAN-ENVI-USB £55.00 Reviewed on page 18
POWER PLUS ECO-POWERSTATION SOLAR MATE ONE

Inputs: 100-240V AC, 17V DC, 5W solar panel, 12V long life 40W
hand wind-up dynamo or optional equivalent bulb, switch and fitting
solar panel (TAN-ALBA). Outputs: kit (requires a 35ah -70ah 12V
230V AC, 12V DC and 5V DC USB leisure battery not included).
An emergency/portable power pack Lights an area of up to 16m2
with a range of inputs and outputs. (148ft2). Ideal for use in sheds,
As well as low voltage DC it can run small stables, greenhouses, etc where mains electricity is not available.
AC appliances and even jump start a car. TAN-SM1 £89.95 Reviewed on page 17
TAN-PPE £149.99 Reviewed on page 17 SUBSCRIBER’S OFFER £85.00 Saving £4.95 Code: TAN-SM1/PM65
POTTING SCOOP HONEY STOVE

Overall: 260mm (10.2in). Packed flat: 150 x 150 x 10mm (6 x 6 x
Scoop: 135 x 60mm (5 x 2in). 0.4in) Total weight: 339g (12oz).
Stainless steel with wooden handle. Stainless Steel. Made in the UK.
Burgon and Ball have replaced the very popular American Soil A versatile wood burning backpacking
Scoop with this slightly smaller Potting Scoop. It has the stove which will work in a number of
same great features, a digging point, good carrying capacity, configurations, with a wide range of
serrated edges for cutting roots and built in seed dispensers. pans and several fuels types. Folds flat
A must for any keen gardener. into a small pouch when not in use.
BBL-WTMS £19.95 Reviewed on page 18 BPL-HON £37.50 Reviewed on page 18
HELLE EGGEN KNIFE BUCK DIAMOND SHARPENER

Blade: 100mm (4in), Stainless Size: 102 x 26 x 6mm (4 x 1 x 0.25in)
Steel, Handle: 115mm (4.5in), A handy pocket sized 750 grit diamond
Curly Birch, Leather Sheath. sharpening stone from the famous makers
Has the traditional look and feel of Buck Knives. Puts a fine edge on knives,
of a Norwegian knife. The unique small tools and even fish hooks. Can be
triple laminated stainless steel used dry or water lubricated. Comes
makes for a razor sharp blade which holds it’s edge. The handle with a nylon pouch fitted with a belt loop.
fits the hand comfortably and the knife is a joy to use. WB-BDS £19.95
WB-HEL75 £62.50 Reviewed on page 18 SUBSCRIBER’S OFFER £17.95 Saving £2.00 Code: WB-BDS/PM65
GATCO Military Carbide SharpENer To order any of the items in this supplement either use the
Size: 72 x 28 x 6mm (2.75 x 1 x 0.25in). order form in your Green Shopping catalogue 2011, order online
A lightweight sharpener that quickly at www.green-shopping.co.uk or by phone on 01730 823 311
restores an edge to most knife blades. (international:+44 1730 823 311.)
WB-MCS £14.95
N.B. Subscriber prices quoted in green and Reader’s Offer prices
GATCO Double Duty Sharpener
quoted in blue can only be used for phoned orders and do not
Size: 72 x 68 x 11mm (2.75 x2.7 x 0.4in).
apply to orders made online. Postage and packing charges apply
A handy pocket knife sharpener that
features both carbide tips and ceramic unless otherwise stated. Online book orders over £15 are how-
rods for a finer finish. ever postage & packing FREE for all UK customers. Discounts valid
WB-DDS £14.95 until publication of next issue, but may be altered at our discretion.
FIND EVEN MORE NEW BOOKS, DVDs, TOOLS & PRODUCTS ONLINE AT WWW.GREEN-SHOPPING.CO.UK
green
42 shopping supplement
Magazine No. 66 www.green-shopping.co.uk
Growing Veg
The Incan Way
Steve James adapts an ancient farming method to create

a self-watering, temperature stabilised greenhouse
All photos © Steve James
F
ood growing in Scotland’s cool climate is always a Wisdom of the Incas
challenge, especially living at 240m (800ft). Journeys Archeologists uncovered networks of metre-deep water-
south of the border in spring and autumn seem like filled channels between beds, raised high enough above
time travelling. You can almost see the waves of blossom the water level to let the roots breathe. The numerous
and leaf fall sweeping slowly up and down the country. interconnecting channels were home to various edible fish,
I was therefore intrigued by discoveries made by archaeo- and extended over thousands of hectares, creating a micro-
logists reconstructing how the ancient Inca farmed 3,650m climate that protected the crops from seasonal drought by
(12,000ft) up in the much more inhospitable region around soaking into the beds, and from the year round frost danger
Lake Titicaca. by releasing daytime heat stored in the water. Aquatic
plants grew abundantly in the channels, and fish manure
settled as silt. Each year they would scoop plants and silt
back onto the beds.
Showing a rare practical interest in his subject, Clark L
Erickson, an agrarian archeologist, encouraged the local
Quechua to try these techniques for growing their own
crops, with the stunning result that yields immediately
increased tenfold. Impressed, local farmers started re-
adopting the more sophisticated ways of their ancestors.
Top: Plants thrive as their Water, Water Everywhere

roots reach down to find the These days we have poly-
underground water (visible tunnels and greenhouses,
under the walkway). making it possible to enjoy
fruit and vegetables that
Left: The Incan inspired green- would otherwise be impossible
house is the right side of the so far North, but they do
‘twist ‘n’ twang’ workshop have one major drawback –
(see PM65) behind the house. no rain. In Scotland that hits

particularly hard, as you stand, hosepipe in hand, deafened by below instead. As it turned out, this created an extremely dry
the thunderous roar of yet another downpour on the polythene soil surface, which inhibits slugs and weed germination.
just above your head. Something is not joined up here. Isn’t A drier atmosphere is also less conducive to the many
this a sin in the permaculture bible? Piped water additives are moulds and fungi which thrive in the typically muggy
another concern, as is the difficulty in going away for extended environment under cover. A critical part of this system is
periods. Unless you can arrange for someone to do the water- having sufficient depth of soil (20cm/8in) to ensure the
ing for you, two or three weeks away in the height of summer plant roots can make their own choices between warmth,
is often unthinkable.
So I started musing, how
could I get the rain back inside?
Catching it as it comes off the
roof is the first issue. There
are, I believe, self-adhesive
gutters you can attach to a
polytunnel directly, though I
have no experience of them.
A greenhouse is normally
simple to rig up with gutters.
As I had already built a
guttered polytunnel (see
PM65), I thought here was
the chance to give it a go.
My partner Eilidh had
previously experimented with burying polythene underneath air and water. They can sense Above: Section through the
a bed to help it hold water longer on her allotment. Initially it beneath them and reach growing system.
appalled at the thought of sour soil and drowned roots, I was down into the ever damper
surprised that it seemed to help quite a bit without injuring earth until their thirst is Below: (left) Excavating
the plants. It still needed a lot of water hauling to fill, so the satisfied. Tomatoes in partic- the water storage tank;
prime requirement for the mark II was a self-filling mechanism! ular headed straight for the (right) Liner made of pieces
borders by the walkway, closest of scrap plastic sheeting,
The Experiment to the free water, and spread water inlet and blocks for
All these various threads came together in the experiment many feet along it. the walkway.
which is effectively a large sunken bathtub with the sky tap
left running. Rain comes in one end, soaks sideways under The Method
the beds and any overflow runs out the far end. Rather than I began by digging out the shape of the tank, unearthing
use some form of sprinkler or seep hose system, which would plenty of rocks in the process that would later form the
probably need a powered pump to work well, I remembered rubble infill. You could well use a more flat bottomed tank,
the Inca and decided to try gravity, letting water come up from or indeed build the whole thing up above ground. I chose

Above: (left) Walkway,
edging boards and rock
layer; (right) Finished
beds filled with soil.
Left: Plan and section

showing water, inlet, outlet
and storage tank.
Right: Rotatable elbow on the

overflow allows adjustment
of the water level.
would leak, but very slowly, and the worms and beasties could
wriggle their way in if they had a mind to, particularly as it
would be the warmest place around.
So, first a layer of skipped carpet on the bottom to avoid
further punctures, then three layers of the poly covering the
whole area of the greenhouse and stapled to a single plank
edging running around the perimeter at ground level.
Since nothing would grow underneath the walkway, it
seemed sensible to store the bulk of the water there, and
while I was at it try and trap some warmth by making it slatted
so the sun could shine in and heat it up. This light and warmth
has encouraged mosses and algae to grow in the dappled shade,
and attracted spiders and toads. In time maybe a whole eco-
subsystem may evolve under here! Stored heat is more erratic,
as fresh rain flushes out the warmed water, usually of course on
cooler days, but it does mean the reservoir never gets stagnant.
sloping sides to test the widest possible range of soil moisture. Channelling the Water
I could have used a perfect membrane to ensure a completely I laid two lines of reclaimed concrete blocks directly on the
watertight tank, but I’ve always been taken by the way worms poly, with approximately 10cm (4in) gaps as level as I could,
love to party in old polythene lying about in the garden (I guess to carry the central walkway, and hold back the soil. Resting
it’s warm and wet between the layers) and I had a stack of the on top of these are two 7.5 x 5cm (3 x 2in) battens, with
damn stuff. Odd shapes, odd rips and punctures – not pretty, the edging boards and walkway slats nailed to them. The
and not really much use for anything else. Several layers downpipe from the gutter runs under the beds and emerges
compressed together under the weight of the soil and water between the blocks under the top end of the walkway.

Peas, broad and French beans, courgettes, calabrese, several
sorts of tomatoes, basil, leeks, coriander, pumpkin, cauliflower,
lettuce, kale, red mustard, cabbage, walking onions, sorrel,
nettle, grass and creeping buttercup, all did well. Obviously
a serious grower would use such a system to ease their workload
rather than replace it. If I had watered during the driest periods,
pinched out trusses etc., given them all more love and less apologies
I’m sure the yields would have been greater, but as a result
of total and absolute neglect, I think they’re pretty encouraging.
I had thought the central water channel might encourage
slugs, but damage was surprisingly slight, with mice proving
a greater threat in the midst of a hard winter, climbing the
brassica stalks and nibbling out the hearts, the wee souls.
The pumpkins probably did best, with half a dozen double-
fist sized specimens as well as the champion illustrated.
In Conclusion
I haven’t run this experiment long enough to tell the long-
term effect on soil condition, but it is not really very different
from growing in pots or on benching. As long as care is
taken to feed and refresh the soil periodically, I don’t see why
it should be any less successful.
This system is not the answer to everyone’s prayers, but as
The outlet was a standard Above: Most plants did a way of lessening the need for visits to a distant allotment,
150mm (6in) drainpipe, which really well despite being water bills, the impact of hosepipe bans and fretting about
empties into the rushes nearby. unwatered throughout the your darlings while you’re away, then less time spent putting
I fitted a 90º elbow which is growing season. the rain back on the ground may be worth the slight trouble
easily rotated to control the involved in construction
high water level inside. To Below: Steve James with
keep the walkway dry I set it his prized pumpkin. Steve James built his own luxury low-impact ecohome in
about 1cm (0.4in) below the Scotland, complete with a 9 x 7m (700ft2) workshop and
tops of the concrete blocks. Rocks fill outside of the blocks. greenhouse growing space.
Any coarse rubble would do, to roughly the expected water
level to let the water freely percolate under the beds, avoiding Resources
a completely waterlogged base to the soil which might turn Pre-Inca agriculture:
anaerobic or leach nutrients and minerals. www.sas.upenn.edu/~cerickso/articles/Exped.pdf
I collected many fine molehills from the surrounding grazing,
mixed with compost, sheep manure and basalt rock dust. More pictures: www.envisioneer.net
This soil mix was piled directly on top of the rubble, in
contact with the water at its base approximately 20cm (8in)
deep, and made to slope slightly from the edges to the centre
(’cos it looks nice). In dry periods the water under the walk-
way almost disappears as it is drawn up by the plants and
evaporation. However, although the surface is a dusty desert,
dabbling your fingers in the warm topsoil shows the darker,
damp soil beginning no more than 2cm (0.8in) down in
even the hottest periods (bearing in mind this is Scotland).
Being Cruel to be Kind?

I wanted to see what this system could do, so my heartless
procedure was to water in individual seeds and transplants
when first introduced, and once or twice again in the next
few days if they looked like they needed it. After that they
were on their own. Apart from this lulling into a false sense
of security, and some minor weeding, the entire greenhouse
was unwatered by human hand from April right through to
the following spring, and as you can see from the photos,
almost everything thrived. The garlic was the only total
failure, several bulbs were planted along the outside edge
high above the shallow (south) end, where it was just too
hot and dry, even for this sun-lover. Cacti would do well here!

How to
Grow
Food
In
Winter
Janet Renouf-Miller
explains how you can
create a harvest of
fresh, nutritious food
throughout the cold
months.
W
ith the help of a bit of Wintry Benefits have been sown in spring but little is
cover, and carefully se- There are a number of advantages to ready to eat.
lected varieties of seeds, growing vegetables in winter:
it is possible to grow vegetables and • Vitamins and minerals are harder
herbs all year round in the United • Mature overwintered veg keeps to obtain in winter, especially vita-
Kingdom, and presumably therefore growing until December under cover, min C. Having something fresh from
in other temperate countries that stands for the winter then comes the garden can make a big difference.
have frosty winters. away fast in February. They can be
In my corner of Scotland, away picked for much of the winter. There • Fresh organic produce is more
from the sea and up in the hills, there might be lean pickings in January but expensive in winter. Therefore winter
is only one month of the year that there is usually something – perhaps veg saves you more money than
can be guaranteed to be frost free a bit of kale, land cress, claytonia, summer veg. Rocket, radishes, salad
and that is July. Most years we can- lamb’s lettuce, herbs and carrots. leaves, parsley and mint are all expen-
not grow courgettes or runner beans sive in winter yet easy to grow at home.
outside without cover. • Later autumn sowings will over-
In our case, experimenting has winter as seedlings that get going • The ground is as well growing
paid off and we often have more quickly again in February and are something as sitting there empty.
produce in winter than in summer. ready long before spring sowings.
Last year by the end of winter we This eliminates the ‘hungry gap’ Above: Tatsoi, cress and chickweed
were fed up with salad! – that period of time when seeds growing for winter salads.

stuff took over. We had lamb’s let- so keep cutting, making sure you leave
tuce galore from February till the a bit of green to keep the plant alive.
end of April. They will eventually stop growing
Don’t forget that if you have a but will stand over the winter, and
conservatory, food plants can be start to grow again in February.
grown there in pots during the Later sowings will be part-grown
winter. Windowsills in the house at the end of the season. They are
tend to be too dark for plants that poised to finish growing in spring
are going to be there for any length and to follow on from the earlier
of time but work fine for salad sowings. This two stage process
sprouts (see later). means you will still be harvesting
right up until the spring-sown
Sowing vegetables begin to mature, and you
Start sowing again from mid July will seldom be without some garden
onwards, as the ground is cleared by produce.
other crops, then
continue until
the weather gets
too cold. That
usually means
Get Protection until the end of
Any protection that you can give August in the
plants over the winter will help north or Sep-
them, although there are a number tember further
of things you can grow with no south.
protection at all. A greenhouse or These sowings
polytunnel gives the best protection will grow at
and plenty of indoor space. We cover different rates.
some of the plants with polypropyl- Sowing in suc-
ene floating mulch inside the tunnel cession actually
or greenhouse for extra insulation. works better at the end of the year
Cold frames are another good than it does in spring, when all the Every ‘Early’ Is Also A ‘Late’
option and a layer of floating mulch sowings tend to catch up with one Seeds that are described as ‘early’ on
or bubble wrap can be used on top another. the packet can also be sown at the end
of the plants inside the frame. Simple Earlier sowings will be ready from of the season for overwintering. There
home-made frames work fine. Do August to late September, and can be is the odd exception, for example
remember to remove the bubble used as ‘cut and come again’ crops parsnips. If in doubt, experiment.
wrap and start watering again in the from then onwards. The more you Conversely, anything that says it is a
spring. cut them the longer they stand, ‘late’ also usually works as an ‘early’.
Floating mulch laid over the soil
outside gives weather proofing on its
own and can be weighed down with
bricks or stones. It prevents mud
from being splashed onto salad crops
as well as giving frost protection and
making plants grow faster.
We had great success last year with
an old caravan window found in a
lay-by which we put on top of some
lamb’s lettuce. Lamb’s lettuce will
grow outside all winter without pro-
tection but that which was covered
was ready first, in early February.
Once it was finished, the uncovered
Above left: Lamb’s lettuce in a cold

frame.
Above right: Planting mint in a box.
Right: Close up winter sowing.

This year we obtained some
onion sets that according to the bag
were for autumn sowing. They were
reduced to 50p when purchased in
February. Half were sown outside
in March and the other half in cold
frames. The cold frame ones were
ready to eat by June and the others
followed on a couple of weeks later.
Start Sprouting
Once it is too cold to sow in the
greenhouse, move indoors and sow
seed trays of peas, cabbage, broccoli
and kale on a south facing windowsill.
These can be cut as seedlings once
they are two to three weeks old and
added to salads and soup. Grow
salad sprouts in the normal way too,
in a salad sprouter or sieve. The
quickest ones are chick peas and A variety of lettuce from Thompson bother much with claytonia or with
lentils. Red cabbage sprouts add and Morgan called ‘Freckles’ is good lamb’s lettuce and land cress.
some colour to winter salads. for autumn sowing. It is hardier Pak choi, Chinese cabbage and
than most and slugs don’t like it. other similar Chinese greens need to
What To Grow In Succession We have kept plants going all winter be sown after mid July or they will
Perpetual spinach, chard, parsley, under bubble wrap in a cold frame. go to seed. They are best in a tunnel
rocket, lettuce and radishes can all Land cress and lamb’s lettuce or cold frame. Slugs love them so
be sown at four week intervals from are wonderful, hardy salad crops keep an eye out for damage.
July onwards for both a winter crop which will stand outside all winter
and some seedlings to overwinter for in pretty much any weather. Leave a
fast take off in spring. Chard is less plant of each to go to seed and you
hardy than perpetual spinach so if will have a steady supply of plants at
you only grow one of them, grow different ages and stages springing
the spinach. up everywhere.
The radish ‘long white icicle’ Lamb’s lettuce is sown from July
does well and can be used as a onwards but you only need to sow
vegetable as well as in salad. It will it a couple of times, once indoors
stand for a long time in winter and once outside, to get a supply
undercover. for months. It is expensive to buy
and you often see it in those bags of
ready-washed salad.
Land cress can be sown from
spring until September, but will stand Garlic can be planted at most
for months from a single sowing times of year but July plantings
if picked regularly. It has a similar work well and are ready the following
taste and appearance to watercress. July. We put single cloves back in the
As well as using it in salads, make a ground whenever we harvest some
mineral-rich soup using a watercress and have it dotted all around the
soup recipe. garden, to pull as required. If none
Claytonia is another easy winter is ready, the green tops can be cut
salad crop, although it does need and used.
a bit of cover. If you have a Spring cabbage can be used as a
polytunnel, greenhouse or cold cut and come again crop as well for
frame it will keep going all winter, full sized cabbages.
and will self seed. Slugs do not Carrots (stump-rooted) do well
on most soil and will stand in the
Left: Field beans plants and seeds. ground for a long time, to pull as
needed.
Above right: Polytunnel and frames. Celery is easy to grow pretty much
anywhere. Sow it after mid July for
Right: Harvested blue salad potatoes. winter crops, or it may to go to seed.

There is no need to earth it up. We provide greens until well past mid-
have been sowing a culinary celery summer. If you let a couple go to
seed, variety unknown, for several seed, they will self sow and cross with
years with great success. It can also each other giving some interesting
be sown in September and the small variations. We had a lovely purple
plants will overwinter and start sprouting kale this year!
growing again in the spring. We usually grow spring cabbage.
Leeks, as most gardeners will It lasts in the ground most of the
already know are planted in spring summer and we are still eating
and ready in autumn. They will stand spring cabbage, sown last year, as I
in the ground all winter and can be write this in August. Most people
eaten until the first shallots are ready grow too many cabbages and kale
in the spring. They are in many ways plants. 12 cabbages means one
more useful to the winter gardener for each month of the year, which
than onions, being very hardy and is enough for most of us. Most
easy to grow. gardeners grow kale, cabbage and
Kale can be sown as usual in purple sprouting broccoli, but may
midsummer for a winter crop or in not get the most from them. You
September for a second, later crop. can juice winter greens and also
Sow kale and broccoli again under use them in salads; you can freeze
cover in early spring for some cut cabbage, kale and leeks chopped up, or frame and then transplanted back
and come again tender leaves to add to they are then ready to use. outside when the weather improves.
salad. In fact, you can sow it pretty Field beans are like smaller broad Instead of discarding any ‘rogue’
much any time and have plants at beans. They are hardier though and potatoes that come up in the wrong
different stages of growth for a year do better over winter. Sow them in place, transplant those too.
round supply. It will stand most spring and again in mid August after
weather, although the variety ‘Nero’ you lift the potatoes. To save the Moving Things Indoors
with elongated, dark leaves is less seed, pick a few mature pods and At The End Of The Season
hardy than the curly leaved varieties. leave them on a windowsill to dry. When it gets colder, dig some plants
Jerusalem up and replant them undercover.
artichoke tubers Alternatively put a cold frame or
can be planted some floating mulch over them. Dig
from spring to up mint roots and lay them length-
mid-summer for wise in a box or seed tray, covering
a crop from them with compost or soil. Under-
November to cover or indoors on a windowsill,
January. When they will shoot all along their length.
you harvest Partly grown spinach and chard can
them, resow a be moved successfully as can lettuces
few of the tubers and other salad crops.
in a different Experiment and see what works
spot for next for you. Who would have thought
year. you could transplant potato plants,
Beetroot or use the celery seed off the kitchen
will overwinter shelf?
outside but does
better under- Janet Renouf-Miller is a fibre artist;
Kale pesto, made from tender cover, so put some in a cold frame. she teaches spinning, dying, crochet
young leaves is tasty and freezes It does not like acid soil. and knitting, and runs simple living
well. Just use a recipe for basil pesto. Parsley and rocket can be sown workshops. She became interested in
Purple sprouting broccoli can be in September under cover. Small gardening as a small child when she
sown in June or July and grown over seedlings will stand over the winter had her own little plot, on which she
the winter for an early spring crop. and grow on in spring. Slugs like preferred to grow vegetables rather
The leaves can be eaten as well as parsley, so use organic slug control than flowers.
the heads. Leave the old kale and as needed. http://downshifterdiary.blogspot.com
broccoli plants in the ground in Potatoes can be planted in pots in
spring and they will continue to a greenhouse or polytunnel and will Resources
be ready in a few weeks. Just keep The Winter Harvest Handbook by
Above left: Spring cabbage. back some seed potatoes to sow in Eliot Coleman, price £24.95 available
the autumn. Potatoes can also be from www.green-shopping.co.uk
Above right: Purple sprouting broccoli. planted very early in a polytunnel or call us on 01730 823 311.

THE
SITTING
ROOM
SESSIONS
Brian Boothby sings the benefits of taking
live music back home
I
magine the scene: 20 or 30 of your friends and acquaintances gathered
in the intimate and congenial setting of a sitting room, a yurt, or even
a bender. It’s been a cosy evening, with hot chai and home-made
flapjacks, wine and fragrant olives. The candles are bright in the lanterns,
a palpable sense of community and celebration has developed as three
expert musicians weave an acoustic tapestry of songs, tales and music,
transporting you to far off places and also to the inner spaces of the
mind and heart. Clearly the musicians themselves are also deeply moved,
delighted to play every note knowing that your participatory listening has
honoured their craft.
Such was the scene at our house in Derbyshire in last April. We were
celebrating the launch of my first solo album for 15 years, with four such
concerts over the span of a weekend.

52
52 Permaculture
Magazine No.
No. 66
66 www.permaculture.co.uk
Real Music
With few exceptions, mainstream media decrees that music is better if it’s
loud, image-driven, marketable and played on the most prestigious stages,
and who’s to deny the undoubted thrill of witnessing a brilliant band
performing at that level? However, there are so many alternatives to this.
For centuries, classical music has thrived and excelled in the pindrop silence of
rapt listening; and jazz musicians the world over have refined music to explore
those startling intervals and unusual rhythms which demand true listening.
For many like myself, seeking an authentic expression of music and song,
there is always the homely truth of folk, roots and world music, the non-
exclusive shared oral tradition, linking us back to real human experience
and the very roots of human sound... Permaculture in art.
Magic Melody
It is not just a question of doing things more simply, nor is it a desire to
create new art forms or dismantle preconceptions. It’s simply that despite
the undeniable power of playing electric through a massive PA, and
despite the inescapable logistics of how a few musicians get to reach as
many people as possible, and notwithstanding the infinitely longer time
it takes to build a following when only playing to a few dozen people at a
time, for me there is just no equal to what happens when people listen
with complete attention to a musician in full flight, giving every ounce
of their being. Magic happens.
This realisation happened for me years ago in a big bender on a
windswept Beltane camp, when we gathered round the burner, told
stories and sang, knee to knee or heads on laps, inner eyes catching
pictures in the flames. The vast sense of history and the tribal memory
flooded through and connected me as never before to my ancestors
on this land, all having done exactly this since the dawn of humanity.
This later became the driving motivation behind the Music Spaces
which developed at the Big Green Gathering and which still continue
on the Healing Field at Glastonbury Festival.

Sitting Room Sessions
Here it is again, surfacing stronger than ever in this latest stage of my own
musical journey. Judging by the overwhelmingly positive response from the
74 people who came to our four ‘Sitting Room Sessions’, it is also something
that’s crying out to be reinstated in living spaces all over the world. For me it
is not just a question of bringing back the sing-song round the old joanna,
or giving everyone a chance, though it is that as well. It’s also to do with the
way we listen and the way we honour our poets and musicians.
By inviting them into our gatherings, sharing what they have to offer and
thereby acknowledging their raison d’être and their trade, we reconnect to
our own roots and bring more creativity to our communities. Performers
aren’t gods for pedestals as the media seems to suggest, just skilled human
beings offering a journey and seeking fulfilment. Similarly, you don’t have
to wait for Mean Fiddler to arrange it, you too can be promoters
If you would like to experience this, live at a settee near you, email Brian on:
brianb@w3z.co.uk
To sample video from the sessions, visit: www.myspace.com/brianboothby
For more music and information: www.brianboothby.co.uk
Photo © May Kindred Boothby
www.permaculture.co.uk No. 66
No. 66 Permaculture Magazine
Permaculture Magazine 53
53
Growing
Together
Louise Cartwright
describes a way of
growing your own food
on a large scale,
as a community
C
ommunity Supported The relationship between Above: I set up the scheme, after
Agriculture schemes CSAs and their members is Louise completing a Masters degree
(CSAs) are radically mutually beneficial because Cartwright in Product Design. I was
different to supermarkets the steady income, which is harvesting lucky enough to spend a year
and the average veggie box a result of members paying potatoes with studying in Canada, where I
scheme because they are upfront means that food can a Kippax CSA met an enterprising young
reliant on a membership base be grown throughout the member family of growers based in
of committed individuals seasons. As a result, members
and families. Members of are able to see where, how
CSAs pay upfront for their and who grows their food.
produce and often take CSAs originated in America as
part in organised field days a way for small scale farmers
and social events to help to compete with the food
grow their own food. This giants and CSAs are now
commitment means that rising in popularity in Europe.
the growers have a reliable
income even if there is a glut Short History of
of one crop or another crop Kippax CSA
has failed. The growers also The story of how Kippax
have a large group of people CSA, near Leeds, was set up is Right:
to call on during the busy one of idealism, ‘jumping in The first
months when everything with both feet’, coupled with potatoes of the
needs to be planted. disregard of any ‘nay’ sayers. year going in.

varieties of all of the produce
because we believe that it
increases resilience and it’s fun
to hear the members exclaim
“What? You can get purple
carrots?!”. We also try to save
seed wherever we can and are
increasing our knowledge to
do this more effectively.
How We Grow
We grow all of our food using
organic principles, but we aren’t
certified yet because we can’t
afford the expense. We are keen
for members to have their say
about the permaculture design
for the site. One of the numerous
benefits of having a member-
ship base is the amalgamation
of skills and experience which
Caledon, Ontario. They had just Above: skills coupled with his great can be shared and put towards
started a CSA, which involved A Kippax CSA practical brain meant that the a design.
another unknown word, veggie box. scheme could stay off grid. As well as declining to use
‘permaculture’. This sowed the pesticides, herbicides, and
seed in my mind, and when I What We Grow fertilisers, we also avoid petrol-
finished my degree I spent two We grow all of the ‘staples’, powered machinery. This
weeks completing a perma- i.e. potatoes, root veg (carrots, means that we have to be very
culture design course. After the parsnips), brassicas (cabbages, creative and inventive with our
course I spent many months purple sprouting broccoli, weed control. To combat the
volunteering in France to under- kale, Brussels sprouts, swede, onslaught of weeds that seem
stand the ins and outs of CSAs turnips) legumes (broad beans, to come up overnight we have
and similarly permaculture. French beans, peas) spinach, devised a no-dig bed system.
On my return to England I Below: chard, beetroot, squashes and To start a no-dig bed, we get
was offered a job as a grower Raised no-dig a variety of salads. We also out all of the noxious weeds in
at Swillington CSA and a room beds filled with grew more exotic food this an area, and mark out the bed
with a friend in Ledston Luck well rotted year including peppers, chillies, using cardboard. We then put
village. As it turned out, Led- manure in the aubergines, cucumbers and a thick layer of well-rotted
ston Luck was devoid of any polytunnel. melons. We grow different horse manure (at least two
shops or amenities and was
surrounded by arable farm-
ing land. I contacted the local
farmer whose land abutted the
village and casually asked if
he had any land he wouldn’t
mind renting out. As it hap-
pened, the farmer had 0.4
hectare (1 acre) of set-aside
which was gathering dust; thus
Kippax CSA was born.
There was one small snag
with this arrangement how-
ever: the site had no access
to mains water or electricity.
I also quickly discovered that
working an acre of land with
just a fork and a lot of good-
will is incredibly hard work.
To rectify this sticky situation,
I commandeered Neal Stanley
as a partner. Neal’s joinery

Left: This, coupled with mulching,
Members on no dig beds and the pond
a well-earned situated on site, will see us
break by the through any dry spells. To
multifunctional cook food at Kippax CSA and
cabin. create energy we use a rocket
stove and a bicycle generator
(see boxes).
Our Permaculture Design

Using the polytunnel as an
example of how we implement
permaculture, we built the
Below: raised beds out of discarded
Rainwater pallets to maximise space and
harvesting. to reduce cost. We decided to
use raised beds to increase yield
years old) and straw or hay on and reduce soil compaction.
top. We also start no-dig beds Recycled cardboard bike boxes
using just cardboard and hay. were used to line the beds, to
For these beds, we plant ensure that weeds were supp-
straight into the soil instead of ressed and to minimise water
the manure layer and add evaporation from the edges.
extra mulch in the form of The beds were filled with organic
broad beans and sunflowers. well-rotted horse manure from
Crops are grown using a a local stable to provide enough
three year rotation: we rotate nitrogen for the hungry plants.
legumes, brassicas and potatoes. To make the best use of
We group the onion family with the space and to increase
the legumes and root crops field we have devised a water the growing area, the raised
with the solanaceae family. harvesting system, which beds were made with a point.
Crops such as courgettes, sweet- catches rain water off the This allows easy access with a
corn, Swiss chard, spinach and polytunnel and the on site wheelbarrow and means that
most salads are planted wher- shipping container, fondly we are using every available
ever convenient, as they pose nicknamed ‘the cabin’. We space. The polytunnel has
little problem for the rotation. currently have a 3,000 litre multiple functions including
We also grow green manures (660 gallons) water capacity. raising delicate plants, dry-
such as scarlet clover, crimson
clover, broad beans, phacelia
and sunflowers. The broad
beans, sunflowers and phacelia Rocket Stove
are used as a green mulch.
T
They are put down on the he rocket stove is a modern version of an
old idea, so called because of the jet flame
areas that we want to convert
and roaring sound when fully loaded with
to no-dig beds and the clover fuel. It is basically an insulated chimney. The
is grown as a living mulch in stove used at Kippax CSA comprises a stainless
between the brassica beds. steel chimney, which was cut from a flat sheet
with a grinder, then clamped in a vice and bent
Practical Cultivation with wooden blocks and hammer.
Techniques
To optimise the space in the The chimney is made in two parts and fixed
polytunnel we have built a together in strategic positions with stainless steel
bolts to withstand the heat and to reduce warping.
series of raised no-dig beds
The chimney is housed in an old vegetable oil tin
which we filled with well from a take away shop which is packed tightly
rotted manure. In subsequent with building grade vermiculite insulation. Another
years we intend to top up the shortened vegetable oil tin sits on top of the
beds with green manures and chimney above the other tin to form an insulating
use a variety of compost teas ‘skirt’ which pots and pans are lowered down into.
(comfrey and nettle) for the The pans sit on bolts fixed through the skirt to
more hungry crops. To water allow air flow from the chimney.
the polytunnel and the entire

Left: can wash up and prepare food Contact Us
Planting design hygienically. All of the off-cuts Kippax CSA is currently look-
for the whole from the various shelves were ing for more members. If you
field. used to power the rocket stove, are interested in being part
which was used to provide of a sustainable and inclusive
meals for members on our first food supply, please contact
field days. Louise and Neal on
We are constantly experi- Email: kippaxcsa@gmail.com
menting with different tech- Tel: 07870 994 354
niques to decrease labour and or 0113 262 3981
increase productivity. Kippax Web: www.kippaxcsa.co.uk
CSA is currently at the end of its
second year and we fully expect Louise Cartwright is one of the
failures as well as successes. head growers of Kippax CSA.
We feel that any failures will She also works part-time for
make our system more resilient the Permaculture Association as
as we learn from them and the Network Co-ordinator of
develop new techniques into the LAND project. The LAND
ing clothes, storing wood and the design. A good design is project is a four year project
growing heat loving crops. never finished, but constantly funded by the Local Food
Another example of perma- evolves and develops. The scheme which aims to create
culture design is the cabin. The beauty of a CSA is that members a publicly accessible England-
cabin is used to store all of our can have an input in the wide permaculture learning
tools, equipment, and produce, growing process and the and demonstration network.
and is used as a makeshift overall design. This creativity
kitchen. Neal made a series of and ingenuity will result in a For more information see:
shelves and tables using old truly sustainable food supply www.permaculture.org.
pallets for tool storage, and he which will be resilient to change uk/land or email: network@
even fitted a kitchen sink so we in the uncertain times ahead permaculture.org.uk
Bike Generator
The generator is connected to a 12V leisure battery which powers
lights in the cabin which are required for share pick up during
winter months and also to power an mp3 player for social
occasions. The lights are 5 watts (LED’s would be more efficient
but we already had these) and are powered directly from the
battery. We use an inverter clipped onto the battery for anything
requiring usual household electricity and anything with a plug that
cannot be converted to 12V. Inverters are inefficient and take
lots of power but allow intermittent use of normal household
items which generally require cycling during use of the item
(as with an mp3).
T
he lights in the cabin are powered using a
bike generator. The bike generator is also
used for social gatherings to play music. It
is definitely a good keep fit piece of equipment
because as soon as you stop pedalling the music
disappears!
The bike generator at Kippax CSA uses a bike

stand with the back wheel of a road bike sit-
ting directly onto a roller connected to a 12V DC
generator. There would normally be a fly-wheel
attached to the bike stand roller but instead a
small aluminium coupling (made as a favour at
Leeds University) joins the roller to the generator.

D esert t
Karen Olson tells the story of living
S cott and Arina Pittman

live in the village of
Jacona, just north of
Santa Fe. Their home is part of
milk, eggs, greens, vegetables,
and fruit. To keep their 60
foot diameter mandala garden
growing, they use a drip-
the wetland is teeming with
life. So is the Pittmans’ house.
In the House
a unique 10 acre co-housing irrigation system and plenty of Along with their 2 year-old son
situation. Legally, the houses straw mulch. They regularly Sasha, the Pittmans live in a
are considered condominiums. soak the orchards, lavender hybrid strawbale/adobe structure
While the houses are owned field, and a fenced rotational that took six years to build.
individually, residents – who pasture for heirloom poultry Scott Pittman, who also has
have agreed to two bylaws with water from a traditional three grown children, says the
stating there will be no biocides irrigation canal – called an house is right for the climate.
or violence on the property – acequia – that has continuously “It operates just like it is
have some shared assets, flowed through the property supposed to: warm in winter,
including land. That’s where since 1706. An abandoned cool in summer.” Additional
Scott and Arina Pittman have swimming pool has been turned winter heating needs are met
their Lots of Life In One Place into a three-season green- through passive solar and a
permaculture demonstration house and goat-milking space. Russian masonry oven.
farm. “Because of this structure, The property is also home The house is built around a
we have way more land and a to a 5 acre wetland restoration courtyard enclosed with a
higher quality of life than if project that the residents – and roof, giving the Pittmans a
we didn’t pool our assets the goats – like to walk around. climate-controlled space for
together,” says Arina Pittman. Pittman and Bill Mollison Above: growing bananas, fig trees,
“We wouldn’t be able to own designed the wetland using the The arid cherimoyas, and citrus – and
this piece of land, to plant chinampa, a Mesoamerican New Mexico giving small birds a place to
fruit trees and have goats.” floating garden, as a model. landscape live. The plants in this 600
In a lush oasis surrounded by Australian Doug Durrough and surrounding foot green space get water
dry scrubland, the farm provides his cousin dug the large ponds the Pittman’s from an underground Watson
nearly all of the Pittmans’ meat, and snaked channel. Today, property. Wick pumice filtration system

o O asis
permaculture legend, Scott Pittman
that handles all of the home’s Shirley MacLaine’s ranch, says Pittman. “Combining
black and gray wastewater. he has enjoyed working on the wisdom of these retired
Together, this integrated the restoration of a riparian farmers with the energy and
indoor system provides food, watershed. “Over the course good intentions of young
humidifies the air, and creates of a few years,” he said, “we beginning farmers could
a heat sink that helps modify saw an intermittent stream engender a huge amount of
interior temperature. start to run year-round in the goodwill in this community.”
When designing their home, upper reaches of the watershed Pittman and the Permaculture
the Pittmans also limited electro- and vegetation return along Institute are currently working
magnetic fields, used no toxic with concomitant wildlife.” to develop a program with the
materials, and sourced their Pittman was recently asked Oklahoma National Guard to
materials locally. “We used all by two different Navajo (Diné) help people in Afghan villages
natural materials which gives our groups to create programs, develop more effective agricul-
home a wonderful ambience,” one for land restoration and ture and pastoral practices.
Pittman says. the other to give youth skills “I have always thought that
for right livelihood so they the military could be an
Close to Home can stay on tribal lands. He incredible force for good if
In addition to his own also wants to create a program used to restore environmental
property, Pittman has worked in his local community to damage and to provide support
on many design projects connect older farmers who to third world people who are
and education programs no longer have the energy to trapped in a continuing cycle
around New Mexico. At the Above: farm their land with young of disease and poverty,” says
Seeds of Change Farm in El The Pittman’s farmers who can’t afford land Pittman.
Guique, he used permaculture property 13 and equipment. “There is a
design techniques to enhance years after imple- lot of land in my watershed On the Horizon
the company’s mission to menting their that is sitting fallow, covered On top of all his work in the
provide open-pollinated permaculture in weeds, because the owners physical world, Pittman is
seeds to the world. At actress design. can no longer care for it,” working on a book about the

Left: have found that people are
The irrigated incredibly moved in their hearts
pasture used for and share that change with
sheep, chickens their classmates and with me.
and dairy goats “Teaching permaculture
contains a var- has given me the wonderful
iety of health opportunity to be my genuine
giving herbs, self with less and less trepid-
brambles and ation. This in turn gives my
fruit bearing students the opportunity to
forage plants open up and be who they
for people and are. The whole process is
honey bees, as incredibly liberating and,
well as all the I believe, the way learning
above animals. should happen.”
implicit lessons of perma- course is often referred to as

culture. “While the visible and a ‘life changing’ experience,
invisible structures of perma- and it is. I believe that we draw
culture are what we speak some of the most dedicated
about and use as examples in and ethical people in the world
classes, there is the unspoken to our growing tribe. It is
spirit of permaculture that, passing strange to me that
in my mind, is what gives it most people look at perma-
power and is the reason that culture as a gardening tech-
it has grown all over the nique. We are far more
world with no help from the change-oriented than that.
dominant culture or One might even go so far as to Right:
governments,” he says. call it culturally revolutionary. Abundance at
“The Permaculture Design In every course I have taught I the oasis.
The Scott Pittman Story

Scott Pittman grew up on a ranch in West Texas, spent four years in the U.S. Air Force
in Turkey, and fought for civil rights while in college. He started a construction and
woodworking business in Santa Fe, New Mexico, then tried his hand as an organic
farmer. He was introduced to permaculture at a short workshop with Bill Mollison
in 1985. That encounter inspired him to fly to Nepal to take what was supposed to
be one of Mollison’s last courses before retirement. The next year, Pittman started
traveling the world with Mollison teaching permaculture.
Pittman, who just turned 70, has now taught around 200 Permaculture Design Certificate
courses, including polyculture design for sustainable, small-scale cacao production in
Haiti, energy-efficient housing design in Siberia, community-living necessities like
waste management and community organizing for the Landless Workers’ Movement
in Southern Brazil, rainwater harvesting methods in Guatemala, and a course in
Ecuador that was attended by well over 100 participants representing a cross-section
of the ethnic, cultural, and institutional diversity of the entire country.
One of Pittman’s gifts to the world of permaculture is his ability to work with different communities. “He works with
indigenous people, Hollywood stars, local ranchers, government officials and college kids,” says Toby Hemenway,
author of Gaia’s Garden. “I hardly know anyone who is able to bridge those cultures so easily.”
Over the years, Pittman has also constantly been working at home in New Mexico. He is the director of the Permaculture
Institute, which he founded with Bill Mollison in 1997 as the sister organization to the Permaculture Institute of
Australia. He started the Permaculture Drylands Journal (now defunct, but the archives will soon be available on
the Institute’s website) and co-founded the Permaculture Credit Union with Manuel Abascal. It’s now ten years old
and has over $5 million in assets. And he’s designed numerous properties, including his own with his wife Arina.
Hemenway calls the property “a marvel of permaculture design”.

Global Ecovillage Network NEWS
GEN News In Brief Kogis Visit Ecovillage Permaculture Helps To Change The World
Tamera: A Model for the During the summer of 2010
Future written by resident Change The World (CTW), a
journalist Leila Dregger, Norwegian based NGO,
focuses on the current state organised the first Permaculture
of work at Tamera in three Design Course north of the
core areas: permaculture Arctic circle at Kvaløya, close to
and water landscape, solar the city of Tromsø.
technology and peace edu- The course was held on
cation. See the advertise- Sami territory, an indigenous
ment on page 64 for details group which traditionally were
of how to order from www. very much self sufficient and
green-shopping.co.uk living in a close relation with
nature. The modernity of
Damanhur hosted the Global western living has changed this
Ecovillage Network Europe relationship a great deal,
General Assembly and the Members of the first arctic PDC
something that the Sami
Ecovillages and Sustainable representatives in the course organising and supporting events,
Living Conference, July 2010. A Kogi Indian Priest would like to reverse. They wish courses and partner organisa-
Over 150 participants from to use permaculture as a tool to tions engaged in permaculture,
nearly 30 countries and 6 Belgian Ecovillage Kasteel face the various challenges that sustainability and sustainable
continents attended. Damanhur Nieuwenhoven was recently globalisation and climate education in Africa, Latin America
also participated in the 10th visited by a group of Kogi Indian change bring. It is hoped that and Europe.
anniversary Earth Charter Priests from Columbia. The visit they will be able to spread the A few weeks after the Arctic
event in June 2010 at the was part of an event organised permacultural way of working PDC, CTW broke further new
Peace Palace in the Hague, by the Total Health Foundation with nature in order to strengthen ground on the other side of the
Netherlands. Read more to launch a new film and their cultural roots. world, with the first Transition
about both events at: www. promote support for preserving The participants were awarded Town Trainings in Chile.
damanhur.org indigenous ways of life at The a Permaculture Design Certification, A first event was organised
Farmers of San José de International Indigenous Peace as recognised by the Nordisk with the National Network of
Apartadó, Colombia, have Summit. Permakultur Institut. Municipalities for Sustainability
created The Global Campus The Kogis live in the moun- and drew over 30 participants.
of Mulatos in the jungle near tains of Columbia and until A second course was held in
their village. Focal points are recently avoided contact with Santiago and more than 40
co-operation with nature, civilization, preserving an activists from Chile’s alternative
development and application ancient way of life. Their high movement took part.
of sustainable technologies, priests, or Mamos, are chosen These are great examples of
the building of functioning at birth for a special life attuned how NGOs can contribute to
communities, compassion to a deep knowledge and union. Examining coastal ecosystems facilitating new processes towards
and reconciliation. View: They see themselves as a sustainable future. They help
www.grace-pilgrimage.org humanity’s elder brothers and Change The World is an empower new world changers
guardians of the planet and international organisation founded to make real differences in their
work towards healing the whole, in Norway by Latin American and own countries.
not only their own tribe’s needs. African sustainability activists. Read more about CTW at:
SUBMISSIONS The visiting Kogi Mamos Its members are engaged in www.world-changers.org
DEADLINE expressed their approval of the
for submissions to ecovillage’s activities and held
Permaculture Magazine No.67 a healing and cleansing ritual
30 November 2010 with the residents of the castle.
To contribute to the A resident said: “In the middle
Global Ecovillage Network of all the activity of the event,
pages contact: the Kogis shone like an island
David Yekutiel of peace and simplicity”.
Email: nartan@argayall.com Read more about the Kogis at:
Web: gen.ecovillage.org www.totalhealthfoundation.org
and view all of the latest
The publishers reserve the right developments at Kasteel
to select, edit or delete material
according to the space available Nieuwenhoven’s ecovillage at:
www.kasteelnieuwenhoven.be Participants make a circle at Chile’s first Transition Town Training

Dutch Ecovillage Build Spanish Eco-Housing More Visitors At ZEGG GEN-Africa Emerging
Several Festivals took place this The GEN General Assembly
summer at the ZEGG community held in July at Damanhur, Italy,
in Germany. Each had a different recognised the importance of
theme, but all had one thing in the growing network of
common, more visitors came Ecovillages in Africa by awarding
than ever before. its annual excellence award to
The season started with the GEN-Senegal for its ground-
Whitsun festival, entitled The breaking work with the
Empathy Experiment, where Senegalese Government Initiative
Yoga on Valdepiélagos village green
participants went on a journey for Ecovillages. A special award
Seventeen years after its from the country of blaming was also created for South African
initiation, the last houses of each other to the island of Khula Dhamma Ecovillage.
Valdepiélagos Ecovillage have empathy. 10 days later in the During the GA, African and
Laying the foundations at Brabant
been purchased and occupied Come Together Song Festival European ecovillage leaders
The first building of the new by families joining the Eco- more than 350 people joined to met and discussed strategy for
Ecodorp Brabant in southern housing project near Madrid. It sing and celebrate community the future of GEN-Africa.
Holland, a passive energy eco- now has a total of 30 families through the gift of music. In the Guidelines for the recognition
building, is rising near the town with 80 people altogether. ZEGG Summer-camp guests from of indigenous and traditional
of Den Bosch. A team of The co-operative endeavours 17 different countries shared villages as ecovillages were
volunteers and future ecovillagers to find a balance between the aspects of community life. compiled by representatives
have been laying foundations individual and the community. View more information at: from India, Thailand, Senegal,
and erecting the roundwood The project is self-funding and www.zegg.de Congo, South Africa, Turkey
frames for the building which maintains two communal bank and Italy.
will be constructed entirely of accounts, one for matters per- In future, Ecovillage Design
waste and renewable materials. taining to the houses them- Education (EDE) courses are
The current group consists selves, and the other for the planned in English and French
of about 250 people who wish communal spaces, the green to take place in South Africa and
to establish an ecovillage but zone, the reservoir, the parking Senegal as well as various net-
volunteers are welcome! area and the streets. working and fundraising events.
Follow their development at: For more details see: www. For further details please visit:
www.ecodorpbrabant.nl ecoaldeavaldepielagos.org Hundreds having fun at ZEGG www.genafrica.org
TAMERA
A Model for the Future
Leila Dregger
If we want peace
on Earth, we have
to find out what
peace really means.
The Tamera Peace

Research Village,
founded in 1995,
is developing a
convincing model
for a future world
society.
This inspiring
book describes
Tamera’s
ground-breaking
work in permaculture
and water landscape, Hardback
solar technology and 136pp
peace education. UK: £18.95
Order from:
or call 01730 823 311

A PRODUCTIVITY QUESTION
Patrick Whitefield and Simon Fairlie
make a persuasive case for livestock
as part of permaculture farming in
their articles in PM65. A part of
© M Lopes / Shutterstock
Patrick’s article that resonated with

me was his misgivings about planting
trees on productive grassland instead
of stocking it with ruminants. This
is something I did on my holding smart humans always have to a crisis: and the accelerating loss of biodiversity
(as described in PM51) and have adapt, adapt... and adapt again. But pour in, the debate intensifies, and
slightly regretted ever since, so I’d temporising and ad-hocery is not the only real certainty would seem
endorse Patrick’s advice to think likely to take us anywhere we want to be the ultimate demise of our
carefully before planting trees! to be. For that we need is a way to consumer-based culture, along with a
One of the problems here is guide, structure and make sense of considerable amount of nasty collateral
government policy, which is willing the state of things. damage to the environment. The time-
to pay us to plant trees but unwilling We need a narrative, which goes scale of the changes, the degrees of
to let us move onto land to look after something like this: we have received severity, and the effects of all this on
livestock. But I do wonder if there’s a Call to Adventure, albeit not one living conditions are less certain, and
another side to the story. You don’t that we wanted. This call has been make for a heady brew of conjecture,
get much food value per acre from thrust upon us by the Earth because tailor-made to trap the ‘sensitive’
ruminants fed purely on grass (the we have failed to respect it or each into confusing swings of hope and
equivalent of about half an allot- other; hence we are now in peril. fear. Naturally we hope for a sea
ment’s worth of potatoes, by my This adventure has two possible ends: change in attitudes that will save us,
calculations). And, as Ben Law points one is disaster for all; the other is and naturally we fear the inherent
out in PM65, there will probably be finding our sustainable niche within danger of chaos and anarchy; but if
an increasing need in the future for the Earth’s system. This quest will be we allow ourselves to be governed by
timber, and the closer it is to where a desperate, continuing process these swings of emotions, the picture
it’s needed the better. So why not lasting many generations. will become ever less clear, and the
experiment with stacked systems? For the adventure to end well, opportunity for any genuine positive
I can imagine various possibilities each generation must now take its action will be lost.
– pollards and standards over grass successors into account. In taking Whatever the scale of the unfold-
for ruminant grazing; cropping each step on the way we must respect ing catastrophe, I suggest that it can
leaves for tree hay; pigs or poultry the planet (Earthcare) and each actually be embraced as an oppor-
raised extensively under standards. other (Peoplecare). If these things are tunity to bring about fundamental
In earlier times there was a tradition not done the quest will end badly, changes in the human condition. The
of wood pasture commons in Britain, because it is our failure to do them gradual development from cave man
doubtless because ordinary people so far that has left us looking down to computer man has evidently been
needed to get multiple outputs from the throat of species extinction. made in response to environmental
the scarce land resource available to But a successful outcome will be a challenges, and it could be that we
them. Perhaps this is a design lesson new harmony with the Earth and its are due for an update. This is a
we can apply today. I’m still prepared other inhabitants, one which can last process, as it ticks on through time,
to believe I did the wrong thing in somewhat longer than the industrial- of which we are all a part; and we
planting my trees, but I’m planning consumer era. can, if we choose, make a conscious
to experiment on a small scale with Permaculture, modified to meet contribution. These days there are
some of the systems I mention above. the changes encountered on the many references to ‘lifeboats’ as a
I’d be interested in sharing ideas and journey, will give practical expression symbol of preserving meaningful
experiences with anyone who has to the framework. In this the perma- essentials, and perhaps we are all
similar interests. culturist is rather like the shaman capable of building and piloting our
Chris Smaje, Somerset who is summoned to a burdensome own personal lifeboats.
healing mission they may not want I agree wholeheartedly with
REQUIEM RESPONSES but can’t refuse. Patrick’s belief that ‘our aim must
Patrick Whitefield’s review of Brian J Fearnley, Suffolk
Requiem for a Species (PM65)
deserves a few words in response. In his review of Requiem for a Species,
Patrick concludes on the basis that all PM65, Patrick Whitefield posed
we can do now is to ‘make our some very pertinent questions as to Write us a letter and if we publish it
remaining time on Earth as pleasant our ultimate aims in practising we’ll give you a £10.00 voucher to spend
and wholesome as possible’. Palliative permaculture, and as to whether we
© J Home / Shutterstock
with the Green Shopping Catalogue.

permaculture, we might say. In fact, might need to reassess those aims. Email: maddy@permaculture.co.uk
we will respond to climate change as As the reports on climate change

be to make our remaining time on permaculture is a movement uniquely • Get solar panels (any day now!).
earth as pleasant and wholesome positioned to explore and to share • Learn canning skills using jam jars
as possible’, but I feel the need to the potential for a more naturally – this was a really useful tip.
point out that this should not be wholesome and enjoyable lifestyle. • Use urine as a liquid feed in the
taken to be a defeatist or an escap- Jim Thomas garden – another great tip.
ist attitude. ‘Wholesome’ is the • Keep going because we know
operative word, and to explore one’s PROMISING PALLETS there are others like us out there,
personal potential for wholesome Having taken inspiration from therefore we are not completely
enjoyment through the earthwise John Adams article in PM64 about mad!
practice of permaculture is to open making an Adirondack chair from Thank you and keep up the good
up a perspective that looks beyond a recycled pallet, I made a similar work.
the narrow-minded nature of anxiety chair using ‘free’ wood scrounged Janet Renouf-Miller
into a world of creative opportunity. from the waste bin of a furniture
This is a journey well worth making company. The wood used is a hard- AN OILY SITUATION
for its own sake, with any by-product wood similar to teak. I decided to We try to cook and eat at home as
that might eventually help ‘save the use slatted seat rails and a slatted much as possible as this is the
planet’ being of course a happy and back, all edges have been cham- cheapest and most ecological option,
useful bonus. fered to improve the appearance but when I make our own tempura
As a sustainable movement, and lighten the weight. Neverthe- (deep fried veggies or fish in
permaculture should be prepared less the chair is heavy but should batter), I end up with a lot of frying
to negotiate any future changes in prove incredibly durable. I look oil. I wonder if there is a respon-
our cultural structure. As authori- forward to more inspiring articles sible and clever way of disposing
ties inevitably exert more control, from John. of it, except for making biodiesel?
we would likely face a loss of the Mark Bowman, Cumbria I usually pour it onto the compost
freedoms that we have come to take heap, although I am not sure if this is
for granted. Subsequently, we could PM INSPIRATION the right thing to do. I also thought
find ourselves adrift in an anarchy I have been inspired by PM for many that perhaps I could try and burn it
the character of which we cannot years. We have a filing system for the on the bonfire. I have searched the
begin to imagine. We simply don’t articles we want to use in the future internet and browsed many books
know what will happen. We live in and keep them in poly pockets. about composting, yet none of these
a world that values permanency, and Living in a simple suburban new sources told me how to dispose of
the illusion of permanency is wear- build bungalow, we grow large used cooking oil. Am I the only
ing thin. We clearly need a sense of quantities of fruit and vegetables in a person in the whole world who ends
meaning, without which our energies fairly small garden on a hill so steep up with frying oil? Surely not.
run low and we become frustrated that our veg plot is the same height Andrea Paulini, Oxfordshire
and ineffectual. as the roof of the house! Every inch
Permaculture, as a fast-evolving of space is used; we have nine LETTER CORRECTION PM65
network of people and shared prac- cordon apple trees along the fence In PM65 we printed a letter by
tices, achieved through the medium and a four hoop polytunnel. Amanda Hunter, entitled ‘Putting
of modern communications, is an Here are some of the things PM A Price On Sustainable Property’.
exciting movement. It provides a has inspired us to do: However, during the editing
model with which to approach a time • Grow veg all year round in Scotland. process a word was added, which
of upheaval, along with techniques • Make sauerkraut – great recent regrettably impacted on the
and systems with which to engage in article on this. content of the letter. Please note
meaningful action. It is something of • Garden creatively in a hilly place the correction below, with our
a great adventure, and – for the time (much of which only had subsoil apologies:
being, at least – there exist plenty of left 10 years ago thanks to the I think we all realize that most
possibilities to experiment with alter- builder who erected the house). property for sale in the UK is
native methods and ways of life. • Install a wood burning stove. randomly priced by estate agents
Some people are braver than • Grow coppiced willow on waste based on what they believe the ‘market’
others, some have more resources, ground behind our garden and use will yield, and that the majority of
some are more educated, and some when needed, for fuel and structures. home owners are paid nowhere near
more talented, but anyone who really • Turn our front garden into an the price that they are asking for the
wants to do so can find a way to awesome strawberry bed that property they wish to sell. Perhaps it
make meaningful changes in his or yields 1-2kg a day for six weeks is time to look at what a sustainable,
her personal life. It takes courage every year (now productive for permaculture-inspired pricing
and enthusiasm to change familiar eight years). structure for housing should look like?
patterns, but there are enough people • Build networks and relationships To my mind, some people are planning
making the choice for it not to be with those around us to swap to make an awful lot of profit from a
just a lonely shot in the dark. The produce and obtain waste wood basic human need, and that doesn’t
methods are basic and accessible and for our stove. match with permaculture principles.

GM FREEZE CAMPAIGN S
Le tar
tte
r
In one of the greatest modern campaign success GM Freeze is a campaign
stories, Britain has remained virtually GM free trying to prevent this
for seven years. GM crops have never been grown new wave of GM trials and
commercially in this country, and there have been commercialisation, by raising
very few field trials of experimental varieties. This awareness among MPs who will have to vote any new
was the result of a grassroots campaign that to an legislation on the subject into existence. In the 1990s,
unprecedented degree integrated solid political a well-coordinated and well-informed campaign
lobbying with direct action. convinced the great majority of MPs of the benefits
Most organic growers remember being convinced of keeping Britain GM-free. The campaign worked
that GM seed was bad. Yet because of the successes last time because it exercised economic and public
in the 1990s, there is now a whole new generation leverage in the fields, and political understanding
who may not know the story, or what has emerged among the supermarkets and MPs. A similar approach
since. In Canada, organic oil seed rape can no longer would promise success this time round. Which is
be grown because of the pollen pollution from where we hope you can help.
GM varieties. Seed contamination through cross- Following the recent election, the Genetic
pollination has demonstrated that the coexistence of Engineering Network finds that the political
GM and non-GM varieties is simply impossible. understanding of GM among parliamentarians is
GM seeds are patented, which has allowed biotech no longer there. According to some estimates, no
companies to sue farmers for theft of intellectual more than ten MPs now even have a basic grasp
property rights if their crop accidentally becomes of the issues. MPs rarely respond to emails and
contaminated. Hundreds of farmers in America meetings proposed by anyone other than their own
have lost their farms following legal action by constituents, so this is work that can only be done by
biotech companies after accidental contamination many people in their own localities.
with GM patented pollen. The patents allow the The GM Freeze aims to close this awareness gap.
biotech companies to own all future generations of The campaign, supported by such institutions as
seed, effectively privatising fertility. This clearly has Friends of the Earth, the Soil Association and Elm
implications for anyone’s seed saving. Farm Research Centre, is looking for people who are
GM crops with in-built pesticide were very interested in becoming a GM pen friend to their MP.
effective in the short term, but soon serious concerns Your role would be simple and supported. GM Freeze
emerged about the effects the toxins were having on will forward clear, solidly backed research in regular
predators and other non-target species like butterflies. but not too frequent chunks that you then forward to
Many of the pest insects meanwhile have already your pen friend MP.
developed resistance to the toxin through natural By engaging with responses, and ideally raising
selection. The long term health implications of the issues in person at an MP’s surgery, we can
exposure to these toxins for secondary and tertiary ensure that those in power both understand the
consumers (e.g. permaculture people and their implications of this technology and its importance to
chickens!) is still unknown. their voters. This is a timely intervention that needs
In our new British government, pro-GM National people with a solid understanding of the importance
Farmers Union members dominate the Department of land and food, which we, as permaculturists, do have.
for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). If you can help, please contact www.gmfreeze.org
Heading up this group of intensive agriculture fans is either by emailing pete@gmfreeze.org or phone
Caroline Spelman, who believes there is no conflict 0845 217 8992.
of interests between her current job as the minister Tomas Remiarz,
in charge of GM crop policy and her former role as a London
lobbyist for biotechnology.
Recently, changes in EU legislation were
proposed which would allow GM crops to be fast In each issue our star letter
tracked through the approvals process. Up to 16 wins a £5 book credit and a
varieties are waiting to be rushed through, many book. This issue, Tomas
which carry serious safety concerns. If successful, Remiarz receives a copy of
commercialisation of the first GM crops in the UK Roundwood Timber Framing
could be as little as two to four years away. by Ben Law.

Reviews
and would urge anyone who has an interest
in this subject to read the book. I hope it
will kick start a new debate about how
we feed ourselves and that meat and
dairy might just return to the sustainable
position of being an extravagance that is
reserved more for special occasions
rather than demanded every day for
every meal by the majority.
Richard Barnett co-chairs New Forest
Transition www.newforesttransition.org
SEPP HOLZER’S PERMACULTURE

A Practical Guide For Farms, Orchards
& Gardens
MEAT animals, and crops are now grown speci- Sepp Holzer
A Benign Extravagance fically to be fed to animals to give us food. Permanent Publications, 2010
Simon Fairlie It’s a very inefficient process energy-wise 230 x 156mm, 240pp
Permanent Publications, 2010 resulting in about 10 calories of energy £19.95
230 x 156mm, 336pp being put in to get one back out in the
£19.95 form of meat protein. Additionally, the
intensification of animal farming reduced
livestock to mere commodities that were
treated with increasingly horrific methods.
I still find it amazing that most people
who express concern for animal welfare
are prepared to countenance what goes
on in order to allow them cheap meat
and dairy products.
The environmental impact of this
development is immense as was summarised
in the United Nations report ‘Livestock’s
Long Shadow’. Fairlie calls into question I recently had an email asking me if I could
the validity of its finding that 18% of recommend anyone successfully practising
As a vegan I approached this book rather global CO2 emissions result from animal permaculture on a farm rather than on a
warily on account of its title but as I read processing (you can’t call it farming any domestic scale, or any books about the same.
it I abandoned my caution and found more) but the fact remains that it is very Without a moment’s hesitation I directed
myself nodding in agreement at most, harmful and uses an unsustainable level her to Sepp Holzer and to this book. As
if not all, of its key points. My veganism of resources quite apart from being far as I know there’s no better example
is not borne out of a rigid belief that barbaric. Amazingly the UN report, of farm-scale permaculture anywhere in
humans are not meant to eat meat but rather than suggest we all cut down our Europe than his farm, the Krameterhof,
rather it stems from a complete abhor- meat consumption, actually suggests a high in the mountains of Austria.
rence of the cruelty and inhumanity that growth in the level of intensive farming While the surrounding mountain sides
goes on in an effort to satisfy people’s especially in the developing world. are covered in dark monocultures of spruce,
enormous carnivorous demands, coupled Given that we have to do something the Krameterhof stands out like a beacon.
with a growing despair that such activity radical about the way meat/dairy is produced, It’s an intricate network of terraces, raised
will speed up our process of devastating Fairlie looks at the concept of veganism beds, ponds, waterways and tracks, well
the planet we live on. and works it through to its logical covered with fruit trees and other productive
I was encouraged to see that the central conclusion. Would it matter, for example, vegetation and with the farmhouse neatly
tenet of Simon Fairlie’s new book was that if we no longer had cows and pigs and nestling amongst them. The farm is not
‘we can’t go on like this’! His reasoning sheep? The answer (which I have never just and integrated part of the natural world,
is largely the same as mine. In the past, really delved into too deeply up to now) it’s also where Sepp Holzer and his wife
the amount of meat and dairy products that is ‘yes’. Taken back to the basic level as Veronika make their living. It has taken a
were consumed was more or less governed already described, the presence of these great deal of skill and knowledge to achieve
by the resources available. The number animals is an important aspect of our this, and these things don’t come easily.
of pigs in a community would depend ecosystem and they can exist without Right from his childhood, when his mother
pretty much on the amount of waste food placing undue strain on energy demands gave him a small plot for his first garden,
and crops available. Pigs are great food as well as being treated with respect and he has observed, questioned and experi-
recyclers. The number of other animals high standards of animal welfare. mented. After a lifetime of permaculture
would be restricted to the availability of This book is an immense academic farming he knows the natural world like
land after staple crops such as wheat and work and Simon is to be heartily congrat- few other people do today.
vegetables had been catered for. ulated for his attention to detail and his This book is a treasure trove of his
But then came a change: Population knowledge. He presents the argument for knowledge and skill with full of colour
growth, wealth and subsequent demand reducing meat/dairy demand in a new photographs and diagrams on every page.
for animal food products outstripped the way that has really given me cause to It contains plenty of detailed information,
supply and broke the ‘permaculture’ type think long and hard. I am not about to such as extensive lists of fruit varieties he
equilibrium. The result was that extra start eating animal products again, but I recommends for permaculture, and details
resources had to be put into rearing can only concur with his overall thesis of how he manages water and microclimates

Reviews
on this steep and chilly mountain farm. vested on or near the building site. The advantages: a roundwood pole cut
A word of warning here: what works for entire structure, or skeleton, of the building straight from the forest is considerably
him on his Austrian mountain will not is built with wood that has not been to a stronger in its natural form than an
necessarily work for you on your own land. sawmill; nor has it been transported a equivalent sized beam of sawn timber,
Here in Britain, for example, we have a great distance. Not unrelated to all this is but without the embodied energy from
cloudy maritime climate, in strong contrast the fact that these buildings look good milling; small-diameter poles often not
to Austria’s continental climate. We lack from the outside and feel good to be valued in commercial forestry are often
the sunshine which is such a key element in within. The aesthetics of natural building. ideal, as is the use of coppice timber; and
the way he creates favourable microclimates. Full disclosure: I wrote the Foreword roundwood poles retain the form and
This is not to negate the value of the to this book, so I’m already a fan. But character of the original tree, creating an
book for people who live outside Austria. when I saw the actual book, as opposed aesthetic both elegant and rustic.
– far from it. Much of the detailed inform- to the electronic files I’d viewed before- The DVD shows Ben to be not only a
ation is highly relevant in any temperate hand, I was surprised at how beautifully skilled woodsman and builder – the link
country. But even more valuable than the it all came out. The photography is great, between the management of the woods
information the book contains are the atti- the color is good, and the book takes you and the construction of the building is
tudes it teaches. Its message is not ‘this is step-by-step through planting and tend- emphasised throughout – but also a very
how you do it’ but ‘this is the way you think ing trees; the tools needed; the joining clear and methodical communicator. The
about how to do it.’ Sepp Holzer’s way is methods for this type of construction; as whole process is enthralling, as Ben takes
the way of the future. In the fossil fuel age well as floor, wall, and roof techniques. us through the build from foundations,
we’ve been able to impose our will on the In the last part of the book are photos frame-raising, shingling the roof and mixing
land by throwing cheap energy at every of the sequential construction of seven cob and clay plasters for the fireplace,
problem. In the future that option won’t different round pole buildings. The hor- and I had a sense of being involved in the
be open to us any more. We’ll have to tread ticultural barn at Pestalozzi International whole project myself. Along the way Ben
the more subtle path, the path which Village is a beauty. introduces us to some of his team, and
patiently observes nature and seeks to Not everyone can build like this. local characters he has worked with such
imitate it. That future may not be as far You need to be where trees grow, and as Peter Hindle of Ashencrafts who
off as we think. have some land. But for those who do, helped develop rounding planes for
Patrick Whitefield is a permaculture author this book lays out the path for a more making the oak pegs used to fix the poles
and teacher. www.patrick-whitefield.co.uk sustainable method of construction, for together. I had at first thought they were
learning a trade, for using one’s own made on a pole lathe, but Peter had a still
ROUNDWOOD TIMBER FRAMING hands and local resources to create a more ingenious solution for the challenge
Building Naturally From Local Materials good-feeling, nice-looking shelter. of making the 300-400 pegs required for
Ben Law Lloyd Kahn is the author of Shelter, such a building: a lathe for turning the
Permanent Publications, 2010 Homework & Builders of the Pacific wood in the rounding planes fitted to a
252 x 226mm, 168pp Coast. www.shelterpub.com Robin Reliant gear-box.
£19.95 In the DVD we also pay several visits to
ROUND TIMBER FRAMING DVD woods from where the materials originate.
Building Naturally From Local Materials Ben explains his philosophy of architecture
Permanent Publications/Undercurrents, 2010 emerging out of the woods themselves,
80 mins, PAL Region 2 proposing that an architect might work
£19.95 more with the woodsman to design around
what is available, the natural forms of the
trees defining the form of the buildings.
Although natural curves can be utilised,
for example the use of curved trees to
make cruck-framed buildings, in the
Woodland Classroom featured in the
DVD whole Lawson Cypress trees are
steam-bent in order to make the sweeping
If I’d had Ben Law’s book Roundwood curves around the roof.
Timber Framing when I was learning to The use of Lawson Cypress is a fasci-
build in the ’60s, I’d have been inspired nating detail, a durable and strong timber
to plant and tend trees suitable for house more commonly infamous as a hedging
framing and several buildings could have plant prone to becoming hopelessly over-
been framed by now as a result. That’s This stunning video, which accompanies grown in suburban gardens. Ben also shows
just one of the unique features about this the book, Roundwood Timber Framing, us around hazel and chestnut coppice,
beautiful new book: a step-by-step process takes the viewer stage by stage through and discusses another, lesser-known tree,
for creating your own building materials. the construction process of the Woodland Robinia pseudoacacia, the black locust,
Another unusual feature here is use of a Classroom at the Sustainability Centre, which may become more widely found in
modified cruck frame in all the buildings Hampshire. Ben Law is probably best British forests in the future.
shown here. This construction method known for his first roundwood building, Many details of construction are shown,
consists of two or more ‘A-frames’, and his own house which featured in the including the mortice boxes for making
was used in medieval times for houses, Grand Designs series a few years ago. supports, use of ratchet straps for holding
barns, and halls. Ben has adapted it Since then he has built several roundwood the beams in place while fixing, laths and
structurally to triangulate and therefore timber framed buildings, refining his tech- clay plasters for the wall, and much more.
brace rectilinear buildings. niques and developing a new vernacular The shingles are handmade by a local
The posts, beams and crucks of these in sustainable low impact construction. craftsman from western red cedar. Extra
buildings are round poles, usually har- Using timber in the round has several features are included on tools, the off-

Reviews
grid Woodland House, frame-raising and botanical information, their political relates this to lamps and appliances, covers
Ben’s slideshow. history and their medicinal traditions wiring and fittings, planning an off-grid
Roundwood timber framing is clearly worldwide. The medicinal actions of the system, the installation process, and the
a skilled job, and building a structure like plants and the reasons why the treat- management, maintenance and servicing
the Woodland Classroom involves a whole ments work, are covered clearly with an of your system. There are also chapters
team and indeed support from the wider easy to follow scientific base. on designing large off-grid systems and
community. Many of the tasks such as This is the best book I’ve seen on this solar energy resources. Only the most
use of shaving horse and draw-knife, or subject and I just want to buy it for everyone basic grasp of physics is necessary to
stripping bark from the poles where they are I know! It encourages and inspires us to understand this book because it is clearly
cut in the forest, are immediately accessible join in, to become part of this rich heritage written by a hands-on practitioner.
and could provide inspiration to learn and to experiment with developing our Solar Domestic Water gives a complete
more to anyone. The DVD has something own medicines and recipes. It empowers overview of the subject, describes various
for everyone. It works as a top rate instruc- us to realise that we don’t need to go out systems for hot and cold climates and
tion video, a documentary describing the and buy expensive alternative medicines, explains how they work. Then it describes
creation of a marvellous community we can make them ourselves from ingred- various collectors on the market and offers
building, and a celebration and resurrection ients we have in our kitchens. This book a little on self-build collectors (I would have
of the connection between trees, woods, is a great resource, an inspiration, a thing liked more). The rest of the book tackles
buildings and community. Visually delect- of great beauty and healing. Everyone testing efficiency, choosing the right system,
able throughout, anyone who loves trees should have a copy in their kitchens! and adding additional components like
and natural building, and who is looking Glennie Kindred is the author of numerous piping, tanks and circulation pumps.
for a new vision for the building industry, books, including Hedgerow Medicine. There is also a section on heat exchangers
will love this DVD. and non-solar back up systems. The book
Graham Strouts, is a teacher of perma- STAND-ALONE SOLAR ELECTRIC finishes with designing a system, sizing
culture and Natural Building at Kinsale SYSTEMS and installing it and includes case studies
College of Further Education www.zone5.org Mark Hankins from the UK, USA and Australia. If you
Earthscan, 2010 are going to spend thousands of pounds,
KITCHEN MEDICINE 260 x 195, 234pp, Hardback euros or dollars on a system, read this
Household Remedies For Common £34.99 book. It will give you a thorough grounding
Ailments & Domestic Emergencies in the subject and prompt you to ask the
Julie Bruton-Seal & Mathew Seal SUSTAINABLE HOME right questions of your installer.
Merlin Unwin Books, 2010 REFURBISHMENT Last on the list is Sustainable Home
248 x 192, 224pp, Hardback David Thorpe Refurbishment. At last, a sensible book on
£16.99 Earthscan, 2010 eco-renovation that is full of useful facts.
260 x 195, 174pp, Hardback Dave tells us to draught-proof, insulate,
£34.99 double or triple glaze, eliminate thermal
bridges, install passive stack or mechanical
SOLAR DOMESTIC ventilation first and lastly supply renewable
WATER HEATING energy. Then he tells us how to do it. He
Chris Laughton explores products and materials, analyses
Earthscan, 2010 their performance, offers strategies, and
260 x 195, 246pp, Hardback explains terminology. There are chapters
£34.99 on passive solar houses, windows and
natural lighting, cooling and heating,
water management, electricity efficiency
(and PVs), even recommending old
fashioned drying racks.
Kitchen Medicine is a wonderful rich harvest This series is pitched at just the right
of medicinal remedies made from ingred- level for non-specialists – detailed, well
ients found in our kitchens – and a treasure illustrated, full of information yet readable.
trove of interesting stories, history, quotes, You can buy similar books cheaper but
medicinal facts and recipes – with a cosmo- you won’t get the level of detail or the
politan feel. It is beautifully presented clarity of explanation and illustrations.
and every page has sumptuous photos Maddy Harland
taken by Julie herself. But this is no
coffee table book. It is packed full with
sound medicinal understanding and Retrofitting a home or installing renewable
recipes we can all make using simple technology is neither simple or cheap. I have All reviewed book and dvd
ingredients found in our kitchens. therefore been waiting for detailed, access- titles are available to
I really like the way it is laid out. ible books on these subjects for years. purchase from The Green
Despite every page being crammed with Earthscan bill these volumes as expert Shopping Catalogue unless
information, it is easy to follow and a handbooks and they do not disappoint. alternative contact details,
delight to use, and it has a good ‘quick They will also save you from making costly or an ISBN, is given at the
reference by ailment’ section at the back. mistakes and are well worth the cover price. beginning of each review.
The book includes familiar spices, fruit, The Solar Electric guide gives an over-
vegetables, drinks, condiments and many view of the subject, explains how solar www.green-shopping.co.uk
other things found in our kitchens. It trans- electrical systems work, then describes the
ports us into a deeper and richer relation- differing cell modules, batteries, inverters,
01730 823 311
ship with them by providing us with their controllers and how to manage load. It then

© Denisenko / Shutterstock
FULL PERMACULTURE DESIGN
CORNWALL FRANCE NEW ZEALAND WORLDWIDE

Venue: Keveral Farm Venue: Permaculture Eden Venue: Takaka, New Zealand Venue: Worldwide
Dates: 15 - 31 July 2011 Dates: 11 - 26 June 2011 Dates: Various 2011 Dates: Various 2011
Led by: Bryn Thomas, 2 - 17 July 2011 Led by: Brian J Weston, BSc. Ag., PDC Led by: Online
Klaudia van Gool, Bill Knight Led by: Steve & Fiona Hanson Email: bweston@ihug.co.nz Web: www.PermacultureVisions.com
Phone: 01579 346 487 Phone: +33 254 064 523
Email: klaudiavangool@hotmail.com Email: Steve@permacultureeden.com NIGERIA YORKSHIRE
Venue: Permaculture Design Course Venue: Sheffield
DEVON GLOUCESTERSHIRE Dates: November - December 2010 Dates: 12 - 13 December 2010
Venue: Monkton Wyld Court, Bridport Venue: Ragmans Lane Farm Led by: John Button, Jan Fischer Led by: Suzi High, Joe Atkinson
Dates: 22 January - 6 February 2011 Dates: 12 - 25 June 2011 Phone: +49 3 089 208 488 Phone: 0777 62537 743
Led by: Designed Visions Led by: Patrick & Cathy Whitefield Email: bueroberlin@permakultur- Email: suzi_cherrytree@yahoo.com
Phone: 01271 817 509 Phone: 01485 832 317 akademie.net
Email: mel@designedvisions.com Email: ka.tonga@virgin.net YORKSHIRE
NORFOLK Venue: University of Bradford
DEVON HAMPSHIRE Venue: Little Ellingham Dates: Spring 2011
Venue: Coombe Farm & Woodlands Venue: Sustainability Centre, East Meon Dates: 6 - 18 June 2011 Led by: Andy Goldring, Suzi High,
Trust, Tiverton Dates: TBA 2011 Led by: Richard Perkins, Dr Ute Kelly, Ros Coulton
Dates: 11 - 20 March 2011 Phone: 01730 823 166 Richard Farnborough Phone: 01274 233 210
Led by: Designed Visions Email: courses@sustainability-centre.org Phone: 07539 973 170 Email: learning@bradford.ac.uk
Phone: 01271 817 509 Email: integralpermanence@gmail.com
Email: mel@designedvisions.com IRELAND YORKSHIRE
Venue: Kinsale Further Education College NORTHUMBERLAND Venue: Hollybush Conservation
DEVON Dates: Annual course Venue: The Burnlaw Centre, Hexham Centre, Leeds
Venue: High Heathercombe Centre, Led by: Graham Strouts Dates: November 2010 - March 2011 Dates: 26 February - 3 July 2011
Newton Abbot Phone: + 353 214 772 275 Led by: Wilf Richards 23 July - 7 August 2011
Dates: 6 - 21 November 2010 Email: kinsalefurthered@eircom.net Phone: 01434 345 359 Led by: Andy Goldring, Niels Corfield,
2 - 16 April 2011 Web: www.burnlaw.org.uk Joanna Dornan,
Led by: Designed Visions IRELAND Joe Atkinson
Phone: 01271 817 509 Venue: CELT, East Clare, Co.Clare PEMBROKESHIRE Phone: 01132 047 726
Email: mel@designedvisions.com Dates: Various Venue: The Lammas Project Email: hollybush@btcv.org.uk
Led by: Various Dates: 11 - 24 April 2011
DORSET Phone: +353 61 640 765 Led by: Jasmine Dale, Jodie Tellam YORKSHIRE
Venue: Monkton Wyld Court, Email: info@celtnet.org Phone: 07990 684 040 Venue: Pottery Lane Strensall
Charmouth, Bridport Email: info@globalcitizensw.org Dates: 17 - 29 April 2011
Dates: December 2010 - March 2011 KENT 1 - 13 August 2011
Led by: Designed Visions Venue: Riflemans Cottage, Faversham PORTUGAL Led by: Richard Perkins,
Phone: 01271 817 509 Dates: 17 June - 2 July 2011 Venue: Varzea da Goncala Sam Trousdale
Email: mel@designedvisions.com Led by: Designed Visions Date: 9 - 27 March 2011 Phone: 07539 973 170
Phone: 01271 817 509 Led by: Lesley Martin Email: integralpermanence@gmail.com
DORSET Email: mel@designedvisions.com Phone: +351 282 995 060
Venue: Ourganics Evolving Systems, Email: mail@icanfeedmyself.com
Dorchester KENYA
Dates: Weekends Venue: Nyumbani Village and SCOTLAND Permaculture Teachers!
Led by: Designed Visions Badilisha Ecovillage Venue: Kilmartin House Museum, Argyll
Phone: 01271 817 509 Dates: 6 - 19 December 2010 Date: Various weekends 2010 Did you know we offer each of
Email: mel@designedvisions.com 4 - 18 March 2011 Led by: Angus Soutar your new permaculture students:
Led by: Warren Bush & local teachers Phone: 01546 510 278 A FREE recent back issue of PM,
EAST SUSSEX Phone: +1 8058 867 239 Email: admin@kilmartin.org 25% OFF all books published
Venue: Brighton & Sussex countryside Email: info@quailsprings.org by Permanent Publications and
Dates: February - May 2011 SOMERSET 10% OFF other books, DVDs,
Led by: Alex Penn, Bryn Thomas, LANCASHIRE Venue: Frome & countryside tools and products from
Jen Beaufoy, Daniel Holloway, Venue: Various Dates: January - June 2011, weekends
Kate Hamilton, Pippa Johns Dates: Various weekends Led by: Stephen Pritchard, www.green-shopping.co.uk
Phone: 07746 185 927 Led by: Angus Soutar Gladys Paulus, Chris Smaje Contact Tony on 01730 823 311
Web: www.brightonpermaculture.co.uk Phone: 01254 771 555 Phone: 01373 467 884 or tony@permaculture.co.uk
Email: http://westpenninepermaculture. Email: gladys@spiral-garden.co.uk
ESSEX org.uk/events
Venue: The Apricot Centre, Lawford
Dates: October 2010 - June 2011 LONDON
Led by: Hannah Thorogood, Venue: Various COURSE LISTINGS
Marina O’Connell Dates: Various 2010/2011 Please present all course listings with exact details as shown
Phone: 01206 230 425 Led by: Graham Burnett in listings above at least 3 months in advance of the course date.
Web: www.apricotcentre.co.uk Email: graham@spiralseed.co.uk Permaculture Intro/Design Courses are listed FREE.
To cover administration costs Special Courses listings cost £10 per entry.
LONDON
Courses are also listed on our website for approx. 3 months from publication at:
Courses compiled with the assistance of Venue: Waterside Centre,
the Permaculture Association (Britain) Tottenham Marshes www.permaculture.co.uk
Tel: 0845 458 1805 Dates: Various 2010 UK: 0845 458 4150, Overseas: +44 1730 823 311, Email: tony@permaculture.co.uk
Tel: 0113 262 1718 Led by: Various Advertising your courses means that online subscribers can view your listings via:
Phone: 020 7272 1950 www.exacteditions.com/exact/magazine/409/460
Web: www.permaculture.org.uk
Email: londoncourses@naturewise.org.uk

INTRODUCTION TO PERMACULTURE SPECIAL COURSES
AUSTRALIA SCOTLAND AQUACULTURE DESIGN INTRODUCTION TO SUSTAINABLE

Venue: Permaculture Pathways, Eudlo Venue: Kilmartin House Museum, Argyll Venue: Vosges, N.E. France LIVING
Dates: Various 2011 Date: 30 - 31 October 2010 Dates: Various 2011 Venue: Varzea da Goncala
Led by: Sonya Wallace & guests Led by: Ed Tyler, David Blair Led by: Laurence, Hutchinson Date: Various 2010/2011
Phone: +61 754 573 961 Phone: 01546 510 278 Phone: +33 (0)565 421 610 Led by: Christine Lewis
Email: permaculturepathways@ Email: ecologicalfish@btinternet.com Phone: +351 282 995 060
yahoo.com.au SCOTLAND Email: mail@icanfeedmyself.com
Venue: Kilmartin House Museum, Argyll BEN LAW
AVON Date: 27 - 28 November 2010 Venue: Ben’s woodland, West Sussex MORE THAN HATHA
Venue: Windmill Hill City Farm, Bristol Led by: Jane Wilding, Angus Soutar Dates: Various 2011/2012 Venue: Gers, SW France
Dates: Various 2011 Phone: 01546 510 278 Led by: Ben Law Dates: Various
Led by: Ruth O’Brien Phone: 01730 823 311 Led by: Danuta Karpinska
Phone: 07949 294 364 SCOTLAND Email: tony@permaculture.co.uk Web: www.radhacaudet.com
Email: course_enquiries@yahoo.co.uk Venue: Kilmartin House Museum, Argyll
Date: 29 - 30 January 2011 BUILDING SUSTAINABLE MUSHROOM CULTIVATION
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Led by: Lusi Aderslowe, Angus Soutar COMMUNITIES Venue: Brighton & Sussex countryside
Venue: LILI, Redfield Community Phone: 01546 510 278 Venue: Brighton & Sussex countryside Dates: 7 - 8 May 2011
Dates: Various 2011 Email: admin@kilmartin.org Dates: Various 2011 Led by: Brighton Permaculture Trust
Led by: Bryn Thomas Led by: Brighton Permaculture Trust Phone: 07746 185 927
Phone: 01296 714 184 SOMERSET Phone: 07746 185 927 Web: www.brightonpermaculture.org.uk
Email: lili@lowimpact.org Venue: Frome Web: www.brightonpermaculture.co.uk
Dates: 13 November 2010 OCN SUSTAINABLE WOODLAND
DEVON Led by: Gladys Paulus, Debbie Powell COMMUNITY ORCHARD TRAINING MANAGEMENT
Venue: Trill Farm, Axminster Phone: 01373 467 884 Venue: Stanmer Park, Brighton Venue: Sustainability Centre, East Meon
Dates: 19 - 21 November 2010 Email: gladys@spiral-garden.co.uk Dates: 24 & 29 May 2011 Dates: Rescheduled, early in 2011
Led by: George Sobol Led by: Brighton Permaculture Trust Led by: Ben Law
Phone: 01297 631 113 SOMERSET Phone: 07746 18 59 27 Phone: 01730 823 166
Email: zoe@trillfarm.co.uk Permaculture In 5 Days Email: courses@sustainability-centre.org
Venue: Maiden Croft Farm CRAFTS, CONSERVATION &
DORSET Dates: 22 - 26 July 2011 SUSTAINABLE LIVING PERMACULTURE AT YOUR PLACE
Venue: Dorset Centre for Rural Skills Led by: Patrick & Cathy Whitefield Venue: Denmark Farm, Ceredigion Venue: Your Place
Dates: 8 - 9 January 2011 Phone: 01485 832 317 Dates: Various 2010-2011 Dates: Whenever
Led by: Designed Visions Email: ka.tonga@virgin.net Phone: 01570 493 358 Led by: Sustainable Designs
Phone: 01747 811 099 Web: www.shared-earth-trust.org.uk Phone: 08454 582 638
Email: info@dorsetruralskills.co.uk USA Email: forage@doon5.fsnet.co.uk
Venue: Several locations, Mid West EARTHED - COB BUILDING
DORSET Dates: Various 2011 Venue: Various PERMACULTURE EDUCATORS
Venue: Kingcombe Environmental Centre Led by: Mark Shepard, Wayne Weiseman Led by: Annabel Fawcus, Venue: Friland, Denmark
Dates: 4 - 6 March 2011 Phone: +1 8152 562 214 Alan Cameron-Duff Dates: 22 - 29 October 2010
Led by: Designed Visions Email: Bill@Stelle.net Phone: 07917 361 580 Led by: Andy Goldring
Phone: 01300 320 684 Email: earthedworld@googlemail.com Phone: +45 86 680 505
Email: office@kingcombecentre.org.uk WALES Email: jomorandin@gmail.com
Venue: Nr Cardigan EARTHSHIP BRIGHTON TOURS
EAST SUSSEX Dates: 28 - 30 January 2011 Venue: Stanmer House, Brighton PRACTICAL COPPICING
Venue: Brighton & Sussex countryside Led by: Angie Polkey Dates: 1 & 3 Sunday of each month Venue: Sustainability Centre, East Meon
Dates: Various 2011 Phone: 01974 831 300 Led by: Low Carbon Network Dates: 23 - 24 October 2010
Led by: Pippa Johns, Jen Coglin Email: angand@permaculture. Phone: 07974 122 770 Led by: Darren Hammerton
Phone: 07746 185 927 freeserve.co.uk Email: tours@lowcarbon.co.uk Phone: 01730 823 166
Web: www.brightonpermaculture.co.uk Email: courses@sustainability-centre.org
WALES ECO OPEN HOUSES
FRANCE Venue: Centre for Alternative Technology Venue: Brighton & Hove, East Sussex PRUNING OLD FRUIT TREES
Venue: La Brande Woodland, Poitiers Dates: 4 - 6 March 2011 Dates: Various 2011 Venue: Stanmer Park, Brighton
Dates: Various 2011 Led by: Angie Polkey Led by: Brighton Permaculture Trust Dates: 15 - 16 January 2011
Phone: 02076 106 452 Phone: 01974 831 300 Phone: 07746 185 927 18 - 19 January 2011
Email: Labrande16@aol.com Email: angand@permaculture. Led by: Bryn Thomas
freeserve.co.uk FESTIVE WILLOW CRAFT Phone: 07746 185 927
KENT Venue: Sustainability Centre, East Meon Web: www.brightonpermaculture.org.uk
Venue: Near Canterbury WEST SUSSEX Dates: 5 December 2010
Dates: Last Thursday monthly Venue: Cowdray Chapel, Midhurst Led by: Ganesh RURAL CRAFTS
Led by: Jo Barker, John Rudgard Dates: 14 - 15 May 2011 Phone: 01730 823 166 Venue: Nr. Montignac, Dordogne,
Phone: 01227 832 569 Led by: Designed Visions Email: courses@sustainability-centre.org France
Email: jo@dynamic-equilibrium.co.uk Phone: 01271 817 509 Dates: 2011 monthly
Email: mel@designedvisions.com GARDENING & COOKING FOR Led by: Diane Hammill
LONDON LIFE & A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE Phone: 07814 313 161
Venue: Cecil Sharp House, NW1 WEST YORKSHIRE Venue: Primrose Earth Centre Email: wild.harvest@yahoo.co.uk
Dates: 13 - 14 November 2011 Venue: Horton Village Hall, Bradford Dates: April and October 2011
Led by: London Permaculture Network Dates: 6 - 20 November 2010 Led by: Paul & Jan Benham SUSTAINABLE LAND USE
Phone: 07776 184 666 Led by: Suzi High Phone: 01497 847636 Venue: Ragmans Lane Farm,
Email: info@LondonPermaculture.com Phone: 07776 253 743 Email: paul.benham@ukonline.co.uk Gloucestershire
Email: suzi_cherrytree@yahoo.com Dates: 24 January - 4 March 2011
PEMBROKESHIRE GREEN WOODWORK & Led by: Patrick Whitefield,
Venue: The Lammas Project WEST YORKSHIRE CHAIRMAKING Joe Newton, Mike Gardner,
Dates: 3 - 6 December 2010 Venue: Hollybush Centre, Leeds Venue: Brookhouse Wood, Herefordshire Sarah Pugh
Led by: Jasmine Dale, Jodie Tellam Dates: 29 - 30 January 2011 Dates: Various Phone: 01594 860 244
Phone: 07990 684 040 Led by: Suzi High Led by: Mike Abbott Email: katonga@virgin.net
Email: info@globalcitizensw.org Phone: 07776 253 743 Phone: 01531 640 005
Web: www.living-wood.co.uk WILLOW DOME CONSTRUCTION
PORTUGAL WEST YORKSHIRE Venue: Brattleby House Farm,
Venue: Varzea da Goncala, Algarve Venue: Hull HURDLE MAKING Lincoln
Dates: Various 2011 Dates: 26 - 27 February 2011 Venue: Sustainability Centre, East Meon Dates: 20 November 2010
Led by: Christine Lewis Led by: Suzi High Dates: 20 - 21 November 2010 Led by: Jason Hadley
Phone: +351 282 995 060 Phone: 07776 253 743 Led by: Darren Hammerton Phone: 07969 533 504
Email: mail@icanfeedmyself.com Email: suzi_cherrytree@yahoo.com Phone: 01730 823 166 Email: had.jason@googlemail.com

OCN COPPICING with Ben Law & Darren Hammerton
OCN Sustainable Woodland Management
with Ben Law
Hurdle Making
with Darren Hammerton
Festive Willow Craft
with Ganesh
Course gift
vouchers Practical Coppicing
available for with Darren Hammerton
Christmas
Green Building
Permaculture
Campcraft
Craft Skills,
Renewable Energy
& much more...
Contact Raina:
01730 823166
www.sustainability-centre.org
courses@sustainability-centre.org
Courses all year round
Ecohostel & camping
available
Sustainability in Action

Advertising &
fruit trees – bush & soft fruit

unusual edibles – nut trees
seeds – books – Rootrainers
www.agroforestry.co.uk
Agroforestry Research Trust
46 Hunters Moon, Dartington, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 6JT
Tel/fax 01803 840776 Catalogue: 4 x 1st stamps

Advertising
Week-long stays for couples or singles.

Private accommodation in cosy cob cottage and
tasty meals in exchange for enthusiastic help,
such as:
Woodland: logging, stacking, clearing, pole
sawing, bird box, bridge and path building.
Smallholding: stock fencing, soil improvement,
herb garden, winter tidying and animal husbandry.
Green building possibilities.
Permaculture
Activist
An authoritative journal containing in
depth articles on broadscale and
garden design and community action.
Published in the USA with stories from
around the world.
LATEST ISSUE 77 – AUTUMN 2010:
ECO-NOMICS
Available from:
The Permaculture Activist
PO Box 5516, Bloomington, IN 47407, USA
Web: www.permacultureactivist.net

Classified Exchange
©
Th
eB
an
d
/S
hu
tte
rsto
ck
ACCOMMODATION COURSES contd... EVENTS
GARDENING & COOKING FOR LIFE & EUROPEAN BIONEERS CONFERENCE 2010.
CENTRAL LONDON B&B, family run. A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE. Covering perma- Findhorn is please to collaborate with the
Quote ‘Permaculture’ for a 10% discount culture design, the theory & practical skills successful Bioneers network in the USA to bring
on standard rooms. Tel: 0207 837 9140. involved in developing & maintaining the award inspiration from the heart of nature to Europe.
Email: stathans@ukonline.co.uk Web: winning sustainable Primrose Organic Centre nr Speakers: Kenny Ausubel, Vandana Shiva, Nina
www.stathanshotel.com Hay-on-Wye; low carbon food; wild foraging; Simons, Ann Pettifor, Maddy Harland, Peter
preparing and preserving food to maximise Harper and many more. 30 October to 2
flavour, nutrients and vitality. April and October November 2010. For more info contact college@
DOUBLE BEDROOM IN SHARED HOME 2011. Telephone Paul on 01497 847 636. findhorncollege.org or see www.findhorn.org
available in beautifully wooded Pembrokeshire Email: paul.benham@ukonline.co.uk Web:
Valley renowned for people living self sufficiently. www.primroseearthcentre.co.uk GREEN EVENTS. The ‘Time Out’ of alternative
Shared area includes south facing terraces for living. Includes a comprehensive calendar of
growing, large kitchen and garden. 2 miles from PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE Brian J upcoming events, demonstrations, seminars,
Newport town. Non-smoking vegetarian(s) Weston BSc. Ag., PDC Special emphasis on small courses & exhibitions and a directory of services
preferred – would suit active couple. £300 pcm properties. Economically priced! Contact: Brian that empower participants to lead conscious,
+ bills. Call Emma on 01239 820 951. J Weston, Box 125, Takaka, New Zealand. sustainable and purposeful lives. A4 6 issues per
Email: goldenbayz@gmail.com Detailed info: year 12pp. INK Subscription Rate 2 years UK:
REMOTE ISLAND RETREAT. Cottage to let www.pohara.com/weston £12. Web: www.greenevents.co.uk/london
on island of Hoy, Orkney Islands. Long term let
preferred. This pretty, stone built two bedroomed RESIDENTIAL VEGETARIAN/VEGAN COURSES FOR SALE
cottage has solid fuel central heating, attractive available throughout the year. Improve your
garden and stunning views over the Pentland health and your life style in a stunning environment. COPPER GARDEN TOOLS handcrafted,
Firth towards the uninhabited islands of Stroma Permaculture magazine readers quote ‘Permaculture’ hardwearing, unattractive to slugs, guaranteed
and Swona and Scottish mainland. There is a for a 10% discount. Email: info@healthetcetera. to last. Contact: Implementations PO Box
vibrant local arts community which includes com Web: www@healthetcetera.com 2568 Nuneaton CV10 9YR. Tel: 08453 303
theatre. Safe environment for children. Would 148. Web: www.implementations.co.uk
suit writer or artist. Rent £500 pcm. Contact: WOODLAND COURSES with Ben Law.
jane.hewer@uhi.ac.uk Roundwood Timber Framing, Practical EXQUISITE WOODEN JEWELLERY lovingly
Coppicing, Charcoal Burning, Woodlands & hand carved in Scotland from reclaimed off-cuts.
TWO BEDROOM TERRACED COTTAGE to Permaculture each booking for 2011. Open As featured in PM60 (pages 27-30). Buy online:
let (long term), near Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Days at Ben’s Woodland House booking for www.woodlandtreasures.co.uk
Wales. Handcrafted interior, gardens (veg, fruit 2012. View: www.ben-law.co.uk
and flowers). Great views! Rent £95/week.
Contact Nicola: nico.ingham@yahoo.co.uk DESIGN SERVICES FOR SALE. VICTORIAN FORMER
SCHOOL BUILDING, stone built, walls
WANTED REMOTE COUNTRYSIDE EDIBLE LANDSCAPE LLP. Challenging the about 2 feet thick. Approx 60ft x 22ft
LOCATION. Looking to rent detached property. monocultural mindset. Food forests, fish and (internal measurements). For conversion
Need to get back to nature to restore my health. fungi; permaculture systems designed and to domestic dwelling(s). Water and
Perhaps an outbuilding on a farm or in woodland. implemented. Tel: 01761 434 349. Web: www. electricity to site. Located Northern
Anything considered. Contact Ryan 020 8133 ediblelandscape.co.uk Scotland (Caithness) with sea views. 1/3
0451. Email: ryanaw2@googlemail.com acre of land. More land could be available
FRESHWATER SOLUTIONS: Self-Sustaining to people interested in organic veg and
COURSES Ecological Aquaculture Systems. Site Resource soft fruit production. £75,000. For more
Evaluations. Action Plans and Designs. details phone 01593 751 343. Email
A WAKE-UP CALL – Kickstart your own creativity Environmental Habitat Enhancement. Lake and sblanshard@hotmail.com
with a basic course in practical useful skills. Earth- Pond Restoration. Quality Freshwater Swimming
works, drystone, tile mosaic, wet carved concrete, Pools. Develop your natural freshwater
decorative cement, composting and general garden resources. Contact Laurence Hutchinson GENERAL
related arts. Surprise yourself this winter-spring. (Director). Tel: +33 (0)565 421 610 (France).
Comfortable Greek island estate. Email: irinijim@ Email: ecologicalfish@btinternet.com Web: CHARCOAL PEOPLE – FILTERING WATER,
otenet.gr Web: http://tothegarden.org www.ecological-aquaculture.co.uk NATURALLY. Bamboo charcoal for a refreshingly
simple and eco-friendly way to filter your tap
INTEGRALPERMANENCE Integrative Eco- water. Try it and see! For details call 020 8549
When you advertise in PM your classified also social Permaculture design/consultancy/teaching 2772 or visit www.charcoalpeople.co.uk
appears on both our website services. For details call Richard on 07539 973
www.permaculture.co.uk 170 or email: Integralpermanence@gmail.com DOWNSHIFTING, SUSTAINABLE LIVING,
and the online version of the magazine: Web: Integralpermanence.org SUSTAINABLE SMALL BUSINESS. Are you
www.exacteditions.com/exact/magazine/409/460 earning a stressful living when you’d rather be
Next issue deadline: 30 November 2010
NEED HELP? Want to permaculture your living your dream? Have a helping hand in
Tel: 01730 823 311 garden, smallholding, farm or woodland? For quitting the rat race with personal coaching,
Email: tony@permaculture.co.uk expert, friendly advice call Patrick Whitefield on courses, articles and a free email newsletter from
01458 832 317 or email: ka.tonga@virgin.net www.sallylever.co.uk

Classified Exchange
GENERAL cont... GENERAL cont... PERSONAL
OFF-GRID B&B – as far as we know, the only one DUNCAN, YOUNG 54, calm, jovial, very
FRUIT TREES. Quality fruit trees – in England. Smallholding, workshops, vegetarian practical & realistic, self-reliant bloke, into veg
apples, plums, pears, cherries, etc. food, en suite rooms, local craftsman made and soft fruit growing, coppice, chickens and a
delivered direct to you from the growers furniture, organic bedding, incredible wildlife. cat, has 1.75 acres near Inverness. WLTM busy,
– Walcot Organic Nursery. Sustainably Children welcome. North Pennines AONB. fun, tolerant lady to share the future. Apparently
grown, competitively priced & Soil 01388 537 292. Web: www.slackhousefarm.com attractive, fair, slim and 1.75m. Please phone
Association certified. Available bare- 01667 453 501 or email duncanstuart2020@
rooted when dormant. Detailed catalogue SEASIDE HOLIDAY HOUSE. Superb for family btinternet.com
available. Phone 01905 841 587 or online holidays and romantic hideaway breaks, 1
at www.walcotnursery.co.uk minute’s walk from sea. Cosy Victorian house EARTH WISE SINGLES. Find friendship and
in Seaview, Isle of Wight, sleeps 5. Next to romance with people who practice Earthcare,
wetland wildfowl reserve on one side and Peoplecare and Fairshare. Free to post your
WEBSITES, ONLINE SHOPS, INTRANETS – wooded estate on the other. Sizeable games profile. Free to send messages. We make it easy
£250 inclusive of design, setup, personal tuition room/kid’s zone at end of garden. Accessible by for you to connect! www.EWSingles.com
and hosting. Established 2003, with dozens of public transport. Bike hire available. Contact:
satisfied customers, we specialise in easy amend- tim@permaculture.co.uk for PM readers’ off- PROPERTY & LAND
it-yourself websites for permaculture projects, season discounts. Web: www.oaksatseaview.info
charities, green businesses, craftspeople etc. Tel: BARGAIN HOUSE FOR SALE. Spacious
07729 103 263. Email: peter@ethicalinternet. THE ECOLODGE – a simpler way to relax. Set ecohouse in alternative hamlet in Southern
co.uk Web: www.ethicalinternet.co.uk alone in woods & meadows, near Lincolnshire Spain. Ideal place for small permaculture
coast and wolds. Sleeps 4. Short Breaks £180. community. One acre orange and olive orchard
HOLIDAYS One week £360 Discounts for returners, train with veggie garden and water rights. Includes
and bike travellers. Contact Geri Clarke 01205 smaller self contained annexe with own garden
BEAUTIFUL, RUGGED PEMBROKESHIRE. 870 062/871 396. Web: www.ecolodge.me.uk now only £125,00. For more information see
Two eco-friendly converted barns on small- www.cathylotus.co.uk
holding. Each sleeps 4. Coastal path 2 miles. Tel: WEST CORNWALL – BEAUTIFULLY RESTORED
01348 891 286. Email: holdays@stonescottages. GRANITE BARN near Lands End. Peaceful BLUEBELL WOODLANDS FOR SALE. Essex/
co.uk Web: www.stonescottages.co.uk rural eco retreat 5 miles from Penzance, 10 Suffolk border, near Sudbury. Mature oak and
minutes walk from Boscawen-noon stone circle. ash with hazel understorey. Varied habitat,
BRITTANY. COSY COB AND STONE Surf beaches within 3 miles. The barn is heated ponds, good access. 6.25 acres for £58,000 or
COTTAGE on developing permaculture by two wood burners and sleeps between 2 and 4.25 acres for £45,000. Further details call 01223
smallholding. Sleeps two. Wood stove. Private 6. Reduced rates for lower occupancy. Wild food 208 035 or view www.treesandbees.me.uk
woodland. Close to Dinan and beautiful foraging and yoga workshops available to book
beaches. Tel: +33 296 274 465. Websites: www. during your stay. Phone Caroline on 01736 810 CHIOS ISLAND – GREECE 2400m2 land for
brittanycountrygite.com and www.permaculture 156. Email: caroline@fathen.org or see www. sale, 500m from sea, mastic and olive tree
inbrittany.blogspot.com fathen.org for further information and tariff. surroundings, sea view, caravan on permanent
base with pergola, shower toilet storage facilities,
CORNISH STRAW BALE BARN ON ORGANIC WEST DORSET, PEACEFUL SELF-CATERING water, no electricity, young fruit and mastic
SMALLHOLDING Self-contained studio with organic garden cottage. Axe valley countryside trees, 3km from lively village, shops, post office,
kitchen, shower & woodburner, compost loo views. Near Marshwood Vale and Lyme Bay. etc. ‘Blank canvas’ for creativity. E35,000. Also,
outside (treebog style). We grow organic veg & Sleeps 2+2. Ideal walking and sketching. Art 355m2 plot (builds 200m2) E24,000, two storey
are trying to live as sustainably as possible. tuition/ceramics. Tel: 01460 220 201. Email: renovated 1741 stone house 150m2 E185,000
Energy from wind-turbine, solar panels & tangramwest@onetel.com in traditional village. Details tel: +30 2271 061
woodburners fuelled by our managed woodland. 119. Email: katkalam@yahoo.gr
Beautiful location. Would suit 1-2 people. £200 OPPORTUNITIES
per week inc food. Tel: 01726 844 867. Email: COTTAGE FOR SALE – Ireland – £72,500/
sara@cotna.co.uk Web: www.cotna.co.uk COMPETENT WOODWORKING/BUILDING/ p86,500. See: www.ballinamorecottage.webspace.
GARDENING volunteers, male or female virginmedia.com
EXCITING HOLIDAY SELF-CATERING needed in return for good food and comfortable
accommodation in Yorkshire. Flamborough room on Greek island garden estate, perfect DISS, NORFOLK. 2 bed end of terrace cottage
Peninsular – house sleeps 8, cliff walk to RSPB outdoor weather, salvaged oak, good creative in private lane. New Scan woodburner and DG.
Bempton sea birds, nature reserve – 100,000 fun at the handbuilt hotel and gardens. Email: Large timber studio and guest annexe with
breeding seabirds (puffins, gannets, etc.), April irinijim@otenet.gr Web: http://tothegarden.org bathroom and south facing veranda. Raised bed
to October. Also, house sleeps 4 at Skipton veggie patch, wild garden to Suffolk Wildlife
Castle Woods, ideal base to explore the Yorkshire COUNTRYSIDE JOBS SERVICE. The place to find Trust’s Roydon Fen. About ¼ acre. £247,500.
Dales. Contact Jill and Nick on 01756 790 934. a job, volunteer position or course in the country- Email: gill.heriz@zen.co.uk
Email: woodnicholas@gmail.com side, environment & conservation sectors. Tel:
01947 896 007. Web: www.countryside-jobs.com DORSET COHOUSING – TWO BED
FRANCE DORDOGNE. Stone farm house to COTTAGE for sale £130,000. Emphasis on
let November – May/June or to suit. Large INQUIRIES ARE INVITED by the Peredur Trust green lifestyle including car pool, shared laundry,
garden, 3 bedrooms, living room, kitchen, from market gardeners interested in organic/ veg garden, guest rooms etc. Tel: 01392 211 794
woodstoves. Situated in quiet hamlet near biodynamic production on 2 acres with 3 for cottage details. Visit www.thresholdcentre.
villages and towns. £450 per month plus bills. greenhouses plus the possibility of additional org.uk for info on the centre.
House and caravan also available for summer land. SW Rudel, Peredur Trust, Basill Manor,
holidays. Tel: +33 553 603 416. Tel: 01629 824 St Clether, Launceston, Cornwall PL15 8QJ FRANCE. FOR SALE OR TO RENT. Traditional
960. Web: www.frenchfarmhouse.org.uk Tel: 01566 86075. two bedroom stone cottage in beautiful
Normandie countryside, near to unspoilt
NORTH CORNWALL, GYPSY CARAVANS. PLANNED COMMUNITY based on permaculture beaches. Great potential for permaculture/
St Breock Downs near Wadebridge. Two bow and cohousing principles seeks like minded organic growing, forest gardening, sustainable
top gypsy caravans with a hut containing kitchen individuals and families to join with us. Some building etc. Offers in region of £240,000. Rent
and shower room with wc, outside open fire. capital will be required. Currently looking for negotiable in exchange for assistance in
From £60 per night. For more information call suitable property in the Devon area following group maintaining and developing cottage and land
01208 815 436 or 07966 231 609. Email: preparatory work. Call Lyn on 01837 840 516 using permaculture methods. Phone: 01534 522
servantesmichelle@yahoo.co.uk or see www.prospectcommunity.org.uk 331. Email: cobweb5@live.co.uk

Classified Exchange
PROPERTY & LAND contd... PUBLICATIONS WANTED contd...
GALICIA, NORTH SPAIN. Beautiful rural WANTED ACCOUNTS MANAGER & Administration
location. Self-sufficient. Large renovated house, THE DENDROLOGIST, the quarterly Assistant for Permaculture Magazine/Permanent
3 bedrooms. Barn conversion needs completing. news and information to bring all tree Publications, based here at the Sustinability Centre,
Half acre, organic/permaculture vegetable enthusiasts and interest groups together. Hampshire. See the advert on page 28 of this
garden, orchard. Own electricity (solar/wind), Join by sending £10.00 to ‘The issue for details on how to apply.
well, 2 full bathrooms + composting toilet in Dendrologist’, PO Box 341, Chesham,
house. Greenhouse, henhouse. £138,000/offers. Bucks, HP5 2RD. WANTED PM LIBRARY SUBSCRIPTIONS. The
Details, photos email: shanti@mail2spain.com current economic climate threatens one of our
most crucial, and ecologically sound, public
LANDDEWI BREFI, WEST WALES. One acre, FUNKY RAW exists to help you to eat a healthy services – that of the public library.
3 greenhouses, raised beds, workshop, huge raw vegetarian diet. Our quarterly magazine The first libraries date back to almost 5,000 years
garage, log cabin. Stone and slate house, 3 covers cleansing and rebuilding, spirituality, eco ago. The main objective has always been to be
receptions, 3 bedrooms, full oil c.h. plus life and has recipes, events, etc. Also online shop, a source of knowledge and a means to share that
multifuel stove. Village has 2 pubs, shop, visiting workshops, summer festival and more. Tel: knowledge with others. Libraries fit into the idea
PO van, frequent buses, junior school, River Teifi 0845 003 9515. Web: www.funkyraw.com of sustainable culture – offering people a way
nearby. £275,000. Tel: 01974 298 586. Email: to share books, CDs, DVDs, computers and of
sagalouts@brynvilla.orangehome.co.uk ‘SENSITIVE PERMACULTURE’, new book by course to access information on permaculture.
Alanna Moore, now available from Amazon. It is ironic that the very economic downturn
SMALLHOLDING FOR SALE, NORTHWEST See pythonpress.com that could increase the usage of libraries by
FRANCE. Situated in lovely rural village in the encouraging people to borrow rather than buy,
pays de l’Loire region, only 1.5hrs from ferry. WANTED could also threaten it through lack of public
Spacious 2 bedroom house with wood fuelled funding, at a time when the service is needed the
cooking and heating. Separate holiday cottage GARDEN WORKSHOP CO-ORDINATOR most. It is better to help libraries have titles on
(sleeps 4-6) with bookings for 2011. Planning WANTED. The Camphill Village Trust Delrow their shelves which are actually useful to people.
permission granted for loft and outbuilding Community has a vacancy for an experienced One of our regular readers, who works in a
conversion if more accommodation required. gardener to work alongside adults with a library herself, suggests that one way to support
Set in 2.5 acres of fertile organically farmed land. learning disability and/or mental health issues, libraries and help spread knowledge about
Mature orchard, huge vegetable and soft fruit in our garden workshop. The hours are 09.00 sustainable living is to buy a subscription of
garden, sheep paddock, chicken housing. Dutch to 17.00 with an hour lunch break, Monday to Permaculture Magazine for your local library.
barn and several outbuildings for storage or Friday. Pay is £16.41 per hour with a stakeholder She says don’t be shy, pop along to your local
animal shelter. Excellent opportunity for pension available. Duties include: Teaching library and see what permaculture books they
communal living, self sufficiency/permaculture. horticultural skills to people with learning have and make some suggestions (see our advert
Offers in the region of E205,000. Tel: +33 243 disability and/or mental health issues; growing on the inside front cover of this issue). If they
030 304 or maria.steel@club-internet.fr organic/bio-dynamic vegetables/fruit/herbs for don’t have the funds to subscribe to PM why not
the community. Camphill strongly believes in help and subscribe on the library’s behalf?
the earth as a living being and this is reflected in Subscribe via post, telephone or online via our
SOUTH WALES – NEAR CARDIFF how the organisation works with the land. secure site: www.green-shopping.co.uk
lovely maisonette for sale in sought after Closing date for applications 1st November
village. South-facing organic garden with 2010. For more information and to request an
herbs, fruit, shrubs, lots of birds! 2 double application form please contact : Human VISIT THE
bedrooms, gch, double glazing, quiet.
Good amenities including local shop,
Resources, c/o Tom Leonard at Delrow House,
Hilfield Lane, Aldenham, Watford WD25 8DJ. permaculture
allotments, PO, primary school, library, Tel: 01923 856 006 or email tom.leonard@
surgery. Lovely country walks & pubs. 5 delrow.co.uk BOOKSHOP
miles main rail station & on frequent bus
route. Good first-time buy or downsize LIFE SHARING EXPERIENCE – West of Ireland.
£108,950 ono. Phone Chris on: 07745 Female Carer needed, aged 25-40, to enable a
758 204 or email for further details via: young woman aged 19 who is wheelchair bound
mividafuente@gmail.com to live independently alongside the main family
dwelling, in her own home. Beautiful land,
beautiful lifestyle. Please contact the +353 61
TAKE YOUR PLACE IN NATURE. A beautiful, 924 186 for payment and further instruction.
unique property looking for a family. So, if you
would like to live sustainably, intimately 2 MOTIVATED SUPPORT WORKERS
connected to nature, walk in any direction, listen WANTED, preferably 1 with building skills for
and swim in the river, and watch the night sky, minimum 6 months, to help run commercial,
come and meet the house and land. House, organic business on inspiring permaculture +
extensive barns, 2¾ acres, hydro powered education centre; sustainability, education + a Come & Browse the 100s of books,
development approved, wood fired water and deep respect for the earth. £50/week + food and tools & products in our shop
heating, spring water and organically managed accommodation. Contact Paul, Primrose
for 30 years. Mid-Wales. For details contact Organic Centre, Felindre, Brecon, Powys LD3 Open 10 - 4 Monday to Friday
Susan: 01974 282 323. 0ST. Tel: 01497 847 636. Email: paul.benham@ Permanent Publications
ukonline.co.uk The Sustainability Centre, East Meon,
3 BEDROOM HOUSE FOR SALE or rent in Hampshire GU32 1HR
town on edge of Brecon Beacons, (SA18 1BG). VOLUNTEERS NEEDED. We are a permaculture Tel: 01730 823 311
Solar hot water, wood burner, conservatory, farm in the central mountains of Portugal. Email: info@permaculture.co.uk
large south facing garden with polytunnel, fruit Would you like to be a part of an ecological
bushes and trees. £125K Tel: 01269 822 786 or strawbale and roundwood chestnut frame If you are running a permaculture course
email Looby@designedvisions.com building project, create a natural pool and forest, contact us to find out how we support you
and your students with discounted books,
in exchange for accommodation and fresh home tools & products. We also send you a free back
YOUNG FAMILY SEEKING LAND to plant produced organic food, all abilities and interests issue of PM to give to each student.
trees, grow veg and live simply. Would consider welcome, the projects and landscape can be
You can list your courses in the PM and they
anything, anywhere. £45,000 budget. Tel: 07849 challenging. For more information email us at: also appear on the PM website.
726 852. Email: mazandtom@yahoo.co.uk javabiscuit@aol.com

Subscribe today and SAVE at least 20%
 to Permaculture Magazine gives you:
 20 - 25% saving on the cover price (£3.95)

UK: 1 year £12.95 (rrp £15.80) / 2 years £24.95 (rrp £31.60)
Europe: 1 year £19.00 / 2 years £34.00
Rest of the World: 1 year £22.00 / 2 years £40.00
 Savings on many exclusive subscriber-only

offers throughout the year
(including books,tools, products and courses)
 Free home delivery – get yours before it
reaches the shops!
 Best of all, subscribing ensures you will keep informed
of the best ideas, advice and inspiration from people Issue 67 due out
who are working towards a more sustainable world. 24 January 2011
TO SUBSCRIBE, CONTACT: NORTH AMERICAN SUBSCRIBERS:
PERMANENT PUBLICATIONS Disticor Direct
The Sustainability Centre, East Meon 1-877-474-3321
Hampshire GU32 1HR, U.K. www.magamall.com
0845 458 4150 (local rate UK only)
or: +44 (0)1730 823 311 OR SUBSCRIBE TO A DIGITAL VERSION AT:
subscriptions@permaculture-magazine.co.uk www.exacteditions.com
Subscribe online at: www.permaculture-magazine.co.uk/subscribe.html


 Subscribe to Permaculture Magazine for 1 year / 4 issues  Cheque (payable to Permanent Publications)
 Subscribe to Permaculture Magazine for 2 years / 8 issues
 International Money Order (in £Sterling drawn on a British bank)
 New subscription  Renewal
 ebit my Credit/Debit Card:
Name.........................................................................................................
Address...................................................................................................... Card No
.................................................................................................................
Valid from
..........................................................................Postcode.......................
Telephone (daytime)..................................................................................... Expires End

Email ........................................................................................................
Your name and personal details will not be passed on to any third party ecurity number (last 3 digits on signature strip)
Please start my subscription with Issue No. 67 (or specify Issue No...........) Issue No (Debit Cards only)
 I would like to sponsor a subscription/books for people in an economically

poorer country (£22.00 or more) £..................................................... Signature.....................................................................................................
 Please send a gift subscription to........................................................... Cardholder’s address (if different)...............................................................

............................................................................................................. ...................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................. ....................................................................................................................

Please help us reduce our paper use by giving us your email address so we can notify you electronically when your subscription needs renewing.

01730 823 311
BOOKS MAGAZINES DVDS TOOLS OUTDOORS HOME & GARDEN SOLAR & WIND-UP CLEARANCE
Purchasing from Green

Shopping helps support
Take a look at
PRODUCT CATEGORIES
.......................................
● BOOKS
our new
Biodynamics
Children’s Books
Climate Change & Peak Oil
Community & Groups
Conservation
Crafts
Earth Wisdom
Green Shopping
Ecological Architecture
Education
Farming & Smallholding
Food & Drink
Foraging
Gardening & Cultivation
Mushrooms & Fungi
website
Natural Health & Beauty
Natural History Easier to navigate
Permaculture Variety of completely secure
Politics & Economics payment options
Sustainable Technology Leave reviews
Useful Resources
Woodlands
Books
● MAGAZINES
Subscriptions
● DVDS
DVDs
Permaculture
Transition
● TOOLS
Axes & Adzes
tools
Gardening
Green Woodworking
Knives
products
Scythes
Sharpening
Woodcarving
Woodturning
Power Tools
Timber Framing
● OUTDOORS
Outdoor Cooking Chosen by the staff of
Outdoor Living
● HOME & GARDEN See each issue of PM for our
Energy Efficiency exclusive reader’S offers
Kitchen & Study
● SOLAR & WIND-UP
Solar Chargers
Solar Lighting We hope you like our new look Green Shopping website and enjoy shopping with us
Torches & Lanterns
-/www.permaculture.co.uk
- 44 (0) 1730 823 311 No. 66 www.green-shopping.co.uk
Permaculture Magazine CC
© Hayley Harland
“The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life,

acknowledge the great powers around us and in us.
If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.”
Euripides (484 BC - 406 BC)

Permaculture Magazine is published by Permanent Publications, a division of Hyden House Ltd, Reg. No.2470704
UK & ROW Subscriptions & Distribution: Permanent Publications, The Sustainability Centre, East Meon, Hampshire
GU32 1HR. Tel: 0845 458 4150 (local rate) or 01730 823 311 Fax: 01730 823 322 Email: info@permaculture.co.uk
US Subscriptions: Disticor Direct, PO Box 2165, Williamsville, NY 14231. Canadian Subscriptions: Disticor Direct,
695 Westney Road South, Suite 14, Ajax, Ontario LIS 6M9. Tel : 1-877-474-3321(toll free) Fax: 1-905-619-2903
CD Permaculture Magazine No. 66 www.permaculture.co.uk

Build Your Own Natural Swimming Pool

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Build Your Own Natural Swimming Pool

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

2 COMPETItiONS & Many READERS OFFERS

p INSPIRATION FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING

Build Your Own Plus

Feeding Your Dog Permaculture Magazine

Contents an inno v a t i v e f rame w o r k

12 OUTDOOR COOKING IN WINTER!

20 EDUCATION FOR A HANDMADE FUTURE

© Rebecca Hosking & Tim Green

23 A WOLF IN DOG’S CLOTHING

34 SACRED FORESTRY 65 Letters

43 GROWING VEG THE INCAN WAY 80 Subscriptions & Renewals

47 HOW TO GROW FOOD IN WINTER

52 THE SITTING ROOM SESSIONS

Maddy Harland and the Permaculture Magazine Team

 Permaculture Magazine No. 66 www.permaculture.co.uk

www.permaculture.co.uk No. 66 Permaculture Magazine 

 Permaculture Magazine No. 66 www.permaculture.co.uk

www.permaculture.co.uk No. 66 Permaculture Magazine 

 Permaculture Magazine No. 66 www.permaculture.co.uk

Swimming Pool Zones

Building the Block Wall

 Permaculture Magazine No. 66 www.permaculture.co.uk

Lining the Pool

www.permaculture.co.uk No. 66 Permaculture Magazine 

Overlining & Drainage

DVD COMING SOON!

10 Permaculture Magazine No. 66 www.permaculture.co.uk

Natural Pool Benefits Right:

Peter Petrich’s company website:

Where David sourced his liner:

The Swimming Pond Company:

1 Natural Swimming Pools: A Guide for Building by Michael

www.permaculture.co.uk No. 66 Permaculture Magazine 11

The kotlich is a double dipped enamel cooking pot with

◗ Keep a good supply of wood.

◗ Make sure there is some liquid or oil in the kotlich

Above: Kotlich cooking in

Left: Author Trish

Right: Preparing to make

Far right: Welsh lamb

12 Permaculture Magazine No. 66 www.permaculture.co.uk

For an 8l kotlich, roughly:

Gather whatever you have in your veg patch. At least three

The quantities can be doubled. Always make sure the

www.permaculture.co.uk No. 66 Permaculture Magazine 13

Centre right: Some of the

Far right: A seasonal

A Sweet Treat So here is a chai recipe which is great for an outdoor

14 Permaculture Magazine No. 66 www.permaculture.co.uk

www.permaculture.co.uk No. 66 Permaculture Magazine 15

Roundwood Timber Framing

16 Permaculture Magazine No. 66 www.permaculture.co.uk

www.permaculture.co.uk No. 66 Permaculture Magazine 17

18 Permaculture Magazine No. 66 www.permaculture.co.uk

a naturally inviting quality. in my heart sank at the thought

20 Permaculture Magazine No. 66 www.permaculture.co.uk

regenerating as the softwoods are

linked to our educational programme.

built by Ben Law the north end was to have a cordwood

www.permaculture.co.uk No. 66 Permaculture Magazine 21

Roundwood Timber Framing

ROUNDWOOD TIMBER FRAMING DVD

“Arguably Britain’s greatest living woodsman.”

22 Permaculture Magazine No. 66 www.permaculture.co.uk

Permaculture Magazine No. 66 www.permaculture.co.uk

www.permaculture.co.uk No. 66 Permaculture Magazine

Permaculture Magazine No. 66 www.permaculture.co.uk

www.permaculture.co.uk No. 66 Permaculture Magazine

Permaculture Magazine No. 66 www.permaculture.co.uk

Permaculture Magazine No. 66 www.permaculture.co.uk

www.permaculture.co.uk No. 66 Permaculture Magazine