Working with nature, instead of against it, can mean less work

By BARBARA WALLACE HUGHES, Messenger managing editor , Messenger News

Anyone can begin converting their property to permaculture design without specialized knowledge.

The first step, said Kathy and Jay Fritchen is mulching, which also means less weeding, less mowing, less watering.

"Permaculture means removing excess labor," Jay Fritchen said.

The Fritchens said they had been practicing permaculture for years without realizing it, working with nature instead of against it.

"Now, it has a name," Kathy Fritchen said.

"Ideally, in permaculture, you should produce no waste and no pollution. Everything is reused," said Jay Fritchen.

Permaculture design means less physical work, but it does require assessment and planning.

"You've got to take inventory of what you have, and you've got to know what you want to end up with," he said. "Then, it's all about the plants."

"Finding the right spot for them makes a huge difference. Permaculture comes down to obervation. You just watch what nature does, see how nature does things, then you copy it," Kathy Fritchen said.

"If you want to transition to permaculture, you have to get your infrastructure, your windbreaks," Jay Fritchen said. "But everything needs to be a dual purpose."

The Fritchens' windbreak includes a row of nannyberries that are edible far into the winter - although people will find themselves in competition with birds for the fruit.

"It's really cool in January, February, I can go outside, and I can pick a nannyberry. There's 5 feet of snow, and I can go out and pick a berry and eat it," Kathy Fritchen said.

The windbreak also has a row of hazel nut trees, which not only provide an edible bounty, but are efficient pollution filters and oxygen producers, Jay Fritchen said.

Finally, there are plantings of elderberries which, he said, have antiviral properties. The berries are a source of Vitamin C and potassium.

Incorporating permaculture principles is a very simple process, Jay Fritchen said.

"It's not a lot of work. It just takes some planning and some experience to get it rolling," he said.

Contact Barbara Wallace Hughes at (515) 573-2141 or bwh@messengernews.net

© Copyright 2011 Messenger News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.