1 of 19

INTRODUCTION TO PERMACULTURE & SMALL-SCALE COMPOSTING

Iowa State University – Three Sisters Project

Valeria Cano Camacho and Christina Gish Hill

​

Thank you to Marshall McDaniel and Ajay Nair for slide input!

2 of 19

OVERVIEW

Permaculture

  • What is permaculture?
  • Principles of permaculture
  • Why should we strive for this?
  • What really is permaculture??
  • How can I start?
  • Resources

​

Composting

  • What is composting?
  • Large vs small scale?
  • What is needed for composting?
  • Why does it help the soil?
  • Is it going to smell?
  • Resources

3 of 19

WHAT IS PERMACULTURE?

Permanent agriculture

Deliberately planning and building

Holistic approach (both plant and human)

Mimic nature

4 of 19

PRINCIPLES OF PERMACULTURE

5 of 19

REASONS TO ADOPT A PERMACULTURE METHODS

  • Ethics of permaculture
    • Earthcare
      • Land and nature stewardship
      • Environment
    • Peoplecare
      • Culture and education
      • Health and spiritual well-being
    • Fairshare
      • Finances and economics
      • Tools and technology

Soil Health

Water Use

Biodiversity

Greenhouse Gasses

6 of 19

HOW TO START?

  • You probably already have!
  • If not… no worries, start small!
  • Observation and Interaction
    • Mindful of space and energy
    • Efficient use of energy in system
    • Produce no waste
    • Self Regulation
      • Goal to reduce physical labor

​

7 of 19

8 of 19

9 of 19

10 of 19

PERMACULTURE PRACTICES

  • Mulching
  • Manure application (compost…hint hint)
  • Agroforestry
  • Polyculture
  • Raised beds
  • Stacking
  • Growing perennials
  • Herb spirals

11 of 19

COMPOSTING !

Slide information provided by Dr. Ajay Nair

12 of 19

WHY COMPOST?

  • Composting diverts waste from our landfills, saving valuable space for non‐recyclable waste.
  • Compost improves soil structure and tilth.
    • Holds moisture.
    • Allows for water drainage.
    • Slowly releases nutrients.
    • Encourages beneficial microorganisms and suppresses soil‐borne diseases.
  • Replaces the need for commercial soil amendments and fertilizers.
  • In short: It will improve the quality of your soil and enhance plant growth

​

13 of 19

INGREDIENTS FOR COMPOSTING

• Greens

    • Nitrogen rich, green, moist materials that will help provide heat for the decomposition process.

• Browns

    • Carbon rich, dry, woody materials.

• Water

    • Creating a moist environment for organisms to thrive.

• Oxygen

    • Micro-organisms need to breathe too!

​

14 of 19

COMPOSTABLE MATERIALS

Vegetable & fruit scraps

Coffee grounds

Teabags

Eggshells

Grass clippings

Leaves

Young weeds

Pine needles

Fall leaves

Dry grass clippings

Cardboard/newspaper

Pine needles

Old potting soil

Paper napkins

Stale flour, cereals, spices

Paper based egg cartons

BROWNS

GREENS

15 of 19

MATERIALS TO AVOID

  • Meat
  • Dairy products
  • Pet waste
  • Clay kitty litter
  • A lot of garden soil
  • Weeds with seed head

​

16 of 19

RECIPE = 1:2 GREEN TO BROWN

  • We need an adequate mix of high nitrogen (leaves, grass clippings, fruit/grain residues) and high carbon residues (branches, old grass, saw dust)
  • The Carbon to Nitrogen ratio (C:N) should be ~30:1 at the onset and finish between 15 to 20:1.
  • Roughly half of the carbon is lost as CO2 in the process and the volume reduces to about 1/3 or less
  • Adequate oxygen is key for the pile to heat up and is provided by coarse chunks and adequate mixing

​

One unit of green

  • Grass clippings
  • Vegetable residues
  • Plant parts
  • Fresh leaves

One unit of brown

  • Old leaves
  • Wood pieces
  • Saw Dust
  • Ground tree branches

17 of 19

TYPES OF COMPOSTING SYSTEMS

18 of 19

TODAY’S DEMONSTRATION

Today’s Materials:

​

Worm casting

Straw

Mulch

Paper/newspaper

Old Potting Mix

Coffee grounds

Leaves

Food scraps

​

​

​

19 of 19

WORKS CITED / RESOURCES

  • Nath, M.K. (2022) Potentialities of Permaculture to Emerge as an Alternative for Intensive Agriculture- A Review. Indian Journal of Organic Farming. 1(1). Choudhary Publishing Media.

​

​

​

​

​

​