The New Year is a great time to put our permaculture plans, dreams, and desires into practice; to do a little more for ourselves, Earth, and each other. To start the year off right, below are several books to read to prepare and inspire you, along with seed and plant companies for your next Zone 0 herb grow, Zone 1 vegetable garden, or Zone 2 Food Forest.
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Recommended Reading for 2024
Let’s begin with modern classics everyone should have in their permaculture library.
First among those is Rosemary Morrow’s Earth Restorer’s Guide to Permaculture. This is by far my favorite book on the philosophical thought and practical approaches to restoring the landscape and human communities. Building upon decades of Rowe’s experience, no other book does it all, so well, that is written for the world we find ourselves in now. This is the worthy successor to Bill Mollison’s Designers’ Manual, and should be read by everyone.
Second, is David Holmgren’s Retrosuburbia, a comprehensive look at implementing permaculture where people live: in our cities, towns, and suburbs. David takes the wisdom and depth of thought found in Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability, and expands that into a usable approach to retrofitting human communities into ones that can thrive in what ever the future holds.
Once you’ve read those two books, there are several other books I’d like to suggest.
Ben Falk is releasing a revised and updated edition of The Resilient Farm and Homestead which will be out in early February. A huge fan of the first edition, I look forward to seeing how Ben has updated and adapted his work over the last decade for creating and operating a permaculture-based homesite.
A long-time admirer of the work of Stephen Harrod Buhner, especially his book Sacred Herbal and Healing Beers, his latest, Becoming Vegatalista, is an exploration of his visionary experiences with plants. A gifted storyteller, I look forward to settling in with this one.
Another book I’m looking forward to in 2024 is Hunt for the Shadow Wolf, by Derek Gow. After his work of restoring beavers to Britain, he now dreams of restoring wolves to the land. To begin that journey, he starts with the history, myth, and wonder surrounding these once native canines.
Planting out your Food Forest
While you’re working on your reading, pick up seeds and plants for this year’s growing season.
If you are looking for a wide variety of seeds, Burpee Gardening is the place to go for whatever you need, especially if you live in a challenging climate. You can also take comfort in buying from Burpee, thanks to their pledge that their seeds are never GMO.
Fruition Seeds, in upstate New York, grows organic seeds and transplants. When I met the founders many years ago at the Mother Earth News Fair, they were working to adapt seeds and products to the changing climate
The last seed source to share with you today is Pinetree Garden Seeds. I love Pinetree because they offer many of their seeds in small packets, so you can buy just what you need to try something new and not have too much go to waste.
Want to try your hand at something different this year? Consider the mushroom plugs, spawns, and grow kits from Field and Forest Products!
May this all make your New Year a little more beautiful and bright