guildfordcycads

Hey there fellow Permaculturists, long time r/Permaculture and Permies.com lurker here who’s recently started a new Permaculture forum which you can find at Permieculture.com. The intention here is to keep the conversation going in an entirely new format and in no way take away from this subreddit or the Permies website but to compliment them and expand the awareness of Permaculture to more and more people. Not everyone uses Reddit (myself included) and many people find the Permies website to be a bit overwhelming. Permieculture.com aims to be a sort of middle ground and the long term vision outside the forum will include much more in the realm of Permaculture but I’d like to start by building a community before expanding into new features and content. The feedback section of the forum will be open to any and all suggestions. Looking forward to seeing some of y’all over there!

Hello all, this is definitely not a question of permaculture, but it is a question I would like a permaculturist’s opinion on.

Partner + I own a townhome in Philadelphia with a small front yard (8’x10′). It was grass when we moved in, we ripped that out and planted a native wildflower mix, which was messy-looking but pleasant. We recently had a sewer lateral emergency, and had to excavate half of the yard and remove all of the wildflowers to repair it. So we currently have 80 sq. ft. of bare, dense clay, half of which has been thoroughly “tilled,” while the other half is still very well-packed.

We’re most likely going to be selling the house and moving in the spring, but I’m still thinking about putting in something besides a lawn, maybe in the direction of a “bee lawn” – clover, self-heal, etc., something that doesn’t need to be mowed. Will try to decide soon and dormant seed for next spring.

In the meantime, I would love to improve the soil while the opportunity is here. I can get leaf compost, mulch, and manure free from the city, 30 gal. each up to 2x per week, and I own a manual core aerator. I’ve also been looking into cover crops to control erosion, help break up the clay, and add organic matter.

Currently considering planting something that would grow as quickly as possible until our first frost in ~6 weeks (or until they’re about to go to seed and I cut them down). Then turn the greens into the soil, maybe add some mulch for good measure, and let it wait out the winter.

Is this dumb? Are the benefits of a short-term cover crop in this little space really worth trying to convince my partner that we should grow buckwheat in our urban front yard, or should I just turn as much compost in as I can and cover it in mulch?

Any suggestions for crops/mixes? Currently considering buckwheat, non-dormant alfalfa, the clovers. Also open to something I could let stand over the winter and cut down in the spring. Bonus points if it looks nice.

Thank you all, I appreciate any and all knowledge you’re willing to share.

I’ve been told by multiple friends that since it’s far enough away from the house (50-60ft) that it will give them a place to live that isn’t my basement or garage. Is this true?

I’m considering burning it, but I don’t want to drive them into the house by evicting them from the brush pile. We’ve been working all summer to kill the ones that have been living in the basement and I’d hate all that hard work to be for nothing

Thank you!

We work with global reforestation and ecological restoration projects. Just some things our partners do essential to permaculture:

“Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR): Plant With Purpose also applies FMNR. In many places, tree roots are already alive beneath the soil—this is what Tony Rinaudo, the father of FMNR, calls the “underground forest.” If communities protect the land by stopping burning and managing grazing, these hidden trees can grow back. It’s simple and powerful: the trees grow faster, and they’re already adapted to the local environment. They don’t just survive—they thrive. This is one of the fastest, most natural ways to bring forests back.

Agroforestry: Most trees planted by Plant With Purpose communities grow in agroforestry systems—where trees and crops grow together on the same land. Trees help protect soil, hold water, and improve crop health. We focus on planting a diverse mix of trees to strengthen farms and ecosystems.

Native seed collection: Plant With Purpose families plant native trees nearly twice as often as others—50% compared to 27%. We teach communities how to collect and cultivate native seeds. These local species are often overlooked, so our partners are pioneering new ways to grow them. They’re restoring their land using the trees that naturally belong there—right in the rural areas they call home.”

https://www.triumphtees.com/blogs/news/why-triumphtees-supports-native-reforestation-with-plant-with-purpose

I have an off-grid, permaculture designed homestead that I want to find a good long term tenant for in Southern Ohio. Would I be allowed to make a post about it?

I need help figuring out how far the rain garden should be from the house. How far should it be from utilities? How deep should the flower bed be? How far should it be from groundwater? What are the maximum dimensions for the garden? And who uses which layers (gravel, sand, etc.) in rain garden design?