If you want more food for less effort in the garden then look no further! A permaculture garden can help you to grow more in the space you have whilst using less water and having fewer pest problems. Learn about some great plants for your permaculture garden in this post and how they will help your garden to grow!
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Benefits of a Permaculture Garden
Before I dig deep into the great permaculture plants for your garden let’s take a look at some of the benefits of a permaculture garden!
- Less Maintenance
A permaculture garden uses deep mulching which suppresses weeds meaning less work to do in the garden. The gardens use cardboard to build the planting beds and wood chip mulch. - Less Water
Swales are a common earthworks feature in a permaculture garden and will make efficient use of rainwater to water your plants. Rainwater is best for your garden and you can use a rain barrelto harvest and store water right from your roof. The deep mulch retains water in your soil helping to reduce the impact of dry spells on your garden.
- Less Waste
Permaculture gardens use as much as possible to increase their yields and have little waste. Kitchen and garden waste is composted which is then spread on the garden beds providing essential nutrients and microorganisms to the garden. Plants producing lots of leafy material can be chopped and dropped to provide mulch and nutrients. - Increased Diversity
A permaculture garden will have lots of different plants all growing together, just as nature does it in the wild. Mixed plantings bring in a mix of pollinators like honeybees and butterflies but also beneficial predatory wasps and praying mantis. These insects help to keep a balance of pests in the garden and to help pollinate your crops and increase your yields. - Increased Harvests
Harvest yields are abundant in permaculture gardens. Fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers grow together meaning you can harvest cut flowers for your home, herbs for medicine and cooking, fruit and veggies for the kitchen as well as being able to feed your garden soil. The gardens will produce more each year and work even in a suburban backyard.
to harvest and store water right from your roof. The deep mulch retains water in your soil helping to reduce the impact of dry spells on your garden.
15 Great Plants for a Permaculture Garden
Planting a permaculture garden is a wonderful way to grow more food with less work in your backyard! Read on to find out 15 great plants to add to your permaculture garden.
- Comfrey
This plant is the permaculture poster child. It’s pretty purple flowers attract bees readily. Comfrey produces lots of leaves that can be chopped down and used as mulch or added to the compost heap.
- Mint
Delicious as a tea or as a sauce with lamb, the mint plant is reputed to help repel bugs and the flowers are well-loved by the bees. Mint can spread and acts as a living mulch underneath taller plants. - Daffodil
The cheery yellow blooms of the daffodil are a welcome sight in early spring. Daffodils provide early sources of food for bees and help to block grass from creeping into your garden beds and the blooms look just lovely in a vase!
- Jerusalem Artichoke or Sunchoke
Jerusalem artichokesare one of my favorite perennial vegetables to grow. The tall stems can act as a trellis for growing climbing annuals like beans and help provide a windbreak. The tubers they produce are tasty and keep well over winter.
- Sorrel
Sometimes called lemon spinach, the humble sorrelis one of the first fresh greens in spring. They add an interesting zest to salads and grow well in semi-shaded conditions.
- Calendula
Known as pot marigold and can be used in creams, lotions and salves, the simple orange marigold can help to deter pests and attract beneficial insects and often planted as a companion plant in the garden. - Strawberry
An easy to grow berry which will come back year after year. Strawberries produce fruit, act as a living mulch helping to retain water. - Grapes
Climbing vines help provide shade, wood and of course grapes to turn into juice, wine or just eating fresh. Grapes grow well once established and can be trained over trellis, arches and pergolas. - Elderberry
The flowers and berries of elderberry make great wines and cordials. The flowers are a favorite of bees and the birds love the berries too. Bringing birds onto the garden is a good thing as they can help pick off the big pests like crickets. - Hops
Used in brewing for a century or more but dried hops can also be used in pillows with lavender to help you sleep or added to soap. The hops vines grow well and quickly providing shade however, they can be invasive. The flowering cones can help bee colonies too. - Hazelnut
Known as filberts, the hazelnut has many uses from providing wood to burn or sticks to build into garden trellis, obelisks or baskets. The nuts produced are a source of fats and protein and the leaves provide mulch or brown material for the compost heap.
- Goumi
An edible nitrogen-fixing plant that provides food for the other plants growing nearby. This shrub can be planted as an edible hedgerow providing food and habitat for wildlife or grown as a nitrogen-fixing shrub in an orchard. - Daylilly
Usually grown as a flowering ornamental shrub, daylilly are easy to grow and get established in a garden. They are edible and attract bees and even hummingbirds. - Lavender
A native of the Mediterranean, the lavender plant grows well in warm, drier areas. Lavender is beautifully scented, works well in various cakes, cookies and even mead! - Chives
Chives are a relative of the onion family which help to deter deer from your veggies. Their pungent scent helps to confuse pests from your tender crops whilst their flowers attract pollinators. Chives are easy to grow and propagate in the garden.
are one of my favorite perennial vegetables to grow. The tall stems can act as a trellis for growing climbing annuals like beans and help provide a windbreak. The tubers they produce are tasty and keep well over winter.
is one of the first fresh greens in spring. They add an interesting zest to salads and grow well in semi-shaded conditions.Great permaculture garden plants are those which provide many different sources of food or have added benefits like providing wood or shade. What is your favorite permaculture plant to grow in your garden?
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