Permaculture Design Services
Ansa Permaculture Design provides permaculture design services throughout County Cork and across Ireland. We also teach permaculture design skills to learners from Ireland and abroad. Through Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) courses and other learning opportunities we can grow good permaculture design exponentially. We need more vocations in permaculture design to be part of a solution to our social, environmental and economic challenges.
Consultation
During a permaculture consultation we’ll walk the site together and talk about the site and your ideas while I take notes and overlay observations on a base map of the site. At the end of the consultation I will give feedback on my observations and can suggest further work.
For keen DIYers or gardeners this may be enough to confidently continue your project. You will also get a feel for what permaculture is about and how you could make your site more sustainable.
Survey & Analysis
During a permaculture survey and analysis we will gather key observations about your site to direct a design. It involves a consultation plus more time spent on site marking up base maps. These observations will include: existing features, zoning, micro-climates, wind & solar influences.
Later we will compile the findings and produce a short report. This will give an overview of the site and opinions for its further development. This option could suit people who want to complete a design themselves but want an objective permaculture survey first. It will also suit anyone considering getting a full permaculture design.
Patterning Design
For a patterning design we will produce a map and rationale that lays out the site according to permaculture principles. This map and report will fulfill the functions identified as needed in the client interview process and site survey.
This is a design to the detail of, for example, forest garden here, native woodland there, ponds over here, etc.
This is the crux of permaculture design and all of the details will follow this. This level of design could be enough for knowledgeable horticulturalists to fill in the remaining detail themselves.
Detailed Design
For a detailed permaculture design we will include all of the above work with more information on the specific elements of each system. We will design down to the detail of the positioning of each tree in an orchard including variety and rootstock etc.
This level of permaculture design can suit small gardens and any customer looking for a full design to be implemented. You can choose this as an add on if you like the patterning design and want to go ahead to installation.
For large sites we will work out some of the detail during installation as more knowledge is inevitably gained during earthworks on site.
Implementation
If you have the skills and time you could well implement the permaculture design yourself. If not, or if you want back up, we can assist in implementation of any aspect of the design, or recommend contractors.
In some way the client will have to be involved – these systems are not just pretty to look at!
A well designed permaculture system will be productive and will need some maintenance – at a minimum there will be alot of food there for someone to harvest 🙂
Maintenance
Permaculture is low maintenance by design.
In a forest garden system, for example, much of the maintenance will be harvesting food. If a mobile chicken system is integrated, the main maintenance will be moving it to fresh pasture. During the move you can harvest manure and straw for making hot compost at the same time.
With permaculture we often integrate harvesting and maintenance in the same action, maximising useful outputs.
We do however offer formative orchard pruning for the first few years after planting and summer pruning later on when the trees mature. This service is also available to people who want professional care for their existing orchards.