The heart of the permaculture garden
A central plant surrounded by companions, each filling a role. Start with the method, then explore each garden guild.
The method for assembling a guild, a central plant surrounded by its companions, and a tour of every guild on the site.
Central
A classic Native American planting: three plants that support one another on the same mound.
See the detailed guideSources: Mt. Pleasant, J. (2006). The science behind the Three Sisters mound system: an agronomic assessment of an indigenous agricultural system in the northeast. In Staller, J.E., Tykot, R.H. & Benz, B.F. (dir.), Histories of Maize (p. 529-537). Academic Press.
Central
A retinue of plants around the apple tree, designed for the tree's health. Many of these associations belong to permaculture tradition (Hemenway, Mollison) more than to controlled field trials. This guild largely transfers to the PEAR TREE (another pome-bearing rose-family tree, same layers and same companions): keep the same cortege (currant, comfrey, clover, aromatics, ground cover); mainly adjust spacing to its often greater vigour, choose a rootstock suited to your soil, and you can add more reputedly repellent aromatics since the pear is prone to different pests than the apple.
Sources: Hemenway, T. (2009). Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture (2e éd.). White River Junction : Chelsea Green. · Mollison, B. (1988). Permaculture: A Designers' Manual. Tyalgum : Tagari Publications.
Central
A classic summer-vegetable planting to protect and boost the tomato.
Sources: Conboy, N.J.A. et al. (2019). Companion planting with French marigolds protects tomato plants from glasshouse whiteflies through the emission of airborne limonene. PLOS ONE, 14(3), e0213071. · Hooks, C.R.R., Wang, K.-H., Ploeg, A. & McSorley, R. (2010). Using marigold (Tagetes spp.) as a cover crop to protect crops from plant-parasitic nematodes. Applied Soil Ecology, 46(3), 307-320. · Parker, J.E., Snyder, W.E., Hamilton, G.C. & Rodriguez-Saona, C. (2013). Companion planting and insect pest control. In Weed and Pest Control: Conventional and New Challenges. InTech.
Central
An efficient small system for edges, containers and the base of fruit trees: fruit, natural protection and biodiversity around the strawberry.
Sources: Hemenway, T. (2009). Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture (2e éd.). White River Junction : Chelsea Green. · Parker, J.E., Snyder, W.E., Hamilton, G.C. & Rodriguez-Saona, C. (2013). Companion planting and insect pest control. In Weed and Pest Control: Conventional and New Challenges. InTech.
Central
A Three Sisters variant centred on squash: a vigorous ground cover supported by a stake (maize) and a nitrogen fixer (climbing bean), surrounded by flowers that call in pollinators, decisive for fruit set in cucurbits. Mesoamerican heritage and permaculture design (Mollison, Hemenway).
Sources: Mt. Pleasant, J. (2006). The science behind the Three Sisters mound system: an agronomic assessment of an indigenous agricultural system in the northeast. In Staller, J.E., Tykot, R.H. & Benz, B.F. (dir.), Histories of Maize (p. 529-537). Academic Press. · Hooks, C.R.R., Wang, K.-H., Ploeg, A. & McSorley, R. (2010). Using marigold (Tagetes spp.) as a cover crop to protect crops from plant-parasitic nematodes. Applied Soil Ecology, 46(3), 307-320. · Hemenway, T. (2009). Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture (2e éd.). White River Junction : Chelsea Green.
Central
The hazel, a woodland-edge shrub, forms the backbone of a small edible forest garden: a fruiting shrub layer and a nectar-rich understorey at its foot. A permaculture design inspired by Hemenway (Gaia's Garden) and Mollison (Designers' Manual), to be adjusted for shade and soil.
Sources: Hemenway, T. (2009). Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture (2e éd.). White River Junction : Chelsea Green. · Crawford, M. (2010). Creating a Forest Garden: Working with Nature to Grow Edible Crops. Totnes : Green Books. · Mollison, B. (1988). Permaculture: A Designers' Manual. Tyalgum : Tagari Publications.
The heart of the permaculture garden
A continuous floral resource from February to November to feed pollinators.
| Period | Plants in flower |
|---|---|
| February to March | Willow · Hazel · Snowdrop · Dogwood · Hellebore |
| April to May | Cherry · Blackthorn · Hawthorn · Apple · Borage · Dandelion · Clover · Lilac |
| June to July | Lavender · Sage · Thyme · Phacelia · Borage · Alfalfa · Buckwheat · Sweet clover · Lime (linden) |
| August to September | Buckwheat (2nd sowing) · Borage · Phacelia · Nasturtium · Hyssop · Mallow · Sunflower |
| October to November | Common ivy · Aster · Eleagnus · Heather · Late St John's wort |