Permaculture principles for beginners
Story by Loretta Leary, Permaculture Tasmania’s Secretary, extract from Autumn 2026 newsletter
Permaculture Principle 3 is ‘Obtain a Yield’
Permaculture isn’t just about sustainability but also productivity. It is about seeing results for the fruits of your labour.
This principle emphasises the importance of designing systems that provide for our needs. This could be food from a vegetable garden, honey from bees, or pleasure from a beautifully designed native plant bed and the ecology it attracts. It could also be gaining compost from hedge trimmings.
Think of it as, “You can’t work on an empty stomach”. The gardener needs sustenance as does the garden system.
Key Aspects of ‘Obtain a Yield‘
- Broad Definition of Yield: A yield isn’t just vegetables; it can be knowledge, satisfaction, firewood, beauty, or a chicken providing eggs, fertilizer, and companionship.
- Purpose: Ensures that the time and resources invested in a system (like gardening or community projects) are rewarded, making the system self-sustaining and reducing dependency on external inputs.
- Immediate Rewards: Ensure your system gives back, so you are motivated and fed while working, reducing reliance on external inputs.
- Example Applications:
- Gardening: Harvesting herbs or vegetables. Companion planting for greater yields.
- Composting: Converting kitchen waste into fertilizer. Using garden trimmings in your compost.
- Seed Saving: Collecting seeds for future seasons. Having something like perennial crops that produce year after year with minimal maintenance.
- Design Focus: Encourages design elements that perform multiple functions (e.g., chickens provide eggs, fertilizer, and pest control).
This principle is about ensuring the system sustains itself while supporting the gardener. Easier said than done? True, but like all good things, this takes time. But you can plant and harvest radishes in a matter of weeks and you can start a compost heap right now! So get to it, before you get hungry!