Acting daily according to one's convictions? This is the choice that Marie-Thérèse Thévard (Marie-Thé, for close friends) made about thirty years ago by successfully developing her food self-sufficiency in no-till farming in Saguenay, her adopted region in Quebec.

The Kitchen Garden is the story of her practices, convictions, and research to embody an ecological lifestyle based on independence from fossil fuels, resilience, healthy eating, permaculture, agroecology, and community living. Designed to follow each step month by month to create a thriving organic vegetable garden, this manual details the principles and techniques for growing vegetables, fruits, legumes, and even grains. One guiding principle underpins her approach: no-till farming. Faced with the soil depletion that plagues industrial agriculture, Marie-Thé champions "the genius of the soil," avoiding plowing while enriching it with mulch. All this in a boreal climate, in a context considered challenging for market gardening.

Marie-Thé's many years of experience will teach you:

• The principles of permaculture, agroecology and no-till farming;
• Crop associations to create a living and resilient ecosystem;
• Techniques for protecting crops against the cold;
• Biological methods of getting rid of major pests;
• A toolbox to organize your garden (storage, tools, sowing, planting and harvesting calendars);
• Methods for preserving vegetables and seasonal recipes;
• The essentials you need to know about poultry farming.

Marie Thévard grew up on her mother Marie-Thé's farm. She wrote this essential guide to successfully growing your own food using no-till methods and gradually achieving food self-sufficiency. Richly illustrated with diagrams and photos, this book is a must-have for ecological gardening.
Marie Thévard participated, with her mother, in the development of the Nordic no-till food gardening technique which she shares in Le jardin vivrier.

Browse online via Écosociété

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Author: Marie Thévard
Preface by: Benoît Thévard
Edition: Ecosociété
Publication date: May 2021 (Canada)
Pages: 384
Collection: Know-how
Theme(s): nature, animals & ecology
Subject(s): ecology / environment
ISBN: 9782897196653

50 projects and solutions for the garden and the home.

From mound cultivation to greenhouses, via compost and vermicompost, recycling of everyday objects and good pest management, the book covers the main points that will interest the beginner permaculturist, for their garden or home, and others that will be particularly useful for a small diversified farm.

– p.4 Preface by Bill Mollison, co-founder of permaculture + Map of Candlelight Farm (and its "design").
– p.10 What is Permaculture? A design method, an ethic, principles, practices.
– p.15 Lasagna beds + Round beds, crown planting mounds, mandala garden, double mandala garden, planting trees + notions of permaculture: fertility, limits of elements.
– p.27 Greenhouses + A mini-greenhouse, cold frame, a large greenhouse + Permaculture: solar systems, bioclimatic design.
– p.35 Shade greenhouses + Shade greenhouse, a geodesic dome.+ Permaculture: concept of zones on a site.
– p.42 Animal tractors + Permaculture: concept of sectors on a site.
– p.48 Slopes and contour lines + Making an Egyptian level, water level + Permaculture: making good use of slopes.
– p.55 Plant propagation + Making your own labels, harvesting seeds, sowing, cuttings, layering + Permaculture: producing your own seeds.
– p.65 Recycling plastic bottles + Grain and dust scoop, funnel, fruit fly trap, woodlouse traps, slug trap, mini-greenhouses, protection for young plants, flower pots, measuring the infiltration capacity of a soil, solar distiller.
– p.75 Recycling: Newspaper pots.
– p.77 Recycling tires + raised bed, mini-pond, retaining walls + Permaculture: the location and functions of elements on a site.
– p.80 Compost + Permaculture: the re-circulation of elements.
– p.88 Natural liquid fertilizers + Comfrey, algae, multi-plant and multi-purpose, earthworm castings, poultry manure + Permaculture: site maintenance, organic matter.
– p.93 Vermiculture + Small vermicomposter, Ben Hur model, large vermicomposters, harvesting earthworms. + Permaculture: role of earthworms.
– p.101 Ecological pest control + integrated management, crop rotation, attracting birds, spraying + Permaculture: a holistic approach.
– p.108 Eco-responsible in everyday life + Making your own soap, paper, cleaning products for the house, kitchen, laundry, bathroom, for personal hygiene.
– p.120 Norwegian cooker + Permaculture: the search for energy and economic efficiency.

Authors: Ross and Jenny Mars, 2 experienced permaculturists and trainers.
Edition: Passerelle -eco
Publication date: 11/2017
Number of pages: 126
ISBN: 979 109 553 9032

Permaculture offers a very precise and coherent approach to planting and its organization.

Permaculture offers a precise and coherent approach to planting and its organization. In this book, discover how to choose the right plants to compose or complement your garden or vegetable patch: varieties, planting locations and design, beneficial plant associations, light and water requirements... From choosing trees to selecting perennials, including shrub management,

Discover Annie Lagueyrie's great tips for your vegetable garden and permaculture garden.
Annie Lagueyrie, a journalist specializing in gardening, studied biology and ecology and is currently vice-president of the Association of Garden and Horticulture Journalists (AJJH). She discovered permaculture in 2013 and decided to take a course at the Bec-Helloin farm in Normandy. "Enthusiastic about this approach to gardening and, more broadly, about the relationship between people and nature," she wants to share the principles of ecology applied to gardening.

She is the author of Permaculture, the guide for beginners published by Rustica.

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A reference book on human permaculture. A manual for using permaculture thinking and design to increase our capacity to act for personal, collective, and planetary well-being. The author has created a tool called "The Design Canvas," which can be used for any type of project (individual, collective, personal, professional, etc.).

Author: Looby Macnamara
Publisher: PermaSens
Publication date: December 2020 for the French edition (first British edition published in 2012)
Pages: 334
ISBN: 9782960268102
Size: 19 x 25 cm
Language: French

Forest gardens: an ocean of edible perennial plants.

Practice self-sufficiency at home, based primarily on perennial crops, by one of the leading teachers of permaculture. Reduce your cultivation efforts with plants that regrow each year or readily self-seed.

Insightful questions, effective and inexpensive solutions, exceptional plants… and mistakes too. This is the true story of how they transformed their 400 square meters of poor soil in a disadvantaged suburb into a lush and bountiful vegetable garden and forest garden, inspiring many around them… Follow their thought process, their trials (from the moment they bought the land), and the gradual growth of their forest garden from 2004 to 2019, step by step.

This book will also allow you to experience in everyday life what the permaculture approach can be like, thanks to a chronological life story, by the author and his roommate, soon joined by their respective partners.

A practical, surprising, fresh, motivating and truly inspiring book!

Numerous photos of plants.

Authors: Eric Toensmeier
Edition: Imagine a hummingbird
Publication date: 11/2019
Number of pages: 180
ISBN: 9791095250050

In this book, they present both the concept of permaculture and the basic principles for designing and maintaining a garden in harmony with the cycle of nature.

Living and cultivating one's garden in harmony with nature

Sepp and Margit Brunner make a living from the produce of their farm, which they have cultivated using permaculture methods for years. In the Austrian Alps where they were born, their farm has become a place for agricultural experimentation and personal growth. They organize seminars there to share their knowledge.

In this book, they present both the concept of permaculture and the basic principles for designing and maintaining a garden in harmony with the cycles of nature. Whether it's organizing space, combining species, promoting the water cycle, retaining heat, or caring for plants, they guide us step by step from theory to practice.

With them, let's transform our gardens and balconies into oases that will supply us with fresh and healthy produce, gladden our hearts with an abundance of colors and scents, and shelter our friends from the animal and plant world.

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Authors: Sepp & Margit Brunner
Edition: du Rouergue
Size: 17 x 23 cm
Pages: 176
Color photos and illustrations
Publication date: 02-2016 (French edition)
ISBN: 9782812609992

Permaculture is a systemic approach that allows us to create viable ecosystems by drawing inspiration from the laws of nature.

Climate change, economic crisis, rampant urbanization... A growing number of people are realizing that a change in behavior is inevitable, both individually and collectively. But how can we align our lifestyles with the resources available on the planet? How can we prepare to live without fossil fuels? Human permaculture offers some keys to navigating this delicate period of transition.

Permaculture is a systemic approach that creates viable ecosystems by drawing inspiration from the laws of nature. While primarily considered in its agricultural application for the past forty years, it is examined here in its broadest sense: today, pioneers of change aspire to transform their lives in all their dimensions. Human permaculture therefore encompasses not only agriculture, but also culture, including the economy, housing, and relationships between individuals.

This richly illustrated manual by Marie Quilvin is brimming with information and inspiring examples to reconnect us with nature and adopt a more ethical, less predatory lifestyle. It offers tools and engaging exercises to stimulate our creativity, discover our personal niche, build cohesive work teams, establish permaculture designs, and (re)discover our vital links with water, soil, and forests. A chapter dedicated to food also teaches us how to nourish ourselves with algae and insects—a vast source of nutrition for the future.

Unique in the French-speaking world, Human Permaculture is designed to guide us step by step through this transition and help us put our talents to work for our environment. It's high time we anticipated change rather than simply reacting to it!

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Authors: Bernard Alonso, Cécile Guiochon
Edition: Ecosociety/Practical Guides
Publication date: 2016-011
Pages: 208
ISBN: 978-2-89719-287-7
Language: French

In this book, the author shows how to apply these principles concretely and successfully in small gardens.

Kurt Forster is one of the pioneers of permaculture, which he has been teaching for years in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The principle consists of imitating natural processes by recreating a true ecosystem within the garden, which means, among other things: making the best use of existing conditions and creating micro-biotopes, limiting external inputs and recycling everything that is produced, promoting species diversity to avoid diseases and create beneficial associations, layering crops vertically as in forest systems, optimizing the interactions between the different elements, etc.

In this book, the author shows how to apply these principles practically and successfully in small gardens. Using his own garden as an example, he explains in detail how his family has become almost self-sufficient year-round in fruits, berries, salads, and vegetables, while his potato production covers half the year, and his production of grains, fish, mushrooms, and corn significantly enriches their daily lives.

Not forgetting the aesthetic dimension and the well-being provided by a garden where life has reclaimed its rights.

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Illustrated
Author: Kurt Forster
Publisher: Ulmer/Do It Yourself (France)
Publication date: 2014
Pages: 160
ISBN: 9782841387212

Permaculture shows, of course, how to manage an eco-garden, compost and create a mini food forest, but also how to gradually set up a local exchange system or create a business, maximizing useful interactions.

Permaculture, a term coined in Australia in the 1970s, involves creating sustainable habitats for humans by following nature's patterns. It is ecological design applied, initially, to agriculture, but also to housing, domestic life, and local development.

In this lively and lavishly illustrated mini-manual, Graham Burnett lays out the design principles found in natural systems that we should strive to emulate: an abundance of boundaries and transition zones, multiple and successive functions, cycles, and self-sufficiency. The idea is to work with nature, not against it, minimizing the effort required (the author's optimal level of intervention: "doing nothing").

Permaculture shows, of course, how to manage an eco-garden, compost and create a mini food forest, but also how to gradually set up a local exchange system or create a business, maximizing useful interactions.

This new classic of ecological design, reminiscent of the famous Whole Earth Catalog found in every town in the 1970s, has had three editions since its first publication in England 15 years ago. This is its first appearance in French.

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"A simple and engaging introduction, a very useful and important tool."
— Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition movement

Author: Graham Burnett
Publisher: Écosociété (Montreal, QC)/resilience
Publication date: 2012 (2013 for the French edition)
Pages: 144
ISBN: 978-2-89719-060-6

This testimonial guide, accompanied by numerous photos and practical fact sheets, will provide you with all the information to start your micro-farm.

The guide-testimony, with a foreword by Pierre Rabhi and Nicolas Hulot.

Do you dream of returning to the land? This testimonial guide, accompanied by numerous photos and practical fact sheets, will provide you with all the information to launch your micro-farm, think about your project and "open the doors to a commitment that is both personal and collective" (Pierre Rabhi).

• What is a micro-farm?
• Where to get training?
• How to choose your legal status, secure financing, and find land?
• Which cultivation methods should be favoured?
• How to buy or produce your own seedlings
• Why diversify?
• How to communicate and grow?

"What I have tried to convey in this book is a love for the profession, areas requiring vigilance, and the different fields of exploration and research, through our own experience."

For this work, she collaborated with experts such as Kevin Morel, an agricultural engineer in charge of the study on micro-farms in France. Linda Bedouet provides the essential keys to setting up as an agroecological farmer, to help you develop a productive, profitable project that benefits both the environment and people.

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Author: Linda Bedouet
Edition: Rustica
Publication date: 2017-02
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9782815309264
Language: French

This concept involves creating a 3-layered garden, inspired by the forest ecosystem.

This concept involves creating a three-tiered garden, inspired by the forest ecosystem: the upper tier for fruit trees, the middle tier for espaliered and trained vegetables and berries, and finally, the lower tier for vegetables and herbs. Organized in this way, the garden is designed like a food forest, allowing for a wide variety of crops, abundant harvests, and increased productivity.

Easy to set up, the oasis garden is suitable for both small and large spaces, in the city or the countryside, and fits perfectly with your gardening style, whether it is classic or innovative (raised beds, lasagna gardening, square foot gardening...).

Author: Robert Elger
Publication date: April 2019
Publisher: Rustica
Pages: 176
ISBN: 9782815313889

Permaculture is a philosophy and approach to land use aimed at designing ecologically sustainable living and activity spaces.

Permaculture is a philosophy and approach to land use that aims to design ecologically sustainable living and working spaces. Drawing inspiration from natural ecosystems, permaculture establishes beneficial interactions between the components of the sites it designs: humans and their needs, the land and its characteristics, the annual and perennial plants that grow there, animals, soils, microclimates, water, and so on. By connecting these elements, it forms productive, resilient, and as self-sufficient as possible systems.

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Born in 1928 in Tasmania, Australia, Bill Mollison worked for several years as an environmental and marine biologist before becoming a professor at the University of Tasmania, where he established the Department of Environmental Psychology. There, in the early 1970s, he and David Holmgren developed the concept of permaculture. He elaborated a set of guiding principles that formed its ethical framework, which can be summarized as working with nature, rather than against it; making the smallest effort for the greatest change; and, above all, understanding and accepting that the problem is often the solution.

In 1981, he received the alternative Nobel Prize for his entire body of work, the essence of which he delivers to us in this fabulous, delightfully illustrated book, which invites us to rethink our market gardening practices in harmony with the environment.

This book has benefited from the utmost care from those who worked on it. The translators have strived to convey the spirit of Bill Mollison in all the subtlety of his experience and the depth of his understanding of natural phenomena. It has benefited from the review and advice of several experienced permaculture practitioners. The book's design and infographics have been meticulously crafted to ensure clarity and ease of reading. Printed in France on 100% recycled paper, this large-format book was printed with solvent-free inks and plant-based pigments. It contains 165 explanatory diagrams and drawings.

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Author: Bill Mollison
Publisher: Passerelle Éco (France)
Publication date: 2012
Size: 21 x 28 cm
Pages: 240
ISBN: 9782953344844
Language: French

"What exactly is permaculture design?"

Design encompasses the entire upstream planning process that, starting with a site and an individual or group, defines what will be implemented, where, and how. The choice to plant a hedge or create a raised bed in a particular location is, for example, a result of this process: the means a permaculturist employs to achieve specific outcomes.

Aranya's book presents the stages of permaculture design, from the initial site survey and the outline of the desired outcome or project, to the finalization of the design or its implementation. It is a highly instructive book that methodically explains the various tools used throughout the design process.

It will be particularly useful:

• To all permaculturists: Aranya is a permaculture trainer, and this book is a complement directly related to the short courses: Permaculture Design Course (72h) and long courses: Permaculture Diplomas.
• to individuals wishing to develop their eco-village using permaculture
• to landscape designers and architects who want to benefit from the contributions of permaculture in their landscape or bioclimatic design work.
• to permaculture trainers
• to permaculture designers: professionals offering permaculture design services

Summary

4 parts:

1. The preparations
2. The design stages
3. Finalizing the design
4. Non-agricultural designs

View the full summary in PDF

Authors: Aranya
Edition: Passerelle -eco
Publication date: April 2017
Number of pages: 200 pages in color
Size: 21 cm x 28 cm
ISBN: 979095539025

Global thinking, local action: permaculture is a way of seeing and acting that connects humans and their environment into a coherent and cooperative whole.

Author: Patrick Whitefield
Publisher: Passerelle Éco
Publication date: 2013
Pages: 106
ISBN 979-10-95539-04-9
Language: French