Permaculture Designer - From a 5 Acre cow paddock to a lush Paradise
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Permaculture
April 2013 Designer
From a 5 Acre
cow paddock to
a lush Paradise
The low-down on what it costs to
build a 5 acre Permaculture Paradise
and do it on a tight budget!
www.Geofflawton.com
Permaculture Masterclass
Creating a
Permaculture
Paradise
So you bought yourself a 5 acre property and want to transform it into something magical that
you and your family can enjoy, but don’t know where to start? This Case-Study might help.
In 1992, Permaculture designer Geoff Lawton down-
scaled from a 30 acre property to a 5 acre block of land
in the rural town of Cooroy in Queensland, Australia.
He was in the same circumstances you might find
yourself with an ordinary gentle sloping block of land,
partly cleared with a grazing paddock. The rest of it
was dense regrowth forest, about 20 years old.
Starting from Scratch
Now, its important to understand that Geoff wanted Where do you start if your land looks like this? Scary eh?
an ideal block of land suitable to apply his permacul-
ture principals. He knew what he was looking for. To Watch the Movie about this story at Geofflawton.com
the uneducated eye, it looked like an average bit of
land.
But Geoff had found something he could work with
and build to create a sustainable paradise because he Geoff Lawton in 1992 standing at the highest point of his 5 acre land measuring the contour with a sight level.
knew this land held an amazing potential. Something
many people wouldn’t notice at first glance when the property with a potential of another 40 acres
walking over their new purchase. of catchment rainfall. Geoff immediately decided
to survey his land starting at the very top (picture
The Right Features for Permaculture above) to determine where the contour of his prop-
Geoff walked over the whole property before he creek that ran down the middle part of his land.
bought it an took note of the slope. The direction it What a bonus it was to have on your land. Most
faced to the sun. Any gullies, valleys and water flows people would ignore this minor insignificant detail,
that could be captured and used to make this land but Geoff knew it couold became the center piece of
productive. his dream.
Geoff noticed that the farm above him had a house
The first thing he noticed was Access. There was a on the hill and cleared land around it. He calculat-
good road right next to his land and the gentle slope ed that there was about a 200 acre catchment above
meant he could capture water run-off and direct it, if him. It could be directed in a subtle way to replenish
he wished into his future ponds and swale systems. his land should he ever need that water resource.
This road offers a huge potential to capture water and direct it
Geoff Lawton’s original plan for his 5 acre property right to where it’s needed- to your land and food forest!
But the jackpot was a tiny insignificant seasonal dry There was another dry gully on the other side of
The largest pond on the farm being excavated
right hand side of his farm. They were smaller than the
larger dam (above) and cheaper to construct around
$3,500 for both. These two smaller ponds would play a
major role later, when he built his home on the prop-
erty.
Gravity Water
Geoff still needed gravity water and decided to build a
smaller pond at the top of his farm. This pond would
erty was. A sight level allowed him to map his proper- From there, he was able to further determine the
help irrigate his plans for a network of swales that he
ty and then the seeds of his plan began to take form. next catchment area on the other 40 acre dry gully
could grow fruit trees later on. But he needed a simple
and build two fishpond dams running down the
and effective way to add nutrient to the water to drip Smaller inexpensive swales will grow all the fruit trees
He didn’t impose a preconceived plan onto his prop-
feed his plants. He eventually fenced off this top pond
erty. He let the property dictate which way his design but you first need to get the mainframe design right.
and put ducks into it to add nutrient to the system
should go.
which trickled down and fed his forest. He also had a
By understanding the slope and valleys of the land, Geoff ’s idea of using ducks for nutrient worked
harvest of duck meat whenever he needed it.
Geoff was able to build his dream design in stages. quite well. Then it rained. He noticed the area below
Permaculture is about minimal effort for maximum where he lived in the shed, was getting moist as
Stage One of the Design water appeared in spring lines below his shed. What
return. It’s designed to work for the lazy gardener or
If you are on a tight budget, be aware of building long should he do?
for the fanatic who wants a more productive bounty.
roads as access to your land can be very expensive.
It can adjust itself to your method of working the land
Geoff built a small tin shed and lived in it for a while Too much water?
knowing where his future road access would go in his It was time to build another pond. Nature was giv-
next stage of the development. Access is a major expense if you don’t plan correctly. ing him a bounty and he needed to take advantage
of it.
Excavation of the Dams He knew bananas loved lots of water. So he built one
Geoff decided to build his major dam first. Having banana circle to soak the excess water, then another
access to a large expanse of water would mean all and then another as the water kept appearing before
his smaller satellite ponds could be interconnected he eased it off his land and sent it on it’s merry jour-
to work as one system, channeling water, feeding his ney down the hill to his neighbours to enjoy.
swale network and growing his fruit trees. A standard
Olympic sized swimming pool is about 2.5 Megalitres This way, he was working with nature and using
of water. the bananas as a sponge to grow more food than he
Geoff ’s big pond would be twice that in size. Earth- needed. He figured he could sell the surplus or build
works costs can vary where you live but it cost him another pond. Thats exactly what he did next near
$6,500 to hire a driver and excavator to construct the Geoff Lawton on this farm making compost in 1992 This small Top Pond will irrigate a food forest below it (see map) his shed.
amin dam.
This goes the same for Permaculture teachers. Seek few months and eating only the vegetables and duck
only the best. meat and eggs he produced. .
Biodiversity It gave him an immense self confidence, to realize
One of the side benefits of this system is the return of that it is possible to live abundantly if you approach
rare and endangered animals suddenly appearing on designing your home and garden, the right way.
Geoff ’s property as the system matured and became
more stable. This knowledge gave him the confidence to teach
Ducks, insects, frogs, marsupials and exotic bird-life others what he had now learnt.
began to appear. Geoff counted over 85 species of rare
birds appearing on his farm. It’s an indicator he says, You can survive and swim in your own pool, eat
that you are doing something right. your own food and live comfortably in natural sys-
tem knowing that your own needs and those of your
Permaculture Survival family can be met.
Geoff Lawton tells the story of living on this farm for a Watch the 22 minute online movie about how Geoff
Lawton created his dream in the link below.
Watch the Movie about this story at Geofflawton.com
A long thin pond was built next that could be devel- Geoff ’s smaller dam fills with rain water quickly. It will take time
oped into a chinampa system to grow fish with all that for the mud to settle and the system to mature.
excess water. Suddenly the options available to you are
greater, to do new things like an innovative aquacul-
ture system that were not there before. The creative
choices become greater as the biodiversity increases.
Geoff was able to build his main house and two new
ponds that were connected to a canal system that
he devised to channel the water anyway he wanted
through a sluice gate system. Water could be flooded This main dam is the major expense at $6,500 to construct, but
to grow rice or sent down a long thin channel that will store over 5 Mega litres of water. (Over 1 millions gallons)
supported a line of fruit trees. The creative possibili-
Many excavation drivers are familiar with dam
ties became endless.
building and permaculture techniques. For added
security, you should not attempt earthmoving your-
Construction Costs
self unless you know exactly what you are doing.
The earthworks over the years on this 5 acre prop-
erty designed by Geoff Lawton amounted to just on
Secure the services of a qualified Permaculture
$17,000 in the mid 1990’s. He later built a house on
designer who is experienced in project management
the site for $30,000.
or consider doing a Permaculture Design Course
In today’s dollars the excavation costs would probably
yourself.
be up to extra 50% on top of the figures quoted.
Budget at least two weeks to enroll in the course and
at least $2,000 to $6,000 in studying the entire sys-
Designing on your own land
tem of design. Make sure the instructors are familiar
Seek a quote from your local earth moving contractor
in earthworks and if possible ask to see examples of
before attempting any construction work.
their completed projects before employing them.
Pomelo Rainbow Lorikeet
Bamboo Row Boat on Main Pond
Water Flow was directed to flow towards a food forest swale sys-
This property was designed along three basic princi- tem either towards or away from the dam adjacent
pals. Water, Access and Structure. to his house.
The water was captured from rainfall that fell out- All water eventually leaves the property. A spillway
side the property boundaries. By strategically finding must be included on every dam or pond in times of
land that could take advantage of water runoff, Geoff flood and deluge. How you choose to assemble these
managed to enjoy a catchment larger than his small 5 techniques are based on your land profile and the
acre farm allowed. Utilizing existing features such as way it offers you room for innovation.
a couple of dry creek-beds that occasionally flowed
allowed him to implement ponds that captured and Disclaimer: There are substantial risks involved when landscape
stored water for later more permanent use. excavation and water flows are involved. While the information
in this article are presented in good faith, with the intention of
raising awareness of the land and it’s rehydration process, the Green Tree Frog Water Lilies Pond
Directing the water into purpose built structures contents do not take into account all the social, environmen-
such as small ponds or dams and implementing other tal and regulatory factors which need to be considered before
“Human beings are the only animals who have to work, and I think
supports structures such as a network of swales, canals putting that information into practice.
No person should rely on anything contained within this pdf or that is the most ridiculous thing in the world. Other animals make
and food forest systems allowed Geoff to passively their livings by living, but people work like crazy, thinking that they
associated video as a substitute for specific professional advice.
direct the water where he wanted it to go. have to in order to stay alive. The bigger the job, the greater the chal-
lenge, the more wonderful they think it is. It would be good to give
The water would slowly soak into the swales like a
sponge and stay moist in times of dry harsh weather. FOR SALE up that way of thinking and live an easy, comfortable life with plenty
of free time. I think that the way animals live in the tropics, stepping
As of April 2013 this Geoff Lawton de- outside in the morning and evening to see if there is something to
Additional features such as a sluice gate also enabled signed property was listed for sale at eat, and taking a long nap in the afternoon, must be a wonderful life.
directing the water to feed supplementary swales in $400,000. For human beings, a life of such simplicity would be possible if one
more difficult areas as needed. If you’re interested, contact the Real Estate worked to produce directly his daily necessities. In such a life, work is
not work as people generally think of it, but simply doing what needs
agent in Australia: +61 1300 852 829
One additional technique Geoff used was to build an to be done.” - Masanobu Fukuoka
Pond near Main House
earth mound at one side of his roadway. Excess water
Main House Bananas
Canal System Mangoes
Variety of Ducks Pond and Canal
Main Pond
www.Geofflawton.com
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