Why a Permaculture Nursery?

A successful nursery can bring to a community a…

Diversity of plants:

Food:

enormous varieties of fruits, nuts, oils, edible leaves, tubers, spices

Medicines:

roots, bark, sap, leaves, seeds, flowers, lipids

Firewood:

fast-growing easily harvestable woods , potentially convertable into charcoal for low-pollution fires.

Construction materials:

from tree products and bamboo

Soil cultivators:

nitrogen fixers, plants for soil tilth, shade

Animal fodder:

grasses, trees, leaves, nuts, fruits, tubers

Animal habitat:

the more niches in any environment the greater the diversity of flora and fauna

Pollinator attractors:

flowers for bees, butterflies, bats, hummingbirds

Materials for artisan and other crafts:

wood, gourds, seeds, bamboo  for furniture and fine carpentry, jewelry, and craftwork

diversity of jobs:

Nursery:

management, maintenance, grafting, pruning, propagating, composting, irrigation systems, labeling, various levels of horticultural expertise

Agro-forestry:

establishing and maintaining healthy forest ecosystems

Harvesting and processing:

drying fruits, shelling nuts, pressing oil, making juices, syrups, wine, flour, natural dyes, fibers, medicinals, finding markets, selling products

Working with clients:

marketing, client interface, site assessment, consulting, mapping, design, installation

Skilled crafts and artisan products:

fine woodworking, weaving, natural building

Education and outreach:

teaching in schools, putting on workshops, consulting