bristinygarden

I am a second year gardener. Recently, I stumbled upon the fun term “permaculture” after my Youtube algorithm introduced me to Huw Richards and James Prigioni. Then I devoured Josie Beckham’s Permaculture Gardening for the Absolute Beginner on Audible and I am hooked! I now dream of food forests, acres of land, chickens, ponds, compost piles, fruit trees, and lush gardens that look like they’ve been natural fixtures for years.

Alas, right now, that is not my reality.

I don’t have a homestead, farm, or even a modest backyard. I have a slab of concrete and some steps.

And grow bags, three GreenStalks, three elevated raised garden beds, Sterilite totes from Goodwill, an assortment of random pots, and lot of curiosity.

So this season, I am asking a simple question:

Can permaculture work in a small patio garden?

What I mean by Patio Permaculture

For this project, I’m thinking of permaculture as a design lens.

Instead of only asking, “what do I want to plant?” I’m asking:

How does water move through this space? Where does the sun hit throughout the day? How does the heat bounce off the brick walls? Where are the shade spots? Which plants support each other? How can flowers, herbs, and veggies provide joy and serve a purpose? How can I make this garden easier to care for over time?

Realistically, I’m limited from a food forrest to, let’s say, a very quaint and charming food market run by your elderly neighbor. Buckets and grow backs aren’t ecosystems on their own, but I do think a small garden can be designed thoughtfully.

That is what I am testing!

What I’m Trying This Season

In my Patio Permaculture Project, I’ll be experimenting with:

• growing food entirely in containers and elevated garden beds
• using flowers and herbs to attract pollinators
• making watering easier with ollas and other self-watering methods
• building better soil for elevated raised beds and containers
• choosing plants that do more than one job
• designing around my real habits and life

Why This Matters

I think a lot of us (including myself) believe we need to wait to start a “real” garden. We need more space, more money, more experience, and the full works before we can begin.

But f- all of that! Small space gardening is very much still real gardening!

Patios count.

Balconies count.

Porches, too.

Got just a sunny windowsill? Counts.

A single container of herbs counts.

We don’t need land to learn about soil, water, light, plants, pollinators, and the relationship between ourselves and our environments.

We can start small, which is what I’m doing here.

Follow the Project

This is the beginning of the Patio Permaculture Project, where I’ll be documenting what I plant, what works, what fails, and what I learn as I turn my small patio into a more thoughtful, productive, and beautiful garden!

Subscribe to my YouTube channel here:

And if you want beginner-friendly garden notes, small-space growing tips, and behind-the-scenes field notes, please subscribe to my weekly-ish newsletter, Tiny Garden Notes

Start small, stay curious, and grow anyway.