Getting In The Zone

The Elements In A Garden Design Can Be Located According To How Often We Need To Use Or Service Them, Which Makes For Efficient Use Of Energy

- Angelo Eliades

A garden that’s easy to look after is more likely to be maintained over the long term. But such a garden doesn’t happen by chance — it’s the result of careful planning. No gardener enjoys unnecessary hard work, so in permaculture we aim to design gardens that are as energy-efficient as possible.

One such approach to energy efficiency is the permaculture design principle of zone planning.

PLANNED EFFICIENCY

Zone planning is a system in which the location of an element in a design is determined by:

• How often we need to use the element

• How often we need to service the element

It’s logical from a design perspective to locate those things that are used most often or require the most attention closest to the house, the centre of human activity. This way, less energy is expended to access them, making for a more energy-efficient design.

It follows that the things used least often or which require little or no attention are placed furthest away, while things that fall somewhere in between are placed accordingly.

This design principle works equally as well with small garden beds as it does with large broadacre farms but, as the scale increases, so does the design complexity. The application of this design principle through various orders of scale and magnitude is best demonstrated through some practical examples.

KEEPING IT CLOSE TO HOME

What would be the best place to locate a kitchen garden growing the most often-used vegetables and herbs? Ideally, it would be close to the kitchen itself so it’s only a quick step outside the back door to source the required cooking ingredients.