Are you interested in permaculture and are looking for some books to learn about it? Or maybe you are already knowledgeable about permaculture and are looking for resources to get more in-depth information? Either way, there are permaculture books here for you.
When I was studying sustainable agriculture and food systems at College of the Atlantic, I learned about many schools of organic agriculture. I have worked on some organic farms over the years as well (since starting Botanical Revival, this is the first time in my adult life I’m not working on a farm!). However, permaculture has always been the most interesting area of study for me. The idea of working with the natural world to produce an abundance of resources, while maintaining or improving the health of the environment, was a sparkly, utopian idea at first. However, after studying Indigenous history and food sovereignty in the United States, I came to the humbling realization that this isn’t a new school of food production, nor is it a utopian idea–it’s the traditional way of growing food and it’s necessary for a sustainable food future.
In this article, I’ll be sharing with you my favorite books on permaculture, including general permaculture books, home-scale permaculture books, permaculture farm books, and permaculture books for experts. Whether you are a beginner looking for inspiration or a more experienced person looking to get more in-depth knowledge, there’s a book here for you!
If you are interested in seeing more book recommendations, reading lists, and reviews by Botanical Revival, check out my Bookshop. Here, you’ll find hundreds of my favorite titles I’ve collected over the years.
Let’s get into it!
General Permaculture Books
In this section, I’m going to talk about two books, Miraculous Abundance and Permaculture Design. These books are suited for beginners to inspire you and get your creativity flowing.
Miraculous Abundance by Perrine and Charles Hervé-Gruyer
In the Normandy Valley in France, there is a quaint little permaculture farm called The Ferme du Bec Hellouin. Its managers, Perrine and Charles Hervé-Gruyer, run not only the farm but also a permaculture school and scientific studies regarding the productivity of a farm like theirs. In Miraculous Abundance, Perrine and Charles discuss how their farm came to be and how such sustainable mirofarms can be the future of agriculture.
This is not a book to teach you about permaculture design and implementation. Rather, it’s meant to show you the world of potential of this craft and to inspire you to dream big. This book is for beginners and experts alike, and for anyone who wants inspiration.
Permaculture Design by Aranya
If you already have a grasp of permaculture concepts but want help in creating the design for your property, then I recommend this guide. In Permaculture Design, Aranya provides you with explanations, flow charts, diagrams, and more that will guide you through the permaculture design process.
Based on coursework that has proven to be useful to many permaculture students, the information in this guide is sure to help you create dreamy designs. This includes information from site surveying and map making to project management; from working with a design team to working with clients. This book is useful for beginners and experts, from amateur to professional designers.
Home-Scale Permaculture Books
If you are looking for books to help you design a permaculture paradise at the home scale, this is the section for you. The three books listed–Gaia’s Garden, The Home-Scale Forest Garden, and Integrated Forest Gardening–are designed to help you bring your visions to life.
Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway
This is my favorite book to recommend to those interested in permaculture but don’t know where to start. In Gaia’s Garden, Hemenway walks you through everything you need to know to plan, design, and implement your home-scale permaculture garden. In the beginning, he defines the principles of permaculture, what it means to have a mature versus immature garden, and basic design principles. Throughout the rest of the book, Hemenway goes into detail about the components of an ecological garden (the soil, water collection, attracting wildlife, etc.).
If you are completely new to permaculture, I recommend this book. Hemenway’s writing is very easy for the beginner to understand and helps you begin to envision all of the possibilities.
The Home-Scale Forest Garden by Dani Baker
After attending a local permaculture workshop, Baker began what she would call the “Enchanted Edible Forest” project on her land in New York. In The Home-Scale Forest Garden, Baker describes her journey and shares the knowledge she has learned along the way. Baker has created a very useful guide to creating your very own enchanted edible forest.
Like the book above, this book is great for beginners. Baker is a wonderful teacher and this book will be useful to anyone ready to start planning their edible landscape.
Integrated Forest Gardening by Wayne Weiseman et. al.
Unlike the other books in this section, Integrated Forest Gardening is focused less on permaculture as a whole, but rather on creating plant guilds, plant communities, and polycultures. Weisman, Halsey, and Ruddock focus their book specifically on creating strong inter-plant connections and functional relationships. In this book, you’ll get information on the importance of plant guilds, different types of plant guilds, how to design and create plant guilds, and more.
This book is recommended to anyone who wants to dive deep into plant relationships and begin implementing the idea of plant guilds onto your land.
Permaculture Farm Books
If you are a farmer or want to start a permaculture farm or market garden, then these books are for you. I will say that the books in the above section will also help you out, but when it comes to implementing permaculture on a larger scale, the following books–Farming the Woods, The Resilient Farm and Homestead and Silvopasture–are better suited for you.
Farming the Woods by Steve Gabriel and Ken Mudge
This book may be my favorite permaculture book. Farming the Woods is an in-depth guide to expanding your farm or garden into the forest (or even creating a completely forest-based farm!). In this book, you will learn about high-value forest crops, a brief history of forest farming, growing medicinal crops, raising animals in the woods, and so much more.
Not only is there information in this book that gardeners can utilize, but this book goes into detail about how to make a living growing cash crops in the forest. This book is for the farmer and gardener alike.
The Resilient Farm and Homestead by Ben Falk
In The Resilient Farm and Homestead, Falk looks at permaculture through a different lens: one of creating resilience from emergencies and natural disasters. As our climate changes, we as farmers and gardeners will face more and more unpredicted circumstances. In this book, Falk provides you with what you need to know to build a fortified lifestyle on the land.
If you are developing your permaculture farm or garden in an area that experiences extreme weather (ice storms, floods, fires, etc) and/or you want your property to be less vulnerable in states of emergencies, you should get this book. Whether you’re a farmer or homesteader, this book will give you the permaculture principles to fortify your home.
Silvopasture by Steve Gabriel
In his book, Silvopasture, Steve Gabriel looks at permaculture through a different lens. Silvopasture is the art of integrating the forest, wild forage, and animal livestock into a farm or homestead. Like permaculture, Gabriel explains how important observation and adaptation are to a silvopasture lot and gives you many great examples of farmers who have successfully included these philosophies into their livelihoods.
If you hope to integrate animal husbandry into your permaculture oasis, want to learn more about foresty and grassland ecology, or want to expand your farm into wild areas of your property, then I recommend reading this book.
Permaculture Books for Experts
If you are reading to get into the nitty-gritty of permaculture design and implementation, the Edible Forest Gardens books are here to help you out.
Edible Forest Gardens, vol. 2 by Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier
The Edible Forest Garden collection holds detailed information about the art of permaculture. Although it is a two-part collection, volume two tends to be more popular with permaculturists. This is because volume two holds extensive practical knowledge on how to implement permaculture principles and design. If you’re ready to get to work, then this book is for you.
Edible Forest Gardens collection by Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier
If you’re ready to dive deep into the theories of ecology, forestry, soil science, and other permaculture topics, then I recommend purchasing the entire Edible Forest Gardens collection. In volume one, the vision of a forest garden is laid out in detail as well as all of the basic ecological principles of permaculture. This information will give you a very strong foundation of knowledge you can use to build on. Then, once the secure foundation is laid, volume two helps you put the theory into action.
Conclusion on Permaculture Books
Beginners and experts alike, there are many wonderful permaculture books available to you! My ten favorites listed in this article include books for home-scale gardeners, market gardeners, farmers, homesteaders, and those looking for some inspiration.
Although I’ve given you my ten favorite permaculture books, there are many, many more. By going to the Botanical Revival Bookshop, you’ll find all of my favorite books–from permaculture titles to farming books, homesteading books, kids’ books, and more–that I’ve collected over the years.
If you’d like to learn more about permaculture, read this article on the permaculture design process.
Have you read any of these books? Do you have other suggestions for resources to learn about permaculture? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
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