A field full of yummy veggies, free range chickens roaming the compost pile, the prop house full of seedlings–permaculture zone 2 is full of abundance.
In this article, we’re going to go over permaculture zone 2 in detail. First, we’ll talk about what the permaculture zones are and how to use them. Then, we are going to discuss zone 2, including the needed care, the expected yields, the crops, plants, and animals,the buildings, structures, and water sources of this zone. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to download the free permaculture zones guide so you can take it anywhere with you.
This article is part of a series about permaculture design. If you are interested in learning more about permaculture design, check out this article. Here, I break down permaculture design into 5 easy steps you can begin to implement now, even without land.
The Permaculture Zones
So what are the permaculture zones and why are they important? The permaculture zones are a system designers use to organize the landscape. There are six in total, starting with zone 0 inside the home. From there, each zone surrounds the home getting further away with each transition into a new zone.
This system is designed to create ease and efficiency across the design. We place the high-maintenance elements that need a lot of attention closest to the home where they’re easiest to access. And we place the low-maintenance elements that rarely require our attention furthest away from the home. This system ensures that our energy is spent efficiently and that all elements get the attention they need.
For example, tomatoes often need daily attention, whether that’s harvesting, pruning, mulching, planting, pulling, or picking off hornworms. If the tomatoes are on the opposite side of the property from the house, it’s likely some of those needs will be neglected because they’re such a trek from the house. However, if they’re closer to the house, they’re much more likely to get the attention they need because they’re easier to get to them.
Permaculture Zone 2
Permaculture zone 2 is the market production and home crops zone. If you’re growing veggies, herbs, or flowers for market, this zone will be pretty active. It’ll also be pretty active if you plan to grow most of your own food. This zone is still pretty close to the house so you can easily access it every day, but the crops here don’t constantly demand attention. Spending time with each crop once or twice a week will suffice. This zone will also require daily irrigation.
In this zone, we keep our seeding and propogation areas as well as buildings and structures we need frequent access to. This includes greenhouses, barns, tool sheds, and compost bins. This is also home to the animals who don’t require too much space, like poultry, pigs, and alpacas. Here, you’ll make daily ventures, but not every element needs your attention everyday.
Zone 2 Needed Care
In permaculture zone 2, you’ll be spending some time everyday tending to something. You won’t necessarily be working with the same crops everyday, but you’ll be in this zone every day regardless. Here’s what it looks like:
- Daily harvesting
- Weekly weeding
- Some mulching
- Weekly pruning
- Cover cropping
- Bed prep
- Managing irrigation
Zone 2 Yields
This zone provides the bulk of food for market and the home. Here are some more of this zone’s yields:
- Food for the home
- Storage crops
- Seeding and propogation areas
- Bird and insect habitat
- Market fruits, veggies, flowers, and herbs
Zone 2 Crops & Plants
This crops that live in permaculture zone 2 are those that require weekly attention but are ok to be left alone for a few days at a time. They also usually require frequent harvesting. The crops in this zone are:
- Crops for canning and preserving
- Crops for crafting, like dye plants
- Storage crops
- Market herbs
- Market veggies
- Cut flower gardens
- Fruit from bushes and small trees
- Some nuts
Zone 2 Animals
As mentioned before, the animals who live in this zone are those who don’t need much space, but don’t need to be right up close to the house. These animals require daily feeding and may require weekly barn or bedding cleaning. These animals are:
- Poultry
- Rabbits
- Pigs
- Goats
- Llamas and alpacas
Zone 2 Buildings & Structures
There are a lot of buildings and structures in permaculture zone 2. These buildings and structures are close enough to the house we can easily access them daily but are far enough away they don’t disrupt the beauty or the aroma around the home. These structures include:
- Greenhouses
- Propagation house
- Tool sheds
- Barns
- Compost bins
- Large garden beds
Zone 2 Water Sources
Zone 2 is close enough to the house we can use house well water, but it’s big enough to require a lot of it. These are the water sources we usually use in zone 2:
- Wells
- Ponds
- Tanks
- Greywater
- Irrigation
More About Permaculture and Permaculture Zones
There are five more permaculture zones to explore, each one with an exciting variety of options. If you are interested in learning about these other zones, read this article on the permaculture zones. In this article, I go over the rest of the zones and which elements to place where.
If you are interested in learning more about the permaculture design process, you can click the highlighted link. In this article, I break down permaculture design into 5 simple steps. Plus, I give you some workbooks and resources to help you on your journey of permaculture design.
There is also an abundance of permaculture books and resources available. If you are looking for more of these resources, check out my Bookshop. On my Bookshop. you’ll find all of my favorite books available to you at a discount. This includes a list of permaculture and regenerative farming books.
Summary
Permaculture zone 2 is a wonderfully active and abundant zone. It’s full of animals, veggies, herbs, flowers, and all of the buidlings and structures that keep a farm or homestead running.
In this article, we went over the permaculture zones and discussed permaculture zone 2 in detail. We talked about the needed care, expected yields, crops, animals, buidlings, structures, and water sources of this zone. And now, you have the free permaculture zones guide for you to refer to anytime.
What are you planning to put in your zone 2? What are you most excited about? Put your thoughts in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!
Thanks for reading and happy designing!
Heron
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