PatternBaseBlog
Practical permaculture knowledge, grounded in what actually works.
PatternBase Is Live: Design in Guilds, Learn from Your Bioregion
PatternBase is live. Visual guild designer, climate-matched community, multi-year perennial planning, and an evidence commons for regenerative growers.
Sheet Mulching Guide: Lasagna Gardening for Soil Regeneration
Learn how to sheet mulch (lasagna garden) to build soil, suppress weeds, and prepare planting beds without tilling.
Rainwater Harvesting for Gardens: Swales, Tanks & Passive Systems
Design a rainwater harvesting system for your garden using swales, tanks, and passive earthworks. Practical permaculture water management.
Hugelkultur Bed Design: How to Build & Plant a Hugelkultur Mound
Step-by-step guide to building a hugelkultur bed, including wood selection, layering, and the best plants for each stage of decomposition.
Permaculture Zones Explained: How to Map Your Property for Efficient Design
Learn the permaculture zone system (Zones 0-5) and how to apply it to your property. Practical guidance for mapping zones on any site from suburban gardens to rural homesteads.
When to Plant Vegetables: A Frost-Date Guide for Every Growing Zone
Learn when to start seeds, transplant, and direct-sow vegetables based on your last frost date and USDA zone. Covers timing for 20+ common crops with indoor start and outdoor planting windows.
The Caloric Map of Earth That Nobody Owns
Every piece of land on earth has a caloric potential: how much food it can produce per square meter per year. Nobody is measuring it. PatternBase is building the open dataset to change that.
What Is a Food Forest? (And How to Start One in Any Climate Zone)
A practical introduction to food forests: what they are, how they work, and how to design one for your specific climate. Covers temperate, subtropical, arid, and cold-climate food forests with real plant suggestions.
The 7-Layer Food Forest: Plant Lists, Design Tips, and What to Expect in Year One
A practical guide to designing a 7-layer food forest for temperate climates. Includes recommended plants for each layer, spacing guidance, and realistic first-year expectations.
Companion Planting: What Actually Works (And What's Just Folklore)
A practical guide to companion planting based on documented evidence, not garden mythology. Covers the science behind plant interactions, reliable combinations, and common myths.
How to Design a Fruit Tree Guild: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how to build a productive fruit tree guild with the right companion plants for each functional role. Includes plant lists for apple, pear, cherry, and stone fruit guilds.
Why I'm Building PatternBase: A Permaculture Tool for Gardeners Who Actually Track What Works
We plant guilds based on theory, lose the details by next season, and keep guessing. PatternBase is the observation-first permaculture tool I wish existed, launching this spring.