PatternBasePermaculture
10 articles about permaculture
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.
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.
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.