Permaculture: Layers and Zones

In order to maximize food production from a given piece of land, permaculture utilizes many different layers. This strategy occurs in the forests and jungles of nature, so this permaculture method is actually putting the plants in their natural habitats with each other. The following are the permaculture layers beginning with the highest layer.

Canopy Layer- This permaculture layer can include any fruit or nut tree that grows taller than about 15 feet. Examples are apple trees and black walnut trees.

Under-story Layer- This layer includes trees that are under 15 feet tall, so they are below the canopy trees. They are able to tolerate some shade by the canopy layer. Dwarf fruit trees are a common plant to put in this layer, and Sea Buckthorn is a nitrogen-fixing plant that fits in this layer.

Shrub Layer- This permaculture layer includes plants that are all shorter than the under-story plants, and form either shrubs or bushes. They can include currants, raspberries and blueberries.

Herbacious Layer- These are plants that live below the level of the shrubs and bushes. Some of these are asparagus, dill and rhubarb.

Ground Cover Layer- Plants that grow out along the ground instead of up are included in this permaculture layer. Strawberries and red clover are both ground cover plants.

Rhizome Layer- Plants that produce food underground such as potatoes, yams, and even dandelions are all in the rhizome permaculture layer. When fungi are not put in their own layer, they are sometimes included with the rhizome layer. Morel and shiitake mushrooms can be a great source of food in any permaculture garden.

Vine Layer- These plants grow upwards but need the support of a trellis or a tree. If every tree in a permaculture food forest has a vine or two growing up it, this greatly increases the yield per land area. Kiwis, grapes, beans and peas are all vine plants.

In addition to the layers, there are multiple zones in a permaculture setup. The zones are numbered from 0 to 5, with 0 being the house, and 5 being the area of the yard furthest from the house. The rest of the zones are in the yard going away from the house. Plants that need the most maintenance and care should be in the zones that are close to the house, where they will be less likely to be forgotten. Fruit trees and nut trees that may only need to be attended to once a year for harvest time should be in zone 5, far away from the house. This is just another permaculture strategy to cut down on the time it takes each week to maintain the food forest.

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