20 Soil
Permaculture is well known for the multitude of soil building practices employed in Permaculture design systems. Some you may have heard of and some not, with exotic names like vermicompost, humanure, and hugelkultur. The video below does not go into specific strategies, but takes the wider view for you to understand the foundations of soils, and how they differ based on your climate zone. We welcome Jacob Kollen, a former OSU Permaculture student who has gone on to earn Master’s Degrees in Soil Science and Hydrology.
Featured Links
- Soils Instructor Jacob Kollen’s Website (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
- Global Soils Map
- Interactive Global Soils Data
Additional Resources
The video above presented a more macro perspective on soils, and now the links below provide more specific details about Permaculture soil management strategies and methodologies for the various climate zones. This is not an exhaustive list of links, but please browse through your climate zone and other links as well.
Tropics
- Tropical Food Forest- Chop and Drop (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
- Earthworks for Soil Building in the Tropics
- Phayao Permaculture in Thailand
- Tropical Soil Building Techniques Part 1
- Tropical Soil Building Techniques Part 2
- Tropical Soil Building Techniques Part 3
- Tropical Soil Building Techniques Part 4
Dryland
- Dryland: Sand Dune Stabilization by Carl Wachtmeister (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
- Hopi Tutskwa Permaculture: Lasagna Beds in the Desert
- Through Cover Cropping by Kate Tieman (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
- Imprinting Soils: Creating Instant Edge for Large Scale Revegetation of Barren Lands
Temperate
- Sheet Mulching Strategy for Healthy Soil by Cathe’ Fish (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
- Hugelkultur: The Ultimate Raised Garden Beds
- The definitive Guide to Building Deep Rich Soils by Imitating Nature
Video
Multi-Climate
- Soil Science Basics for Beginners
- Soil Food Web: Dr. Elaine Ingham
- Overview: Origin of Soils and How They Influence Capability and Uses of Soil
- Building Soil by Imitating Nature
- PRI- DIY Compost
