Sepp Holzer's Permaculture: A Practical Guide to Small-Scale, Integrative Farming and Gardening

"The principles of permaculture [are] become increasingly attractive as a way to design our future food and agriculture systems. Sepp Holzer provides important insights for applying these principles, for both rural farming and emerging forms of urban agriculture."  -  Frederick Kirschenmann, president, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture

"Sepp Holzer is a Superstar Farmer who turns out a remarkable volume and variety of food products without one smidgen of chemical fertilizer, and on land in Austria that most would pronounce too marginal for agriculture."  -  Gene Logsdon, author of Holy Shit: Managing Manure to Save Mankind

"Here's great news for fruit-loving gardeners everywhere! Most of the work of establishing, pruning, and tending fruit trees by 'modern' methods is unnecessary and even counterproductive. This book is The One-Straw Revolution of tree crops."  -  Carol Deppe, author of The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times

Sepp Holzer farms more than 100 acres on steep mountain-sides in Austrai, 5,000 feet above sea level. His farm--in dramatic contrast to his neighbors' spruce monocultures--is an intricate network of terraces, raised beds, ponds, waterways, and tracks, well covered with productive fruit trees and other vegetation, and is said to be the most consistent example of permaculture worldwide. Sepp Holzer's Permaculture covers every aspect of Holzer's farming methods--including practical details for planning and cultivation, and how to make a decent living from the land. Readers will find extensive information on:

• Setting up a permaculture system, even in high altitudes
• Growing fruit varieties most suited for whole-systems in agriculture
• Using terraces, ponds, and waterways as reflectors to increase solar gain in the garden and nearby structures
• Developing a microclimate using rock outcrops to effectively change the hardiness zone for nearby plants
• Building earth-sheltered dwellings for animals, and working with livestock on the land
• Cultivating edible mushrooms and more...