Episode 113: Permaculture with Graham Burnett

This week I’m speaking with permaculturist, teacher, speaker and author, Graham Burnett. Through his organisation Spiralseed, Graham has been involved with both public and private projects across the globe and has accumulated a huge portfolio of work. We talk about the principles which underpin permaculture and how to implement these in your own garden. 

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About Graham Burnett

“In addition to cultivating his own garden and allotments in Southend in Essex, where he lives with his family, Graham nowadays teaches permaculture and writes extensively on the subject. Graham founded Spiralseed in 2001, and he has worked with projects and organisations including Comic Relief, Naturewise, Green Adventure, the Vegan Organic Network, Ars Terra (Los Angeles), NuArc Health and Wellbeing Centre (Puglia, Italy), Wild Earth Farm and Sanctuary (Kentucky, USA) and Ekosense Ecovillage (Croatia), as well as a number of Transition Town initiatives. He has also over the years written a number of books and booklets (including The Vegan Book of Permaculture, Permaculture a Beginners Guide, Well Fed Not An Animal Dead, and Earth Writings).

Earlier this year Graham taught a permaculture course in Italy, and in summer 2015 he was one of the instructors in the first ever vegan permaculture course in the USA. He continues to teach and organise courses both at home and abroad.” - https://spiralseed.co.uk/graham-burnett-‒-path-permaculture/

What we talk about:

How Graham became involved in permaculture

The theory behind a permaculture garden

How much work is involved in establishing a permaculture garden from scratch, or from an existing garden? 

Can permaculture gardens incorporate ornamental areas?

Permaculture gardens; are they completely dedicated to production?

Vegan permaculture gardens

Can we feed ourselves without harming animals in some way? For example, how do you successfully grow brassicas without excluding birds and butterflies? 

Links:

www.spiralseed.co.uk

Online courses in Permaculture from Spiralseed