Permaculture in the subarctic

It was at the beginning of the new century that I first came into contact with the concept of permaculture. I was fascinated by it. Closed cycles, natural soil management, self-sufficiency, sustainability, and future viability were the new terms in my vocabulary and in my thinking. However, it took a few more years before I actually put it into practice.

But what exactly is permaculture? The word was coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the 1970s to describe an integrated, evolving system of perennial or self-sustaining plant and animal species that are useful to humans.

David Holmgren later describes it in "Permanculture One" in other words: consciously designed landscapes that mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature, providing an abundance of food, fiber and energy for local needs.

The vision of a lasting and sustainable culture therefore extends far beyond the field of agriculture today.

In 2020, I successfully completed the Permaculture Design Course at the Vuxenskolan in Umeå. At that time, I had already been living on my property in Lapland for 10 years. I already had some ideas and had now acquired the necessary skills to implement them.

I wanted to build a greenhouse to extend the growing season. Summer is quite short up here at the Arctic Circle. I also planned to add an earth cellar for storing food. And last but not least, I wanted to disconnect from the monopolistic energy grid and see if I could live off- grid.

Most of the materials for the greenhouse and root cellar projects came from my and my neighbor's woods and from demolished buildings in the neighborhood. Of course, I had to buy certain things, such as light-resistant foil, nails, screws, gravel for drainage, wood tar paint, linseed oil, and various tools.

My neighbor Sören helped me with his DIY sawmill by providing the various dimensions of wood I needed. Another neighbor delivered excavated soil for covering the root cellar.

Forest soil is not particularly suitable for vegetables, so I make my own Terra Preta (black earth).

I don't want to go into any more detail here. The pictures speak for themselves.