The word “permaculture,” a portmanteau (yes, I just learned this word) of “permanent” and “agriculture,” basically means gardening in cooperation with nature; looking at how natural systems work and creating your own self-sustaining closed-loop system.

In this interview with Writer’s Voice, permaculture guru [1] Toby Hemenway revisits his classic book [2] Gaia’s Garden, now in a revised second edition, and gives his own organic gardening tips.

“…and these were ladybug larvae that were there in response to the aphids, and they were just gobbling up the aphids by the thousands. It was incredible. And just by waiting a few days and realizing, oh, nature’s already spotted the aphid problem: it’s a food source for these ladybug larvae, and there they are—within a few days, the aphid problem was completely gone.”

[3] Listen Now