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

Sepp Holzer (Author), Anna Sapsford-Francis (Translator), Patrick Whitefield (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 11, 2011

Sepp Holzer farms steep mountainsides in Austria 1,500 meters above sea level. His farm is an intricate network of terraces, raised beds, ponds, waterways and tracks, well covered with productive fruit trees and other vegetation, with the farmhouse neatly nestling amongst them. This is in dramatic contrast to his neighbors' spruce monocultures.In this book, Holzer shares the skill and knowledge acquired over his lifetime. He covers every aspect of his farming methods, not just how to create a holistic system on the farm itself, but how to make a living from it. Holzer writes about everything from the overall concepts, down to the practical details.In Sepp Holzer's Permaculturereaders will learn:

• How he sets up a permaculture system
• The fruit varieties he has found best for permaculture growing
• How to construct terraces, ponds, and waterways
• How to build shelters for animals and how to work with them on the land
• How to cultivate edible mushrooms in the garden and on the farm
• and much more!

Holzer offers a wealth of information for the gardener, smallholder or alternative farmer yet the book's greatest value is the attitudes it teaches. He reveals the thinking processes based on principles found in nature that create his productive systems. These can be applied anywhere.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fascinating book written by a man who has devoted a lifetime to working with nature and creating extraordinarily diverse polycultures. His work is breathtaking."--Maddy Harland, editor of Permaculture Magazine

"There, at an altitude which everyone else has abandoned to low-value forestry, what is probably the best example of a permaculture farm in Europe stands out like a beacon."--Patrick Whitefield, permaculture author and teacher

ForeWord Reviews-
Holzer's beautifully designed and illustrated book is essential reading for all who care about the land and the vast interrelated web of living beings who inhabit it, and it is especially timely, since small and organic farmers in the United States are being threatened by agribusiness, chemical companies, and others who view nature as something to conquer and ravish rather than honor and learn from. Large- and small-scale farmers, home gardeners, and even those who only have room to grow in a few pots on a city balcony will find Holzer's methods applicable and effective, his reasoning and knowledge impeccable, and his spirit pure and honest.

(Kristine Morris)

"The real story of a 110+ acre commercial permaculture farm featuring 14,000 fruit trees with diverse understory plants, complete integration of rotationally grazed livestock, terraces and rainwater harvesting, and so much more. Anyone interested in taking permaculture to a larger scale in a cold climate will benefit from Sepp Holtzer's 40 years of practical experience implementing permaculture principles."--Eric Toensmeier, author of Perennial Vegetables and co-author of Edible Forest Gardens

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. Sepp Holzer's Permaculture is the One-Straw Revolution for tree crops.--Carol Deppe, author of The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-reliance in Uncertain Times

"After reading this book, all I can say is Sepp Holzer is a Superstar Farmer. Holzer turns out an absolutely remarkable volume and variety of food products, all without one smidgen of chemical fertilizer, and on land in Austria that an Illinois corn farmer would pronounce too marginal for agriculture. American farmers and gardeners will be particularly interested in Holzer's raised beds--which are quite different in construction from ours in the U.S.--as well as his inventive water well irrigation systems, unique methods for integrating livestock into his fruit and vegetable gardens, and practical, low-labor way to grow mushrooms. A fascinating book for anyone who aspires to become the ultimate, champion professional of sustainable farming."--Gene Logsdon, author of Holy Shit: Managing Manure to Save Mankind, and The Contrary Farmer

"As the era of cheap energy, stable climates and surplus fertilizer stocks comes to a close, the principles of permaculture will become increasingly attractive as one way to design our future food and agriculture systems. Sepp Holzer's Permaculture 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

About the Author

Josef ("Sepp") Holzer was born in the province of Salzburg, Austria. He is a farmer, author, and an international consultant for natural agriculture. He took over his parents' mountain farm business in 1962 and pioneered the use of ecological farming, or permaculture, techniques at high altitudes (1,100 to 1,500 meters above sea level) after being unsuccessful with regular farming methods. Called the "rebel farmer" because he persisted in these practices despite being fined and even threatened with prison for practices such as not pruning his fruit trees (unpruned fruit trees survive snow loads that will break pruned trees). He has also created some of the world's best examples of using ponds as reflectors to increase solar gain for passive solar heating of structures, and of using the microclimate created by rock outcrops to effectively change the hardiness zone for nearby plants. He has also done original work in the use of Hugelkultur and natural branch development.

He is conducting permaculture ("Holzer Permaculture") seminars at his farm and worldwide, while continuing to work on his alpine farm. His farm now spans over 45 hectares of forest gardens, including 70 ponds, and is said to be the most consistent example of permaculture worldwide. He is author of several books and the subject of the film The Agricultural Rebel. He works nationally as permaculture activist in the established agricultural industry and works internationally as adviser for ecological agriculture. He is the author of Desert or Paradise: Restoring Endangered Landscapes Using Water Management, Including Lake and Pond Construction, and Sepp Holzer's Permaculture: A Practical Guide to Small-Scale, Integrative Farming and Gardening.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing (April 11, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160358370X
• ISBN-13: 978-1603583701
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Agricultural Sciences > Horticulture
  • #6 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Garden Design
  • #7 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Agricultural Sciences > Sustainable Agriculture

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

87 of 88 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, but not detailed enough May 2, 2011

By Diana

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This was an easy read, not at all dry or too technical. Mr Holzer describes his farming methods and his farm, his trials and errors and the lessons he learned the hard way.
He talks about permaculture, principles that he has been applying even before the term was coined. He has some great ideas, and you only have to see the pictures of his farm to know that they really work.

What I didn't like about it was that although he tells us what he did on his farm, he doesn't give enough details on how he does them. He whets your appetite for his methods, but then doesn't tell you enough. For example, he says stuff like: "I use foxglove to improve the health of the soil, among other reasons". It only leaves me wondering, what are those reasons?
He keeps telling that he has been watching the nature for 40 years, but he doesn't give the recipes for his plant mixtures. Instead, he suggests that one should observe nature and experiment for oneself.
I bought the book precisely to learn from his experiences, instead of having to spend years observing nature myself.

But overall it is a fascinating read, especially if you want an introduction to permaculture. It is a great lesson on thinking outside the box and succeeding against all odds. You can feel his love and respect for nature and for his land.

69 of 70 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A good intro to permaculture thinking, but frustratingly lacking in detail February 3, 2012

By D. St Pierre

Format:Paperback

I bought this book with the hope that I would gain practical, applicable information about Sepp Holzer's methods. Instead, I got a somewhat random description of his farm and farming style, with a frustrating lack of specificity in many areas. If you are looking for a book that will explain how to implement permaculture design principles, specifics on how to manage pasture-fed pigs and other animals, or detailed guidance on plant seed mixtures and interplanting, I would recommend looking elsewhere.

I'd have been less frustrated by this book if it was the first time I encountered the ideas of Permaculture, pasture-raising animals, heirloom fruit trees and so forth, but it isn't. I've already read Fukuoka, Mollison, Holmgren, Stamets, Logsdon, and Colemen. All of these other author's books give much more concrete, useable advice, and cover their respective area in more depth and specificity that this one.

For example, the description of the book says that it covers "How to build shelters for animals and how to work with them on the land". Sounds great, and also one of the subjects I bought the book looking to deepen my knowledge of. The description of how to build the earth shelters is good, if cursory (9 pages, with pictures), but the actual working with animals part is only 17 pages long! These 17 pages (with many pictures), give an overview of his philosophy, a brief rundown of a few breeds he has used, a short description of how he works the animals and that's pretty much it. With 17 pages to cover pigs, cows, other bovines, and poultry, no great detail is possible. I learned exactly one new thing: that he mixes snails in his pig's feed to encourage them to forage for snails.... This is a delightful gem of information, and a fine example of the storehouse of bits of wisdom he must have, but alas, that was it for specifics. In other sections he mentions some plants that he grows for his animals to use as winter forage, but again, he includes no details that would make this useful to me. No ratios of plant types to include in the mix, no guidelines he uses for deciding what to plant, no idea of how much he plants per animal, no clues as to when or how specifically he plants the seeds. Nothing of practical value to me given that I've already been introduced to the general concepts.

Overall, despite my frustration with the cursory treatment the book gives to the many areas it covers, I think it's a good and valuable introductory book. The book is easygoing, conversational, and approachable. If you are a beginner to organic farming/gardening/landscape design, or a budding permaculturist who has not taken a permaculture design course, I think this book would be a great way to get started. Those with more experience who are looking for in-depth information would probably be better served by other books that are more focused on one of the areas Sepp Holzer skims in this book. Read more ›

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Get More with Less Work July 27, 2011

By Slovakian Princes

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have been looking for a book that would guide me in creating a garden and maybe even a farm that I can spend the least amount of time and money maintaining yet have better quality produce than the best store can provide. Sepp seems to be the best at this lazy farming approach from anything else I have found so far and appears to produce better quality produce than his competition with much less work and very little - I suppose - ongoing investment. His techniques seem too good to be true. It helps to watch Sepp Holzer's youtube videos as lot of information discussed in those is not covered in this book. For instance, Sepp installs fruit trees between the raised beds, and then uses a mix 50 ancient/heirloom seeds that he just tosses in the raised beds by hand when they are first build (no mention if he lets annuals and biennials reseed themselves or whether he does this every year ). Yes, he doesn't pre-start them early even at 1500 meters above sea level! Impressive! He says it is "alle wichtisgte" most important to have mixture of vegetables and herbs growing around his fruit trees. Just about everything he recommends is anti-conventional and not what one learns in schools, or from other "experienced" farmers or other gardening books. He recommends growing full sized hardy trees rather than the preferred easy to pick from dwarf trees because the later are more prone to problems. He also never fertilizes trees with commercial chemicals though he does provide a few recipes for making own fertilizers. In his experience trees that are fertilized become heavily dependent on the chemicals and grow disproportionately which makes them weaker. He also teaches against pruning, all of which I embrace if it is less work.... His approach on having ponds to provide moisture and water for the plants around without the need for any irrigation is another priceless secret. I would love to see more information on how he maintains the animals on this farm (it seems from the book that he just builds shelters for them and they take care of themselves?), does he supplement their feedings at all? How long does each breed stay on his farm before they are sold/butchered, what specific breeds does he have, how many does he have per hectar, what specific seeds does he sow every year, which ones he sows just ones. What other combination of seeds mixtures does he use and for what purpose? Sepp, I would love to learn more! Again, impressive to find out that the pigs and cows don't defecate in their shelters rather use them for sleeping and bad weather - as these animals are free to roam in and out - this definitely beats the conventional method of cleaning up several times a day -nothing like having a clean barn without the work - now is that realistic? How would the more common breeds do if one does have the necessary land?
I live in Cleveland, Ohio area where several farms claim to be using permaculture method. I have visited every farm there is in the 60 mile radius and to my disappointment not one had any resemblance to permacutlure let alone Sepp's method. The highlight and what I walked away with by reading Sepp's book is: mix the plant species up and let the nature create the necessary balance to produce the best with the least amount of effort. Read more ›

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book on gardening yet! July 11, 2011

By TJ

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Sepp Holzer is far beyond most farmers in employing cost saving permaculture on his farm. He is doing things that most would think is impossible, such as growing citrus in the alps. This book explains his system and methods of natural farming that reduce both the material inputs and human labor to the bare minimum. We as humans often try to put ourselves between the crops we grow and the natural processes of the environment. Sepp observes how nature provides water, nutrients, sun and heat to plants in the wild and reshapes his land to take the best advantage of its natural resources. He changes the grading on his land to slow the flow of water and lets it settle in the soil. He uses natural forest to mulch is plats. He also sows many different vegetable seed together so they occupy different niches. His livestock live largely undisturbed in large paddocks rich with planted forage and natural shelters. Closer to his house he has Huglekulture beds which allow him to grow annual vegetables without watering. I call him the laziest of all farmers. His techniques are pure genius. I will caution however that his work is not an overnight fix. His techniques are better described as investments. It may take several years to take a traditional farm up to his level of sustainability, but once established it will yield bountiful crops for years to come.