Use and Value Diversity
Permaculture Principle 10: Use and Value Diversity in Your PNW Garden
The tenth principle of permaculture, "Use and Value Diversity," reminds us that diversity is the key to a thriving and resilient garden. In the Pacific Northwest, where the climate can be both unpredictable and varied, embracing diversity in your garden is one of the best ways to protect your plants and improve productivity.
The Power of Diversity in Your Garden
By planting a wide variety of crops, flowers, and trees, you reduce the risk of total crop failure due to pests, diseases, or weather conditions. When you rely on a single species or technique, your garden is vulnerable to anything that might affect that one element. But when you incorporate a diversity of plants and methods, the interconnected relationships create a self-sustaining system. If one plant suffers, others may thrive, supporting the overall health of your garden.
Diverse plantings attract a greater range of beneficial insects, birds, and pollinators, all of which play a crucial role in pest control, pollination, and soil health. In permaculture, we replicate nature by creating ecosystems that foster resilience and self-repair. Just as in a forest, where many species coexist and support one another, our gardens can be home to a wide range of plants that work together to create a balanced and thriving environment.
Practical Steps for Increasing Diversity
Here in the Pacific Northwest, there are many ways to bring diversity into your garden:
Interplanting: Mix annual vegetables with perennial plants, herbs, and flowers to create a rich tapestry of life in your garden. Try planting companion plants, such as basil with tomatoes, to enhance growth and protect against pests.
Crop Rotation: Rotating crops from season to season prevents soil depletion and disrupts pest cycles. By varying what you plant, you’ll help maintain soil fertility and reduce the need for synthetic inputs.
Wildlife Habitats: Incorporate native plants to attract local pollinators, birds, and beneficial insects. These species will help control pests and contribute to your garden’s overall health.
Polyculture: Instead of a monoculture garden bed, grow several species together that support each other. For example, consider a three sisters garden (corn, beans, and squash) where each plant plays a unique role in the system.
We’ve highlighted a few additional ways below on how diversity strengthens gardens, to further illustrate the benefits of this permaculture principle. By incorporating more of these diverse elements, you will see firsthand how your gardens can become more productive, sustainable, and resilient.
1. Soil Health & Microbial Diversity
A diverse garden contributes to a healthy soil ecosystem, which is the foundation of plant vitality. Different plants contribute various nutrients to the soil, support a range of microbial life, and help to balance soil conditions. Deep-rooted plants like comfrey or daikon radish pull nutrients from deep in the soil and make them accessible to other plants, while nitrogen-fixing plants such as legumes enhance fertility.
Soil microorganisms thrive when they have access to a wide range of plant roots, each emitting different sugars and compounds. This diversity of microbial life improves soil structure, enhances nutrient availability, and increases the garden's resilience to drought and pests.
Eco-Restore can help design plant combinations that enrich the soil and reduce the need for fertilizers, ensuring your garden maintains long-term fertility naturally.
2. Year-Round Harvest
By planting a variety of crops, you can extend your harvest season and enjoy food from your garden all year long. In the Pacific Northwest, this means planting cold-hardy greens like kale and spinach in the fall, while also incorporating early-spring producers like peas and onions. Fruit trees, perennial vegetables, and self-seeding annuals can further diversify the harvest, ensuring there’s always something in season.
A diverse mix of annuals, perennials, and biennials ensures a continuous harvest and provides habitat for beneficial insects throughout the year. Additionally, by growing both cool-season and warm-season crops, your garden remains productive in different conditions, protecting against crop losses due to fluctuating weather patterns.
Eco-Restore can help map out a diverse planting plan that gives you food or ornamental blooms across the seasons, optimizing your garden’s productivity.
3. Pest & Disease Management
Monoculture gardens often attract pests that feast on the abundance of their preferred plant, leading to infestations. A diverse garden, however, confuses pests by offering a mixture of plants that attract beneficial insects and natural predators. Additionally, some plants can act as natural repellents to harmful pests, while others (such as trap crops) draw pests away from your main crops.
For instance, planting marigolds can help deter nematodes, while flowering plants like yarrow and fennel attract predatory insects such as ladybugs and lacewings, which prey on aphids and other harmful pests.
Eco-Restore specializes in planning plant pairings that not only promote healthy growth but also naturally manage pest populations, reducing the need for chemical interventions.
4. Resilience to Climate Fluctuations
In the Pacific Northwest, we experience variable weather conditions, including wet springs, dry summers, and increasingly unpredictable temperature swings. A diverse garden can better withstand these fluctuations. Plants with varying root depths help manage soil moisture, with shallow-rooted plants thriving in wet conditions and deep-rooted species accessing water during dry spells.
By diversifying your plant species, you're spreading the risk—if one crop is affected by drought or an unexpected frost, others will likely survive and continue to thrive.
Eco-Restore can design your garden to include plants with varying water and temperature needs, ensuring it remains productive and resilient, no matter the season or weather.
5. Supporting Local Biodiversity
Diverse plantings don't just benefit your garden—they support the local ecosystem as well. Insects, birds, and other wildlife depend on a variety of plants for food, shelter, and nesting sites. Pollinator species, in particular, thrive in gardens with a mix of flowering plants that bloom at different times. By planting native species alongside cultivated crops, you're contributing to local biodiversity, which in turn makes your garden healthier.
Eco-Restore can introduce native plants and pollinator-friendly species that not only support local wildlife but also enhance your garden’s productivity and ecological health.
How Eco-Restore Can Help
At Eco-Restore, we specialize in designing permaculture gardens that prioritize diversity and resilience. Whether you're looking to create a backyard food forest or simply want to add a few new elements to your existing space, we can guide you through plant selection, companion planting, and layout strategies tailored to the unique conditions of the Pacific Northwest.
Our expertise in local plant species and permaculture techniques ensures that your garden will not only thrive but will also be a sustainable and regenerative space that works with nature, not against it. Contact us today for a consultation to see how we can help you create a more diverse, productive, and resilient garden.
