Walk through a practical, step-by-step permaculture site-analysis checklist that helps you read land, map water flow, test soils, and plan productive zones. Whether you’re starting a small garden or redesigning a whole property, this guide breaks complex ideas into clear actions you can do with maps, simple tools & a little observation. Table Of Contents Site goals and context Mapping and data collection Checklists & PDF template Implementation planning and monitoring Tools, resources & further reading Conclusion Related Posts Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Key Takeaways Site analysis starts with mapping water flow, contours, sun, wind, soils and plants — most design choices come from this Make a simple base map, take soil tests, note microclimates and photos, mark GPS points for follow-up. Prioritize quick wins: fix water on the land first, build soil next, then plant guilds and food forests Our expertise: Permaculture Assistant helps you design resilient gardens ...
Permaculture zones break your property into practical areas based on how often you visit them, so you can place plants and features where they work best. This guide explains Zones 0–5 step by step, with simple mapping tips, plant ideas & water solutions, whether you have a balcony, backyard or small farm.
Table Of Contents
- What permaculture zones are and why they matter
- How to assess and map your site — step by step
- Zone-by-zone practical guide
- Implementation tips, maintenance and common mistakes
- Troubleshooting: quick fixes for common problems
- Scaling from balcony to farm
- Next steps and learning resources
- Conclusion
- Related Posts
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Key Takeaways
- Permaculture zones help you arrange a site by how often you use and tend areas — Zone 0 to Zone 5, closer means more care, farther means less
- Start with a simple site map: note sun angles, wind, water flow, access and existing plants — observe across seasons, then plan
- Permaculture Assistant helps you design resilient gardens with field-tested guides, interactive tools, a glossary and quizzesfood forests, water, soil, and guilds..
- Focus on water and soil first, then stack functions with plant guilds and paths to cut work and boost yields
- Keep plans small, test one zone at a time, avoid overplanting and ignoring microclimates — observe, tweak, repeat
What permaculture zones are and why they matter
Permaculture zones are a simple way to arrange your property so effort and yield match — high-use areas stay close, low-use ones go further away. The idea was popularized by Bill Mollison and developed alongside David Holmgren; it’s part of permaculture’s goal to design landscapes that are resilient and low-effort over time. At its heart zone planning is an “effort-to-yield” model: put things you visit every day near the house, things you visit seasonally farther away.
Why it matters:
- Saves time and labor — less walking, less fuel, fewer mistakes.
- Improves yields — plants and animals get the right attention.
- Helps prioritize water and soil work — intense care goes where it pays off.
- Scales from a balcony to a farm — same logic, different size.
Quick link to fundamentals: for curated reading on trusted books and resources see Permaculture Books: Top Resources for Sustainable Living
How to assess and map your site — step by step
A map is the backbone of zone planning. You don’t need fancy tools; start simple and build detail as you go.
Tools and templates to use
- Paper sketchbook or printable grid paper
- Pencil, eraser, colored pens
- Compass (or phone app for direction)
- Google Earth or satellite imagery for an overview
- Simple thermometer and rain gauge (optional)
- Stopwatch or phone notes for timing tasks and walks
- A printable checklist (see next section)
Tip: use the same sketch size for base map and overlays (water, wind, access). Keep layers separate; you’ll update them.
Quick mapping steps (do this with a measuring tape or pace counts)
1. Walk the site and sketch the house or main structure in the center. 2. Note property boundaries and major fixed features — roads, fences, ponds, large trees. 3. Observe sun angles: mark full-sun and full-shade zones by noting morning and afternoon sun on two separate passes. 4. Record wind: note prevailing wind direction (seasonal if possible). 5. Mark water flow: paths of runoff after a rain, puddling spots. 6. Time access: walk to likely planting spots and time how long each takes from the house. 7. Record resources: compost piles, wood storage, tool shed, greywater outlets. 8. Overlay usage frequency: daily, weekly, monthly, seasonal. 9. Digitize or photograph your sketch for edits.Example checklist for a first site survey
- Property dimensions and orientation: complete
- House location: marked
- Sun/shade patterns: morning, midday, evening recorded
- Prevailing winds: noted
- Water flow and drainage: mapped
- Soil observations: texture, color, compaction
- Existing plants and trees: identified and mapped
- Access points and paths: timed and mapped
- Utilities and hazards: noted (septic, power lines)
- Goals list: food, habitat, water capture, low-maintenance zones
Keep this checklist near your tools. Repeat surveys across seasons for best results.
Zone-by-zone practical guide
Below, each zone lists typical features, plant choices, water strategies, daily vs seasonal tasks, and a small example layout idea.
Comparative overview table
| Zone | Distance from house | Visit frequency | Typical elements | Plant/animal examples | Water strategy | |------|---------------------|-----------------|------------------|-----------------------|----------------| | Zone 0 | Inside house | Constant | Kitchen, tools | Herb window boxes, sprouting jars | Greywater reuse, kitchen sink compost | | Zone 1 | Doorstep to 15 m | Daily | Herb beds, salad greens, chickens | Culinary herbs, salad greens, dwarf fruit | Drip irrigation, greywater, mulch | | Zone 2 | 15–50 m | Several times/week | Main veg beds, larger poultry, mulch piles | Tomatoes, beans, currants, rabbits | Swales, keyline ridges, small tanks | | Zone 3 | 50m–several hundred m | Weekly to monthly | Orchards, larger crops, seasonal fields | Apples, nut trees, grains | Gravity-fed storage, ponds | | Zone 4 | Semi-wild | Monthly to yearly | Managed woodland, forage | Timber trees, coppice, wild berry patches | Rainwater harvesting, infiltration basins | | Zone 5 | Wild | Rarely | Natural ecosystem | Native species, wildlife corridors | Leave natural water flows intact |
(Distances are examples; adapt to your property scale.)
Zone 0 — the house
- Features: kitchen, pantry, workshop, tool storage, indoor seedlings.
- Plants: windowsill herbs (basil, chives), microgreens, potted edible flowers.
- Water: catch kitchen greywater for Zone 1 use when safe.
- Tasks: daily cooking waste sorting, tray watering of seedlings, seed starting in late winter.
- Layout tip: keep seed-starting and potting tools near an outside door for quick transfer.
Zone 1 — immediate care area
- Features: herb spiral, salad bed, compost tumbler, small greenhouse, chicken coop (if visiting daily).
- Plants: fast crops — lettuces, chard, herbs, salad radishes, bush beans; dwarf berries.
- Water: drip lines, hand-watering, greywater polishing bed.
- Tasks: daily harvesting, watering, pest checks, kitchen-waste to compost.
- Layout tip: put high-maintenance plants along paths you already use (to mailbox, garage).
Zone 2 — production area
- Features: main vegetable beds, larger greenhouse, mushroom logs, pond for irrigation.
- Plants: heavy feeders and seasonal crops — tomatoes, squash, potatoes, perennial vegetables.
- Animals: larger flocks or rotational chickens, small pigs if local regs allow.
- Water: medium-sized tanks, swales upslope, mulched basins around key plants.
- Tasks: weekly feeding, pruning, crop rotations, harvest processing.
- Layout tip: keep tool storage here or create a mobile tool caddy.
Zone 3 — orchards and staple crops
- Features: fruit and nut trees, larger fields, bee hives placed where bees can access nectar corridors.
- Plants: apples, pears, plums, chestnuts, chestnut, perennial grains.
- Water: ponds, larger storage tanks, gravity-fed systems.
- Tasks: seasonal pruning, pest monitoring, harvest and storage.
- Layout tip: lay access lanes for trailers or wagons; consider combining with pasture.
Zone 4 — managed wild
- Features: coppice, managed forest, forage areas for fuel and materials.
- Plants: native trees, forage shrubs, long-rotation timber.
- Water: infiltration swales, contour lines to slow runoff.
- Tasks: annual thinning, selective harvest of firewood, habitat maintenance.
- Layout tip: protect sensitive habitat, use buffer strips to protect watercourses.
Zone 5 — wilderness
- Features: true wild zone — set aside for wildlife and observation.
- Role: biodiversity, seed bank, natural learning area.
- Tasks: occasional observation trips, recording species and changes.
Implementation tips, maintenance and common mistakes
You don’t have to do everything at once. Roll out in phases.
Phased rollout — step-by-step
1. Fix quick wins near the house (Zone 0–1): herb pots, key compost bin, small rain barrel. 2. Add water capture and storage: a 200–1000 L tank and simple gutter diverter. 3. Build main beds and a simple path network to Zone 2. 4. Plant perennial edges (guilds) and fruit trees for Zone 3. 5. Install ponds and swales once you understand runoff lines (test with a small trench first). 6. Expand into Zone 4 by planting shelterbelts and coppice.Maintenance checklist (monthly)
- Check mulch depth and top up where needed.
- Inspect irrigation lines and fix leaks.
- Rotate crops, refresh soil in intensive beds.
- Monitor pests and beneficial insects.
- Record yields and time spent (improves future zone placement).
Companion planting and guild ideas
- Fruit tree guild: fruit tree center, comfrey (deep miner), nitrogen fixer (clover or sainfoin), dynamic accumulator (yarrow), groundcover (strawberry).
- Vegetable guild: tomato + basil + borage (attracts pollinators) + marigold (nematode deterrent).
- Poultry integration: movable hen tractor for pest control in Zone 2, rest between uses to avoid soil compaction.
Irrigation basics
- Prefer drip irrigation for Zones 0–2; it saves water and targets roots.
- Mulch heavily — reduces evaporation and weeds.
- Harvest rain from roofs for close-zone use; use gravity feed where possible.
- For contour-based water systems, practice on a small swale before committing to large earthworks.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Placing high-maintenance crops too far from the house.
- Ignoring access routes — awkward harvests kill enthusiasm.
- Overengineering early — start simple and iterate.
- Forgetting to match plant choices to your climate and soil.
- Planting long-term trees without thinking about future light patterns.
Troubleshooting: quick fixes for common problems
- Too much shade in Zone 1: prune or move beds to sunnier micro-sites; use shade-tolerant crops.
- Poor drainage: build raised beds, add organic matter, install simple gravel-filled drains.
- Water shortages: increase mulch, switch to drought-tolerant perennials, harvest more rain.
- Rodents or pests: encourage predators (raptors, hedgehogs), use physical barriers, rotate crops.
Scaling from balcony to farm
Small spaces:
- Use vertical layers, container guilds, and pocket swales in pots.
- Prioritize Zone 0–1: herbs, microgreens, dwarf fruit, trellised vining plants along frequently used doors.
- See practical small-space strategies in Permaculture for Small Spaces: 7 Strategies to Create an Abundant Urban Garden
Medium plots:
- Invest in a proper water tank, mulch, and several perennial guilds.
- Create a simple tool shed in Zone 2, and a small orchard in Zone 3.
Large farms:
- Use machinery access lanes in Zone 3, plan keyline and swale systems for water distribution.
- Implement rotational grazing and larger silvopasture systems.
- For detailed water work see Keyline Design Explained - How It Boosts Your Farm's Health
Next steps and learning resources
If you want deeper knowledge, use a mix of courses, field guides and community practice.
- Take a Permaculture Design Course (PDC) for structured learning; many are offered online and in-person by experienced teachers.
- Read foundational authors: Bill Mollison and David Holmgren; use David Holmgren’s principles at permacultureprinciples.com for practical frameworks.
- Practical sites and references: Permaculture Research Institute, Geoff Lawton for video examples and case studies, and the USDA PLANTS Database for plant hardiness and native species data.
- Join local groups and social media forums; hands-on learning with neighbors builds real skill fast.
- Keep a design journal: before/after photos, sketches, and yield logs will improve decisions next season.
For curated reading lists and book guides see Permaculture Books: Top Resources for Sustainable Living
Recommended practice:
- Start one new intervention each month, measure its impact, and adapt.
- Use simple experiments: plant the same crop in two spots, compare water and yield.
- Share results with a local community group — feedback speeds learning.
Further resources (names to look up)
- Permaculture Research Institute (practical articles and case studies)
- PermaculturePrinciples by David Holmgren (principles and ethics)
- Geoff Lawton Permaculture (design videos and demonstration projects)
- USDA PLANTS Database (plant distributions and hardiness info)
Use the tools in this guide — sketching, simple surveys and the zone logic — and iterate. Permaculture zones are flexible: they help you focus energy where it matters most, from a tiny balcony windowsill to a full-scale farm.
Conclusion
Permaculture zones help you place plants and features where they save time and boost yields. Main points: map your site, keep daily-use plants near the house, and plan water and soil care. Try a simple sketch and implement one zone this month. For help, Permaculture Assistant — Permaculture Assistant's expertise in Permaculture Assistant helps you design resilient gardens with field-tested guides, interactive tools, a glossary and quizzesfood forests, water, soil, and guilds.
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