Adventures in permaculture

* please note, this post was originally from July 17th, 2011 and was posted on my other blog*

So we have decided to start a permaculture garden in our yard. Though we rent, the yard that goes along with the house has not been taken care of in years and needs tons of work if it's really going to be usable. Add to it a bunch of overgrown grass (which I can't stand and is such a HUGE waste of resources) and some mostly dead trees and you've got a lovely bit of mess on your hands.
I do not mind work. Actually I quite enjoy toiling in the garden but only if I know that in the future there will be much less toil. I have created a new border area that will hopefully be filled with lots of yummy greens and fun flowers and planted more seeds than I have ever seen. I have read a few books, a few blogs and have come to one conclusion about permaculture... all you really need to do is let go and let nature do the work for you.
Now for most people I think that is the hardest part, letting go of the garden. Letting go of the complete control we try to have over our plant allies. Letting the ground mature, slowly building more and more life within. Letting the leaves lay where they fall and the weeds grow tall, bringing more and more nutrients to the top soil. We have to accept that there are cycles to the earth, not just seasons, but cycles of life in the land. Most yards are being kept in a permanent state of youth. All those perfect lawns and well fertilized garden beds are actually yearning for large perennials with deep tap roots, groves of saplings to bring much needed shade and soil overflowing with micro-organisms.
Well we have simply decided to get out of the way. We have let the native "weeds" grow tall, turns out they are super beneficial and edible of course. We left the grass in the border area and simply planted on it and in it, knowing the strongest plants will survive and thrive. We have been chopping and dropping too tall plants, letting them mulch in place, creating much needed shade for the soil. We did huge mix plantings with beans, corn, squash, melons, herbs and flowers. We are working on creating an environment that is welcoming to birds, insects, small mammals and humans.
Sometimes it's hard to remember that the yard will not always be like this. There have been aphids, yellow jackets and some nasty squirrels but these are only "pests" because the current eco-system allows them to go unregulated. In a few years the yard will be able to regulate itself and every creature will have it's own unique place in the web. Such wonderful energy, all provided by this wonderful universe and our mother earth. After this growing season is done, we are going to sheet mulch all the garden area to keep all that life in the earth and allow it to thrive. Then next year when it comes time to plant there will be much less to establish, with every succeeding year leaving less to do in order to manage the space.
I know not everyone can just leave the earth to do it's thing. I for one don't understand why you would want to do so much extra work when mother nature wants to do it for you. Start small, create some space and she will end up taking your breath away.