permaculture
/ˈpɜːrmə.kʌltʃər/
CommonA design approach for growing food and building systems that work like natural ecosystems, requiring less ongoing effort.
Online it often gets used loosely to mean any sustainable or low-effort gardening. In practice it's a specific design philosophy with recognized principles.
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | three years into permaculture and i genuinely barely water anything anymore | The garden has become self-sustaining enough that watering is rarely needed. | youtube, 2024 |
| 02 | went down a permaculture rabbit hole at 2am and now i want to quit my job and grow food | The topic was compelling enough to inspire a major life rethink. | x, 2023 |
| 03 | permaculture people are so passionate it's kind of infectious | Permaculture practitioners tend to be enthusiastic advocates for the approach. | reddit, 2023 |
| 04 | starting small with permaculture. just sheet mulching one bed this year | Beginning with a single, manageable permaculture technique rather than redesigning everything at once. | instagram, 2024 |
Use it when
- Describing a garden or farm designed to mimic natural systems and reduce labor.
- Talking about sustainable food-growing philosophies online.
- Discussing self-sufficient or low-input growing methods.
Do not use it when
- You just mean organic gardening.Use “organic gardening” instead.
- You mean any eco-friendly practice without the design philosophy.
Permaculture vs no-dig
permaculture
Permaculture is a whole design philosophy that includes many techniques and principles beyond just gardening.
no-dig-garden
No-dig is a specific soil management technique that avoids tilling.
Origin and context
Coined by Australian ecologists Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the 1970s, combining 'permanent' and 'agriculture'. Gained wider internet community following in the 2010s through YouTube and blogs, then expanded on TikTok in the early 2020s.
- First seen
- 1978
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/permaculture