PDC Design & Implementation Strategies 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which tool is most commonly used in permaculture to determine exact contour lines for water harvesting earthworks?
- GPS satellite mapping only
- A-frame level or bunyip (water level) (Correct answer)
- Soil auger
- Clinometer for slope angle measurement
Correct answer: A-frame level or bunyip (water level)
An A-frame level or bunyip uses gravity and water to accurately trace contour lines on the ground without requiring expensive surveying equipment.
Question 2: What distinguishes a 'keyline design' from a standard swale system?
- Keyline channels run on exact contour while swales run off-contour
- Keyline design uses off-contour plowing to move water from valleys toward ridges (Correct answer)
- Keyline is only for urban gardens, swales for rural land
- Keyline design eliminates the need for water storage ponds
Correct answer: Keyline design uses off-contour plowing to move water from valleys toward ridges
Keyline design, developed by P.A. Yeomans, uses off-contour plow lines angled to move water laterally from valleys toward drier ridgelines, distributing moisture across the landscape.
Question 3: A permaculture designer wants to reduce labor inputs over time. Which design strategy best achieves this goal?
- Monoculture planting for easier mechanical harvesting
- Designing self-maintaining systems through diversity, mulching, and perennials (Correct answer)
- Hiring additional labor as the site matures
- Increasing irrigation frequency to compensate for poor soil
Correct answer: Designing self-maintaining systems through diversity, mulching, and perennials
Self-maintaining systems rely on perennial plants, deep mulch, and biodiversity to suppress weeds, build soil, and retain moisture with minimal ongoing human intervention.
Question 4: In the design process, why is it important to complete sector analysis BEFORE finalizing zone placement?
- Sectors must be registered with local government before zones are planned
- External energies like wind, sun, and fire risk affect where zones and elements can safely be placed (Correct answer)
- Zone placement determines which sectors exist on a site
- Sector analysis is only relevant for Zone 5 placement
Correct answer: External energies like wind, sun, and fire risk affect where zones and elements can safely be placed
Sector analysis identifies where damaging or beneficial external energies enter the site, which directly determines safe and optimal placement of zones and sensitive elements.
Question 5: Which of the following best exemplifies the permaculture principle 'use and value diversity'?
- Planting a single high-yielding crop across the entire food garden
- Selecting 15 different species with varied functions, harvest times, and resilience traits (Correct answer)
- Using one water source for the entire site
- Standardizing all infrastructure components to a single design template
Correct answer: Selecting 15 different species with varied functions, harvest times, and resilience traits
Diversity across species, functions, and resilience traits ensures that if one element fails, others continue to perform, reducing system-wide vulnerability.
Question 6: During a client design consultation, the client mentions they have very limited time for garden maintenance. How should this constraint most directly affect the design?
- Recommend the client hire professional landscapers instead
- Emphasize Zone 1 perennials, self-mulching groundcovers, and low-maintenance guild plantings (Correct answer)
- Design an intensive annual vegetable garden requiring daily attention
- Suggest the client relocate to a smaller property
Correct answer: Emphasize Zone 1 perennials, self-mulching groundcovers, and low-maintenance guild plantings
Limited maintenance time drives the design toward perennial systems, dense ground cover, and self-regulating plant guilds that require minimal intervention once established.
Question 7: What is the purpose of a 'base map' in the permaculture design process?
- To show the final planting layout ready for implementation
- To record existing site features — boundaries, structures, trees, water — as a foundation for overlay analysis (Correct answer)
- To map the financial investment needed for each design phase
- To illustrate the zone system before site observation is complete
Correct answer: To record existing site features — boundaries, structures, trees, water — as a foundation for overlay analysis
A base map is an accurate record of what currently exists on the site, onto which designers overlay sector analysis, zone planning, and design proposals.
PDC Design & Implementation Strategies 5
Which tool is most commonly used in permaculture to determine exact contour lines for water harvesting earthworks?