By ensuring that the plants you choose produce a yield, you are guaranteeing that the money you put into your property is coming back to you in a tangible way. Yes, annual flowers are beautiful and have a special place in bouquets and floral arrangements, but when you fill your space with local foods and herbal remedies, you are producing things that everyone in the house can use over the year. And by selecting perennial varieties, you are cutting out the need to buy seeds or plugs year after year.

When looking at the third principle, it's easy to think in two-dimensional terms. We envision our yards as length by width, but by allowing plants to share the same space, you can begin to design with density and take advantage of three dimensions with layering and stacking. For example, you can incorporate shade-loving medicinal herbs at the base of your fruit trees, with grapes or kiwis to vine up it, and berry bushes or ground cover around the tree's drip line (the edge of the canopy where water drips to the ground).

By creating these dense, edible guilds across your property, you are creating habitats for beneficial insects, plants, animals, and fungi to get in and help build a resilient garden. Every living creature needs to eat and drink; when we build stable environments for wildlife, they help the property produce and grow in harmony. Even if right now isn't the best time to start a big design, that doesn't mean that there's nothing to do. By walking around your neighborhood, local parks, and even the entire city, you can create a wild food map of fruit and nut trees in your area. Incorporating these wild foods helps cut down on the grocery bill and ensures that nothing goes to waste. But please, always be sure to consult a professional if you're a first-time forager.  Plenty of plants look good to eat but can be toxic.

These are only the first three of twelve permaculture principles that help us all take part in lives that function alongside nature—instead of against it. Whether you are choosing plants to produce a cornucopia of delicacies, come fall or finding the best way to capture as many natural elements (like sun and water) as possible on your property, so long as you are making careful and protracted observations before you begin. A greener future lies just beyond your door. Next month, we'll address the following three principles.

Tanner Sagouspe has a Masters's in Environmental Management and is a Permaculture Designer who promotes tackling the climate crisis at home.