Based outside Chattanooga, TN, Wild Violet Permaculture specializes in sustainable land design using permaculture principles. We work with everyone from backyard gardeners to municipalities to sustainable farms. We take pride in designing integrated and harmonious landscapes which both feed us and nurture the land.

Our Approach

We focus on replacing conventional yards with native, edible and medicinal gardens. Every property has sun, wind, water, money, effort, flora, fauna and more flowing across it all the time. Our work is to integrate these energies into a system that feeds you and heals the land. Below is a little taste of our process. It all starts with on-site observation.

So much land has been abused, neglected and exploited. The early stages of work often revolve around site repair: invasive species management, soil building and revegetation. All our interventions are chemical free. For example, we harvest, graze, mulch or biochar invasive species, returning fertility to the soil while encouraging the growth of the native vegetation.

Wastes can be turned to resources in more ways than one. Seen below is a compost pile in progress…all the ingredients came from waste streams and will be returned to the soil. Hot.

Covering bare soil is a priority. Using small swales and a diverse cover crop is a way to help infiltrate water, prevent erosion, and jumpstart the restoration process.

Following the earthworks, the cover crop takes over and soil healing begins in earnest. Though it is an intermediate phase, this first flush of growth is beautiful and often edible, as seen here with a mix of buckwheat, daikon radish, sunflowers and several other warm season crops.

While the plants and animals do their work, we shift our focus to the long run. How do you want to engage with the land?

As we draft this long run vision, installation of all the perennial systems begins. This can include drifts of native pollinator support species, rain gardens, orchard guilds, vegetable gardens and more, all integrated in a self-supporting system.