Observe and Interact

August 31, 2026

I’m writing to you from the shed after a week of being on the road and away from home. It’s amazing to witness the changes in the garden and forest around me after only a week's absence.

I heard my first Pipiwhararoa (shining cuckoo) call. For me this is the harbinger of spring. And the striking yellow of the kumarahou in flower against the dark of kanuka trunks welcomed me up the drive way.

These tohu (signs) are a great segway into exploring the Permaculture Principle of Observe and Interact. This principle is taken from Bill Mollison's set and if you haven’t heard of Mollison, he, along with David Holgrem (whose set of principles we will explore later), is the grandfather of Permaculture.

I will write more about the foundations and founders of Permaculture in the future and explore where the design principles came from and how they are deeply rooted in indigenous knowledge.

But for now lets get back to Observe and Interact.

There is a wonderful saying from Bayo Akomolafe a philosopher, writer, activist and professor of psychology, who emplores, “The times are urgent. We must slow down. The times are urgent! We must slow down. The times are urgent. We must slow down.”

The principle of Observe and Interact invites us to slow down. To spend time and be really curious about what is happening around us. To not rush in and make changes until we can see the patterns and the function of the things that are already there.

How am I applying Observe and Interact to my life right now?

In the Garden:

I want to take you back to the kumarahou and its beautiful fluffy yellow flowers. A week ago when I left home it wasn’t in flower but now that it is - I know it’s time to plant my kumara. If we break down the word kumarahou - we find kumara and hou. Hou can be understood as new. So when the kumarahou flowers, it’s time to breathe new life into my kumara and get them in the ground.

For the people who lived in these lands long before me, they spent many years observing the patterns and have passed on this knowledge of the relationship between these two plants.

To me it makes sense to observe and interact with these natural rhythms because the animals and plants around me are responding to changes in the environment I may not be able to perceive directly. They are not following a Gregorian calendar that says spring begins on the first of September.

Are there patterns that you can observe around you? Is there a certain plant in your garden that flowers each year when you plant your best producing tomatoes?

How I live in the world:

I think Observe and Interact can also be very useful when applied to how we relate to other people.

Imagine if we were all able to take a moment to observe our inner world and calm our nervous system before we responded to and interacted with other people.

If all people were taught this skill we would live in a world with far less violence, anger and suffering and I think that is something to aim for.

I would love to hear from you (reply to this email!) about how you apply this principle of Observe and Interact in your own life - you might be doing it already more than you think!

I love spring - it’s such a wonderful and exciting time in the garden so I want to make you a special offer.

I have just launched my Garden Starter Tool Set which comes with the Top 3 Tools to kick start your garden. You Save $15 when you buy as a set rather than each tool individually.

And because you are The Shed Letter community, I have an extra gift of a Free Speedy Sharp when you buy a Garden Starter Tool Set.

Use the code SPRING25 at the checkout or use this link https://gardentools.nz/discount/SPRING25 to automatically apply the code when you shop.

Garden Starter Tool Set

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Thank you so much for being here and I’m looking forward to hearing from you and sharing more from the shed and insights on the principles and ethics of permaculture. Next time we’ll be exploring Catch and Store Energy.

Wishing you a fruitful week ahead.

As always…Happy gardening!

Beth.

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