Nature's Generosity

Honoring Nature’s Gifts on Fidalgo Island

On Fidalgo Island—where mist rises from evergreen canopies and saltwater tides carve out inlets and coves—gardening becomes more than tending plants. It becomes a relationship with place, a rhythm we step into with humility and care.

The fifth permaculture principle, “Use and Value Renewable Resources & Services,” is a gentle but powerful reminder that many of the most effective tools for tending land are already available to us, offered by nature again and again without depletion. It calls for reverence and restraint, for seeing resources not as things to be used up, but as partners in the dance of regeneration. In this cool, temperate region surrounded by forests, shorelines, and wetlands, the abundance of renewable resources is not theoretical—it’s visible, tangible, and deeply rooted in the land itself.

Leaning into the Local: Nature as Provider

To embrace this principle is to ask: What can I use that is already here? What can I do that gives back as much as it takes?

One of the simplest and most impactful practices that aligns with this philosophy is sheet mulching—the art of layering organic materials to build soil, suppress weeds, and retain moisture. While the concept is straightforward, the materials we choose carry meaning.

Cardboard, free of tape and ink, is a humble and renewable resource often overlooked. On Fidalgo Island, where boxes pile up from deliveries and supplies, it can become a powerful regenerative tool. Laid down under straw, leaves, or grass clippings, it decomposes naturally and feeds the earth, inviting microbial life to flourish.

By contrast, materials like black plastic or synthetic landscape fabric—though tempting for quick fixes—are derived from fossil fuels and leave a legacy of microplastics. These materials do not return to the soil. They suppress life, and weeds eventually take hold below. And in the coastal island environment, where soil health and watershed protection are intertwined, their impact ripples out far beyond the garden bed.

Growing Mulch and Multiplying Benefits

Some island gardeners are exploring how to grow their own mulch, turning soil-building into a living, dynamic cycle. Comfrey is a favorite—fast-growing and deep-rooted, its broad leaves can be harvested several times a season and returned to the soil as a nutrient-dense mulch. Its flowers also support bees, and its roots draw up minerals from deep in the subsoil.

Even in protected microclimates on Fidalgo, plants like lemongrass can be experimented with—grown in containers, overwintered indoors, and harvested for fragrant mulch and culinary use. This is where permaculture shines: in the blending of beauty, utility, and renewal.

These renewable choices ripple outward. Fallen maple and alder leaves, seaweed gathered responsibly after storms, fir needles, pruned raspberry canes, and grapevine trimmings—all can be seen not as waste, but as cycles waiting to complete themselves.

Living in Reciprocity

Permaculture is not just a set of techniques—it’s a way of seeing. It’s a relationship of reciprocity between gardener and land, where resources are used with gratitude and care, not only for what they provide now, but for how they shape the soil, the water, and the life that follows. To use and value renewable resources is to participate in a sacred exchange. We receive, and we return.

As we walk through our gardens and trails this month, let's reflect:

•  Where am I using renewable resources?

• What services does nature already provide here?

• What can I do to give back in equal measure?

At Eco-Restore, we walk alongside gardeners and stewards who want their spaces to reflect this deeper ethic. Whether you're looking to replace landscape fabric with a more regenerative solution, explore composting systems, or learn how to build healthy soil naturally, we’re here to help.

Share Your Photos!

Next month, we’ll explore the sixth permaculture principle: Produce No Waste—and we want to highlight you!

We’re looking for photos from the Fidalgo Island community that show this principle in action: creative reuse, composting projects, upcycled garden elements, foraging successes, or anything that reflects a zero-waste mindset in your garden or homestead.

Selected photos will be featured in next month’s article to celebrate how our community is living out permaculture principles in real, inspiring ways!

To participate:

Send your photos and a short description by the 20th of the month to hello@eco-restore.com

Learn more about permaculture principles at eco-restore.com/principles

As spring unfolds on the island—buds swelling, bees humming, and sea air warming—may we remember to honor what is already offered. To use only what we need. To value what renews itself. And to pass on to the next season a garden made more alive by our care. May we continue to learn from the land, give thanks for what returns, and trust the wisdom of cycles.

Let this month be one of choosing materials and methods that are kind to the land, and kind to the generations yet to come.