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RE: Ulog 6: An Easy Peasy DIY Garden Patch ๐๐๐
So, the permaculture dream is alive but it's on hold? I am all horney to do up your 30 acres!!! Oh my lanta! Boy oh boy! You got me all fired up! It can be so easy! That's the beauty of permaculture poco a poco!! I live vicariously you see!! I have the opposite issue as you right now! Just a small concrete patio and am renting. The garden in the pic was truly SO SIMPLE! SO EASY to do. And, as a bonus it's all growing! So far so good!
We did it small scale, and it was easy where we were but there were also too many people including seriously trigger happy cops. Then we bought this place, at 3300 feet elevation, it gets 11 inches of rain a year and it all comes in about two weeks in the spring or as snow.
I am a certified permaculture designer, got certified for this land but that did not put money in the bank, that cost money. My husband still works full time and is nearing retirement age. The one piece of heavy equipment we bought - a little backhoe - just won't run. We have fixed it over and over, it runs for a couple days then something new gives out. We can't afford to buy another, we can't afford to do much of anything with it, truth be told. We are getting a house done, we have to put a septic in. That will require my husband working every overtime shift he can get for the next 2 months.
We are going indoor. The elements here won. The wind will beat down anything that dares to grow more than a few inches high, the grasshoppers literally ate everything in our yard to a nub last spring. EVERYTHING. My onions, the trees, shrubs, everything. The birds will take a nibble out of every cherry on the tree just as they ripen. The voles ate 100 fruit tree saplings we planted the first year, in about 10 days. I even used Sepp Holzer's bone sauce and they quit eating the trunk. They just dug under and ringed the tree just below the dirt.
Lol! I am on a rant it seems...
I don't think we are putting much effort into permaculture here, we are getting older and this place is just brutal. I am pretty tired of the fight. I want a nice greenhouse, a STURDY one. A big one, because I am not fighting the elements here for any more garden space. I surrender!๐ณ
WOW ๐๐น๐ crazy town eh!!? Hoofta! Better start praying on that land! Seems Spirit is off kilter! Amazing the teachings & the obsticles!! I wonder what Bill Molenson's words of wisdom would be for you!!? Holly Hot Dog Girl.....
:)
I believe my lesson is "Admit when you made a mistake."
We still felt young when we bought this, and we planned on having a young person move in and help us as we aged. Well, the past ten years aged us more than the previous 40, we hurt a LOT more than we used to and we just can't do some things any more. No young person ever showed any interest in joining us, even with the offer of free land. They wanted to work for Joel Salatin, seriously. The idea of helping BUILD a permie place they considered too much work. And here is the thing, they are right. Unless you have a big group of friends who will work for you for free, and who can bring their heavy equipment in to sculpt the land for you, permaculture is a rich man's sport. I do not have the money, I will never have the money, to even do the very basic swaling needed to hold our precious water on site. And Bill Mollison is sort of an ass... he was all about getting rich, not helping people. He actually copyrighted the WORD "permaculture" to try to hold a monopoly on the concept. You still have to buy a $600 book from him to get certified. Geoff Lawton is a more genuinely humane permie.
How long have you been into this? I used to be a bubbly and excited too... Paul Wheaton is another one painting it like sunshine and roses... The people coming out of his "classes" say he is a dictator getting slave labor out of his fanbase.
Anyway, sorry, not trying to burst your bubble but... I am a truther. Permaculture is a great concept, but if you did not inherit a farm like Salatin, if you don't have free labor available like Wheaton, if you did not make a million dollars for your book like Mollison... you better have a rich uncle or a VERY small plot to work.
Good morning! I appreciate your straight up and honest approach. Your experience speaks volumes. Thank-you for sharing your wisdom. I did a Presearch for Joel Salatin. Watched a short clip on him. He was philosophic not discussing farming. Sometimes it helps to not know what you don't know! I have been meaning to get involved with the Permaculture groups in my area for years. An event is happening soon i'd like to finally jump in! But, i do not plan to stay near the city where I am. The country is calling. That's why I am helping my sister with her garden. Biting off small chunks at a time. Trying to be content with where I am at. But, all my studying has been via the internet and recorded classes. Nothing formal at all. I spent quite a bit of time understanding a few principles. It's paradigm shifting stuff! My experience started 5 years ago. With a tiny tiny balcony garden in a tiny apartment in the city. Then we moved to an acreage and started the garden mentioned above. My experience is so limited! I am surely naive. Though i did grow up on a farm so i do know that in these next few years of planning i need to grow relationships so that I am not alone in my endeavours going off grid. Community is huge! Knowing what I know --thinking i could do any of it on my own would be really dumb. My daughter may be interested. My son. No way! He's a techy and city bound --to start anyway. My parents have left a mostly abandoned piece of land 80 acres in Saskatchewan. It's a community that my family has been rooted in a long time. It's an option. Looking ahead. But, i still have about 5ish years to percolate a plan, to learn more and to gain relationships and figure out finances. Lots of things! I will be 45 by that time. Hopefully well prepared and it will be GO TIME! To get set-up over the next 5 years. Takes me to 50! God willing!!! Just need to get this healing body back up and running at full strength-- preferably even better than before. But, as you mentioned, time has it's ways of slowing us down! What an incredible journey to be on! Blessings Fishy to you and yours.
I have no regrets, I learned skills and built self confidence that cannot be undone. I CAN do a lot of things now, but it is time to REALLY focus on what I WANT to do. I am on the downhill side of the run, I need to thin down everything, including the workload and the list of hopes and dreams. It is a good thing, snake shedding a skin, caterpillar busting out of a cocoon. I AM blessed, by friends like you. Bless you too, precious lady!
You're an amazing person! And, such a good communicator. I really appreciate your gift to put words together! I've enjoyed your vibe since the very beginning! That's really neat. I sure hope you can enjoy a leaping boost of fortune! I think you're due!! I'd love to hear some fun stories of fortune boosting you and your sweet love up, up, up!! So you both feel so tickled! Giddy! Happy & boosted!! ....here's to hoping!
You are such a sweetheart, THANK YOU for being so kind and uplifting!
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