Permaculture Victories: tell your stories

Jay Angler wrote:

Joshua Myrvaagnes wrote:--I made yogurt starter from scratch with two peppers and raw milk (leaving the stems on is the trick).  It came out so good texture-wise, and it's making nice yogurt.

Exactly *how* did you do this? Hot peppers or sweet peppers? Whole or chopped? What sort of temperature? Your victorious in piquing my interest!

Sometimes, it's the little things we need to celebrate - I've got a friend who now puts punky wood in the bottom of her raised beds and also saves seeds. Maybe that's not full-blown permaculture, but it is a step in the right direction!

two raw habaneros _with hte stems still on_ in raw milk, in instant pot (about 95-100F I think, whatever the"yogurt" setting is)

I've gotten at least 20 people to talk about memories of nature that deeply inspired them!

Not exactly a permaculture victory but a victory that's peramcultre pinciples, I've actually been taking this awesome class on helping people get connected to their _intrinsic motivation_.

I deliberately created my initial permaculture garden out front, butting right up on the sidewalk where lots of people walk by every day.  At first, I was worried that I wouldn't want to be out there working, feeling very much on display and knowing that I'd be dirty and sweaty!  The first year, it appeared as just a few sticks in the ground--and those were the trees! I filled in some of the gaps with native flowers and bulbs and started about 50 crowns of strawberries, each yards apart from each other. By the second year, the strawberries as my groundcover really started covering ground and the asparagus was growing like crazy--people commented on how pretty the fronds were; "What is that?" they'd ask.  The Regent serviceberries started to get to a size where they actually could be seen.  Then they bloomed! Then they fruited in the multicolored way they do. I have all sorts of perennials right near the sidewalk.  Behind that, the 120' serviceberry hedge and behind that, asparagus.  Behind that are the fruit trees and shrubs.  People have been so complimentary from the get-go.--bless them!  I've met so many of my neighbors through that garden, and have started to see others start to plant more in their own yards.  I'd like to think that maybe my garden influenced them just a little.  One lady confessed that she had taken some flax seeds and hoped that that was okay!--The flax plants have thousands upon thousands of seeds!  I let her know that of course it was.  She timidly asked about the rhubarb.  I said that I'd just divided one and got seven plants and that she was welcome to one.  She was ecstatic!

One lady whom I've never met, sent me a beautiful card thanking me for my beautiful garden.  She said it was the highlight of her commute into work every day--Wow!  I've given innumerable tours to people who were driving by and just had to stop to tell me how much they loved it.  Another man said that he enjoyed walking by every day; he couldn't believe how things changed from one day to the next.  Many people have said that they never thought about planting asparagus before, but since seeing mine, decided to try it.  People are blown away that almost everything in the garden is edible--daylilies and hosta, too!  I've given away many, many strawberry runners to very grateful people. I can't wait until the trees start fruiting, and I have paw paws and persimmons, apples and medlars, cherries and quince to give away. It has always been my intention to plant way more than I can use, so that I can donate loads of food to the food shelf and to my neighbors.  Why else would I have planted 50 asparagus roots behind 30 serviceberry shrubs? At the same time, I knew it was important to keep it so that it is aesthetically pleasing to people--full of color, fragrance and variety in all seasons. I broke up the 120' expanse with a black metal arbor and have pink climbing roses on it for fragrance and late color. I had a lawn sale and a mother and her daughter came through the arbor. I witnessed the little girl look up at her mother with awe and say, "I feel like a princess!"  I thought to myself, yup, the garden is working!

The snowdrops started blooming back in mid February, and soon the daffs, mini iris, Glory of the snow, scilla, crocus and allium will be, too.  Thank goodness; toward the end of February we had some days in the 60's.  My snowdrops were buzzing with thousands of bees--it would have been the only food available to them for miles around.  A neighbor walking by commented in surprise that I had flowers already; he came over to the porch where I was sitting and we had a lovely conversation.  He was new to the neighborhood and thought that he might want to plant some in his yard, too.

Barbara Simoes wrote:I deliberately created my initial permaculture garden out front, butting right up on the sidewalk where lots of people walk by every day.  

That's a great story. The best part is that your impact is going to be compounded by each of the people that you inspired (and emboldened), as they start getting similar reactions from yet more people.

Robin Katz wrote:
Two years ago this same neighbor offered some of their red pears from a tree that has some local history. I saved seeds and potted up the best seedlings and had about 20 2 year old trees. Now three other neighbors have a couple of pear seedlings from that one tree that grows really well in this area. Just spreading the love.

"Plant pears for your heirs" is an old UK saying relating to traditional pear trees, on their own or seedling pear rootstock. Trees that reach 20, 30 or so feet high. Trees you buy from nurseries etc are grafted onto dwarfing rootstocks, typically varieties of quince. Or you could give your seedlings a rocket-boost by cutting back a Sorbus or Hawthorn and grafting onto that, although any non-pear rootstock may have incompatibility issues with your scion - so you introduce an intermediary graft. The more vigorous the rootstock, the longer you wait for fruit.
Apple seedlings can also get lofty, they're also grafted onto dwarfing rootstock, but only Malus serves.
By marketing local seedlings in the hopes of getting fruit may put people off, if they never get the chance to see fruit before they move on. The beneficiaries may be the next generation, if the tree doesn't get felled first.
I like to toss my spare seeds and cores where they stand a chance of developing into a wayside tree, for passisng foragers. I've come across many such trees in my travels, some really good.

Barbara Simoes wrote:I deliberately created my initial permaculture garden out front, butting right up on the sidewalk where lots of people walk by every day.  At first, I was worried that I wouldn't want to be out there working, feeling very much on display and knowing that I'd be dirty and sweaty!  The first year, it appeared as just a few sticks in the ground--and those were the trees! I filled in some of the gaps with native flowers and bulbs and started about 50 crowns of strawberries, each yards apart from each other. By the second year, the strawberries as my groundcover really started covering ground and the asparagus was growing like crazy--people commented on how pretty the fronds were; "What is that?" they'd ask.  The Regent serviceberries started to get to a size where they actually could be seen.  Then they bloomed! Then they fruited in the multicolored way they do. I have all sorts of perennials right near the sidewalk.  Behind that, the 120' serviceberry hedge and behind that, asparagus.  Behind that are the fruit trees and shrubs.  People have been so complimentary from the get-go.--bless them!  I've met so many of my neighbors through that garden, and have started to see others start to plant more in their own yards.  I'd like to think that maybe my garden influenced them just a little.  One lady confessed that she had taken some flax seeds and hoped that that was okay!--The flax plants have thousands upon thousands of seeds!  I let her know that of course it was.  She timidly asked about the rhubarb.  I said that I'd just divided one and got seven plants and that she was welcome to one.  She was ecstatic!

One lady whom I've never met, sent me a beautiful card thanking me for my beautiful garden.  She said it was the highlight of her commute into work every day--Wow!  I've given innumerable tours to people who were driving by and just had to stop to tell me how much they loved it.  Another man said that he enjoyed walking by every day; he couldn't believe how things changed from one day to the next.  Many people have said that they never thought about planting asparagus before, but since seeing mine, decided to try it.  People are blown away that almost everything in the garden is edible--daylilies and hosta, too!  I've given away many, many strawberry runners to very grateful people. I can't wait until the trees start fruiting, and I have paw paws and persimmons, apples and medlars, cherries and quince to give away. It has always been my intention to plant way more than I can use, so that I can donate loads of food to the food shelf and to my neighbors.  Why else would I have planted 50 asparagus roots behind 30 serviceberry shrubs? At the same time, I knew it was important to keep it so that it is aesthetically pleasing to people--full of color, fragrance and variety in all seasons. I broke up the 120' expanse with a black metal arbor and have pink climbing roses on it for fragrance and late color. I had a lawn sale and a mother and her daughter came through the arbor. I witnessed the little girl look up at her mother with awe and say, "I feel like a princess!"  I thought to myself, yup, the garden is working!

The snowdrops started blooming back in mid February, and soon the daffs, mini iris, Glory of the snow, scilla, crocus and allium will be, too.  Thank goodness; toward the end of February we had some days in the 60's.  My snowdrops were buzzing with thousands of bees--it would have been the only food available to them for miles around.  A neighbor walking by commented in surprise that I had flowers already; he came over to the porch where I was sitting and we had a lovely conversation.  He was new to the neighborhood and thought that he might want to plant some in his yard, too.

THis is so beautiful!  "The garden is working" --indeed!  Thanks for sharing this.

Exactly!!!

Michael Helmersson wrote:

Barbara Simoes wrote:I deliberately created my initial permaculture garden out front, butting right up on the sidewalk where lots of people walk by every day.  

That's a great story. The best part is that your impact is going to be compounded by each of the people that you inspired (and emboldened), as they start getting similar reactions from yet more people.

I was watching a YouTube video about a guy who did this, and it got more of his neighbors gardening. That was after watching a bunch of David the Good videos. He's so funny. His first video that I watched hooked me, the one where he was walking around his property with a machete yelling about how people get too nervous about what goes where. It was an excellent advertisement for chop-and-drop mulching. "If you don't want this guy here..." CHOP CHOP CHOP "Feed him to this guy!"

j

Anthony Powell wrote:
I like to toss my spare seeds and cores where they stand a chance of developing into a wayside tree, for passing foragers. I've come across many such trees in my travels, some really good.

I really like this idea. I also like the idea of spreading seeds further from civilization for the wildlife. Where I am, bears come to town for food, risking their lives. Apple trees in the outlying area might lessen that problem, plus be a source of snack food for people out hiking.

That sounds like a plan; at the very least, animals can eat the apple cores, etc. and then plant them elsewhere!  Just a reminder to some who never thought about it, but please, when driving, if you're going to toss food out the window because it will rot, just be sure that you aim it off of the road. Food will draw animals into the road where they can be hit.

Michael Helmersson wrote:

Anthony Powell wrote:
I like to toss my spare seeds and cores where they stand a chance of developing into a wayside tree, for passing foragers. I've come across many such trees in my travels, some really good.

I really like this idea. I also like the idea of spreading seeds further from civilization for the wildlife. Where I am, bears come to town for food, risking their lives. Apple trees in the outlying area might lessen that problem, plus be a source of snack food for people out hiking.

Barbara, I wished I had you to fix my yard up or to talk about it at least.  Mine is currently a massive work project trying to convert the front yard into a Garden of Eden-ish beauty whlle remaining edible.  But that is a great method because I have noticed that I sell more people due to the looks of certain perennials that also produce.  I have many flower people take a sunchoke after seeing them (I warn them about the spread).  Many also took edibles like Red garnet amaranth, scarlet runner beans.  I'm trying to grow many multi-use pretty perennials- daylilies, hostas, seakale and giant colewort (I've heard egyptian walking onions are pretty).  I want spring ephemerals like trout lilies but have had a hard time sourcing them from a site I trust.  Creeping thyme sounds nice and the little slope near the road.  

The other permaculture victories usually came by making meals with the foods and talking about the health benefits (low calorie generally) and replacements such as zucchini VS pasta and so on.  Some have actually liked the flavor plain such as wall rocket (arugula), garden sorrel, alliums in general.  A 7th grader family member wanted sunchokes for his yard but his dad was pretty negative about it- he was probably right, IDK if he'd want to dig them up and clean them to makes meals (he really loves the sunchoke bread).  

Benjamin Abby wrote:Barbara, I wished I had you to fix my yard up or to talk about it at least.  Mine is currently a massive work project trying to convert the front yard into a Garden of Eden-ish beauty whlle remaining edible.  But that is a great method because I have noticed that I sell more people due to the looks of certain perennials that also produce.  I have many flower people take a sunchoke after seeing them (I warn them about the spread).  

My favourite way with sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes over here) is fresh, scrubbed clean and raw - sweet and crunchy.
Dahlias also look good, have tasty flowers and were originally grown for their tubers - like sunchokes, loaded with inulin. Get the full size varieties - the small ones have tiny tubers.
If you've somewhere with reliable groundwater, bistort looks good (Persicaria bistorta): historically valued for spring greens, not great flavour, flowers loved by bees. Mine thrives on sandy soil on the shady side of the house, dying back during drought. Similar conditions liked by meadowsweet, Filipendula ulmaria, flowers great in herb tea.

Benjamin, where are you located?  I'd be glad to talk with you about anything gardening!
When we moved to this place back in 1976, I was still in high school!  There was a patch of sunchokes that grew and spread like crazy.  I remember digging some out to cook and thinking, all of this (plant matter) for this tiny little tuber?  I'm with the dad on that one! They are pretty in the fall when in bloom, but all of the dead stalks are something that I never want to deal with again...although once we started mowing the area, they did disappear, so it wasn't the huge battle I was expecting.
I've made the front garden one in which I don't have to dig for anything...well, I do have garlic out there, but that hardly counts, and that is there more as a repellent than a crop. It's a lot of trees and shrubs with lots of flowers in between and strawberries blanketing the ground.  I am so eager for the trees to really come into their own.  The medlar is still only waist-high, but one of the persimmons and one of the pawpaws have finally surpassed my height (which isn't saying much being I am now 4'11".  I have a sweet cherry out there that was taller than me which I actually cut down to about 4' in height.  I guess they can go a little crazy, and I want to be able to access the fruit.  The paw paws and persimmons don't matter, because I'll wait until they fall anyway.  I have to say that already I am impressed with the lack of work needed to sustain the garden.  Most of the time when I'm in it, I'm harvesting, which is not a bad thing.  People see me fill a bowl with quarts of strawberries every day or armfulls of asparagus, whatever, and I know the wheels are turning!  Keep going with what you're doing; it sounds great.