New Jersey permaculture friends

Hello Permies,

I am in the beginning stages of transitioning from 20 years of unfulfilling tech jobs in Philadelphia, PA to a more intentional permaculture way of life.  Last year I bought a roughly 10 acre "unbuildable" oak-pine woodlot near Mays Landing, NJ, and next month I should be closing on a little 636sqft cottage within biking distance of the woodlot. I am interested in finding like minded people in the South Jersey / Philadelphia area to bounce ideas off of, build partnerships with, and help out/learn from in any way I can. I have a lot of ideas, but I don't know anyone personally who shares my interest in permaculture. It will probably take me two more years to pay off the cottage, so the plan right now is to keep my day job and split time between Philly and the cottage/property. I am a person who looks for win/win/win situations, where I benefit, you benefit, and the land/wildlife/community/society benefits. If you are also a win/win/win type of person on a permaculture journey in the area between/around Philadelphia, PA and Mays Landing, NJ please reach out.

Right now the long term plans for the woodlot are to work towards turning it into a formal garden of mostly coppice and pollarded fruit and nut trees/shrubs, with a little market garden at the center.  I am interested in increasing/identifying useful plant genetics, so the first step is to clear the underbrush and thin out some of the existing trees. Then set up a little plant nursery (the EdibleAcres youtube channel is a huge inspiration and source of information for this step). I have started this process, and even jumped the gun and planted a couple of elder hardwood cuttings. The first round of plantings I am putting in are (hopefully deer deflecting) hedgerows of closely spaced Elder(flower/fruit production/biomass/wildlife), Black locust (flowers/fire wood/biomass/nitrogen/wildlife), Honey locust (fodder/biomass/wildlife), and Bayberry(wax/seasoning/nitrogen/wildlife). I am a little apprehensive about the locust thorns but we'll see how it goes. I plan on buying the trees/plants from a diverse set of geographically dispersed nurseries, and then using those trees to start growing my own seedlings to start the breeding/selection process from.  The goal of everything I do on the property is to proliferate life, and hopefully I can be clever enough to turn some of that life into enough money to get by. I am only on the first step of an endless path and looking for some local people to share it with.
 

Hi James! Jersey native here, but from the hills up north.  I'm very glad to see your post!  South Jersey has a great agricultural history and still continues today, however, organic farms, not to mention permaculture minded establishments are few and far between. I ran a small market garden in central Jersey and found that finding customers who were interested in chemical free local food was harder than expected.  I believe that it was in part my market, however, a larger idea that stuck with me was the state of our state.  Those who move here come mostly for the paycheck, suburban dream or urban proximity.  This influences the general population away from local ag, similar to what happened on Long Island- no more vibrant market gardens like they had in the past.  This is not to scare/dis-influence you by any means, but instead, try to offer the idea that local community building is the most essential part of your journey.  Talk to your neighbors, try to influence people directly in the area and build up a network of people you will see daily.  I found that when I started the farm, my main idea was that customers were customers (in your case, friends/companions) and that their location did not matter-what is a few towns really? But in my experience, it was very isolating to drive the 25 minutes to the farm and understand that non of the adjacent land owners cared/were interested in building up their own gardens, eating local food, caring for our environment.  My mistake was to not spend time with them more and try to show easy techniques, share ideas and laughs or to simply give away some excess food.  Building up a Jersey permaculture scene would be absolutely fantastic and most definitely in demand, but do not ignore the power of those who are immediately near.  I will be out of state for a few years but would love to see your idea gain traction and develop into something this state really, really, REALLY needs!  I'll be following the thread to see how this progresses, my best wishes to you.

Nathaniel Johnston wrote: I ran a small market garden in central Jersey and found that finding customers who were interested in chemical free local food was harder than expected.

Hey Nathaniel. Thanks for reaching out and sharing your experience and encouragement, I really appreciate it. I am curious to hear more about your market garden, like when were you running it (what years), what methods you used, what crops you focused on, and if you don't mind a more specific location like what town or zip code.

This post made me create an account! I'm just wrapping up a PDC and am in Warren County, NJ. Looking for some Permaculture Allies in New Jersey. I'm a transplant from NYC, and bought a house on 2 acres with intentions of developing food security via food forests. I'll be posting my progress (not sure where...) and look forward to yours!

Hi James,
Congrats on the 10 acres and cabin, that’s sounds awesome!  
Elderberry is a good plant to get started, they grow great from cuttings and can be pretty prolific.
I have some honey locust here and the thorns are pretty spectacular.  I would imagine they would keep deer out if turned into a hedge.  

I’m in NJ as well, Hunterdon County.  When we moved to this property I made sure to walk the property a lot and during all seasons. After a while I got a pretty good idea of what kind of plants and trees I had growing. Eventually I discovered we had a giant sweet cherry tree that I had passed by for a couple years before I found it.
You might have a bunch of great plants/trees already established on your property that are waiting to be found!  
Good luck with everything!  Keep us posted on your progress!

Hi James!

I am a 50 something who lives right next door to you in Milmay, New Jersey. I would be more than happy to be a sounding board for your ideas and maybe share some of my own if you're interested. 4 years ago my man and I bought a 5 acre parcel that is 3/5 woods and 2/5 trash (the previous owners neglected this property horribly, and actually spent a lot of time abusing it with diesel mechanics.). I'm no stranger to remediation strategies and doing what you can with what little you might have.

Feel free to contact me here, or you can email me at thehavenmaven@gmail.com.

Hello all!

I'm also a Jersey native, from the north (bout an hour out of NYC). I am still in the planning and pre-planning stage of my permaculture journey, but I'd love to bounce ideas and learn more about what you are up to! Feel free to message me here, and I'd be glad to exchange contact information!

I'm in jersey, hopefully not stuck here too much longer in the future, but I'd be happy to meet like minded folks while I'm here.

Robert Tiller wrote:I'm in jersey, hopefully not stuck here too much longer in the future, but I'd be happy to meet like minded folks while I'm here.

Had you in mind when I saw this post..

Hello all! I'm in North Jersey at the moment, although likely to move to Philadelphia within the next year. My permaculture knowledge is mostly theoretical, but I'm always down to problem solve or bounce ideas, and I'd love to make some new friends! Feel free to message me or respond to this thread and we can start chatting!

Edit, realized I'd already posted in this thread earlier! My bad...

Jumping in late to the game to say that there is an active Permie group that meets in Hammonton once per month. Usually with speakers or projects to tackle. Greater Hammonton Permaculture Club on Facebook. We are doing our annual seed swap on February 28 from 7-9 pm. Always a good time.
Bring ‘Em if you got ‘Em or just come empty handed. Lots to share!

Educational Permaculture Garden in Lake Hopatcong North NJ
Hello all! I came here to learn and connect and share my work with you all.
This spring I organized an educational Permaculture garden open to all with 11 fruit trees, many herbs, and shrubs, and there will be lots of information plaques to teach anyone who walks through the paths techniques on permaculture companion planting as they see the guilds grow.
I taught 2 workshops already on seed start and pest repellent plants. I have 32 families connected to the garden. It is a great start to influence the parents and older citizens to try gardening away working with nature and not against.

We meet every weekend at the Prospect Point Park 30 Florida Ave Lake Hopatcong NJ 07849 we have a Facebook group called: Lake Hopatcong Permaculture Garden

I own a suburban house with a smallish backyard. I am building a mini homestead with a Permaculture garden, so far 20+ fruit trees mostly small still, got chicks in the brooder that I will keep 4 or 5 hens. I even made a garden row on my unused driveway. Converted my whole front yard into a garden. My neighbors are all very encouraging. They are excited to see the progress as everything is so new to them.

People are likely to learn when they get a  holistic exposure experience, they see the actual growth, they want to taste it and likely to buy and invest in the gardening experience.

Through this community connection I met amazing people and got 2 permaculture consultation paid gigs recently.

I am very grateful for this experience. I am filled with hope!

Howdy Jersey Squad

I'm on the same page here now. Mays Landing- represent!!

Grateful for any connections through this thread.

My portfolios, to bridge us closer, are linked on my Permies page.

Feel encouraged to send me a message. Or email: jade.wave@outlook.com

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