Ottawa/Gatineau

Hello all, just wanted to see what is going on with the local permies   

Has there been any cob structures built in this area?
Are there any cob building groups?

I'm sure there are a few groups/permaculturists in the Gatineau River Valley, or near Carp. Personally, I don't know any.

Hello!

I have started an eco-building group for the Ottawa area on facebook... hoping to be able to get something started... or join something already started in this area.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/305053582854538/

I know this thread is old but just wanted to say I am from Ottawa, Canada and hoping there are others from the area.

Kris

Another Ottawa dweller here. Me and my family have just purchased 1.8 acres south of ottawa and are planning to grow a small food forest and play host to some animals.

We are hoping to meet up with some other area permaculture types to exchange ideas and what have you.


Hope to hear from you.

I am in Aylmer, Quebec. I am originally from Northern Ontario where I farmed and grew for the farmers market.

I am onboard with the local Community Garden. We are growing in small plots around the city. We are in partnership with the local Food Bank.

I would love to talk with others who consider homesteading to be a way of life.

I'm from the Ottawa area and that's where I'm living now. This spring I bought 120 acres near Merrickville with the intention of starting a homestead there. My first project is to build a yurt this fall so I'll have a shelter and can spend some real time on the land in the coming year. Anybody who might be interested in watching or participating in the building process is welcome to PM me. I've never built a yurt before, but have a modicum of handiness.

Any other permies in the area in the last 7 years? Always planned to create a food forest at home but covid really kicked it into high gear for us. Want to use my 3.8 acre in carleton place area to become calorie and nutrient self sufficient. Would love to trade various food forest species with locals but im just getting started.

Chris Gordon wrote:Any other permies in the area in the last 7 years? Always planned to create a food forest at home but covid really kicked it into high gear for us. Want to use my 3.8 acre in carleton place area to become calorie and nutrient self sufficient. Would love to trade various food forest species with locals but im just getting started.

Howdy! Our closing date on our very miniature "homestead" will be in late June. It is about 0.5 acres and is closer to Greely. We're transplanted apartment dwellers from Toronto and are looking forward to growing as much food as we can in the coming years. Work and budget restrictions limited us to this size and location, but maybe as we learn, grow and save we will be able to take on more in the future. We won't be in a place to trade for a few years probably but it's lovely knowing there are like minded folks in the region.

Hi Ottawa people, I'm doing a similar thing in the suburbs of Ottawa. We have a decent sized city lot and a small house so we have been gradually converting our grass to a food forest (front yard) and raised garden beds (back yard). We started on it a couple years ago but like Chris, the lockdown accelerated things. So far it's been reasonably successful but struggling a bit to find resources and like-minded people in the area. Although my neighbours are supportive, it's pretty much just lawns and flower beds around here.

I just thought I would introduce myself and maybe we can help each other out as our gardens/farms progress. Some of my fruit bushes are starting to get mature enough to try to propagate more. If that's successful, I'm happy to share as much as I can in the future. I'm also happy to share lists of what plants have worked well for me here. I'm trying to add more perennial varieties every year on top of the typical annual veg gardens. I'd love to hear what's working well and if you come across any great resources in the area.

Hi All.

I'm originally from the Ottawa/Gatineau area, and moved up the Valley some 23 years ago.  

I own and run a Permaculture mixed systems homestead just outside Cobden, Ont.,.  
It would be wonderful to connect with others in the general area.  
Your welcome to contact me through this site with any questions or inquiries you may have about pretty much anything Permie related.

Cheers!  K

Hi Kate - I just moved to Campbell's Bay, QC, across the river and I really want to connect with permies around here.  I have about 1/4 acre yard that I want to put into food production.  I'm a Journeyman Landscape Gardner but need to brush up on my food growing skills (and am used to Alberta and BC environments).

I'm looking for sources for fruit trees and bushes that grow in this region to plant next spring.

Also looking for sources of organic perennial veg like asparagus.

Also, it would be great to tour someone's permie garden sometime if it was possible or just get together and chat with like-minded folks.  I don't really know anybody around here and am looking for friends.

Not sure if PMing is possible on this site.  If not, I can give you my email address.

Cheers,

Jennifer

Hi Brendon - I just moved to Campbell's Bay, QC, which is about 1.5 hours from Ottawa and I really want to connect with permies around here.  I have about 1/4 acre yard that I want to put into food production - doing the same as what you described.

I'm looking for sources for fruit trees and bushes that grow in this region to plant next spring.

Also looking for sources of organic perennial veg like asparagus.

Also, it would be great to tour someone's permie garden sometime if it was possible or just get together and chat with like-minded folks.  I don't really know anybody around here and am looking for friends.

Not sure if PMing is possible on this site.  If not, I can give you my email address.

Cheers,

Jennifer

Hey Jen;
We have Purple Moosages rather than private messages.

Using our system it allows you to exchange sensitive private info (phone numbers , email address)  without going permies.

To Message a member, simply click on their name.
This will take you to their profile page and at the top right  of that page you will see an envelope.
Clicking on that will allow you to message that member

Hi Jen.

I'm a whole 30 minutes away from your location.  
Wow!  An actual Permie neighbour.
I will PM you with coordinate details if you want to visit.

Cheers!  K

Hopefully this isn't double posting but it signed me out last time I hit submit.

Hi Jen,

It's good to hear that there are a couple more like-minded people in the area. If you're in Ottawa, I'd be happy to show you our nascent food forest and garden. Like I said, it's a regular suburban lot but we're trying to make the most of it.

Most of our fruit trees and bushes came bare-rooted, either from Hardy Fruit Tree Nursery (Quebec) or Whiffletree (Guelph area, I think). All of their products arrived in good health for me: Pears, Mulberry and Peach trees as well as shrub cherries, currants, gooseberries, serviceberries, raspberries, haskaps, and blueberries. There are lots of options for zone 4 and 5. We were starting with a bare lawn so lots of space to fill initially. I'm starting to try to propagate more now that they're a couple years old. Since it's a bit of a financial investment, I've tried to start as many smaller plants as I could from seed. It's a cheap option if you're willing to wait for herbs, asparagus, strawberries, perennial flowers.

Not sure if you use Facebook but I have seen that there's an Ottawa food forest group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1752328581683167/). It looks like it's somewhat active and people exchange plants and cuttings.

Brendon

Hey folks, just adding my name to the list. Not exactly in Ottawa, but eastern Ontario, closer to Montreal.  Got a few acres and focussing on berries and fruit for now.

Hey everyone!

I'm living in East Ottawa. I'm in a suburb renting the basement from my landlord who gives me free reign on his back and front yard. Currently growing lots of wildflowers, and a mini food forest.

Hi everyone! It's nice to know there are a decent number of us in the area. Certainly an opportunity for seed swapping and plant trading!

I am Quebec side about an hour north of town, with an acre (1/2 of it virgin forest,) practicing permaculture for about 12 years. I have almost completely replaced the lawn around the house. It's fairly flat but I'm at about 1000', water table about 15' down, excellent drainage (rocks, sandy dirt , more rocks,)
and lots of snow, a moist zone 4.

I replaced lawn with neighborhood cardboard, kitchen compost, grew a bee and butterfly garden over the tile bed but haven't seen monarchs for 2-3 years. They used to love the echinacea and I recently added a wild cherry which they can't resist if they're around.

I have a large staff of free range pigeons for soil building and there is lots of wildlife. Willing to part with some, trade, etc.

I have a fair variety of perennials and more thimbleberries blackberries and raspberries than I need, so I'm happy to give away some.

My son bought in Cantley and I am going to transplant some goodies and play with his nice big parcel of land. It's probably 2 acres, I'm not sure. He gets deer too and I am going to plant red clover from my supply.

I've mainly been concentrating on summer squash for a calorie crop and have discovered that the scallop squash preserve better just on top of cardboard over the basement slab

My veg varies greatly from year to year. Sometimes I am in iqaluit but things seem to grow fine no watering in the compost.

I have a ton of barrels and collect rainwater off the 1000 sq ft roof and use pumps to relay water from barrel to barrel around the yard: low tech solution, no gravity feeding.

No till, hugelkulture, compost windrows, fall-winter planting. 2 dogs, my old boy is an excellent livestock Heinz57 rescue.

No farm livestock (zoned forest)

no cell reception but finally the phone lines have been upgraded and there's Internet. I'm early retired on a teacher's pension and putter full time.

There's over 2' of snow here. Lucky I like snow and don't mind rocks too much!

I hope to meet a few of you sometime in the future.