Permies should come with a warning label.

I have enjoyed gardening all my life. Even as a kid I loved playing in and around the veggie garden with my mom and dad, and being paid, or not to help my Grandma weed.  When I had a home of my own, I planted veggies.  I have enjoyed gardening and sharing that love with my children.

I accidentally discovered Permies in July of 2019, looking for information on how to conserve water in my garden.  I had started organic gardening a year or two before, and I enjoy some of the gardening You Tubers. One of them was talking about not watering his garden at all, and I had to know more.  I stumbled onto Permies, and have been addicted ever since.  Before Permies I had a rose garden, several fruit trees, a couple of flower gardens, and a small garden with 6 traditional raised beds for veggies.  All like veggies were planted togather in rows spaced as the seed packet advised.  I have kept about a dozen chickens, since my daughter's kindergarten teacher convinced me to take a couple of chicks they hatched.

In the two years since I found Permies, My hole life has changed.  The only time I ever posted online was Facebook, and I was getting away from that, because I don't like there policy's, and all the negativity was distasteful to me.  This is where the addiction starts.  So much amazing information.  So many smart and interesting people posting in a positive manner.  Sometimes I had something to share, and I started posting.  It's like permies filled a hole I didn't know was there.  That's just the beginning.  I now have a hugelkulture (not functioning at the moment because the chickens have removed the top layer of soil, and I haven't fixed it yet). I have a worm bin  for my own worm castings.  I have the beginnings of a forest garden (gophers are making this a difficult challenge.)  I have several garbage can composters, burry food scraps I don't want in the composters.  My garden has at least doubled in size, only two beds are the old style.  4 beds have been dug 2' under ground and filled hugel beet style, and 5 raised beds are filled hugel beet style.  Even my little window box beds I built have wood chips in the bottom.  All and all my garden has been expanded twice this year and now has 12 raised beds of some kind, and 3 large pots. In every bed you will find many different veggies, flowers and herbs.  I don't worry about spacing, for most of the veggies, they seem to produce even better crowded than with proper spacing.  It's an addiction, I'm telling you.  My son actually said to me one day Mom you need an intervention.  I said "it could be drugs, or alcohol".  Permies has changed the way I think.  Not only about my garden, but what I buy, how I use things, the way I live my life in a more thoughtful way to how what I do and am affects others and the world we live in.  

WARNING PERMIES IS HIGHLY ADDICTIVE   Permies may cause you to make life altering change.  Permies may cause you to talk to stranger about gardening and the RRR, and rocket stoves, and, and, and,. Yep all you creative permies need to get on it, a warning sign is definitely needed.

Then again maybe infecting the word with kindness, knowledge and environmental thoughtfulness isn't such a bad thing .

Such a lovely heart felt post - Thank you Jen.

No need for “Hello, my name is Edward and I’m addicted to permies . . .” - there is no cure, there is no self help group, there’s no need to break the addiction.

My biggest fear is if I rise too far up the Wheaton Scale my wife might think I’m crazy . . . Hmm . . . I may already be there.

Jen said, "WARNING PERMIES IS HIGHLY ADDICTIVE   Permies may cause you to make life altering change.  Permies may cause you to talk to stranger about gardening and the RRR, and rocket stoves, and, and, and,. Yep all you creative permies need to get on it, a warning sign is definitely needed.

Then again maybe infecting the word with kindness, knowledge and environmental thoughtfulness isn't such a bad thing .

Thank you, Jen

This is such a thoughtful post and a reminder of how great these forums are.  

I knew in 2016 when I found these forums I had found a place I wanted to be and still feel the same way.

And thank you to all the other forum members that make this such a lovely place to be.

That's the best addiction (or the only good addiction) there is!

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:That's the best addiction (or the only good addiction) there is!

20 Month I was stuck on a wind farm project in Taiwan due to no relief was allowed to enter the country.
20 Month away from my beloved wife, my doggies, our fruit tree collection and friends in Thailand.

There were many days as a project manager where I wanted to throw the towel and other days were dull and boring but permies gave me always a way to escape and kept my mind dwelling into nature when a break was needed...

Howdy,

Me thinks Jen speaks for a lot of us.


"Then again maybe infecting the WORLD with kindness, knowledge and environmental thoughtfulness isn't such a bad thing"

Your post speaks for me as well.  After decades of not having a garden I finally was able to start one about five and half years ago.  We didn't have a lot of extra money so I direct seeded and didn't use any chemicals.  I felt bad because those around me tilled twice a year and used chemicals in their gardens but I kept going because I loved it.  Then I discovered Joseph Lofthouse on a different forum and then his collaborator William Schlagel when I googled Joseph's landrace projects.  That landed me here and to all of the other people on this site and their vast knowledge and wisdom.  This last fall and now winter I read these forums as much as I can so I can prepare for Spring.

Edward Norton wrote:My biggest fear is if I rise too far up the Wheaton Scale my wife might think I’m crazy . . . Hmm . . . I may already be there.

I’m not even that far up the Wheaton Eco Scale but I’m pretty sure my husband thinks I’m crazy already.

At the least he grew up on nature preserves so he can appreciate a lot of it, too.

I guess if you’ve been around 5 years it’s a little late to say “welcome, Jen”.  I really enjoyed reading your warning 😊.  

It’s wonderful to have a place where I am not considered “weird”….. right people?  Or maybe I am considered weird but I am in good company here.

Jen Fulkerson wrote:  WARNING PERMIES IS HIGHLY ADDICTIVE   Permies may cause you to make life altering change.  Permies may cause you to talk to stranger about gardening and the RRR, and rocket stoves, and, and, and,. Yep all you creative permies need to get on it, a warning sign is definitely needed.

Then again maybe infecting the word with kindness, knowledge and environmental thoughtfulness isn't such a bad thing .

HI JEN: I'm not hooked or addicted to permies, however, I like the little surprises that come from some of the daily eMails sent out by permies. You don't even have to hunt for articles to read, plus maybe there are those that you just bypass.

But, you're right, there is a WEALTH of information on the site. I've both learned about items I'm interested in and have shared info in current posts or new posts that I've made - hoping that people have interest enough to read those.

It is like having a good neighbor back in the 50's that you can call on for HELP!!!

New member here ... Warning noted.  Fully ignored. Haha.  And hoping for a community to thrive in!  
I have a new house and spent the weekend pruning what I hope is a crabapple tree and a lilac bush.  Now I have lots of dead wood for a garden mulch base.
I have so much land around the house I can't decide what to do first!  Research indicates I should have started the beads in the fall but I didn't own the property then.  And I want to start growing something edible this summer!  
Should it be a hedgerow? Or a hope and prayer vegetable garden? Or just grow in pots this year?  Or make an herb spiral?  
Or stick with the original plan and see what the garden holds from someone who once loved it before me and grow my micro greens indoors.  
I'll figure it out I know!

Hello everyone!

Katheryn Studinski wrote:New member here ... Warning noted.  Fully ignored. Haha.  And hoping for a community to thrive in!  
I have a new house and spent the weekend pruning what I hope is a crabapple tree and a lilac bush.  Now I have lots of dead wood for a garden mulch base.
I have so much land around the house I can't decide what to do first!  Research indicates I should have started the beads in the fall but I didn't own the property then.  And I want to start growing something edible this summer!  
Should it be a hedgerow? Or a hope and prayer vegetable garden? Or just grow in pots this year?  Or make an herb spiral?  
Or stick with the original plan and see what the garden holds from someone who once loved it before me and grow my micro greens indoors.  
I'll figure it out I know!

Hello everyone!

Welcome Katheryn!  And congratulations on your new place, and would you want to start your own thread?  You could tell us some more about your place, how big , what climate and or zone, and ask for ideas.  Not very different than this post, but it’s hidden here in the warning thread.  We try to stay on topic, so as to keep a semblance of order.

To start a new thread, down under the last post in a thread there are a lot of links, one of them says “new topic”.  I think that is the one….

If not, someone else who knows more than I will post soon.

Personally, while I’m a little off topic anyway, let me say I think if I have moved in when everything is dormant, it is a lot of fun to just see what comes up.

That also fits with doing a bit of planning and design first, but I can’t imagine going through a growing season not growing ANYTHING!

So, what’s your highest priority, or what have you always wanted to do, or is there some plant you want to try?

Last time I moved to a new place, I vowed not to eat anything from that soil for a year.  There was evidence the prior owner utilized a lot of toxic gick!   I put out a lot of wood chips and inoculated with beneficial bacteria and mushroom spawn, and generally encouraged soil life.  And in one small area I began a nursery where I grew various plants I brought home because I was going to need a lot of plants for future use, and I saw them and I liked them and I wanted to get to know them….

Can’t wait to hear more about your place!😄

Thanks for the tip!  I think I saw an introduction section too the other day.  I'll jump over there when I have some time and do that.  

I like your idea of waiting a year to eat from my land as I keep picking up trash everywhere. Except maybe I'll grow the things I want to eat in pots this year.

See you over in the into thread in a few days!

This week I met someone who is setting up their compost but hadn't heard about Permies.com yet.
I completely forgot to give her the warning - oops.
I think I did a pretty good job of not exposing how deep in I am.

Probably.