Georgia Greetings

Hi all.

I've been lurking and reading, reading, reading this forum for months.

At nearly 1:30am, I've decided change that a little.

Are there any GA people here? The place seems to have no presence here apart from PDC announcements now and then.

My interests (at this very moment) are chickens & bees, air layering, GA wildflower mixes, native american myths, tree identification, and finding other Georgians who like permies.com.

I would love any book recommendations, discussions, URL links, meetups, hypotheses, or the like on anything like this.
Pleased to make your acquaintance. - kodou

Yep, you can count me in the GA permies.com camp.

Well well... there are others out there.

Hi tamo42.
It seems like many of the other posters here are in North GA. I'll have to make my way there some time.

I'm wondering if that is why I've come across only a few things permie/biodynamic closer to the Atlanta area.
Meh, I'm likely just not meeting and talking to the right people yet.

Are you in south georgia?

I'm in Stone Mountain, so just outside the metro area.

It seems that there are so few from the south east that I gladly consider you my neighbor.  At least we have pretty much the same growing conditions.

I think Living Wind is pretty close to you though.

Jeanine Gurley wrote:
It seems that there are so few from the south east ...

I chalk it up to the region's tendency to lag behind on everything.

I've just found two biodynamic people in my area that I had no idea even existed a year ago, both longtime practitioners. (I'm talking 15+ years)

I spend time between Atlanta, Athens, and Sunset, SC. GeorgiaOrganics has meetings quite often in and around the Decatur area.  http://www.georgiaorganics.org/home.aspx , http://georgiapermaculture.net/ , http://permaculture.meetup.com/cities/us/ga/atlanta/ .

Good to see another Ga friend. Peace -

I used to work a lot with GA Organics, but knew nothing of a GA permaculture group.

Whatever happened to the permaculture farm that went up for sale in north GA? Did they at least find a good match for a buyer? Or is the place going back to the wild as I type this?

Well as you can see the listing is still there so I presume it's still on the market. People are so reluctant to put all their chips in these days. The market is just too unstable. So start growing more food people, and forget the paper currency. 

I have a small hugelkultur bed that I've just built and covered lightly with straw.

Anyone have suggestions on what will give a good show here for autumn this late in the summer?
I was thinking maybe a mix of hairy vetch and crimson clover for cover, with some sort of wildflower (if I'm not too late) for height. The bed already has bearded iris growing in it.

I also have a perennial wildflower mix on hand, but am pretty sure it should be seeded in the spring.
Could this establish itself in time to come back next year?

Why not go ahead and try some autumn vegetables? I'm planting swiss chard, kohlrabi, mustard, tatsoi, arugula, red russian kale, spinach, collards to name a few...

I've got a few beds w/ mounded dirt over finished compost and planted directly into.

Let's see a photo. I'd go ahead and start some in pods and direct plant some others (chard, spinach).

The main reason is that it is not my garden bed, and that it very likely will not be looked after.

I like to mix edibles and ornamentals, so may throw some autumn veggies in there anyway, but this bed needs more perennial flowers than anything.

Where did you go for all your seeds? I would like to find a seed supplier in the southeast.

kodou wrote:
The main reason is that it is not my garden bed, and that it very likely will not be looked after.

I like to mix edibles and ornamentals, so may throw some autumn veggies in there anyway, but this bed needs more perennial flowers than anything.

Where did you go for all your seeds? I would like to find a seed supplier in the southeast.

Hybridized seeds are rampant in the South.. People haven't figured out that most seed sold at Home Depot, Lowe's etc is hybrid or gmo seed sold by a seed supplier under Monsanto, the largest agrichemical company in the world. For that reason I buy from Northern California, supporting the small guys/ventures. I highly suggest these guys! Such awesome varieties. www.sustainableseedco.com They have a winter sale on now too. Get on it.  Peace -

LivingWind wrote:
...most seed sold at Home Depot, Lowe's etc is hybrid or gmo seed sold by a seed supplier under Monsanto...

The proliferation of monsanto-controlled seeds is downright scary, but big home centers do sell seeds from other companies. Lowe's and Burpee would be an example, though Burpee just doesn't sit well with me.
http://www.burpee.com/gygg/content.jsp?contentId=about-burpee-seeds

Be careful about "GMO" and "hybrid". I don't think they are interchangeable.


I'm checking out SustainableSeed's site now. Thanks for the link. I like what I see so far, although it would've been great if they were on the east coast instead of the west -- I'd love to support people doing the same thing closer to GA.

The weather today has kept me from snapping a photo. I'm gonna do it though, I swear.

I found a seed packet of cosmos that I forgot about, and gave them a sprinkle in one corner...we'll see if it does anything.

I am new to this forum - live in South Georgia- but hoping  one day to move to North Georgia or North Carolina mountains.  Even though new to the forum-not new to these kinds of ideas.  Have always been a permaculture person- just didn't know what it was called. I would love to connect to someone in this area that would enjoy a gardening project. I would like to put some of this information into actual practice.  I have the garden space and will share!

wittsoma wrote:
I am new to this forum - live in South Georgia- but hoping  one day to move to North Georgia or North Carolina mountains.  Even though new to the forum-not new to these kinds of ideas.  Have always been a permaculture person- just didn't know what it was called. I would love to connect to someone in this area that would enjoy a gardening project. I would like to put some of this information into actual practice.   I have the garden space and will share!

Welcome..
I have some family in Statesboro. Enjoy the knowledge shared here...
Peace -

The clouds have broken and the sun is out.
I went outside to take a photo of the bed, but my camera battery was dead.
I'll try again later.

Hi wittsoma.

What area of south GA? I hope you find someone to pair up with there. It'd be a great opportunity for the both of you I'm sure.
North Georgia. I get the feeling that a lot of people with our interests like that area. If you are ever in the metro Atlanta area, let me know.

here goes:

below are pictures of a small bed.



herb hyssop is at one end and I've sown cosmos at the other. between them is a rose.
there's also a red cabbage and winter squash in there.
5-gal bucket for scale.
The irises do their thing in spring, the hyssop in summer.
Now I just need a showy perennial for the fall.

The bed is nearly done but needs a ground cover. I was thinking hairy vetch? but I've no idea of what to plant right for this time of year.

What plants could work in this region, whether seedling or sown?
Plants I considered:
hairy vetch w/ wild strawbs
nasturtium
saffron crocus
a nutty shrub or berry (ex. hazelnut, nanking cherry) to go next to the irises, behind the rose.

cool mound, but put some food in there! I suggest a nice wintery mix..Kale,spinach,pak choi, speckled lettuce, maybe a few carrots,chard.. These days I don't plant any ornamentals at all.

I live in Valdosta which is about 10 or 15 minutes from the Florida line.  It has been extremely hot and dry here this summer.  I had a summer garden and my favorite was the okra.  I planted an heirloom called Star of Israel.  It really loves this South Georgia heat and humidity. If anyone knows of a small piece of property with a water source and  dwelling in North Georgia either to rent or purchase- please let me know?

wittsoma wrote:
I live in Valdosta which is about 10 or 15 minutes from the Florida line.  It has been extremely hot and dry here this summer.  I had a summer garden and my favorite was the okra.  I planted an heirloom called Star of Israel.  It really loves this South Georgia heat and humidity. If anyone knows of a small piece of property with a water source and  dwelling in North Georgia either to rent or purchase- please let me know?

Ya it's hot as fire in Valdosta...Okra has done well for me this year in the extreme heat. Check it out... http://livingwind.tumblr.com/post/9893664150/okra-really-loves-the-heat-sunset-south

I'm in Atlanta - a recent transplant from Los Angeles. I'm working on finishing the redesign of my City Farms model (which is also being renamed) to launch an effort to create an urban foodshed throughout entire neighborhoods as a basis for community economic development. I was disappointed moving here to find so few people had ever even heard the word "permaculture".

I'm one of those people who has never taken a PDC, but learned what works through trial and error - Fukuoka style. I'm big on experimentation and observation. The style of gardening I came up with over a period of time just flabergasted most people though. Even to this day, I keep hearing people say, "That's impossible. That won't work. You need to do..." Sometimes they wouldn't believe me even when I would show them my gardens or bring them free produce. Usually, they'd come around after me paying them a few visits with bags of veggies and they'd start asking for advice. LOL! I hardly any ever took it though. It seems like it was too much a leap for them to believe that you really could have an abundance of food without spending many hours toiling in the garden, without using pesticides, fertilizers or compost and without irrigating. I even had one or two say they couldn't do what I do because they liked spending time on garden work. If they did what I did, they wouldn't have much to do. That's weird reasoning to me.

Anyway, I'd love to connect with other permies here in Atlanta.

For now, I've gone ahead with autumn veg anyway, some flowers, and hairy vetch. Seeds should arrive soon.

I considered tea olive or aronia berry, but would rather transplant those from the wild than buy'em. (I already made that mistake once with beauty berry)

BenjaminBurchall, pm sent.

Hi Georgians,   just signed up yesterday.   I'm out I-20 west around Villa Rica.  Grow a garden and try to sell enough to pay for the garden addiction.   LOL  looking forward to sharing success and failures with the group.   

Looks like there are plenty of subjects here to keep one busy.. 

Welcome friend...Let's see some photos of your garden(s)...Peace with you -

Heres my garden... 

http://www.youtube.com/user/MrWhiskyDog#p/a/u/1/o9ntkJ_LbUw

Greetings Georgians!!

I have had a tough time meeting people with the same interests in sustainable living.  I am glad to have stumbled upon this post!!

I have cut down on waste by using Vermiculture and BSFL composting.  I am working on an Aquaponics system to see if I can grow under my house this winter.  Ordered partially broken solar cells to make a solar panel for ultra cheap panel and free electricty. Check out this YouTube post if you want to try too.


I have a half an acre back yard that is on a slope.  I was really trying to design a wall to make the land flat and generally engaging in typical engineering thoughts about how to fix my yard.  I ran across a Permaculture video where the use of swells retain water for the garden.  WOW!  So simple and combined with Hoguleculture it really has the ability to create a garden out of a desolate dead area killed by super tall pine trees. Any one know if sweet gum can be used in Hoguleculture bed?  I know that pines are not so good for it so any help would be great.

Glad to find you all!  Anyone else taking the PDC course in Decatur at the end of the month??

Happy Trails for now!
Mark

MarkAllen200 wrote:
Greetings Georgians!!
I am working on an Aquaponics system to see if I can grow under my house this winter...

Glad to find you all!  Anyone else taking the PDC course in Decatur at the end of the month??

Hi MarkAllen200. I'm glad that you found this site.
You might want to talk with tamo42 about Aquaponics. Perhaps you both are doing this for the winter?

Not taking the PDC.

I think sweet gums should be fine for your bed and combining them with swales should give you excellent results during the intense summers here.

hiya folks,

Just stumbled upon the permaculture/ecological gardening world over the last few months via a need to control my own food source. I read Fukuoka's One Straw Revolution, finishing up Helen and Scott Nearing's The Good Life and Continuing the Good Life and blazing through Gaia's Garden (really inspiring stuff).

I'm moving back to Atlanta in November (probably somewhere around little 5 points), hoping to have enough backyard to apply these new concepts to build soil, grow the majority of my food (eating what's in season), preserve/store my surplus and create an eye-pleasing world of natural growth. Would love to meet up with like minds...

Also, I want to find a permaculture certification course to take in-and-around atlanta. I won't be able to do the Shades of Green course in Decatur because I'm missing the first two weekends in Oct. and Nov., so if anyone knows about another course coming up please let me know. Same goes for any organic and/or farm-to-table-focused cooking classes...

hope all is well,
ben

Lots of pdc opportunities in the carolinas (i'm near greenville)..
my sis lives around 5points area....good to have ya on-board..
I'll see what I can find for ya.. peace ~

I reckon I'll need to pop up to Asheville for a course, which wouldn't be too bad. It's been ages since I was last up there.

I find this site inspitaional and educational.  Great to see Georgia folks.  I am in dahlonega, seems to be a good mix of old school gardeners/homesteaders and permie types.  I see my rabbit compost as source of all things good. 

Ya'll R not alone! 

I've lived in the Atlanta area for 7 years and have been wanting to connect with other permaculture folks.  I discovered this site trying to get a fresh perspective on the mass of black soldier fly larvae I found in my compost. As Fukumoto (spelling?)says, I don't have a bug problem, I have a duck deficiency. I took the  permaculture class back in 1997 with Scott Pittman and Bill Mollison. Haven't done much except grow some herbs and vegetables and occasionally pee in the garden. (Will post photos:)  My husband & I have worked on cob, straw bale and rammed earth houses, hoping to put that to use when we finally buy a piece of land within the next year. My husband helped to start the permaculture credit union when we lived in New Mexico, but our interest is more in community than in banking. Thanks to all who post, it helps me to keep the vision alive.

I'm about an hour south of Valdosta, in White Springs, FL.  Can I be an honorable member of the clan? 

Hi Everyone,
My partner and I recently LEFT Georgia, but we were pretty active in getting things going in GA, as far as we could, we held the candle high for many years...We now can boast about 60 graduates of PDC's and there are two PDC's coming up, one at Koinonia Farm in Americus, GA (www.koinoniapartners.org) and a lady named Brandy Hall is cranking up the FIRST Atlanta PDC very soon, so it IS finally happening there, although it is pretty far behind the curve of the rest of the US.
There are a lot of people doing permaculture now in GA, but they are very spread out. There are several folks listed here http://www.georgiapermaculture.net/ There is also one of our students teaching at Oakhurst Community Garden in Decatur.
Also on that pages is our farm which is for sale, near Milledgeville, GA...7 year old permaculture project if anyone's interested.  I have family on the west coast is why we left.
The Permaculture Gathering in Celo, NC is the regional "family gathering" which is a great way to connect with people from all over the southeast.

Enjoy!

PS,
Ken, there's a good group around Gainesville, FL, including graduates of 2 classes my partner Bob Burns did there...contact the guys at http://www.ediblelandscapers.com/ they'll connected you.

Peace,
Isabel

Thanks Isabel, taking a look.

Not sure how I missed this thread for the past 2 months, but I'm always interested in getting together with permie folk.