Wisconsin permies

Hello from the Southwest, Lafayette county!  I know most of these posts were put on here years ago...but it's nice to see so many interested in Permaculture in Wisconsin! I live in a small village on about 1/2 an acre. When we moved in 8 years ago there was only grass, a broken up and down inground pool, and a couple mature trees.  Now? We have a couple apple trees, 5 grape vines, a kiwi vine, elderberry, 2 cherry trees, a peach, lots of blueberries, currants, gooseberries, red and black raspberries, mushrooms, and a garden that is slowly becoming gorgeous with awesome soil! Now...most of this is still on tje smaller side...but I'm hoping within the next 2 years we'll be able to have fruit available every day during the summer. Yum, right?
 We also have rabbits. We were raising them for meat, but have put that on hold for a couple years, and now just enjoy them...and the great fertilizer they give.
  We're looking at expanding our fruit trees this year again, and setting up more intricate guilds under them.  We have a possibility of buying a lot behind our house with lots of mature trees on it, I'd love to be able to turn it into a small orchard...we'd have plenty to share with our friends/family/community then!
  It's nice meeting you all!

Hi Kat!  There are permies sprinkled all around the state.  Those that are able can partake in the Madison Permaculture guild.  

Aren't fruit trees and berry bushes the best?  I'm still eating fresh apples from the root cellar.  So you can still eat fresh for more than just the summer and fall

Hi Mike!
 I'll definitely check out the Madison group.  It would be nice to talk to people who already know what I mean when I say "fruit tree guild" or "herb spiral" or "zone 1 around the house"!  
  Eventually sometime faar in the future I want apples and frozen fruit in the winter too! It's going to be awhile though. We have 6 young kids and they all like to snitch off the bushes/trees/vines too.
 I dream of taking a PDC some year soon. Do they have those/host them in Madison?
  -Kat

Here's their website and they are doing a PDC this year.  It's  series of 3 day weekends which makes it pretty doable.  They were at the WPT Garden Expo in Madison two weekends ago and they are good people.

Kids snitching off the bushes is what it's all about!  It just means you need more bushes

Hey Wisconsin permies. The fifth annual Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence will be Sept. 14 - 16, 2018 near Rio, Wisconsin (about 40 minutes north of Madison). The convergence will have several tracks of talks, workshops and hands-on projects, and all are welcome. Many meals, camping and lots of fun, networking and learning are included with the fee. Learn more at http://www.wisconsinpermacultureconvergence.com/ You're welcome to come for some or all of the weekend, and there are still openings in the schedule for additional speakers - please fill out a facilitator proposal here http://www.wisconsinpermacultureconvergence.com/facilitator-proposals/

Hello all Wisconsonites !!! My husband & I are from Dunn co. ( left for job & some family reasons 3 yrs ago) & are planning to move back when our place here sells. Am on a few FB permies & regen. ag groups, but am not on fb a ton.. ( havent been on here much either, but am seeing this as a great resource to use more, with all the categories) .. anyway, hoping to really connect with area permies & homesteaders there, when we move back. Plan to be in northern Dunn co. To Chippewa co. this time ( my bff is just west of Bloomer on an organic dairy farm). While definitely have a lot to learn & hone still, I have been into homesteading type stuff all my life, grew up daury farming & roaming the countryside & my husband grew up rural & since being married 11 yrs ago, have had chickens & gardens most yrs. & planted a lot of perennials & trees. Hubby is a diesel mechanic with wide experience base, good welder, good shot, knows trees quite a bit, & overly adores chickens & really wants honey bees. He hasnt put in the time as much, learning about permaculture type growing, regenerative ag etc., other than bits I've shared with him,  but is on board with all this kinda stuff. I am huge fan of Richard Perkins, Charles Dowding, Allan Savory & Joel Salatin, & love Singing Frogs Farm farm also.

Dunn county is a pretty area.  The missus and I traveled through there on our homestead search.  Welcome back home

Mike Jay wrote:Dunn county is a pretty area.  The missus and I traveled through there on our homestead search.  Welcome back home

Thanks ! Yes, it very much is ( beautiful !) .. not so much east side of Menomonie, but most of rest of west/central WI is, the driftless region tops it overall, but a lot of our ol stomping grounds is quite similar. Organic/natural/alternative & homesteading have been very popular for a long time ( continues to grow) in the area, too.

Hey Angela, not sure if you have a place yet but this one just popped up in the Menominee area.  11 acre homestead - apple orchard - $75K

Welcome, Angela and best of luck!

Hello! I see this isn't currently the most active thread, but still wanted to say hey. I'm on six (mostly wooded) acres in rural Bayfield County. My first summer here was just observation, and then this past summer I started with a small garden and a small flock of chickens. We'll see what comes next!

Marisa Lee wrote:Hello! I see this isn't currently the most active thread, but still wanted to say hey. I'm on six (mostly wooded) acres in rural Bayfield County. My first summer here was just observation, and then this past summer I started with a small garden and a small flock of chickens. We'll see what comes next!

Hi there.Glad you reactivated this thread with your post. I am not rural, but live in a small town in south central Wisconsin. Your property sounds beautiful.

Hi, here in Monticello WI.  Just got my first land and home on 10 acres mostly woods. In the planning stage and very excited.

Thanks for reviving it Marisa.  You're pretty close to The Draw permaculture nursery.  I'd give them a visit when you get a chance.

Mike Haasl wrote:Thanks for reviving it Marisa.  You're pretty close to The Draw permaculture nursery.  I'd give them a visit when you get a chance.

Oh yeah, that's super close. I just checked out their website quick, and it sounds like they have some plants available that I'm looking for. I will definitely visit. Thanks for the tip!

joshua cockroft wrote:Hi, here in Monticello WI.  Just got my first land and home on 10 acres mostly woods. In the planning stage and very excited.

Congratulations!

So how is everyone's spring going?? Any plans and ideas in the works? So happy to see the sun, though still chilly here in Wisconsin.

Hi, Mari! I'm looking forward to getting my garden in. Of course, it'll be a while for most things, but I'm planning to direct-sow some cool weather crops at the end of the month. I've got a few different dates for starting seeds indoors (depending on how long before transplanting they should be started - I won't transplant until Memorial Day to June 1, since June 1 is supposedly our "last frost" date).

I have a little flock of nine hens and I ordered a few more chicks. Well, I ordered nine more chicks because that was the minimum and I wanted a certain breed so... figured I can sell the extra chickies and at least cover shipping. A smart person would have found a friend or two to order with but I was impatient and impulsive as always. Worst case scenario, I have 18 chickens.

This month while the woods are bare, I'll be going around with my wagon, picking up rocks. I'm lining our garden beds with rocks to hold heat. I've also gotta cut a few small trees now before they leaf out. My teenagers and I will be cutting them to length, drilling holes, and putting in spore plugs to grow mushrooms next year. It's a homeschool project! Although I expect at least one if not both kids will return to public school in September. One wants to, one does not. I liked having them home this year, but I'll be looking for work by then, myself, so less available to teach them.. I graduated from law school in January and take the bar exam in July.

Ooh! One other project is setting up compost next to the chickens. It was dumb this past winter trudging out to where I originally put out compost, when I already had a nice shoveled path to the chickens that I had to visit at least twice a day. It'll be more efficient to take the compost there.

And finally, sometime in the next few days, I'll boil the last of the sap and pull out the taps. The forecast looks like temps consistently staying above freezing overnight, so it's done.

What about you?

Spring is springing up north here.  The snow left a week ago but it's been chilly the last couple nights.  I have about 20 flats of seedlings going in the greenhouse.  Rhubarb is starting to show itself out by the garden.

I cut down some big white pines this winter and am having a buddy come over to saw them up this month.  Before that happens I have to find a place to stack the lumber.  Which will need to be under cover (cover that I don't have yet).  So I'm sorting that out, moving a firewood rack that's in the way of the proposed location and other odds and ends.

Plus I'm running the SKIP kickstarter with Paul so that's eating up most of my time right now.  But it's worth it.  

Is it possible to plant peas and salad greens too early?  Once the frost is out of the ground can we do that or would I be jumping the gun?

Howdy. I've been doing a lot of permacultureish stuff over the last decade around Milwaukee and Madison, just finding out more specifics after being referred to these forums. I'm looking to buy some land around Forest County, between Rhinelander and Iron Mountain, in the next month. Planning to do some mostly off grid projects with natural building techniques and hopefully convince a few others to join in.

Reading through this thread, looks like Mike is the furthest Northeast in the state around Merrill? Any good permaculture resources to be aware of round these parts? I've already heard rumors of someone in the UP doing strawbale construction. I'd definitely like to go with a Rocket Mass Heater(s) in any structure that is built. A wofati walkthrough might tip my building style preferences...

Hey Coydon, welcome to the Northwoods  The only established permaculture place I'm aware of is The Draw Permaculture near Bayfield.  Another promising thing is the Northwoods Community Garden and Permaculture Training Center in Rhinelander.  The "Permaculture Training Center" part is more aspiration at this point but give it a year or two.

As for natural building up here, it's mainly wood related.  I know of three cordwood builds so I'm sure there are more.  Log cabins are very common.  A major cordwood builder is in Merrill (Richard Flatau).  Straw isn't very plentiful up here.  I'd love to see a local wofati but I'm not aware of one.

The properties I'm looking at are from a timber plantation, so plenty of red pine logs to work with. I'm almost sold on the underground/berm structures, but not excited about the plastic/rubber membrane aspect. Also the ground I dug up for a sample today was heavy on sand, very little clay, so cob looks like it could be difficult.

Thanks for the mention of cordwood, that hadn't made my list yet- helps on the insulation problems with wood. How suitable would red pine be for it? Hopefully there's a good permie recipe for mortar to dig up around here...

Are those cordwood builders/owners social people?

Hello! I'm in NW Wisconsin (rural Bayfield County). I know there is a straw bale house in Bayfield (in town), but they were required to put siding on it. There is a cordwood house right on Highway 13 but I don't know the person. And there's tons of small-scale permaculture around here, or at least (as you said) permaculturish stuff. Something about being on this little liberal hippie peninsula leads to people being very interested in sustainable & clean alternatives, though admittedly it is not super close to where you're looking at land. I'm sure you will find kindred spirits there, too!

I'm a bit leery of the untreated wood underground element of a wofati in our climate.  I'm not sure an umbrella is enough to keep water in the earth from wicking up and rotting out the posts.  Hopefully I'm just misinformed about how soils work.

I think cedar is the best for cordwood but pine is fairly high on the list.  I think Richard has a non-cement mortar recipe.  I'd base my decisions off of Richard's books before I did on either of the houses I know of (one I've been in).  I think, much like RMHs, the first one you build isn't great.  Neither of these were built by their current occupant.  The problem is that people don't usually build a couple practice cordwood houses first.  So their first one is the one they live in and they don't let the wood dry enough so it shrinks and leaks like a sieve.  

One of the places (I also haven't seen it) is a museum near Pelican Lake Facebook Link.  That would probably be a good first stop, along with reading one of Richard's books.

Marisa Lee wrote:Hello! I'm in NW Wisconsin (rural Bayfield County). I know there is a straw bale house in Bayfield (in town), but they were required to put siding on it. There is a cordwood house right on Highway 13 but I don't know the person. And there's tons of small-scale permaculture around here, or at least (as you said) permaculturish stuff. Something about being on this little liberal hippie peninsula leads to people being very interested in sustainable & clean alternatives, though admittedly it is not super close to where you're looking at land. I'm sure you will find kindred spirits there, too!

I'm in the area because of an amazing small community near where I am looking. I've been assured almost anywhere else I go around here will be full of people dedicated to our recently replaced national leader, but I'm decidedly unpartisan so planning to simply demonstrate there are better ways to do most of this living stuff somewhat similar to what Paul is doing in Missoula.

Interestingly, I recall the first time I payed attention to the word 'homesteading' someone was talking about folks up in Bayfield. It is sad to hear about the siding obligation, sounds like the old hippie >>> yuppie progression happening?

Oddly, the "city" of Bayfield (less than 500 people, so odd to call it a city) has many aesthetic rules, so I think that's what happened with the siding. They've done a good job maintaining the historic small town feel, partly by keeping out chain businesses (no Starbucks, McDonald's, Walgreens etc) which is cool, and also by restricting paint colors, exterior lighting, and things like that. It's important for tourism. A lot of people who live in town are wealthy retirees. Rural Bayfield is farms, orchards, vineyards, the rez, commercial fishing, logging . . . so that's where your permie/homestead/off-grid folks are at. But even those townies tend to be pretty committed to environmental sustainability.

Hello, fellow 'sconnies!  I've recently become acquainted with the permaculture philosophy and I've come here eager to learn more. I currently live on a small suburban lot in Kenosha county, but I've got my sights set on purchasing a few acres in the area when I have the means. Very exciting to see other folks in Wisconsin, thanks for having me!

Hello WI permies!  I am currently in IL but looking for property up there in your nice state.  I hope to you join you all soon in permi adventures in WI.

Shout out to the Antioch people.  I lived there over the winter at my friend's place.  It's a nice area.  

Anyone care to share opinions/reviews on the Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence (Sep 24-26 this year)? I'm deciding if I should go ahead and buy a ticket or wait to play it by ear while figuring out schedule pressures...

I see that this is an old post & I will reply anyway. We are 30 miles north of Madison on a small, narrow acre. We have an abundance of wildlife & gardens, both for food & pollinators. We sit in a somewhat remote subdivision. Some neighbors have chickens but we are not fenced in for that. We would like to travel this winter & are considering the possibility of renting for the winter to cover our mortgage, work trade in spring & summer when we return & potentially, eventually selling our organic acre. We would be sharing our home with you when you return. If you had a camper or RV in the warmer season, that may be ideal. If any interest is out here, let's start up a conversation.

Hi Sondra, you might want to also post your offer in a new thread in the Land Share sub forum.  

Good morning!  
My name is Brigitte Melchert, and I am looking for acreage to start my regenerative homestead or share property, work, etc.  I have been learning about regenerative land management for about 5 years, and I recently participated in Greg Judy's grazing school.  I also participated in a weekend intensive all about homesteading in May.  Both were packed chock full of excellent information along with some hands on learning.  I helped another family get their regenerative homestead started up, but then the owner was in a very bad accident, so they had to postpone for a couple of years.  They sold all of their animals and are moving into the city to be near medical care.  So I am back home in Wisconsin looking to partner up with some like minded individuals or families to put a regenerative homestead in high gear!  And I had better say that first and foremost I am interested in animals, not so much in gardening.  I don't eat a whole lot of plants, so although I am always happy to help some with tending gardens (especially if I get to work WITH people on projects), I prefer the animal, building, maintenance side of a homestead.  
I also come with an English Springer Spaniel with a tail, an old frail cat (maybe), and some chickens and ducks.
So if anyone wants to talk more or consider a crazy 53 year old crone (crazy for the grazers!) that loves hard work sometimes alone and sometimes with others, who comes with critters to begin with, who also is working on a way too big tiny home skoolie......then lets chat!!!
Have a wonderful day!  
Brigitte Melchert near Milwaukee, WI.

Thank you Brigitte for your interest in my post. This really is more of gardening than an animal husbandry opportunity.  Good luck with your search.

Hello Wisconsin permies!

Just moved onto three acres between Stevens Point and Waupaca.  New to the area and hoping there are like minded permies around and or information to be shared.  Wanting to get a garden started this year but need to do some prep work which probably includes dump truck loads of soil/compost/mulch.  Anybody know of a source of materials that won't kill my new garden?

If anybody is around, would like to meet nearby permies.  Send me a message if interested.

Regards,
Matthew

Welcome Matthew!  I'm a fair bit north of you but there's at least one permie on here from around Rapids.  Sounds like you're really close to Custer, WI where they hold the energy fair in late June.  I'd highly recommend checking that out.  Lots of renewable stuff, homesteading, natural building and env. activism stuff.  

The two sources we use for compost up here come from closer to you.  Busy Bee compost and Hsu's garden supply.  I used the Busy Bee stuff for our organic community garden and it seemed to work well.  

Hi again. Revisiting this thread and want to know how everyone is doing here in Wisconsin :)  I posted a question in the homesteading section and would love some info :) Thanks.

Matrim Schmidt wrote:Hello Wisconsin permies!

Just moved onto three acres between Stevens Point and Waupaca.  New to the area and hoping there are like minded permies around and or information to be shared.  Wanting to get a garden started this year but need to do some prep work which probably includes dump truck loads of soil/compost/mulch.  Anybody know of a source of materials that won't kill my new garden?

If anybody is around, would like to meet nearby permies.  Send me a message if interested.

Regards,
Matthew

Hi Matthew: My wife and I just bought a place nearby in Scandinavia.  We would love to meet and discuss permaculture [we are novices and excited to start planting!].

Matrim Schmidt wrote:Hello Wisconsin permies!

Just moved onto three acres between Stevens Point and Waupaca.  New to the area and hoping there are like minded permies around and or information to be shared.  Wanting to get a garden started this year but need to do some prep work which probably includes dump truck loads of soil/compost/mulch.  Anybody know of a source of materials that won't kill my new garden?

If anybody is around, would like to meet nearby permies.  Send me a message if interested.

Regards,
Matthew

Matthew: We also have sandy soil, and lot's of pine.  What have you found that grows well?

Hello Stephan,

According to Google Maps you are indeed nearby in Scandinavia.  I think it would be great to meet up with permie neighbors.  If you would like to meet up sometime, send me an email or purple moosage sometime.

Regarding what grows well on the sand we have...
(Some folks would probably frown upon my response to your question)
...I dug out the sand, purchased in delivered garden soil, and planted into that.  It came from a landscaping company in Wisconsin Rapids.  It's actually pretty amazing stuff so far.  The squash are absolutely loving it!  

We don't have too many pines on the property.  Mostly Black Locust.  A blessing and a curse.  

Hey Wisconsin Permies! Would love to meet some of you at the Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence happening in September. Details are below! Cheers, Drew.

The Sixth WPC begins Friday evening Sept. 23 and ends Sunday Sept 25 in the afternoon.

Participants are welcome to attend  any part of or the entire weekend. There will be an opening gathering on Friday evening, workshops throughout Saturday and Sunday, a wine tasting on Saturday night and other socializing and networking opportunities throughout the weekend. You can find additional information about the event at  our  website:http://www.wisconsinpermacultureconvergence.com/

We invite you to join with permaculture practitioners, enthusiasts and those new to it from around Wisconsin and neighboring states, along with dozens of dynamic and diverse presenters, educators, homesteaders, activists and resilience-builders, for a truly extraordinary event that will touch your heart, expand your horizons, and leave you inspired and energized.


When & Where is the Event?

The 2022 Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence will be held  Friday, Sept. 23 - Sunday, Sept. 25. near Rio, Wisconsin, about 30 minutes north of Madison (the address will be provided upon sign-up). Participants may arrive Friday afternoon (registration starts at 5 p.m.), and the last sessions will be after Sunday lunch, followed by a community-style clean up.

Where can I stay the night?

On-site camping is available for both tent and RV-style vehicles (no electrical, water or sewer hookups). Camping is included in the registration fee. There will be restrooms (porta potties and an indoor composting toilet) and handwashing stations available throughout the site.

There are two campgrounds, Silver Springs and Willow Mill, located within two miles of the host site. These two campgrounds offer campsites with electric hook-up as well as tent camping.

If you seek hotel or motel accommodations, we suggest the communities of Columbus, Portage or Madison.

What is the food situation?

Meals included with the registration fee are Saturday lunch and dinner, and Sunday lunch. In the past, participants have gathered on Friday for a pot-luck style dinner. Breakfast is on your own, and participants are encouraged to share those meals as well. There will be limited camping-style cooking arrangements available such as a cookstove and a refrigerator for breakfast food storage. Dishwashing facilities will be provided.

Who will attend?

We expect around 100 - 200 participants from throughout the Midwest. You can review the list of presenters HERE. More will be added to the list as we approach the weekend.

What will happen during the event?
The main intention of this gathering is to bring permaculture practitioners, enthusiasts and neophytes together to teach, learn, share, socialize, network and expand their permaculture horizons. Some sessions will be classroom learning style, while others will be participatory.

Attached is the schedule along with posters for the event. Let me know if you have any questions!