Tara Swenson

WOW! This is so cool! As a fellow animator and video editor who is also a permie was very excited to see this in my inbox Because I'm a little late to the conversation I don't know if my 2 cents are still helpful at this point, but if so, here are my thoughts (and apologies if any of these have already been stated, I haven't read through all the previous comments):

- The video can be cut MUCH shorter than 3.5 mins, more like 60-90 seconds at the absolute maximum. You want to grab people and keep them engaged, and its hard to do that with a 3.5 minute video.
- I'd cut all the interviews. Not sure if this is controversial (and sorry if so!) but these can easily be cut out and replaced with static images somewhere else on the Kickstarter page (outside of the video) as a still image with a quote overlay, or just the quote itself. I was engaged with the video until the interviews started - I think the switch from animation to video was jarring, and the animation is what is really going to keep people watching - the interviews aren't as compelling for me as a viewer. I also don't know who any of the people are (maybe I should?) but I imagine many viewers will also be in the same boat.
- At 1:22 where the new/improved Master Gardener Program being is compared to the previous course, instead of having text on the screen think about showing visuals instead (images of pesticides, fungicides, etc. that are replaced with images that represent permaculture, hugelkultur, happy animals / plants, etc.) Visuals are more compelling than text and will resonate with folks more on an emotional level.
- From here (after cutting the interviews), I'd jump in to showing "teasers" or "snippets" of the actual course itself -  people working in a garden, hands in the dirt, sitting together with notebooks, building things...
- Then, end on something compelling for the viewer, that keeps them excited / engaged. The current narration at the end should be the finale / climax and it falls somewhat flat currently. I'd consider changing the narration here from "Are there enough people wanting video of the whole class to pay for the editing?" to something more like "With your help we can turn this program into a video course that can be viewed any time, anywhere, on your schedule. Let's do this, together." Something to get buy-in from the viewers, to feel like they are involved in the creation of the thing. As a viewer/potential customer I don't really care how the editing gets paid for, but I do care about being involved in the production of a really cool product that's going to make this really essential and valuable information accessible to more people.

Since I'm here I'll also add that I'm an instructional designer with a background in video editing and animation (I create online educational courses that utilize a lot of writing, video, and interaction - here's my portfolio: https://taraswenson.github.io/). If you're in need of another editor / animator, or someone to help build video courses, I'm more than interested and please reach out to me at taradswenson@gmail.com This is really cool and I'm excited to see how it develops!

Thanks for the replies, all. We will likely try to train the cat to go inside the barn at night to avoid the coyotes. And they will be trap/neuter/release cats, so no chance of offspring.

Been thinking about getting a couple barn cats to help manage the rodent issue on our property. Does anyone else have barn cats and if so, any tips? Specifically curious if you have recommendations for helping to protect them from predators like coyotes, as there is a pack that frequents our property.

Hi all. I’ve read that shallow rooted plants including some wildflowers can be planted over septic fields in place of lawn, but I’m hesitant to do it. Has anyone tried this with any luck? I’d really like to conceal our ugly septic lid that sticks out like a sore thumb and replace the lawn with plants that don’t need water in the summertime, as all the grass dies off that time of year anyway. Looking for ideas. Located in western Washington, zone 8b for reference.

My partner and I are planning on starting a hugel hedgerow along the south border of our property that faces the road. Funny enough, this post was the first one I came across while researching ideas - and I live right outside Olympia (Tenino)! I love seeing the progress of your hedgerow, gives me a lot of inspiration and those flowers are so pretty. Thank you for sharing the names of all the plants you used. Would you mind posting an updated photo of how it’s looking, now that it’s 3+ years on?

Hi Nicholas, fellow noob chickener here We are planning to get our first chickens this spring, thinking maybe 3-5, but also unsure on breeds and I still have a lot of research to do. Our climate is quite different from yours (temperate hillside next to a forest, at the edge of floodplain and wetland) but similarly we will have to prepare to protect them from predators, as we have just about all of them here that would love to eat some chicken (cougars, bears, coyotes, eagles, etc.) I'm still slightly hesitant to get them, knowing that they could end up attracting predators to our yard, and we have a young kid and a couple of dogs... so that makes me nervous. I wonder what advice folks have about that?

Previously we had ducks when we lived in the city, in a very urban location, and one of them ended up getting killed (by a raccoon I think) while another got attacked by a possum (and managed to survive), so I guess predators are going to be an issue no matter where one is located.  

Hi Roberta! I've never heard of Camp Singing Wind, I'll need to check that out! I also haven't been to Oakville, what is it like there?

The events we'd like to host here are mostly music related (my husband and I make and perform music and many of our friends do as well, so we'd like to have music-oriented performances here) but I'd also like to do something involving the community in other ways. I'm not sure what that looks like yet but some ideas include permaculture workshops, yoga workshops, wilderness classes for kids, opening up part of the yard for a community garden, and having neighborhood "street fair" or harvest festival type events. Of course, a lot of this hinges on us getting our shop space fixed up - it was one of the selling points of the property for us. Currently its essentially a concrete slab with metal walls and roof, and full of holes where bats, lizards and mice get in. But we'd like to replace the walls, ideally with strawbale/lime, and replace the broken concrete floor with rammed earth, install a compost toilet bathroom, and install a new roof... this will likely take years and cost us a fortune. But then it will we weather-proof and better insulated for sound (for the music events). It's definitely a long-term vision  

Wow, Jenny. Sounds like our properties have a lot in common. Our water table is also really high and I've noticed some smells near the drainfield - now that you mention your issues with the septic tank not pumping properly I wonder if that is going on for us as well. The graywater and rain cistern both sound like a good idea, and that's something we'd ideally like to have on our property too (someday...) I'm in the process of ripping out a bunch of brush in overgrown areas of the yard and was planning on starting some hugel beds with the material. Any advice for starting a hugel bed? I haven't made one before but they seem like a smart idea.

Our property also borders wetlands and we get a seasonal tiny little creek that runs down the hillside, and lots of tiny springs that just seem to pour out of the side of the hill when it rains, so we are thinking of installing a pond at the lowest part of the property to gather the water. But the lowest part of our property is located directly near the road, so I wonder if that is an issue in terms of pond overflow getting onto the road? I need to do some more research on it. Your nursery idea sounds neat! That is something that is definitely in my long-term plan, one of those things I like to imagine happening "someday" this year though it will probably just be focused on getting the most basic infrastructure in place.. primarily installing the fence, maybe building a potting shed, maybe a greenhouse, maybe chickens and/or rabbits in the spring... it's hard to stay on task with so many ideas floating around! I keep imagining the yard overflowing with vegetables and flowers in the springtime it's nice having something to look forward to - these kind of daydreams are the things that are helping me get through this weird and challenging time.

James Landreth wrote:This may interest some of you. It's a bit south of tenino but not far by rural standards. Hopefully this will become a similar thread for Thurston county

https://permies.com/t/100135/Praise-Lewis-County

Ha! Funny you should mention that. I found that thread yesterday and was excited to come across it! Planning to go back and spend some more time reading through it. Really enjoyed reading your take on Lewis County and the potential it offers, not only for gardening but also in terms of growing into an even more diverse and inclusive community. (I’m still becoming familiar with Tenino but I have similar feelings about the potential for this location as well.)

Hi Jenny,
Great to meet you. Thanks for telling me about the Northwest Permaculture Conference. I hadn't heard of it, and am excited to potentially attend next year. Burnt Ridge Nursery looks great! I hadn't heard of them before, but am definitely going to order some plants from them soon, and Uprising Seeds looks great too.

In terms of what we've got going on at our place, oh boy, its a long list. We have only been here about 7 months, and our to-do list is never ending. So far we have been focused on basic maintenance-type projects with the house/property, and haven't gotten to the point of establishing anything for a permaculture setup, but the goal is to one day have a large permaculture-inspired garden, maybe a pond, maybe a wildflower meadow, some critters (maybe chickens, rabbits, and goats along with our current two dogs and potentially a new cat soon), a straw-bale event space on the property to host music performances and workshops, and so many more ideas. There is already an old apple/plum/pear orchard on the property and a small fenced-in garden with raised beds that I'm planning to expand upon. Currently working on installing some new fencing and gates to create a larger yard for the dog and kid. As soon as that's done I'm planning to get down to business with planning out the garden for the spring and ordering seeds and plants. Our property is south-facing, but its on a slope with heavy clay soil, and some parts of the property are landslide prone while others are wetlands, and at least half of it is forested, so its an interesting challenge to think of how best take advantage of what natural resources are available. After last week I've been thinking of how to manage water, since we border a flood zone. Have you been interested in permaculture for long? Curious what sorts of projects you have going on as well.