Graeme Johnson

Happy early birthday to him! And kudos on that impressive and abundant garden in the city! We're in PDX as well, just moved back to the city after a few years in the woods on the east coast. Are you looking for recommendations of places that are already running as a permaculture focused site? Or sites that want to start in permaculture and need help/ideation/etc?

Anne Pratt wrote:Graeme, did the cilantro ever come up?

Mine are all bolting, even the very small ones, so I'm just planting more.

The first round did not! Not a one... at least that I saw. So I tossed some more seeds down in a different bed and got much better results! Hopefully they'll be ready for picking with my tomatoes and peppers so my salsa will be all homemade.

Are yours big enough to harvest, despite the bolting?

My family and I are just south of UConn, building out our little acreage with herbs, fruits, and veggies. Where are you? Are you working your land? Always good to meet new permies in CT!

James Sullivan wrote:My daughter and I put in a bean pole teepee this year.

What a fun project! I did the same with my daughter last weekend. Had pulled down a few standing dead pole trees in the spring and set out to dry in the sun. Chopped them up in 7' lengths and made it into a tee-pee trellis! Currently has a passion flower on one leg, and the other legs we're deciding on what beans, veggies, flowers, etc. to grow. I hung up some japanese knot weed branches to act as shade before the crops grow, so my daughter can still use it to hang out and read in during the summer.  

Michelle Czolba wrote:I love this thread!

So far, the deer tackled the new peach tree pretty hard. She's making a comeback but it's a race for time before the deer hit again.

What a sad loss! Have you tried anything to thwart the deer? Deer got to one pear and one plum tree back in middle of June. We've planted lavender, lemon balm, and mint around them as well as sprayed every few weeks w/ lavender Dr. Bronners & water... so far no more deer attacks! We'll see how long that lasts

Michael Moreken wrote:all comfrey did not sprout.  Wrong! see one of 10 plants, up and doing ok.  Elderberry bushes (3 of them) doing good, trees planted one still with no leaves, plus the one we clipped with lawn mower!

I hope your comfrey keeps popping up! We love our plants. Great flowers, great biomass, great fertilizer (have a 5 gallon batch of comfrey fertilizer tea brewing right now). Just divided some roots and planted them around our new bed of blueberry, pear, plum, fig, strawberry, and bee balm.

How old are you elderberries? Have you had fruit? Ours are at 2.5 years, one of them about 6' tall... no berries yet.

Mk Neal wrote:Maypop plant I ordered arrived at the end of April just before a late frost that killed it.

I feel your pain! Our maypop lived for last year, but couldn't survive this past winter. We may try again just in a pot  and winter inside.

So far the cilantro is the only think not coming up! Broccoli and Kale are getting munched by baby bunnies, but some are toughing it out. No ground cherries yet, but they didn't sprout until late June last year so not really a surprise... yet.

Sounds like a wonderful opportunity! We just visited good friends up in Paonia and this area is beautiful. What would the living situation be? Is there an established shelter for the homesteader(s) to live in?

Hi Jeanne!

Your family sounds much like mine, though our daughter is about 3. We currently live in New England, but we are moving at the end of 2020/beginning of 2021. I am an engineer and beginning wood worker; my wife is a midwife, massage therapist, and plant medicine woman. We both enjoy listening and playing music and singing. The intent right now is to move to North Carolina and set up our little slice of permaculture heaven on a few acres outside Asheville. We have ideas and drawings of a few small structures, food forest, and possibly animals - especially if they provide wool we can spin.

If that sounds interesting to you, I'd be happy to talk more! Perhaps we share similar ideals and vision, and could build toward them together.

Hey there! I’m Graeme, a 33yo engineer.  My family of three is moving to the Asheville area sometime toward the end of this year and beginning of next. We are currently living in New England creating as much edible cooperation with our surroundings as we can. We’ve got a growing orchard with apples, pears, peaches, paw paw, and edible dogwood; a few dozen herbs for eating and medicinal use (my wife is a skilled plant medicine woman); and this year we are transitioning our annual veggies to mostly perennials to reduce upkeep labor.

We’re looking to move to a plot of land around Asheville to make into a permaculture dream land; would you be interested in leasing some of your 18 acres and we can develop that dreamland together? If not, we would be happy to share and work trade wherever possible once we have our own plot set up. Let’s talk! My work will be moving us down there, but not for several months at least, so there’s time to plan. Cheers!