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Summary
part 1 of a 2 part podcast
Paul and Stephen talk about aspirations
He kicks off with what he thinks it means to call someone an asshole.
Paul did a video in May about base camp, and how it's changed over time. Years ago when he first came to base camp almost nothing grew there, barely even weeds. Now, thanks to the big hügelkulturs, it's like a jungle.
There are around 40 rockety contraptions and a lot of bunks. Through this they (i.e. Paul) have held to a set of values. At intervals people show up who don't share those values, but they move on.
For the first couple of weeks, there's very little expectation for boots to work. By the time they have been there a few months they are getting around 6 times as much done.
There are 3 things they say to new boots: first, 95% of the work boots do is for current and future boots. The second thing they say to new boots is "go with the flow" and the last thing they say is to take 5, don't try to keep up with people who've been there a while.
Stephen comments that June 2025 was his roughest month there, it had a lot of challenges. There are people who say one thing and do another, also people's lives can change. He also wants people to have one growing season from May thru October in boot camp before renting in ant village or buying into deep roots, which gives a good chance that they match the values of Wheaton labs well and will have learned what they need to succeed.
Paul moves on to sunchokes. Turns out you can harvest them for 10 or 11 months a year. Apples and plums are doing great and the kale is looking promising for going feral and reseeding itself.
Paul's hope for the future is for more people who are good at nurturing others. It's important for the community, and he feels that this is something he himself lacks.
Relevant Threads
permaculture bootcamp - learn permaculture through a little hard work
Wheaton Laboratories forum
Podcast 705 - Bootcamp Culture - Part 1
The great big thread of sunchoke info - growing, storing, eating/recipes, science facts
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This podcast was made possible thanks to:
Dr. Hugh Gill Kultur
Kyle Aster
Sasquatch
Bill Crim
G Cooper
Mehron Kugler
Bill Erickson
Julia Winter, world's slowest mosaic artist
Sean Benedict
Rita Bliden
Brent Lawson
Amy Berry
Song Zheng
Dana Martin
Janelle
thomas adams
David Lucey
Kay Gelfing
Clay McGowan
Shay Riggs
Dr. Jackie
Cindi Duehmig
Samantha Lewis
Polly Jayne Smyth
Banter Couch
Rebekah Harmon
Chris Holtslag
Zach Keeshin
Paul Tipper
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