dandelion fluff.

i've experienced some pretty incredible triumphs in my lifetime, and some pretty horrible and gruesome failures.. and though they were horrible and gruesome [and some incredibly expensive], i can hardly regret them. i am beginning to realize that sometimes you must see something fall apart completely to understand how it works.

...

 

i haven't been writing much.. or at all really, on any blogs or anything at all. it's not that i don't have anything to write about, or the lack of words to write it out [for once!], it's just that i haven't had the time. so much has been happening. it's hard to digest. meaningful coincidences, things suddenly making sense... and i've been pretty busy too. getting organized has a sudden sense of urgency behind it, and i've been pretty focused on that in many aspects of my life. at home, on the job, in my mind.. putting things in their place to maximize their potential. observing things, their strengths and weaknesses, trying new systems to see how they work. and did i mention the garden? all that, one word... permaculture.

don't get me wrong, i miss my mother. terribly. it still kills me in solitary moments when i deeply realize that us kids will not hug her again in this life. but we can still tell her stories.. through our hearts and through our actions. and i suppose, that's what i've been up to. my brother too. we just have different ways of going about things. always do.

we spent so much time worrying ourselves about the poor woman, and it was hard knowing there wasn't much we could do to help. she wouldn't take it. and it was sad to see her uncomfortable for so long. we miss her so much, but it's relieving to know she no longer has to suffer. that she isn't stuck here, immobilized by pain. now that she's safe and warm, we can live our lives to the fullest without guilt and worry in our hearts. just love. ps. she missed her mother too.

...really?

wow.. it's been a month since i've hit this blog... well, i've been busy i suppose! getting ready to fly out to Arkansas [i won!], definitely more decisive [i'm moving!], and excited to plant some gardens!! not only do i have a bunch of different plots to help out with, i get to have my own.. the new place has a big ol' back yard, and i can do what i want to it. overjoyed..

what have i been up to? dang.. everything. i'm still on my get healthy venture, i managed to quit smoking, it's been 25 days! unbelievably, i don't want a cigarette. i'm on a mission, this is my year to get fit and kick ass, and i'm bloggin' it out right here:
http://sagethrivechallenge.blogspot.ca/

hmm.. then there's the gardening.. always about the gardening. at the beginning of the year i was under the impression that i wouldn't have my own garden space, but many people had offered up their yards. now we discover that we're moving to a place with a yard and i can garden all i want... and i still get to help others too! it's gonna be a busy year.. and i'm blogging that stuff here:
http://southernontariourbanpermaculture.blogspot.ca/

what else? oh yeah, i came up with a new style of 'gardening'... similar to guerrilla gardening but not quite the same.. more like hiding food plants right out in the open. i blended my two favourite hobbies, gardening and geocaching.. and came up with gardenCaching! and i'm excited to get on it.. and yup, you guessed it, it has it's own blog too:
 http://gardencaching.blogspot.ca/

well that's all i got for now.. i gotta get packing! only two more weekends before we move, and i've only just begun to go through my stuff. it's the perfect rainy weekend to do so, probably a blessing in disguise that the weather has been so cold. i'll stay inside to get my chores done, and save playing outside for may. peace for now..

The Permaculture Test Patch

this spring, The White House [on the corner] experienced the birth of the Permaculture Test patch. Shawn and i have been dreaming of building an off-grid community, and when we discovered Permaculture the fruition of such a dream seemed much more likely. before venturing off into the sticks with a herd of hippies and a sack of seed, we agreed that it would be best to start small.

Permaculture is about more than a vegetable garden.. the idea behind Permaculture is a combination of permanent agriculture, and permanent culture. building a sustainable, self sufficient food forest, and a community to live within it. not only do we have a space in the yard to attempt a sustainable garden, but we have a small community of people that are either tenants or friends of The House. we couldn't have asked for a better opportunity for Permaculture practice.


we started with a space of approximately 12 by 18 feet, which had once long ago been a vegetable garden, but has since grown over with grass and clover. the space was properly edged, scraped of grass [which was used to fill holes in the neighboring field], and dug to be mixed with 2 yards of triple mix. a visit to the local re-store scored us a cheap composter, and a nearby feed store had clover seed for 3 dollars a pound, which we decided would be our living mulch.


at first, introducing the idea of a vegetable garden to the house was welcomed with little enthusiasm. but as soon as the project began, we were surprised by how many showed to get involved. everyone in the house and many friends came together to prepare the ground and move the dirt. the garden has since become a gathering place. weeding brings groups together for a good conversation, or provides a relaxing solo meditation to clear the mind and lighten the heart.

it's now mid-june, and the garden is starting to take shape. early strawberries have already ripened, a large bowl of salad is ready every couple of days, and the herbs are full and plentiful. as the season progresses each week will bring forth a new bounty. the cucumbers peppers and tomatoes have all started to flower, and surprisingly even the blueberries are showing signs that they may fruit this year.


i plan to use this blog to keep track of our progress and errors, and to share and welcome ideas. and also, of course, to encourage others to give gardening a try. you can produce your own food with any amount of space, you don't necessarily need a backyard to grow. buckets on a balcony or even window planters can provide space for fresh herbs and veggies, there are even many species of vegetables that are bred to be grown in small spaces. grab some dirt and get your grow on!

The Accidental Garden

Back in 2009 at the white house on the corner, the house crew decided to start a garden. we dug up a patch behind the garage and planted two [eventually 3] types of tomatoes, squash, and various herbs such as mint and thyme. it was just a wee patch, to see how well we could grow our own food.

when the squashes were nearing their maturity, an onslaught of slugs moved in on our precious vine. they destroyed everything that was growing, except for the tomatoes and the mint. we enjoyed the bounty of the surviving plants, but discouraged and defeated, we decided not to start a patch in 2o1o.

this year, the garden started itself.

last autumn, all the plants we tore out were tossed in the scrap pile with a bunch of old rotting wood from ongoing renovations. some of the wood had been there for years, and the bottom of the pile had turned into a nice rich soil.

this spring, while seeking some wood for the fire, i came across what appeared to be a tomato plant growing amongst the weeds in the woodpile. i ripped away all the weeds that were entangled around the plant, and put a broken out milk crate around it so it wouldn't get kicked or stepped on. i also discovered that the bucket the mint started in last year had re-grown itself.


a week or so later i went to check on the tomato plant, and it had easily doubled in size. i wish i would have taken a photo when i found it for comparison, but the growth that had seeded itself was impressive, no less.

after the crate and initial weeding, we did nothing but let it grow. no trimming, no watering, no fertilizing, and certainly no digging. the plant exploded across the wood pile. once it had matured beyond flowering, i discovered that this wasn't only one tomato plant, but two. two entirely different strains in fact, one was the cherry tomato, and the other the more elongated grape tomato!


by the end of the season, our tomato patch was 8 feet across at the widest point, and about 5 or 6 feet deep. the mint once lived on the other side of the yard, but during a dryspell it withered. i moved the bucket over so that it was partially shaded by the tomato bush, and within a week it started to re-grow.


from mid summer well into autumn many dozens of little tomatoes were harvested and enjoyed. even those who claimed to have never liked tomatoes were impressed by the fresh flavour bursting from the home grown bounty.


now well into autumn, the tomato bush has been removed, roughly scattered about the patch where we will start our permaculture test site in the spring. watching the systems of nature take over in the backyard this year was the little bit of inspiration we needed to give food forest design a try.