Let The Games Begin!!!

My trip to Hood River, near Portland was a great success. Besides coming back with enough money to pay my rent for the month, I had the great experience of being part of a very quick permaculture design. Which is normally speaking, not supposed to be quick. You're supposed to take your time observing the property, thinking about your needs, the lands needs, and so on, similarly taking your time with the design, waiting to implement it only when the design seems solid. At least that's how I used to think about it. I also thought that every Permaculture Design had to have maps, maos, and more maps, otherwise it wasn't a Permaculture design at all. Lately though, I have begun to learn that the real map you make is the one in your head. The owners of the property in Hood River, have one of those head maps. They've been living there for two years, seen the sun rise and fall, noting where it's sunny and where it's shady, where the wind blows etc. It is also helpful that there property is quite small, about a quarter of an acre. While I was up there I planted about 30 fruit and nut trees and bushes. They may look small now but in ten years they're tiny gardens will be Eden!

Now those fruit and nut trees are only one layer of Permaculture gardening, Forest Gardens. Let me show you.


Here in Talent, the house we're renting is on about an acre of land. Now I don't plan on investing too much time and energy into developing this property, seeing as how I'll only be here for a year, but I have a few ideas. Let's take a look at the hazelnut orchard.


That's all it is, hazelnuts. But not for long. Existing orchards are perfect candidates for becoming food forests. They just need more diversity and layering. I spoke to the owner, and she said that some of those hazelnuts can come out and be replaced with other fruit or nut trees. I am also coming up with a plan to sheet mulch the orchard,inoculate the mulch with a few different mushrooms, and plant tons of stuff underneath the trees. I'm not sure what yet, but they'll be coming off of my plant list, a list of plants that i want to grow this year.



aloe vera-c
anise
basil
Bee balm
burdock-c
burnet
Caraway
Coriander
catnip
capsicum
chamomile
cloves
Coltsfoot
comfrey-c
curry
Dandelion
dill
Dock
echinacea
evening primrose
fennel
Feverfew
Flax
garlic chives
golden seal
hyssop
Indian summer
lovage
lavender
lemon verbena
marjoram
Marigold
mint
mugwort
Nasturtium
parsley
pennyroyal
poppy
Queens annes lace
rue
rosemary
sage
San Pedro cactus
sassafras
summer savory
Sunflower
stevia-c
scented geraniums
st johns wort
tarragon, thyme
tobacco
valerian
winter savory
yarrow

Vegetables

Arugula
Artichoke(P)
Bean
Beet
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrot
Caterpillars
Cauliflower
Ceylon Spinach(P)
Chicory(P)
Corn
Cucumber
Eggplant
Egyptian Onion(P)
French sorrel
Garden Huckleberry
Garlic
Ginger
Good King Henry
Gourd
Ground Cherry
Kale
Lambs Quarters(P)
Leek
Lettuce
Lima Bean
Lovage
Mashua
Melons
Mustard
New Zealand Spinach(P)
Okinawan Spinach(P)
Oca
Okra
Onion
Pea
Peppers
Pigweed
Potatoes(P)
Radish
Runner Bean
Rocket
Stinging Nettles
Salsify
Sorrel(P)
Soybean
Spinach
Strawberries
Squash
Sunchoke(P)
Sunberry
Sweet Potato(P)
Swiss Chard
Tree Collards
Tomatillo
Tomato
Turnip
Watermelon
Watercress(P)
Wild leeks
Yacon(P)

Now you're getting the idea. Polyculture, diversity.