I first learned about Permaculture in late Fall of 2013. I had been interested in aquaponics before then, but didnt know what permaculture was. I had seen the term permaculture mentioned on posts in reddit.com/r/aquaponics but didnt know what it was all about. I read a little, and watched some youtube videos, and more and more, it just felt right.
During college, I didnt have much of an opinion on politics or activism, and I had no interest in gardening or ecology. Dont get me wrong, Ive always loved nature, and camping, and wildlife. But in my youthful ignorance, I felt that the worlds problems could wait until after I finished engineering school (and in all fairness, they did wait). I didnt have the sense of urgency to action that I feel these days.
Toward the end of school, my friends started composting, and eating healthier, and I noticed, but didnt change my own habits for a good while. But eventually, I started feeling bad when I didnt recycle in front of them, or if I used excess paper towels. And eventually I learned more about the world, and I wanted to use my skills and education to make it better, because frankly, the future seems pretty bleak at times. I started recycling, and turning off the lights more often. I had grown edible mushrooms in my college years using waste coffee grounds from a coffeehouse near my apartment, and was already very fascinated with fungi. Then I learned about aquaponics, and that fascinated my engineer mind.
Id read about earthships online, and even got the opportunity to help build one on an abandonded lot in North Philly. It was that day working on the earthship that I met a guy who told me was into Permaculture. I went home and looked up this Permaculture thing, and it was all downhill from there (in the best-possible way, like riding your bike downhill).
I had been building art (a friends projects at first, then my own) at the Burning Man Art festival since 2010, and adopted the idea of radical self-reliance (encouraging the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources) and leaving-no-trace. So, I had already entertained the idea of a possible homestead in my future. Over the 2013/2014 Winter, I listened to countless podcasts, watched video after video on youtube, and read books and articles all about permaculture. I had a 3 hour commute every day to listen to podcasts and an hour lunch to read books and articles. Thats around 4 hours a day studying Permaculture for about 3 months. I was amassing a good knowledge base, but had little experience outside of my aquaponics projects and my mushroom cultivation years prior.
In Spring 2014, I started a garden in my landlords yard, and convinced him to pay for 2/3rds the initial cost for half the produce in return. The garden is now supplementing our diets, and giving me fresh ingredients to learn about canning and preserving. I signed up for a 7-month, one-day-per-month Intensive Organic Gardening class with Ben Weiss, a local Permaculture instructor. Ive learned a ton, and this has really made me look forward to being able to take a Permaculture Design Certification Course (PDC) in the future. Ive used much of what Ive learned in the class in my own garden. I tried composting in a bucket. Then I heard about my friend composting with worms, and had to try that out. Now Ive got tons of worm castings for the straw bale gardens I just set up. The straw came from a local farm. I got a load of mulch from a local tree service.
Ive taken wild plant foraging classes with local teachers, and have realized a more symbiotic relationship with nature. Ive found that my landlords property is filled with edible and medicinal plants like Woodsorrel, Bitter Dock, Lambs Quarter, Feverfew, Violets, Ladys Thumb, Dandelions, Clover, Purslane, and Plantain. Ive even gotten my landlord to start eating the weeds! It turns out, the property used to be a chicken farm, and when my landlord moved in, it was covered in grape vines, and berry bushes, and different fruiting trees. It sounded like a permies wet dream! He cut everything down except one apple tree, and paved over a large portion of the yard. Since Ive moved in and started gardening, weve had many conversations about organic gardening and permaculture, and I think he regrets having "cleaned up" the yard all those years ago. Now, were working to re-create a productive landscape on his property.
I took a Regenerative Urban Sustainability class at Scott Kellogg and Stacey Pettigrews urban farm in Albany, NY, which was amazing to see all the interconnected, regenerative farm systems. They were growing mushrooms, keeping chickens, ducks, and rabbits, gardening organically, maintaining large aquaponic systems, composting, and utilizing many other permaculture systems. From that workshop, I brought home some Stropharia (Garden Giant) mushroom spawn to introduce to my woodchips in the garden. Im nearly finished the second herb spiral Ive built, and I have two more planned for community gardens that I volunteer at.
The point of this post isnt to brag about how much fun Im having learning and practicing permaculture. The point is that, you dont need to be in an ideal situation to make your situation work for you while reducing your footprint, and increasing your handprint. Large changes require small steps. I try one or two new things out at a time. This allows me to focus on getting it right, without taking up excess energy and time and becoming a chore. Ive done my best to cut out distractions like mindless TV and video games. I try to keep track of my projects and keep notes as a citizen scientist. I dont have any formal schooling in permaculture or ecology, but experience is the best teacher, and I believe that with dedication, anyone can teach themself to become an expert at almost anything.
Ive got a number of things working against me right now. I dont own land, I rent. I have a 3 hour commute every day. I dont know that much about gardening. I dont have all the skills that I want. But, Im using permaculture design and ideas in my every day life, regardless of my situation. I have friends who do container gardens on their balconies, and they compost, and thats all that they can do at the moment, but thats better than nothing. My first aquaponic system wouldnt even fit in my apartment, so I asked a friend if I could put it in his bedroom. My next aquaponic system was in my second floor apartment with a WindowFarm and a 5 gallon water cooler tank as the fish resevoir. When I moved to Trenton, NJ, I volunteered at a community garden and met some new artist friends with a studio and space for my next aquaponic system (currently under construction). Through working with these new friends, Ive potentially got a space and all the supplies needed for a large-scale, multiple IBC tank system that weve just begun to work on. Ive also helped out with their community improvement efforts through guerilla gardening on Saturday mornings.
My largest, system to date is a single IBC-tank system in Delaware at my parents house. Space is a huge limitation for me, but Ive used my network of friends and family to find space to practice my passion.
One of the most important lessons Ive learned in life is to never limit yourself. There are enough circumstances in life to hold you back, dont let your own fears and insecurities prevent you from following your dreams. The more you explore and learn about how to live a more harmoneous and regenerative life, the more you can create the world you want. Prioritize the things that make you happy and fulfilled. Focus on whats important to you, and cut out the excess. If I can do it, so can you. One step at a time.
This post was inspired by the 7 July 2014 episode of The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann.
In my garden
During college, I didnt have much of an opinion on politics or activism, and I had no interest in gardening or ecology. Dont get me wrong, Ive always loved nature, and camping, and wildlife. But in my youthful ignorance, I felt that the worlds problems could wait until after I finished engineering school (and in all fairness, they did wait). I didnt have the sense of urgency to action that I feel these days.
Toward the end of school, my friends started composting, and eating healthier, and I noticed, but didnt change my own habits for a good while. But eventually, I started feeling bad when I didnt recycle in front of them, or if I used excess paper towels. And eventually I learned more about the world, and I wanted to use my skills and education to make it better, because frankly, the future seems pretty bleak at times. I started recycling, and turning off the lights more often. I had grown edible mushrooms in my college years using waste coffee grounds from a coffeehouse near my apartment, and was already very fascinated with fungi. Then I learned about aquaponics, and that fascinated my engineer mind.
My first aquaponics project
Earthship in North Philly
Id read about earthships online, and even got the opportunity to help build one on an abandonded lot in North Philly. It was that day working on the earthship that I met a guy who told me was into Permaculture. I went home and looked up this Permaculture thing, and it was all downhill from there (in the best-possible way, like riding your bike downhill).
At Burning Man in 2013
My apartments windowfarm herb garden made from recycled materials
Rosemary in the Windowfarm
Oyster mushrooms in my kitchen
Lions Mane mushrooms in a homemade fruiting chamber
In Spring 2014, I started a garden in my landlords yard, and convinced him to pay for 2/3rds the initial cost for half the produce in return. The garden is now supplementing our diets, and giving me fresh ingredients to learn about canning and preserving. I signed up for a 7-month, one-day-per-month Intensive Organic Gardening class with Ben Weiss, a local Permaculture instructor. Ive learned a ton, and this has really made me look forward to being able to take a Permaculture Design Certification Course (PDC) in the future. Ive used much of what Ive learned in the class in my own garden. I tried composting in a bucket. Then I heard about my friend composting with worms, and had to try that out. Now Ive got tons of worm castings for the straw bale gardens I just set up. The straw came from a local farm. I got a load of mulch from a local tree service.
Learning to use a broadfork for a no-till garden in Ben Weisss 2014 Intensive Organic Gardening Class
Serviceberries (Juneberries) foraged from outside my works office building. They made a delicious dessert for my family reunion thanks to my girlfriend!
Scott Kellogg and Stacey Pettigrews amazing urban farm in Albany, NY
My first herb spiral, at my parents house in Delaware
My second herb spiral, it just needs plants!
My most recent garden update
Ive got a number of things working against me right now. I dont own land, I rent. I have a 3 hour commute every day. I dont know that much about gardening. I dont have all the skills that I want. But, Im using permaculture design and ideas in my every day life, regardless of my situation. I have friends who do container gardens on their balconies, and they compost, and thats all that they can do at the moment, but thats better than nothing. My first aquaponic system wouldnt even fit in my apartment, so I asked a friend if I could put it in his bedroom. My next aquaponic system was in my second floor apartment with a WindowFarm and a 5 gallon water cooler tank as the fish resevoir. When I moved to Trenton, NJ, I volunteered at a community garden and met some new artist friends with a studio and space for my next aquaponic system (currently under construction). Through working with these new friends, Ive potentially got a space and all the supplies needed for a large-scale, multiple IBC tank system that weve just begun to work on. Ive also helped out with their community improvement efforts through guerilla gardening on Saturday mornings.
Guerilla Gardening in Trenton, NJ
My largest, system to date is a single IBC-tank system in Delaware at my parents house. Space is a huge limitation for me, but Ive used my network of friends and family to find space to practice my passion.
My IBC Aquaponics in Delaware
One of the most important lessons Ive learned in life is to never limit yourself. There are enough circumstances in life to hold you back, dont let your own fears and insecurities prevent you from following your dreams. The more you explore and learn about how to live a more harmoneous and regenerative life, the more you can create the world you want. Prioritize the things that make you happy and fulfilled. Focus on whats important to you, and cut out the excess. If I can do it, so can you. One step at a time.
Advice from one of my heros
This post was inspired by the 7 July 2014 episode of The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann.
