There's a lot of great information in this post and I encourage you to read through it ... however, if you don't have the time right now, you might find the following quick links helpful:
I enjoyed last week's challenge ... of course, I enjoy any excuse to head outside and commune with nature. For this challenge I paid close attention to what was happening in the small space around my apartment. It rained during the week so I had an excellent opportunity to see how water accumulated. We don't have rain gutters or downspouts so the water simply runs off the roof to the ground. Over time, it has created a slight ditch. I also noticed how the sun moved along our railing and which areas got the most light throughout the day. In the evening, I noticed slugs ... and the next day I searched for their daytime hideouts. Bees & wasps have come into the area and I paid close attention to which flowers they seem to be attracted to. The week gave me a lot of information.
The Honor Society are those people who help us spread the "green" word by writing an article about our challenges and/or leaving pertinent comments. Here's what they had to say:
In Exploring permaculture with new eyes Mrs. Green discovers another benefit to observing nature ... a much more personal benefit. It's a lovely, touching post and I encourage you to read it.
Kim had an opportunity to learn about Permaculture from a local expert. In this POST she talks about food forests, a method which creates permanent gardens and which aims to move food production from farming to forging. Sounds fascinating, doesn't it?
Argentum Vulgaris gives us another side to this subject. In this ARTICLE he talks about nature deficit disorder, urbanization and one way to improve our lives. As always, he gives us a lot to think about!
Lynn Fang stopped by to offer her support. As I was reading through Lynn's blog, I realized that she focuses on conscious transformation ... a way of thinking which promotes sustainability. I believe that our way of thinking is the very core of Permaculture. Thanks, Lynn!
In Permaculture: Caring for People and Environment Through Design Brenna offers us some great tips on creating a sustainable life in our homes and gardens. One idea involves animals ... it might make you look at your pets differently.
Ann posted our banner HERE in an important post about animal shelters.
Menachérie joined us! She likes the recipe for Eco-friendly fire starters which was shared last week. Hope to see you again Menachérie!
Rules Of Green went outside and observed. She found something beautiful! Can you guess what it is? You'll find out in this PHOTO.
Katie observed that bees love the coneflowers and hostas in her front yard. So, she decided to plant some veggies in pots and place them in that area. Hopefully she'll get a great yield from the new location. Let us know how it goes, Katie!
Alicia says that she likes this challenge because it makes us more aware of our surroundings. She shares that it's important to learn where water collects and use that to advantage ... and to plant flowers that will draw bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. By observing, she's been able to place the right plant in the right garden.
Our Twitter friends shared their thoughts this week:
From @givetreegifts
- This is something we can all do.Slow down & really observe Mother Nature in action
- Discovered volunteer catoneaster seedlings in our yard. They were real fighters in a competitive area. Relocated them for hedges.
- We have large evergreens that create a sheltered area. Ideal for mourning doves to nest; but also a wildlife refuge from weather.
- We stick to drought tolerant perennials but don't overly concern ourselves with grooming in the landscape. The natural look suits well
From @curlycanadians
- Shopping at thrift & consignment stores is not only great for the planet, you save $$$ and you'll find looks that are uniquely yours!
From @victoriabeergal
- Watched #regeneration last night... A must see documentary to help our future
From @waxelene
- Besides the healthy ingredients/glass jars for our product, we use 100% recycled boxes, and we're a 100% wind-powered facility!
From @rulesofgreen
- I like the #CTWW challange of this week, heard the first time about #permaculture in April so observing is a good first step
- Look what I stumbled accross! #CTWW Lots of Life in One Place: Stinging Nettle - Permaculture Plant of the Week http://lotsoflifeinoneplace.blogspot.com/2012/05/stinging-nettle-permaculture-plant-of.html?spref=tw
- Are snails bad for the garden? We have a whole lot of them, beautiful shells they have
- unfortunately, I don't know how to repel them, so far I've let them be because it seems the flowers are still ok.
From @createperma
- Snails aren't so bad but but slugs ate up my hosta. I found diatomaceous earth worked great to cut back on slugs
- It does kill the little buggers (slugs) but with no damage to the environment. Sorry, I prefer my veggies to my slugs.
The #CTWW Gang are those folks who share our challenges on twitter using the hashtag #CTWW. If you're a Twitter member, I highly recommend following them ... they have a lot of great things to say. Let's meet them:
My Final Thoughts:
When I first heard about Permaculture, I was a little overwhelmed. It seemed like a concept which would require me to overhaul my life. In reality, and similar to many green living practices, it involves small, as well as big, steps. It's all about observing the natural world and then making choices which act in harmony with it's cycles and events. In a sense, it's a wonderful collaboration between nature and ourselves ... working together to create a sustainable life. Anything less runs a dangerous risk that we'll not have what we need for as long as we need it.
Thanks, everyone! If you wrote an article, I have Stumbled, Tweeted, Facebooked and posted it on Google +. You can help spread the "green" word by using the share feature at the bottom of this post.
This Week's Challenge:
Last week we began our Permaculture journey by observing. This week, we'll use our observations to take action. Here you go ...
Now that we've observed the area around us, let's use that knowledge to plant something. Choosing a location which considers rain fall, sunlight, "pests", etc., plant something using sustainable methods such as double digging, companion planting and natural pest control. Use natural compost instead of fertilizer. And then ... come back and tell us all about it.
Or ...
If you've already planted, tell us all about the process ... did you choose the garden's location based on natural elements? Did you prepare the garden using double digging? Did you make use of natural compost and companion planting? How do you control pests? And, knowing what you now know about Permaculture, will you make any changes next year? We want to know everything.
If you've already planted, tell us all about the process ... did you choose the garden's location based on natural elements? Did you prepare the garden using double digging? Did you make use of natural compost and companion planting? How do you control pests? And, knowing what you now know about Permaculture, will you make any changes next year? We want to know everything.
Okay everyone ... head out to the garden!!
If you have a challenge idea, please send it to me HERE. I keep all ideas and will get to each and every one.
Until next time ...
WE'RE CHANGING THE WORLD ... ONE CHALLENGE AT A TIME!
I planted my very first patio garden after reading a book on permaculture and urban homesteading. I made a compost bin out of a cracked rubbermaid storage bin using a hole-punch on the lid for aeration. With all the rain we've been having in Philly this week, I started collecting rainwater to use during dry patches to save on water. I've also begun my seedlings from heirloom seeds from a seed saver's group, gotten my plants from local urban farms and mulch from the Habitat for Humanity thrift store. I have herbs, vegetables and even fruit and plan on sharing what I have with my coworkers and friends. It's been such a joy to start my day by checking on all of my plants to see how they've grown and connecting with the earth by turning my compost pile. (Not to mention, since trying to be more mindful about food and waste, there's been so much less trash to take out on trash day!)
ReplyDeleteCTWW is up and running on:
ReplyDeletehttp://ecocrap.wordpress.com/2012/05/16/change-the-world-wednesday-16th-may/
Once again, off on a tangent, talking about little green beasties.
I see Kelly, above, has discovered the 'cow poo' effect of compost.
AV
http://annkschin.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/dont-throw-that-trash-on-ground.html
ReplyDeletea moral lesson from Sesami kids that all kids should be taught. Don't throw the trash on the ground.
Hi- great post! I found a lot of new reading material :)
ReplyDeleteI recently just started planting my garden. Our main problem was that we also just built a patio so in our small, urban backyard we found ourselves we a lot of excess dirt! We ended up re-purposing our old, falling apart compost bin into a raised tomato bed that we could throw a lot of the dirt in. Pictures of the garden coming soon on my blog!
Tell kids not to handle or mishandle caterpillars, they will become deformd or dead butterflies.
ReplyDeletehttp://annsnowchin.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/flower-swan-plant-flower.html
Our plants that we planted this past year were planted according to where they would thrive the best. This includes sunlight, water and soil. We found that for our okra we always get the kind that is really heat tolerant for our area. We plant marigolds at the bottom of our bean poles to ward off pests. We also plant basil in between our tomato plants as both of these plants benefit from this. The basil and tomatoes both are sweeter. I love a good compost pile. It is amazing what adding compost to your garden soil will do.
ReplyDelete