Hello from British Columbia, Canada

Discussion in 'Introduce Yourself Here' started by Soopolallie, Jul 3, 2012.

  1. Soopolallie

    Soopolallie Junior Member

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    I've recently completed a course in Permaculture, and am eager to put the principles to work. My hurdles so far are not the hardiness zone 3a climate but getting over my own upbringing about what a garden should look like (you know, everything straight and trimmed just-so, no "weeds"). I look at the healthy green chaos around me, full of hard-working, soil-remediating plants, and am grateful that Mom can't see the "mess"! Another hurdle is remembering the virtue of patience, and not wanting everything right now. (If I had everything right now already, I would not have had time to learn how to incorporate it!) A third hurdle is learning not to rely on what people have already done, because I can't find much that directly applies for this location. Ah, pioneering, sort of!

    My goal is a food forest to feed myself and to have extra for the community, possibly as a cooperative venture, as there are people expressing interest at present. I am also expanding my definition of food, and coming to appreciate native and adventitious edibles.
     
  2. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    Hi Soopalallie. I found the lack of a local 'how to do it' recipe challenging too when I started - but a few years down the track I'm convinced that the 'just have a go and see what works' approach really is the best way to go. After all - does it really matter if you kill a few plants by accident while you learn?
     
  3. Soopolallie

    Soopolallie Junior Member

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    Think of it this way, Eco4560...if you're successful breaking new ground in local knowledge, you become the expert! :D
     
  4. 9anda1f

    9anda1f Administrator Staff Member

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    Welcome Soopalallie. Zone 3a? You must be up in the northern half of BC. Keep up your work with the native plants, they already like the climate!
     
  5. Soopolallie

    Soopolallie Junior Member

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    Actually, Gandalf (if I may call you that?) I'm fairly far south, but up in the mountains, at about 3600 ft. Yes, the native plants already like the climate and know how to return past human efforts to nature, without any help from me, and many of them are tasty. But for familiar foods, I can also manage apples, currants, raspberries, strawberries, potatoes, peas, broad beans, spinach, beets, chard, kale, broccoli, cabbage, turnips/rutabagas, carrots, parsnips, garlic/multiplier onions, chives, thyme, oregano, sage, parsley, and probably more things that I haven't tried yet or am still experimenting with. Part of the fun is translating the official planting instructions to what actually will work here. (I think fall seeding and growing biennials as biennials is something I'll have to look into, more.)
     
  6. Ma&Pa

    Ma&Pa Junior Member

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    Hello. I'm glad to see another newbie Canadian here. I was hoping that more people would be from BC.
    I'm in the Okanagan.
    My garden this year is pretty pathetic because my job got really busy. Excuses, excuse. Well, and I want to rest my soil a bit before I jump into permaculture principles more. I have 5 acres at about 1350 ft. I have a seasonal creek and the potential for lots of swales and hugulkultur in my future. :)
     
  7. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

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