Hello everyone!

I'm new here so before I go on with my post, I think a few words about who I am is in order:) I'm Danish (very sad to see there's no Denmark-lets get together!), I study herbal medicine and gardening in Copenhagen, and like all of you have been very inspired by the Anastasia books. I've just read the last book 8.2 and feel that now is the time to act, which brings me back to my post. Have any of you started designing your permaculture garden? Are you willing to share your inspirations? I've started drawing designs and dreaming quite a bit about my not-so-future space (:o) and would love any book/source recomendations on forest gardens if any of you have some?

Best wishes from Denmark!

Hello Tilia!

Look for the works of Robert Hart and the book by Patrick Whitefield, I believe it has the name of "Forest Garden".. Both are in England, so should have a lot to say for your climate...

Also look at the database of the English Organization "Plants for the Future", which should be immensely helpful. I suggest you volunteer for them to get first-hand knowledge.

I imagine that your system will be apple-based. What I know of this system: Apples need to be in the full light, under them you can plant plums, and at ground level the small berries, you will probably find many different ones. A friend in Switzerland was eating fruit from May to OCtober from his mixed berry patch.

In Switzerland there used to be many different apples, which were the base of the diet before potatoes were introduced. There were apples so sweet their syrup substituted for sugar, apples for baking, for roasting, for feeding to the animals. There was even one little apple, not very tasty, but could be stored for two years in case of a failed crop. It could be a basic element in your diet.

Many of your "weeds" are edible, from dandelions to plantains, Queen Ann´s lace, amaranths, purslane, etc. Many of the wild cousins of our garden crops will be found around your garden: mustards, wild lettuces, remote ancestors of beets and cabbages.
Spring nettles are delicious if harvested very early and sauteed. We ate tons of these when I lived in Switzerland - probably one of the most nutritions plants possible. When young the sting is transformed into protein after cooking. Also nettle beer, made with brown sugar , ginger, and nettle tea, fermented a week or so with bread yeast. Hmmmm...

Go after the root crops- most can be stored all winter.

Go for it!

The Permacultue Associations are quite active in England- I think you will find heaps of people and information there that will be pertinent to Denmark.

Good luck!@
Marsha in Brazil
www.marsha.com.br

Oh yes, nettles. I love nettles.
A potent brew for you:
One head of celery, one lemon, one phat chunk of ginger, and lots of nettle tops (the fresh growth at top).
Juice these lovelies up and enjoy the zinginess of your potion, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Peace

Oh, and may I recommend to you all goji berries.
This berry is jam-packed full of goodness, loads of amino acids, vitamin C, minerals etc. It's a member of the solanacea family (tomato, potato etc). It's shrubby. Originates Tibet, China area. Is renowned in chinese herbal medicine. They cost a fair bit at mo because they are being imported, however they will grow in England (and so any other place similar I suppose), over in East England they have become indigenous in the hedgerows and are known as The Duke of Argyll's Tea Tree plant (probably after the Duke of Argyll who maybe brought it over from the east). Am going to plant up some myself tomorrow in pots so they shall be ready for wherever I end up. Really vibing this little berry, been soaking it in water with raisins or sultanas, you can drink the sweet soak water, and eat the fruit. The guys at work can't understand how I can work all day and eat so little. Food in as natural a state as possible is the way, even better home-sourced, definitely - I am watching the radishes a-growing............
Peace
Joe

Hi Joseph,

I was very interested in what you say about Goji berries, do you have any spare plants you would be willing to trade?

Edith

Hey Edith,
Only just planted up some goji berries from seed, none sprouted yet. Yeah it would be fun to trade, however at mo I'm in south west of England, anyways I reckon it would be best for you to start your own, suck those seeds and tend them how you know best. You could get seeds from any berry, and there is loads of sources on internet. One I recommend is 'Tree-harvest', they'll give a bulk price (though don't know how bulk yet, got to put in order this week), plus they've got loads of interesting herbs, supplies from trees (funnily enough).
Well interested in this 'Wood crofting' happening up in Scotland (saw in your other post). Scotland is lush, the few bits I've visited anyways (Isle of Arran, Edinburgh and east of towards North Berwick). Do you reckon there is room for an Englishman??
Peace be with you
Joseph

Hi Joseph,

You mean, re the goji berries, that I can just go and buy some at the health foodstore, and then suck/soak and plant them? !

I'm not sure that I am able to deal with bulk yet, either; well actually, I'm really not, only having a small town yard to plant in at present. But. . . that will change!

Yes, it's a good sounding project in Scotland, but you really need to be in scotland to make use of it, and they have quite a limited and traditional notion of woodland communities at the mo, becasue of all the past history of crofting in the highlands etc. Don't know if you know it or not?

You would have to learn scots, and get rid of that south west of England burr if you wanted to go undetected as an English man, and say things like "Och Aye the Nooo!" ( Joking!) Whereabouts in the south west are you?

Thanks for your advice though, and if as I get further on in my quest, I will keep you posted! blessings on you too! Edith

Hey Edith,
On goji berries, yes you can just get them from the health food store and plant them up like that, first time I tried growing them I planted the berry straight in pots, they are full of seeds and quite a lot of seedlings sprouted (which consequently dried out, I was in Spain, and went off travelling). Or you could get any berry and get seeds from out of them, they are very tiny, like micro tomato seeds.
I heard about crofting a little, it always fascinated me, I haven't experienced it though.
Just thought, another plant/tree you may like to start in a pot ready for the next adventure is Hunza Apricot. If you heard of the Hunzakut, they are a very long lived tribe up in the himalayas, something like 80 percent live over the age of 100, male conceiving children well into their 90's and tending there mountain terrace gardens. The hunza apricot is renowned part of their diet, and very tasty it is too. Again you can buy these in health food stores, a little harder to come by, again 'Tree-harvest' sell them. If the tree grows up in the Himalayas, they probably will survive in Scotland, with a drop or two of sweet loving. In fact there is quite a few Himalayan species, such as peaches, that maybe will be hardy for Scotland (though I don't know on sunlight levels). I'll have a little researching time.
Peace and Light
Joseph

Hi Joseph,
how was your weekend? I now have goji berries warm and cosy tucked up in soil around a rose bush, I wait to see. . .
Incidentally, I discovered that soaked goji berries are wonderful included in an apricot crumble!

my back yard domain is now beginning to look good.

I also found the tree harvest site, though I think it may not be the right one, as it also sold soap?

can you send a URL?

Edith

Ola Edith,
Probably is right URL (does this mean address? this little nugget of info as passed me by so far!!) for Tree Harvest as they do sell soap, as well as paper, candles and other natural tree goodies. I just tried to access the address and it isn't go for me, this has happened before, in fact I've never got to their site, I e-mailed them for a catalogue (enquiries@tree-harvest.com) .
Weekend was lovely, much lying in the sun on the grass, planted more beans, as sluggies are loving previously planted so I decided to do what the shakers did on discovering their corn being thieved by the next door neighbours, plant more and more!! Not that the sluggies are stealing, got to have more patient conversation with them (my mother keeps affirming to them to carry on munching - 'Slugs eat everything in this garden etc etc.' - trying to explain to her about manifesting, I'm a little impatient, running theme, it's changing), that is the lessons for me from the weekend. I got stung by a bee on my head sunday morning as well, due to my impatience, it got stuck in my hair and I told her I was going to try shake her out, and she got agitated and sacrificed herself for me to learn, mmmmmmmmmmmm.................
Enjoy

I have purchased some soap nuts in hopes that they will grow so we can wash our things in soapnuts, as they are totally natural. I ordered mine from soapnuts.com, but that is in Australia, so if you google soap nuts, you can probly get some closer for less postage.

I can't wait to try and plant some goji berries too!

I have some dragon fruit started alread, and peanuts and all kinds of neat stuff that isn't in the every day garden.

Hi Melissa,
great to hear from you!

Your planting sounds very adventurous, what is a dragon fruit?

When I say I'm planting stuff in Scotland, all my friends ask me if I'm planting potatoes ("Tatties") the last thing on my list!
I have got some globe artichokes into the ground last week as well as the Goji berries, this week I have started designing a colony of kinship domains, i just started drawing and it has turned out so beautifully! the way I have envisioned it, it actually looks like a tree! I will work it up and then post it for people to comment on!

have a good week:

peace and love will rule the world! Edith

Thank you Edith!

It is nice to meet you too... A dragon fruit is a really neat, bright pink, round fruit, with little "tails" all on one side of it. It is similar in taste to a kiwi, but much milder in taste. I bought it at the grocery store, and the seeds are in the meat of the fruit, so I save a few to dry out, and a few I planted right away, since I am not sure of the meathod because they are an exotic friuit, I just tried it both ways, not sure which one worked, just that I have three of them growing in a pot now. I did the same with my grapes, strawberries and peanuts etc.

With things like peanuts, they don't really sell them raw any more here, so a good way to get raw seeds is to go to the bulk section in pet or animal food places, and thoses seeds are still raw, as with the seeds in bird seed....otherwise in my area it is almost impossible to get a wide variety of important seeds.

I also have a few varieties of wheat grass and barley etc for growing, and I have bought a manual wheat grass juicer, and also a manual grinder for making flour out of the wheat berries etc.

It is funny, I have been planning for my domain for years and years now, way before even stumbled upon the books a few months ago....I have been picking up various seeds etc and protecting them, and now sooo many of these things are impossible to get. What a blessing our intuition is.