What is Permsteading?

[matt walker]

Er....uh.....well, I.....hmmmm.

So, yeah, what is permsteading, anyway?

Well, I guess we, or I, for now, get to define it. That's what this thread is for. I'll start...

Well, it's a silly word, I'll admit. It came to me yesterday, when I was feeling especially frustrated as I cruised the usual haunts on the web in my search for more knowledge. I realized that the forums I liked tended to reflect the ideology of their respective namesakes, naturally. As I thought about that, and what fit me best, I realized I lay somewhere outside of the descriptions that exist for the life and land I want.

So, to me, permsteading is harvesting rainwater with a swale or growing a row of beets to run the pigs in. It's building a rocket stove in the greenhouse and working out a rotational grazing scheme. Building hugelkulture beds and preserving the harvest by pressure canning. It's combining techniques, without the limitations of labels.

It has a single ethic, Be Good. Be good to the soil and the land I steward. Be good to my animals, the food I grow, my community. And so on.

Well, that's enough for now. I'll think of more, I'm sure, but feel free to add your own definition. It's brand new, we get to make this however we want.

[missusmlaargh]

Awesome. I second all of those things.

Now that I'm a mother, it's become incredibly important to me to teach my son where food comes from and what real food is. I get great satisfaction from growing the food that he eats, and as he gets older I look forward to teaching him how to do it for himself. It's important that we teach a new generation what people have known for thousands of years, but seem to have only in recent history forgotten.

It's the best feeling to see such a robust little animal come from just milk, vegetables and fruits.

[matt walker]

That's what I'm talking about! It becomes so natural after a while, I can only imagine how far ahead someone raised like that will be once he's an adult. It has taken me a long time to realize how possible it is to raise healthy food without harming the land, and most of that difficulty I think was overcoming my ingrained ideas about where food comes from. I'd love to hear more about what you guys are doing around the 'stead.

I'm gonna ask some duck questions soon too, so be ready! It's time for me to get some.

[missusmlaargh]

Oooh ducks, I can't believe it's taken you so long. We just have ManDuck these days, had to give up on the lady ducks. They always find the creek and disappear. MD thinks he is "King Chicken" and sleeps in the coop with the hens. If I hadn't trained him to do that, he would most definitely not still be around.

[Lollykoko]

When I bought 40 acres at the age of 54 my sister thought I was nuts. I kept saying that there had to be a way to provide most of what we needed on the property, leaving my pension for expenses. The search has been long, with some twists and turns along the way, but several years later ... here I am. The major portion of the land is no longer tied up in the CRP program so, this is the year that the major infrastructure begins.

The goal is to provide a home for at least five adults, age 23 to 60+ and to manage most of their food needs within the farm.

I'm headed north for a planning session. There are a couple of hugel beds planned for the early season. I'd like to get some of it done before the rains come, but I'm not counting on it. We plan to dig three ponds within the first few years. The house will be built (as much as possible) with materials found on the land when available, recycled where feasible, and DIY if at possible.

[missusmlaargh]

Oh that is great, I wish I could think (and go) that big. I've barely scratched the surface with 2 acres, there is so much more I could do if I had the time (and the help!).

The ultimate dream is a completely (or very close to it) self-sustaining property. Matt's pretty close, I think. Maybe I could hire him to come down and do some farm planning/infrastructure set up for me.

[George Collins]

[matt walker]

[George Collins]

[pa_friendly_guy]

You are right about the farmin George. And you are right about the part where they do it real good too. I had never heard of Permaculture until just over a year ago, but I had been gardening organically for 30 years. I hate to say that I have been doing it real good, but pretty good maybe. I am here to learn. Fron you, from Matt, from Lolly, from each and everyone of our members. Because I believe that there is wisdom in emulating nature, in working with nature to make plants grow. And I believe that alot of people out there have learned things that I have not learned yet. The whole idea of permaculture just makes sense to me, and has since I 1st heard about the idea. By sharing our knowledge we do not each have to reinvent the wheel. We can take what others have learned and not have to make those same mistakes over again. The only people who never make mistakes are the people who do not do anything. So I don't mind making mistakes, actually I don't make mistakes, I have Learning Experiences. But that is another topic. Lets each see what works for us, and more importantly what does not work and learn why it did not work and share our knowledge with the Group. We will All be the better for it.