SOLD: Beautiful Happyzine

Gardening is all about planning and permaculture is no exception to that rule. Despite having a degree in Making It Up As You Go Along, when I garden I need to have a convincing plan of action. Dreaming just doesn’t qualify.
I often wish I was more organised. I look at people who use calendars and diaries successfully with a little envy.

Luckily, once a month, the moon pops up full and reminds me to sow seeds.

Over the centuries many gardeners have used the moon to direct their activities- both Culpepper and Steiner developed systems that recognised the zodiac signs for planting; others tell us that different phases of the moon stimulate different types of plant activity. My system is somewhat less esoteric.
But, plan I have.

Can you imagine the secret joy of the former nomad, who’s spent years planning and planting others’ gardens, putting pencil to paper for the first time for herself? Of course, the plan changed. Several times even. But that is part of the process too, isn’t it? Being able to recognise once you’ve arrived at the good plan, and then acting on it?

Dreaming is part of that process. And I’m a grand dreamer. Permaculture, luckily, allows for this grand scale.

Future food security for myself and my family is part of my advance plan. Making that a possibility for my community as well, well, that’s a dream. A dream that I’ve been busy trying to move towards fruition.
Imagine the scale of this- people within my community coming together to celebrate and work towards a future with lower atmospheric carbon levels by planting 350 fruit trees in public spaces. I sent the idea out there and it got mixed reviews.
Some folk gave it their immediate support- what a great idea! Future food security, environmental education for all and an Open Orchard for all to enjoy!
Others weren’t so keen -fallen fruit attracts vermin and wasps; who’d maintain these trees? It turns out these planners weren’t too avant garde at all. There’s no dreaming allowed for in the subclauses of this city’s parks management plans.

So what’s a girl to do? Give up? No. Not at all. I rang the Man In Charge and discussed the possibility of changing his mind. He said it wasn’t outside the scope of the city’s ideas on how parks should be, we just had to plan for it. There’s no point in getting all Guerilla Gardening about it, I was told that it was contrary to council bylaws to dig (technically speaking) in a park without consent. (No mention of seed bombs, though, in a non-organic park maintenance programme I don’t like the chances of success).

I guess next on the list of Things to Do is buy myself a diary and get organised! And order my seeds. And put some seaweed in to make compost…

Tags: Permaculture