Transition Culture writes:

Many people got in touch with Transition Network to ask how they could get copies of Rebecca Hosking’s seminal ‘A Farm for the Future’ programme. It can beviewed on Video Google now, but it is proving tricky for us to distribute copies of the film. You may therefore be interested to know that due to popular demand, the programme is being screened for a second time on BBC2 Saturday 4th April at 5.20pm. Set the recorder, and enjoy this wonderful programme a second time.

I think this is an interesting article. Blah blah blah. Read the full text here.

So I got a new job. Yesterday was my first day. What was it?

Delivering vegetables! Ta-da!

but that's not very exciting. Actually, I anticipate it becoming rather boring. But these are organic vegetables and fruits (and coffee and yogourt and stuff), and although that in itself doesn't make it much more exciting, this does: the guy I'm working for is a permaculturist! He's planning on turning his own land into a permaculture education farm, and hopes to find a place for me as an apprentice permaculturist.

It's a bit scary, I'll admit, and right now I feel like running away, because it feels like responsibility and commitment, and for some reason I'm scared of that. My head is finding all sorts of reasons I shouldn't do this job.

But ultimately I think it'll take me in the direction I should be going, and really, how many people can say they have a paying job in the permaculture field?

the Urban Permaculture Guild?!

How did I not know about this?

http://www.urbanpermacultureguild.org/

tree pruning, seed swaps, and stolen leaves

I finally feel like something is happening with that ol' patch of land. I've received I-don't-know-how-many seed catalogues in the mail, and I've pored over those wondering what I should get. There are lot of exciting-sounding plants that are probably completely useless and uninteresting, and it's hard to tell which is which!

My friend Marçel, who is an orchardist, came and pruned my cherry tree for me last week. He explained a lot of the basics to me: what happens when you prune a tree in the winter, what happens when you prune above or below a certain spot, etc. It really is fascinating; you begin to appreciate the amazing intricate beauty of all the hormones and stuff that control how a tree grows.

Anyway, it's a fair bit more open, and a little bit shorter too, which will help the plants underneath get some sun.

I went to a seed swap on Saturday. Boy, was that fun! It's so cool to discover all these varieties of yer average plants that aren't sold in big catalogues because they're a secret family variety brought over from Siberia seventy years ago. I bought some seeds, chatted with my friend Thomas about mixing permaculture and theatre together, and talked with the worm-crap lady about how to amend my horrible soil (which doesn't even grow weeds). Lots of wonderfully unusual people there, all very excited to talk with you about growing.

And last night I stole the dead leaves from all my neighbours' yards, under the cover of darkness. I even wore a headlamp to make it feel more clandestine. So now I have about eight bags ready to dig into my soil. I was gonna just put down sheet mulch, but I don't have much time before spring, so I think I'm going to opt for heavy soilwork this year and a slower, more permaculture-style, process next year.

still no dice

It's -12°C again (that's 10°F for old-fashioned types). The weather keeps tempting us with thaws, but then it'll snap back to below freezing. I think I might start my garlic in little pots, and then transplant them in the spring, which is kind of a no-no, but it might work.

Today, I am thankful for the capitalist abomination that is Wal-Mart :-)

Because they are only two blocks away and they have extension cords. I got into my Cabrio this morning to go to work, turned the key, and -- vuh-vuh-vuh-vuh-vuh-vuh-nothing. Luckily the previous owner put a block heater in, so that's why I found myself walking to Wal-Mart in half a foot of snow, against a wind chill factor of -20° C.

While I was there, I bought myself a toque and two sweaters for the journey home. I shoulda bought some boots too.

So much for my garlic! I still hadn't put it in the ground last week, when the temperatures were near 10° C, and I think it's a little late now. I also didn't get the chance to put down any sheet mulch, so I might have to make a compost-heavy mulch in the spring. Unless this cold snap goes away.

It's actually really fun. We haven't had this sort of extreme weather for at least a decade, if not more. It makes me feel amost Canadian! Everybody's reduced to going 7o km/h on the highways, and in the town you see cars and trucks skating around corners. And it makes you feel closer to strangers, because you know the same thing is on everybody's mind: wow, is this weather ever nuts!

So, now I guess I'm just gonna chill (ha ha) at home and wait for my engine to warm up.

frist psot!

Well, here I am with one of those blog things. I don't have any pictures of my exciting patch of land, nor do I have any time right now to outline my plans for said patch of land.

But that's okay, because I currently have a readership of zero!