I have moved into a new home in Nelson that has wonderful potential for hosting a thriving community garden. All space that is not concrete is terraced and is available for growing. It is currently set up for flower gardening, but could easily be converted to grow food.
Do you live in or close to nelson? Would you be interested in investing in a sustainable development?
The world needs to change, and we can change our little spot. Let us work together.
Scott
The gardener is used to changes. We understand that no weather forecast is guaranteed, and that plans should always be held loosely in case there is a sudden turn of events.
I feel very deeply for our Mother Earth and all it’s inhabitants. I ask very often how I can serve humanity in the most effective way possible.
Understandably, my compassion can lead me to over-extend myself when I am not mindful of my limitations as a single person. With that being said, I recognize that I am capable of much more than I imagine.
How to find resolution to this paradox? How do I optimize my work output efficiently while still maintaining a balanced sense of self-care.
I will be exploring this topic throughout the coming year- and I’m sure for the rest of my life. My plans are very ambitious and I know that I am capable of achieving anything that I can dream of.
In the words of my wise mother: “Take what you need, and eat what you take.”
I encourage all of you to bite off no more than you can chew. Do something amazing for the earth and your fellow-kind. Learn to be gentle with yourself and with others.
Here’s a video that I think is absolutely fabulous.
From my Heart,
Scott (Sun)
There’s nothing quite like waking up in the early morning and having a dump-truck load of cow dung delivered right to my doorstep. What you’re looking at in the picture is 400$ of high- nitrogen food for the soil organisms(about 8 cubic yards). Once the high nitrogen poop chemically reacts with the carbonous wheat straw that I’m laying down, I’ll have a wonderful medium in which to plant my seeds.
New Manure and Wheat Straw - Ready and Waiting
Some gardeners will actually plant in sheet mulch as soon as it’s laid down! I’m going to let it decompose until spring before I venture into that territory.
Neat and tidy is something I appreciate, and I am learning to refine my own organizational skills everyday. I’m grateful that in the meantime, I am able to work with such forgiving mediums as straw and cow manure. I can make things look aesthetically pleasing even while wielding a pitch fork.
Okay,
So I just sectioned off a space to grow food on, and I’m in the process of preparing it for planting next spring.
The ground with it's new haircut
I’m starting with tall meadow grasses. With minimal effort and soil disruption, I aim to be planting in soft, loamy soil by next spring.
The process that I am using is called “Sheet mulching”. In essence, sheet mulching can be nothing more than a piece of cardboard placed as a plant- growth barrier. The method that I am using is going to be more intensive.
Welcome to the Beginning!
My name’s Scott East. I am currently living on the East shore of BC’s Kootenay Bay in a town called Crawford bay.
Myself in the garden
I am very interested in all things sustainable and self- sufficient. I am endlessly inspired by permaculture and have just arrived at a space in time in which everything has lined up for me to put my knowledge into practice. I am very grateful for the opportunity!
A bit about me- I’m a Calgary born free- spirit. I grew up in a spectacularly nurturing, nature oriented family. I spent a lot of time in the Canadian Rockies as a child- cross county skiing, hiking and climbing. This is where I first became aware of the awe-inspiring beauty and sanctity of Mother Earth.
Those early years planted a seed within me, one that has just started to break through the earth and into the sunshine.
