permaculture

["Jerome Osentowski" <jerome@crmpi.org>]

hey folks, 
just to add a little to the current thread regarding yields in the forest
garden.  we should not be held to using the same measuring stick that
agribusiness and other market farms have come to use, unless we are to
receive the same subsidies that they're getting.

a few of the additional yields that we have the potential for manifesting
include soil health/building, species diversity and species hardiness.  for
example, i have been growing two species of figs, nepalese cactus and
rosemary under one layer of plastic for ten years at 7000 feet.  it gets
down to 0 degrees F several times a year in the greenhouse, however, these
species continue to thrive and produce large yields in the spring and
summer.  we've also had a few hens that are laying year round, without
supplemental light, heat or commercial laying mesh.  where should we put
these success on the balance sheet that we're talking about?  there aren't
enough columns.

from my forest garden i am able to set up a very successful, low-input,
edible landscaping nursery which in a few years should equal the amount of
income i've ever made from selling annual salad greens and herbs with a
third of the work.  this nursery also connects into my consulting business
and workshops (i.e. - if i travel to durango to do a forest garden workshop,
i carry with me $500 worth of plant material which either gets bought by the
host or workshop participants).  the reason is that i have plant material
that's not available in the local nurseries.

there's also the educational component of forest gardens.  people would much
rather take a workshop where they can see a maturing forest garden and
directly experience the yields by grazing.  the forest garden is also an
integral part of a school edible landscaping project that i'm implementing
in the valley.  this winter i've even set up bales of hay throughout the
forest garden and greenhouses for archery, adding another function or yield
to my property.

and how do we measure the spiritual well-being that our gardens provide us?
for me, my garden is a sanctuary and in many ways, that is the most
important yield of all.

this spring we will be releasing a forest garden video featuring crmpi's,
john cruickshank's and several other forest gardens.  the script and
narration is done by peter bane and lauren swain.  this could be considered
yet another yield.  in this video, you'll be able to see just how productive
some of these forest gardens can be.

also, peter bane and i have begun the research on a new book on forest
gardening that will address questions of yield and give examples.

if you would like to take a tour of our forest garden, we should have a new
page up on our website in a few days.

if we truly want to measure the value of forest gardening and permaculture
we need to change the way that we measure and define yields.


jerome

--
Jerome Osentowski, Director
Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute
PO Box 631
Basalt, CO 81621   U.S.A.

Tel/fax (970) 927-4158    E mail: jerome@crmpi.org

For more information, please visit our web site at <<www.crmpi.org>>