An Auspicious Earth Day: Permaculture Planting for the Future
Friday, April 22, 2011 at 7:50PM 
Ten Grape vines from St. Lawrence Nursery in New YorkThis Earth Day was auspicious in so many ways. This was the first day we went to ground with our edible forest garden after years of permaculture planning...all under the guidance of Ethan and Dyami of Appleseed Permaculture. It was also a day our four part-time hardworking interns were here: Alison, Eileen, Pippa and Rissa. Another auspicious aspect: it was fruit day on the biodynamic calendar and we somehow dodged the rain in the forecast.
Permaculture is about "permanent agriculture" and there are dense but great textbooks written on the subject. It is a nice complement to our annual vegetables because it provides food and medicine and is low maintence. Something we very much welcome.
We started the day organizing plants and digging holes. Then came the actual planting and sheet mulching with cardboard we've been saving for years. Woodchips from our locust trees topped off the cardboard and pathways.
Ground prepped and ready for work: "Before"
We planted too many things to mention but on the partial list: apples, peaches, blueberries, yellow raspberries, elderberry, quince, goumi among other perennials with specifics functions like comfrey as a dynamic accumulator, licorice and New Jersey tea as nitrogen fixers, beneficial insectary plants, aromatic pest confusers and many many more.
Alison, Pippa, Rissa, Eileen and Dyami learning the fine points of sheet mulching
All of us were spent after a long but satisfying day of work with new found knowledge, inspiration and the comraderie of being together, collaborating and tending the earth. This is what earth day is all about isn't it?
Dyami and Ethan pondering over a fruit tree
As Charlie and I sit down to feast on dinner, we reflect on the day's events, incredible accomplishments, on friendships forged, French Bulldogs coddled...... and as we do all this we stray away from the present moment for a bit to imagine the future of these fruit and berry trees that will feed us until we grow quite old. A beautiful ending thought on this Earth Day, 2011. Now off to watch Fringe...
Henry, the most coddled French Bulldog with Aunt Rissa
"After" : We'll keep you updated as things grow and bloom