The Permaculture Chatroom

[Burra Maluca]

I often wonder that, too...

I think we just have to all take a deep breath and get chatting! :lol:

Go on, you start. I'm shy... :hello2:

[tsi]

Nice to meet you Burra ! Shyness is cute sometimes ... :oops:
But do good permaculturalists chat or hang around online? May be that's not sustainable at all and in deep contradiction with our goals I read that one google search will use a lot of energy ...

[Burra Maluca]

I think that could be the problem. Those of us who can are out there doing it, but I get stuck in the house on caring-duty quite frequently and I love to pick people's brains and share what I'm learning. I spent half the morning mulching the food forest though!

This forum does seem to get into a habit of arguing about what we should and shouldn't be doing, but I think we really need to get over that and start just talking and sharing ideas and experiences. I'm in a very rural part of Portugal and I'm testing all kinds of ideas out, on a limited budget, but I really want to be able to bash ideas around with people and, hopefully, avoid a few mistakes and maybe help others avoid some too. I've made enough - I'm sure I must have learned something...

[tsi]

Oh, you sound exactly what I thought I am looking for. I totally agree with you about the goal. And having fun sometimes wouldn't make it worse at all. That's how nice forums/communities work. And now I wanted to see your profile and your old posts in order to have a closer look at all that you have done and learnt. Would be really nice to have such features easily available in this forum software, as well as that picture galllery

Me too, do some work in the garden during the day but I also have my social life ... on the net My friends and family are on the other parts of the world so I do a lot of social networking and also I get all my news and information online.

I am originally from Europe, from the North though, so unfortunately I don't know much about Portugal and what you can grow there. I remember many of our fruits & veggies were imported from Spain but can't remember any from Portugal, only some clothes used to be from there. So I really am looking forward to getting to know more I think your climate must be quite close to what we have here in Tropical Northern Queensland, Australia?

[Burra Maluca]

The climate here is very 'Mediterranean' - hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters with frost. I moved here from the UK, and thought I knew all about growing stuff so it's been a long hard lesson in learning how to forget everything I thought I knew and start again from scratch. I always took soil fertility for granted and worried about getting enough sun, but here the soil is thin and poor and there is too much sun, so everything has to be based on soil building and supplying water and shade. Stuff that grows well here includes oranges, apricots, olives, cherries, almonds, and the dreaded eucalyptus... I import seed and try to persuade other stuff to grow, but I'm having limited success as we can't get hold of decent potting compost suitable for seeds. I've a few tree seedlings I'm nurturing, like tagasaste, pea-tree, different acacias, avocados, guava, but it's very slow going.

Oooh - I just noticed you mentioned ecology! I love learning about the ecology of the area around me, too. Most of the land here has been planted over with pine and eucalyptus and a lot of the wildlife is dying out as they depend on grassland, so we bought a piece of land next to the farm to keep as grass-land for the wildlife. And the burra! The wildlife keeps moving onto the farm though as there's no water on the other bit, so the next step is to dig a wildlife pond and try to encourage the hares and rabbits to stay on their bit!!

[tsi]

Oh, sounds like your environment is similar to what we here have in the dry tropics of Northern Queensland. I used to live in such environment for a year but then, because of other reasons, moved up to road to the wet tropics. Really looks like you are making an effort there. Wish you the best success

Interesting example on ecology. Usually we tend to think, the more we plant trees the better. Doesn't seem to go that way always.

[Lynn64]

Hi I am new to this chat room. Would love to chat to others. :razz:

[Lynn64]

Help Could someone let me know how to get involved in the chat room on this site. I am having trouble getting into the chat room. cheers lynn64

[Lynn64]

Hi,
Am brand new and yes very interested in chat room.. not sure how to register my vote though?
Ta
Honeyeater

Hi I am interested in the chat room as well. But cannot get into it. HELP!!! LOL

[Tezza]

Hiya Everybody who was/is interested in the chatroom....

Being the originator of the original chatroom in here..Im now putting my hands up..

I now offer my services as a Experienced "Permie" on FACE BOOK.....YES FACEBOOK!!

There are quite a few of this board on facebook now and numbers increasing all the time...

I invite you all to contact me via facebook so we can utilise the net in a ever increasing way to solve our own and planet earths problems....

We have a chat facility running,we have various other "permies"who post and offer their experience .....

To contact my self in face book,you need tobe a member of face book first lol..(costs nothing like most places these day)..

To add me as a friend please search ....Terry Haven...(Australia) and we can go from there.....OR type "permaculture"into the facebook search engine,where youll discover a wealth of links to various people and groups....

Take care see you soon

Terry Haven........aka Tezza....