Cold Hardy Permaculture: Food Forest, an ecosystem pond, swales, and more.

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This is the video I originally drafted up for Rob Greenfield. I am now instead going to do more of a tour style video. This one will service as a solid intro piece for my own channel.
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[@homesteadhaven6024]

So much abundance and I LOVED seeing your family!! I loved your point about kids learning through your food forest and keeping bonds strong by talking and harvesting together. Our homestead has been the primary way we’ve educated our homeschooled kids.... and ourselves :) Your point about maximizing photosynthesis has stuck with me for months now. Your research and videos have been a major influencer in how I’ve gone about creating our first food forest (this year) and I’m even growing my vegetables among weeds and grasses, hoping (believing) they are working in tandem to build up the silty clay soil we have to work with. But not everyone agrees - I keep getting advice to weed my garden because the weeds and grass are keeping my vegetables from growing bigger and faster. What do you think? Have I taken it too far? Do you think the weeds and grasses are feeding or impeding? Is there a fine line to walk when combining these ideas with homestead scale vegetable growing? Thanks for another great video. Looking forward to Poppy’s next garden tour - saw him waving at the end :) All my best.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thanks again for your incredible comments. For the weeds and grasses there is a spectrum, and what changes as you go along the spectrum is a tradeoff between production this season at the sacrifice of all future seasons, and the other end is a sacrifice of this season for all future seasons. Let's look at one end of the spectrum. Industrial agriculture. It sprays and weeds and kills all competition. The plants this season have zero sunlight and water competition, and will do very well. The soil however, not so much. It is being mined. However, the farmer sees large profits and incredible yield in the fall. But we all know what happens next. The soil gets mined and depleted year over year and the farm is sold as it slowly becomes impossible to profit from it, because the soil is now dirt (no life). So what have farmers done to remedy that? They have moved to the entire opposite end of the spectrum for one season. Yes, I am talking about fallow years. In this season the farmer sacrifices all yield for the season in order to let weeds go rampant and take over the field. We then call this crop rotations (usually corn then soy then fallow, rince and repeat). This is better than depleting your soils for sure. But the question is... how many home gardeners will allow their garden a fallow season? So anything in between those falls at some point on the spectrum. The thing is, I have found that I can get 90% of the yield, and 90% of the fallow "gain", by simply allowing plants I deem beneficial to co exist with my tomatoes. Then when my tomatoes are done, I can sow something else in, or focus on a soil building winter crop like winter rye, vetch and cow pea. Most people just let their garden stay bare once gardening season is "done". But the soil life isn't done. They still need to consume root exudates, so they need plants, or their populations collapse, and along with it goes fertility. So instead of rotational cropping of 100%, 100%, 0%, giving a 3 year average of 66.6666% (repeating of course), I go with a constant stream of 90%, for an average of 90%. Of course the numbers are completely made up to make me correct. But you get the idea either way. So yes, those people who say to weed ARE correct. Your tomato plant this season will produce more if you remove all competition from it, and weed weed weed. However, if your perspective is any longer than one single season, then allowing soil building weeds to steal 10% yield every season will do tremendous things for long term soil fertility. And those same people who tell you to weed will come to your 10 year old garden and will not understand how your plants are thriving so much. The soil life is rampant, because you allowed a polyculture. This response was worthy of a video in and of itself. I should just read it and splice in some B-roll and bad bing, new video. Thanks again for being so active in this community. I am so happy to have you along for the ride, and watch your gardens also thrive. Just remember, my methods lead to my methodology. Don't worry about this years plant. Worry about NEXT years soil.

[@formidableflora5951]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy The key to knowing when it's appropriate to weed lies in your "plants I deem beneficial to coexist" with the selected plants already in the ground. So pull, as needed, the crabgrass in the drip zone, the twining bittersweet as it germinates under young fruit trees, the jewel weed that overtakes the volunteer chervil (but leave the rest for the hummingbirds), the currently tiny pokeweeds hiding out in the strawberry groundcover under the cherries (but leave some pokeweed to mature in your outer zones for the birds). Weeding is an art; I find it helpful to think of it as "editing nature." P.S. if you do a video including winter cover crops, please don't leave out my favorite, crimson clover. It breaks down so easily in the spring in a no-till system!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

This is a great comment, as are all your comments. I definitely have to remember to try crimson clover this fall.

[@homesteadhaven6024]

Canadian Permaculture Legacy WHAT a terrific response!! I’m VERY grateful. Yes, I hear you. I’ve noticed so far that some plants simply don’t tolerate competition (fennel for example, so I weeded around it), but that others don’t mind at all (tomatoes... although it’s tougher to catch pesky hornworms in a jungle). My tomatoes are yielding large amounts of big fruits so I’m hopeful... but the beans and vining plants are looking stunted. I’m guessing that the 10% less yield you used as an example could vary vegetable by vegetable since some suffer and others don’t. It will be interesting to see this season play out. Very exciting possibilities! I’m definitely most interested in the long game and building soil, so losing a small margin of yield is a fair sacrifice. Thanks again for another helpful conversation. It’s lifted my spirits .... I was feeling outpaced by the weeds by I realize it’s not the weeds I gave to control, but my thoughts about the weeds.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Also remember that it's a long game. So relevant observations would be consistency between seasons. If beans are always struggling, etc. Year to year I can have various plants perform well, and others that aren't as good as my best, and it's sometimes difficult to pin down the reason. There are just so many factors at play. But repeated results longterm are relevant. I would love to hear your experiences and results over the next few years, and we can learn off eachother. All of us.

[@joebobjenkins7837]

As an engineer the innefficiency of modern ag is like having an itch in my brain that i cant scratch.

[@solarpunkalana]

Hey! I saw one of your comments on Reddit. I love this concept so much! I’m an ecology student from the UK and I really want to get into a career within rewilding. I never thought of the potential of combining traditional rewilding with growing foods too so this was really educational!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

That's awesome. I hope you stick around and watch/comment as the years go on. I would love access to your opinions and feedback on my videos. I really enjoy when my watchers have science backgrounds and can help me learn and I also help them. I'm in the science field myself, but not ecology. Everything i have learned in this area has been self taught (well from textbooks, but still). It's nice to have true experts in the audience. It also keeps me honest when people can call me out on stuff. We only learn by surrounding ourselves with the best of the best. :)

[@m.z.593]

I don't know a whole lot about permaculture but if you are interested I really recommend watching "Kiss the ground" on Netflix. It is fascinating

[@GlorifiedGremlin]

I've been studying rewilding lately, it's an interesting subject. I'd never considered food forests as a part of that, considering rewilding is basically giving the ecosystem what it needs and what it used to have, and then walking away lol but I could totally see how the two could coexist and be an extension of one another. I try to maintain the healthiest most natural ecosystem I can on my forest land, it's so rewarding to see wildlife thriving on land you cultivated

[@jillianjones5116]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy I’m glad I’m not the only nerd who buys textbooks that aren’t required for a class. I graduated school three years ago but I still buy textbooks in subjects I love

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I will stop learning when I die. What's the point of being stagnant in life?! 😜

[@jackson8085]

We need more engineers running this world, fewer useless lawyers. Sad you had to move to rural area from suburbs just to have a garden, but that is the sad state of our modern communities.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I moved out mostly for financial reasons. I just didn't "believe" my house actually tripled in value over a decade, and I wanted to catch that insanity wave as it radiated out further into the country. Also, I detested the kinds of conversations all my neighbors tried to have with me. Nothing but stupid gossip about other people, what cars their bought, how much they thought they made, etc. I really needed out of suburbia. I discovered my passion for gardening once I got here, started digging into the industrial food chain, etc.

[@sfcar]

great video, ive watched hundreds of videos on permaculture this year and this one is the best summary of the whole food forest concept ive seen

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

That's quite the compliment :) Thank you

[@YouCantEatTheGrass]

It feels so great when your perennials have a couple seasons under their belt and really start to be established. Your garden looks amazing!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

It really is cool watching it sink its teeth in. You can feel yourself becoming less and less important, because the system is self sufficient and no longer needs your help.

[@Tyrack9420]

Exactly what I'm looking for! Ontario! Yes! Thank you fellow Ontarian!

[@StefanSobkowiak]

Nicely done. Keep growing and sharing your experience.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Wow, this is a big compliment coming from you Stephan. You were one of my biggest inspirations. I have wanted to visit you up at miracle farms and pop in and say hi. For anyone who doesn't know Stephan, go click on his picture there, subscribe to his channel. He is one of the best in permaculture in my opinion. I love what you do too, keep up the good work and let's build an army of change together!

[@TheExperimentalHomestead]

Happy I stumbled upon this- I am a designated professional like yourself in Canada. Learned a little too much about agriculture, soil and climate. I wont stop until I have a food forest and can get access to healthy foods to under priviledged communities.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Awesome!

[@teagoldleaf4137]

I really enjoyed this, especially because it's Canadian zone 4. Thank you 🌷

[@kellygillis5838]

Thank you for such a useful video! I'm in QC (zone 5) so it's incredibly helpful to see examples of what other Canadians are doing with our shorter growing seasons.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tashasmith1234]

Nature is bonding!! We have 3 girls and have bonded over backpacking. The more awareness you have about conscious living/eating, the harder it is to go back. I had carbon monoxide poisoning. It was awful, but somewhat of a gift because my body is very aware of the vehicle pollution we've all normalized. We, as a people, have normalized so many things that are bad for us and the earth. Thanks for educating and bringing awareness to all of this!

[@Dyshof]

Great! You are ahead of me. Although I planted more than 40 fruit tree in 2016, I am starting only now to convert it partially into a food forest the rest being an forest pasture.....

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Doesn't sound like I'm too far ahead! Awesome stuff 👏 👌

[@cassiopeiasmoon]

Loved seeing this! Live in Finland and gonna start my own garden this coming spring. It's been difficult to find others interested in / doing food forest type gardes in colder climates (we tend to hit -20C at least one week per winter). Thanks for the inspiration!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Best of luck! You can do it!

[@maartenlaarhoven160]

Finland has a perfect climate for berries for sure :)

[@leonoracosta6490]

What a smart system you've come up with! Thanks for explaining it in such and articulate and illustrative way! We had to unlearn modern gardening and agricultural methods that are inefficient, expensive, and harmful, to go back to God's intelligent design.

[@angelicakatana]

I loved how you handled the rabbits. Do you have any similar tactics for deer?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2PVnWytnrWqapI check that one out for deer. I basically do the same concept. Make something they don't like on my side, and feed them something they do like on their side. So thorn bushes planted thick, and Jerusalem Artichokes on their side (these are deer crack), plus apple trees.

[@ecocentrichomestead6783]

I keep my meadow area high for wildlife food. I figure it would keep them from the foreign foods that are my crops. One question always on my mind is how the other permaculture people get the finances to develop their landscape while living outside populated centers. I am trying to expand with seeds and cloning because I run on $600/mth.

[@sharonagoren6751]

You are very brave. You will do amazing with seeds and cloning. Just keep faith in what you are doing. Faith in what you are creating.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thanks:)

[@capmtripps]

great vid! i just moved to NB and will be homesteading in the near future. cold-climate food forests is not as widely discussed, so, THANKS!!!!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

That's exactly why I started making videos for it. When I started I couldnt find any cold hardy permaculture videos.

[@jackson8085]

Seems to be more of a concept for the tropics, but we are all going to have to run the experiments and build a knowledge base for the future generations. Exciting times imo!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

A wonderful perspective on the challenges we face. I think we can al benefit from living a bit closer to the earth. Even just as baby steps.

[@carolstephenson1824]

I just watched this video again. I have started to read the comments. I am looking to move to NB. How are you finding it there? I have a friend who is a real estate agent in Moncton. She has sent us several amazing properties that are affordable. Ontario is almost out of our price range.

[@TubeThambiAuroville]

We love all those who practice Permaculture! 👍❤🌱

[@tedtimmis8135]

Very cool. I live just across the border in Michigan and have a backyard orchard which is pretty amazing (although your pond is off the charts!). I have most of the same plants, shrubs and trees you do. In my yard, the things which are trouble free are Paw Paws, currants, goose berries, kiwi, haskap and raspberries. My blackberries grow well but are low producing. With most everything else, I’m constantly fighting the weeds, the deer and other critters. Saskatoon berries and mulberries are deer magnets. Also, I don’t know how you can grow apples and peaches without spraying. I would be very interested in learning how you deal with these issues.

[@tedtimmis8135]

Also, the birds eat 99% of my cherries.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Check out the latest wildflower hill update. The End if that video I talk about my philosophy for growing inside a living ecosystem. Stuff like that helps solve a lot of problems before they start. It's but bulletproof but it helps a ton ajd has really worked out well for me. Many people around me have massive pest problems that I don't have anymore.

[@maartenlaarhoven160]

I saw a video of an eco farmer who explained that weeds bring the nutrition that nature needs to fight off pests naturally. He noticed that apple trees with stinging nettle growing around were able to fight off pests better than apple trees that were 'free of weeds'.

[@NyquistLP]

instead of complaining about global warming, we could just choose to live like this

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Haha you just stumbled on the secret message of this youtube channel! 🤣 😄 Living like this also solves a lot of the problems of climate change and ecosystems collapse. Plus it is just a better way to live.

[@randijohansen5683]

What kind of animals does your foodforest attract? Snakes? Rats? It would be interesting to learn about the animal life you can expect if you start to grow a food forest!😊

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

We have frogs, rabbits,chipmunks birds, snakes, mink, owls, cranes, foxes and wolves.

[@millennialhmong7121]

Im extremely terrified of snakes!

[@kellytankersley1962]

Finally! You guys introduced yourselves! Howdy from Texas, but recently moved to upstate NY zone 5! Keith, I am learning so very much from you. SOIL! Chop-drop. My personal fav: "I chose you (whatever lucky plant)." : ) Love you guys and thanks for your passion and sharing your journey. xoxo Kelly

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

haha thanks Kelly. Make sure you also check out Jack Spirko if you haven't yet. I don't agree with everything that guy thinks/says, but he sure knows a lot. Very good resource, and is in Texas.

[@bernadettetibazi9969]

Thank you! Genius!! for sure I will be watching.

[@lucaandhisgenius1462]

Live the video the sugars also feed the fungi!!

[@РадикГафуров-ь3я]

From Russia with love. Kazan city 👋

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

😁🥰

[@plantr974]

I'm very interested in working with you to spread the word of permaculture to the world.

[@joshuagreenslade8942]

Hey. Love the channel. I’m a year and a half into food forest permaculture myself. I’m in zone 5 in WA state so I appreciate a cold climate focused channel. I want to plant a fig, but I wanted to know if there’s anything more hardy than Chicago hardy, and if I can leave it in the ground or if I should have it in a pot and move it to the shop in the winter? Thanks so much and God bless.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

There are, but I've only done Chicago hardy. There are 2 things... cold hardiness but also time to ripen. The tree may survive but you need the figs to ripen fast before winter comes. Some trees are hardier but ripen too slowly and the fig fruit stays hard then rots. Apparently Chicago hardy is the perfect mix of both those, and also fruiting on 1 year old wood, so it can die to the ground and still fruit on the fresh regrowth.

[@joshuagreenslade8942]

Canadian Permaculture Legacy awesome. Thanks for getting back to me. I’m ordering a Chicago hardy. :) God bless

[@GlorifiedGremlin]

If you're not against GMOs, there's lots of food plants that have been genetically modified to be more cold hearty. GMOs get a bad rap because corporations abuse the power, but the technology can be used in extremely beneficial ways

[@amberkat8147]

This is the kind of thing I wish my family and friends would be doing with their backyards. I'd do it, but I live in an apartment with no yard.

[@carriad11]

Greetings again from Nova Scotia! Appreciated your demeanour on the 1st post I viewed so much that I went back to your very 1st posting. I am 5 years into doing what you are doing and as you suggest it will always be a work in progress! We have 2 acres plus wild forests outside of what we own. I started with raised beds and have since added some 20 plus fruit trees! 2 years ago I ran across a great article that did a great job of explaining the fundamental difference between a “commercial” orchard/farm and a “backyard” garden/farm which is what we really have! Because we don’t have to accommodate all kinds of commercial equipment there does NOT need to be so so so much space between fruit trees/veggies/small fruit and with good planting/planning I have been able to add a lot of “production” in a rather small area. The article also specifically mentioned that almost all the instructions that come with fruit trees and the like are for commercial purposes and really do not apply to what we are doing! Anyway enjoying your posts and wish you well for 2021!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

For sure. Commercial agriculture is way more efficient in terms of production per person (at the cost of efficiency per sqft). But nothing can beat someone's backyard in terms of production per sqft (at the cost of efficiency per person). I.e. its more labour intensive to pick in a dense highly managed space, but the production goes way up. Someone in a tiny backyard has the highest production per sq ft possible, even more than me here on 5 acres (with 1-2 planted), because each sqft get so much love and attention.

[@danhaley3397]

Amazing! I’m zone 4 too! I’m on my second year. Where about are yas located? Great job!

[@karenjames9940]

Hello - I've been learning a lot from your channel - thank you for sharing! I do have a question - 3 mins into this video you mentioned that you have garlic mustard to help repel animals. But I thought it was invasive to the point that land conservation agencies have programs to remove them from natural spaces?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Indeed. I certainly don't plant it, and it reseeds from all the areas around me. However, I have found that rabbits don't like it, so where I have it growing near my food trees, I let it live until it goes to seed. This is also when the plant is the weakest - having spent all its energy reserves to produce genetics. So cutting it right at that point is also the best way to kill it permanently. I talk about that in a few other videos. Sometimes it's hard to tell how something I say will come across, and this would be one of those times. I definitely don't want people planting it to ward off pests. But if it happens to show up? We can use it temporarily, as long as we will remember to get it before it goes to seed.

[@lucyfyfe4563]

It's so interesting how countries vary in their attitude to plants. Here in England we have garlic mustard all over the place, it's good eating and dies back in the summer, no problem. But our ecologists go crazy digging up willow herb wherever they see it...

[@deborahtofflemire7727]

Good to see you from Ontario looking for some ones in Ontario

[@JennyX-ei9fg]

Wow~ Thank you so much for sharing! Really useful and encouraging!!! (Also. Could you please consider to make a video about how to grow those mushrooms?)

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Check out a video called "this is the MVP of your garden"

[@katigleiser5305]

Isn't this a pruning nightmare? The Elderberry and haskaps alone get huge .... how do you manage beside a Peach tree? So curious to hear how you have made out now 3 years in ... Seems like a new / beginner planting to me ... Ontario is a much different climate than so many of the permies that were trying to 'sell permaculture certification' ... But please, educate me. I've had huge permaculture gardens for 30+ years in Zone 7 and now Zone 5b.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I'm in my 9th year of having the food forest, look at my recent videos to see that it's not at all a pruning nightmare. It's paradise here.

[@larryydens3050]

How do you keep the clover contained in a strip? It spreads quite a bit for me. I’m in zone 6b…

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I don't. I let nitrogen fixers go where nitrogen fixers want. That's nature telling me where soil fertility is low, and they all build soil.

[@bastardferret869]

I want to try this...

[@robertmacdonald4878]

Wow!!! You really thought this through!!!. I'm so pleased to see this video. Awesome!! OMG 😲. I hope 🙏 that other people come to your teaching and knowledge of the greenery to heart. OMG.. I am currently involved with a reforestation project to reclaim a area that was ( soil stripped ) by planting key plants to this area ie; manitoba maple, elm, green ash, burr oak and horse chestnuts to the area. In future we p.an to add other plants as mountain ash, hawthorn etc... keep up the good work. Robert Macdonald of Canada 🇨🇦

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Good luck to you too! Good work!

[@dhanalakshmimunnaluri2801]

Hi...we recently moved to Canada...it will be great if we get a chance to visit your place.....appreciate your help...

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Maybe next season I will do a tour

[@saran.9969]

Pawpaws, really?!? Are they still fruiting? What variety grows in zone 4? I'll be in MT in a riparian area, wonder if I could grow them there

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

It's hard to say because I've had fruit set for 3 years but still none that make it to maturity. Trees are still young though. If we get fruit set on one to keep, I will definitely make a detailed video on them and the varieties. I'm definitely pushing zone on them, but so far they have survived 4 winters at least.

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

Really love your channel, and learning about your family. Couldn't agree more with you: permaculture and parenting meld so well and permaculture has enhanced my relationship with my kids. I find it fascinating to watch folks do permaculture in places that are so different from where I am. It's beautiful to see permaculture design work in all kinds of climates and locales.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thanks and right back at you. I learn a lot from you. I find we have a very similar mindset and approach to permaculture. I also really felt your video you made about the negative comments. Just something we have to get good at ignoring. Sometimes I find that no matter what you do, no matter how righteous and just, someone out there will always find a way to critique it I guess that says more about them than us though. I always think if I just treat people with love, and do good things, then that's all I can do. If someone takes offense to it, I need to realize at that point it's not about me, but about them. Totally felt your frustration on that one.

[@sharonhoffer3599]

Great way to deal with your bunnies 🐰 Any suggestions along a similar path to deal with deer?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

If you search my channel for the word deer, you will find my deer videos.

[@jadedfork1]

Lovely family! I’m glad your kids are enjoying the rural life. It’s just so much more pleasant and the kids get a good sense for what’s real and a connection to the food they are eating. Nice tip with the rabbits. After watching your videos, I took out the cages on 5 young American plums and planted guilds around them (blackberries, peppermint, bristly locust and comfrey). They’re not yet as dense as yours but eventually I want that to be a fedge. So far they haven’t been devastated by the wildlife yet. I’m thinking to put back the cages in winter bec I think they would munch on it if there is nothing else to eat. Maybe I’ll leave one or two uncaged to test it out...

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

The most important piece people often forget is to plant something they like in that guild also. Don't forget that, or they will gnaw on your trees.

[@jadedfork1]

Canadian Permaculture Legacy I have clover that came with the pasture so I guess they’re eating those first, but I just worry what happens in winter when there are no greens

[@lucybecker8]

I have a fig too! Grabbed the plant at a local store near Perterborough. How in heck can I keep it overwinter? It looks just like yours so possibly it's a hardy variety. We get -40 F here in winter.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I talk about creating microclimate here kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3fTcnqZZsyqp9U. That being said, the best approach is always to grow want naturally does best in your climate. The other option is to grow it in a pot and bring it inside and let it go dormant in a cool place like a cold cellar or basement. The thermal heat of the earth should keep it slightly warmer than it would be outside all winter.

[@alexandreveilleux9854]

Very nice and informative video! 👍👌

[@georgeosprey3786]

Ingenious solution to the rabbit issue. Subscribed.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thanks 😊

[@highspiritsfarm781]

Your beautiful pond...did you set it up to be able to also swim in? I’ve been looking into some research for creating a wildlife pond we can also swim in as a natural swimming pool...we are in Ontario zone 5A a great addition to a permaculture set up!💜

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Absolutely. I'm in it almost every day. Check out my fairly recent deep-dive into the pond design: kzbin.info/www/bejne/an6kaapnpd5rgpY

[@anonharingenamn]

Amazing how that rabbit trick works

[@onlyme1721]

Just came across your channel and loving the content. Has anyone ever told you that you look like James Franco 😂

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Haha all the time. Even just last year in a work meeting of all places.

[@ombodyyogacitykidsgonecoun4898]

Where in Ontario are you? I’m in Smithville and would love to make our property a good forest but am a very novice gardener.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I don't like giving away my exact location. I'm between Ottawa and Toronto

[@cabininthewoods342]

Totally addicted to your channel! Your vids are reinforcing what I already have learned to regenerate my own stripped land into an abundant healthy 🍏 forested supplier for future generations! Will pass along to those I know who need to learn about working with nature, instead of fighting nature. Thank you for sharing such knowledge in an easy to understand manner.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Wonderful! Thanks for watching. I'm hoping to be producing content for decades, so that people can look back on 30 years of content of what it's like living inside a food forest ecosystem.

[@romeowhiskey4034]

im interested in trying this. My hardiness zone is 3B and my main plant predator is Mule deer. not sure if clover or anything will keep them out.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Deer can be tough, especially in the early years until the trees get above the deer browse height. Cages ajd lots of thorny plants can help get them established. Also having an outdoor dog helps.

[@goodlifegreenscapesbrecken5928]

Man, you really know your soil symbiosis science!!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

It's definitely a passion of mine I never knew I had. Information is the cheat code to life.

[@annad7431]

Hello!What kind of papaya are you growing? Is this possible for Russia?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

It is called Paw Paw, and although some places call papayas Paw Paws, these are not the same tree, although they are related. These are Asinoma triloba. They grow as cold as zone 5, so I believe many areas of Russia can grow these yes.

[@damona361]

Two questions for you, what do you do about predatory animals who enjoy berries such as bears? Also, do you need to prepare for a drought and if so, how do you do that?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

For bears, I've heard we have them here but I've never seen one. I'm not in bear country like Montana or British Columbia/Alberta. I don't do anything for them, but if you do have them I'd ask someone who lives in bear country what they do. I would think that planting food for them far away from your house, even in wilder areas could be a good way. Give them food out where you want them, far from your house. For drought, I have swales everywhere, and they help tremendously. I have multiple in depth swale guides if you are interested.

[@arlisswirtanen7794]

Great tip on the rabbits!

[@edgarhereandthere9190]

permaculture and there's advertisements for diesel car - a somewhat contradiction

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Just FYI on that - the advertisements I cannot control, and they are a mix between what google thinks the watcher likes and what the content of the channel is. That's just the algorithm. For example, I get advertisements for chemical fertilizers and pesticides and giant cultivators and tillers. These things are the complete antithesis of what I stand for. I just find it hilarious (and sad) that the google algorithm thinks that "gardening" equals "pesticides", but that's the world we live in (and are trying to change).

[@MyDadWorksAtMarcs]

Hey Guys where is there a good list of all the plants that can be grown in this zone? Thank you!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I'm not sure one exists... that list would be hundreds of thousands of plants or more. The best thing I've managed is to use pfaf.org and go find stuff and see what zone it grows in and where it's native to.

[@Goodtimes523]

you have a nice set up there looks like you learned well from Bill Mollison and Lawton.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Huge inspirations

[@jerrysamuels8716]

Great presentation. Really interesting.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thanks!

[@linebrunelle1004]

I'm in zone 3, Alberta Rockies. I appreciate very much that you take the time to show and explain your growing process.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback 😊

[@justinp7258]

Another great video! Love the knowledge and resources you are sharing. It amazing to see how your land and guilds are producing!! Just a quick question, where did you get your king straphoria started from?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I went to fungi.com, but the shipping was too high. I was sad and wanted something more local. I ended up finding something in a small country town called Warkworth called Wylie Mycologicals. They were great. My winecaps are from them.

[@pumpkineater_69557]

And rabbits are delicious

[@ianlang9312]

Hi I am super excited to find you channel! My wife and I currently live in southern Ontario and are looking at moving to a bit more rural of an area and I am really excited to try to start a food forest. Seems I found you at the exact right time.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Perfect! We may be somewhat close to eachother too. Hopefully you can get a lot of valuable information out of the varieites that I plant.

[@sarabpreetkaur3360]

Do you first make a map or a blueprint of all the different plant layers you plant next to or around each other. It will be quite helpful to know what goes with each other. Thanks.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

As long as you know general sizes of plants, then really anything goes together. I would worry more about making sure you get as much soil shading (because you fill in ALL the spaces) than any other kind of specific plants and what goes together. Think of it more like tetris, and less like matchmaking. There is too much "this goes well with that" and there's no evidence to support it. Some things can make some sense, like tomatoes and potatoes are both nightshades and can thus amplify pest concerns (much like planting in a monoculture will do). But stuff like marigolds support tomatoes. That stuff is silly. Marigolds support anything. Thyme supports anything. Dill supports anything. There may be niche cases where there are actual allopathies, or chemical things going on, but I think it's honestly so blown out of proportion. Just plant densely and let nature sort out the abundance and decide which plants of those you sowed grow best together, because they'll do the best. Just oversow, and let nature sort it out. We could be more worried about "plant A doens't like Plant B", but what matters most is some soil micronutrient issue in that exact location. There's just a million moving parts here, so it's best to just plant lots of stuff, see what does well, and let that stuff occupy it's niche.

[@sarabpreetkaur3360]

Thanks for keeping it simple and practical. I have started this journey. Let's see how it turns out. Kudos to you to show us all that it can be done.

[@mackwackenstein]

You can also eat clover flowers! They're a wild source or plant protein which is super cool 😁

[@WheelchairFruitHunter]

what variety figs are you growing? how do you over winter your figs? thank you

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I talk about my figs in my microclimates guide. The discussion is around here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5eWe3eJfLicZ6M

[@susanrichmond6624]

Goals 🌳

[@nidhavellir]

I’m green with envy.

[@HerEcolife]

Awsome. Zone 3 here. Go Canadian food forests :)

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Awesome :) Near green barn nursery or miracle farms?

[@HerEcolife]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy I sometimes wish I live near them but I'm way up in the mountains 4 hours north of Montreal. I got about 40 fruit trees planted. Though I have a wide range of wild edible fruit trees on my 200 acre farmstead.

[@HerEcolife]

Closer to Maine than Vermont.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

That's still awesome though. You must be up near Tremblant a bit?

[@HerEcolife]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy I'm near Montmagny area. Type that in and you will get a general idea where I am.

[@dawneyekeen8337]

Kiwis? Isn't that tropical growing area fruit??

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

There are some cold hardy kiwis. For example, look up arguta kiwi. They are smaller like grape size, and have no fuzz.

[@JoybileeFarm]

What variety of fig are you growing in zone 4. Most of them say only to zone 6?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Chicago Hardy.

[@coreynweiss]

I'm 1 semester away from finishing my engineering degree on the west coast of Canada and I've learned so much from you!!! I am inspired to take on some diverse projects. Question, do you have any struggles with invasive species or persistent garden weeds such as bind weed, butter cup or whatever else? I understand that the definition of weed is subjective, but some are surely aggressive and compete directly for resources without providing much for us. Thanks!!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Hey, this is a good opportunity for a video response. Stay tuned. Thanks for the comment and video idea.

[@jenni431]

Do tropical fruit trees survive the Canadian winter?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

No. Paw paws however can look quite tropical and will survive our winters. We get to -40 degrees here 🤪

[@SnowyGolem]

So I'm 100% for permaculture, and sustainability, but doesn't it take up too much space? If everyone did this, there were no more apartment buildings, everyone lived on their own homestead. Would there be enough space? I can't imagine this being possible in China for example. Please give an opinion

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Growing food sustainably doesn't mean everyone needs to be a farmer on 10 acres. Here is the change needed: Anyone growing food currently switches to regenerative practices. Anyone with useless grass lawns converts even just a small portion to food in regenerative ways. Maybe a small box garden. Maybe swap a Bradford pear for a Bartlett pear. Anyone who cannot do either of those things can still support the movement by managing choices they make in consumption. Infact everyone should do this. Consume less useless crap we don't need. Buy local. Eat way less meat (ideally zero but less either way). This is about those 3 things, and not at all about every apartment dweller buying 10 acres to become homesteaders.

[@SnowyGolem]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy thank you SO much for replying! Im so excited about permaculture and just hearing back from you gives me more momentum to get started. Much love!

[@ajb.822]

Thanks ! I am in zone 4 here in WI, USA . The hardy kiwis do fine here for some people I know, but peaches and paw paw I have yet to keep alive for more than 1 year. But I've only tried each twice and plan for next time ( when we get on some land again) to give them an even more protected ( from winter winds etc. ) spot, with more overstory hopefully helping as well. I'd always read in directions for paw paws, that if not down south ( hot, hot) to have them more in sun than shade, but I recently read that it can really help to have them in more shade while getting established, anyways.. any comments on that ? I've never even eaten 1, they just sounded like a good desert-replacement fruit, plus a great chicken food maybe ( high in protein). I also plan to order from the most northern propagator I can find, for cold-hardy selected stock, Edible Acres of NY is one, they r in zone 4b/5a at least, I think, but I don't know of any colder, yet, who grow what they sell/grown around there.... . I do plan to mainly focus on what " wants to grow" though, berries, hardy pears, unusual fruits such as dogwood fruits ( can be seen in the Jungs nursery catalog), etc. . Hi to fellow cold climate growers/permies !

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Yeah, I can definitely attest to paw paws getting damaged in the sun. They seem to be only susceptible during the first 3 years or so. After they get stronger, they can take (and actually want) quite a bit of sun. I think its a decent idea to do 1 of 2 things. Either: 1) plant them in a shady spot, and let them be an understory tree. They will enjoy this quite a lot, won't need much help. They will eventually sucker and run a thicket out, and the trees that hit the edge of thenforest and get access to sun will fruit quite well. The ones that stay in the shade will likely fruit poorly but be really strong trees. This is the ideal solution if you have plenty of space (and time). Or 2) plant them in full sun, and baby them the first 3 years or so. Give them some shade via shade cloth, or whatever you can do to help keep the sun off them. Then once they get stronger they will be fine in full sun and will reduce a ton of fruit. This is the ideal solution of you are limited in space (or time).

[@mxgangrel]

If you ever find cold hardy olives please let me know

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Right back at ya

[@Hecatai27]

Your native plants, are you buying seeds or whole plants from a nursery? Or possibly seed harvesting from wild sources?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Yes to all. 😄

[@paulgutches5253]

What variety is your cold hardy fig, if you don’t mind my asking?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Chicago Hardy. I'll definitely do an update in this spring if it survives. I've tried it in another spot and it survived one year of -40C, regrew from roots (which is the gameplan with these), but then didn't survive the next one. This year, I've surrounded it in more thermal mass, and put it in a windbreak protected, hill protected microclimate. If it can't survive and do it's thing here (dying to the roots, regrowing from the roots, fruiting on 1 year old wood) then I likely can't grow them unless I want to dig them up and bring them indoors each year, or grow them in a greenhouse (which I still am yet to build).

[@paulgutches5253]

Interesting. I tried a Chicago Hardy on the west side of my house last growing season and it didn't even get established. Even with some pampering. I'll give it another go though. I planted a allegedly cold hardy Olympian fig on the east side of the house and it did much better. I was surprised to find the leaves were still on and green after a few light frosts. Very impressive. The house is a passive solar earth home dug into the ground, so the idea is the soil should stay nice and toasty for it even in a harsh winter. Plus the ferrocement above grade forms should moderate the large temp swings we get in the high desert. Thanks for you very detailed and informative videos, and your fast and thorough responses to questions! It's very much appreciated.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Omg you have an earthship home? I would love to buy vacant land in BC and build an earthship home on it.

[@paulgutches5253]

Yes indeed. An earthship home. Really wonderful low maintenance and super energy efficient. They need to be built a bit differently in wetter climates such as yours to minimize humidity / fungus. Here we can just use the low organic content soil on site to fill tires or earth bags, or use rammed earth forms. But there are definitely appropriate techniques for every climate.

[@savannah.searson]

Beautiful!

[@tejasjally710]

Hello good to see Ur garden it's a wow How is this managed in the winters

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Not much to do. This year I painted my peach trees with a lime based natural "paint" (it's not so much a paint as simply crushed lime), this protects it from warming up too quickly and cracking. I have some trunk protectors for rabbits. I also planted late season kale for them, so they eat the kale and leave my trees alone. It was very successful. I have so many rabbits around and only a little tree damage this year. Other than those optional things, nothing at all.

[@sariahhansen1228]

I loved your family bonding through self-sufficiency! I'm also interested in your opinion on the Seabuckthorn. Thanks for sharing your setup!

[@FoodForestLiving]

Always insane amounts of value in your videos. Thank you for deep explanations!

[@novatrue1135]

You are very wise, the rabbit solution was genius

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

It works really well

[@H.H_Herbals]

I'm zone 4 as well. North of Ottawa about an hour. Where did you find those cold hardy paw paws and other plants?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Whiffletree, Green barn, Grimo Nut

[@H.H_Herbals]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy thank you! 😊

[@Building_Bluebird]

Did you take any particular permaculture course? How did you learn?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Books. I don't think a permaculture course is required. That's just my personal opinion. Getting a PDC is only important if you want a shiny sticker to put on your teaching business, or consultation business. Nothing you learn in permaculture requires a teacher, and none of the material is complex where a PhD is required to get the information across to a new student.

[@Building_Bluebird]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy that's my take on it as well. Thanks! Larry

[@justinp7258]

Hello again :) I have searched for “serviceberries” and there seems to be 20 different options. Do you happen to know which ones you are having success with for our growing zone? Thanks again!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I have a bunch of types of Amelanchier spp. My favorite are saskatoon berries (Amelanchier alnifolia), and my favorite for the birds is Amelanchier Canadensis.

[@fredhenderson945]

Where did you find a list of all the cold hardy plants for zone 4? (I'm zone 4b and also half way between Ottawa and Toronto so we are likely fairly close to each other.) I have two food forest areas just started and would like to fill in with a lot more perennials. You are doing exactly what I would like to do and everything you say makes so much sense. Thank you.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thanks Fred. I have a video about how I got started making a permaculture food forest. In that video I talk about the process I went through for the first few years. Basically taking many many hikes and just learning every plant around me. Plant ID apps, searching them up in google, learning about the plants and their uses on plants for a future www.pfaf.org. I knew noth about this half a decade ago. It's amazing what a conscious focus on learning something new every day can do after half a decade of doing it.

[@bobsmith8124]

It is a miracle.

[@bobsmith8124]

Seabuckthorn!!!!!!

[@acac8902]

Do you spray your fruit trees and if so with what?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Nope

[@danm3580]

[Yes, in response to you near the end, it is a very informative video for cooler climate gardens. Can't wait to garden!]

[@brianprescott5470]

This is amazing! I’m just over the border in New Hampshire. I love the part about rabbits. Any advice on chipmunks? I don’t want to kill or trap them, as I would prefer symbiosis. Is there a way to keep them from being so destructive?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Chipmunks are awesome and so underrated and undervalued. They plant so many trees and bushes. Whatever they take they can have, because they are doing my work for me. They also tunnel and burrow which give trees deep water and oxygen. I love them! I plant hazelnuts for them, those are like chipmunk crack. I'm sure in 20 years the 1000 acres around me will have so many hazelnuts because of them taking mine and replanting them. As far as stopping them, I say the best option is to plant more. Accept that they will take some and just plant plant plant more more more. If that isn't possible, the best option is a dog that stays outdoor as much as possible. Don't substitute a dog with a cat because they do so much damage when left to roam outside. They are too good at killing birds. But a dog will keep them away fine. You can also try leaving plates of nuts out for them, and hopefully that deflects them off your more prized trees and bushes. Lastly, build habitat for foxes and owls.

[@brianprescott5470]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy this is exactly the answer I wanted! I don’t want to kill or poison and cats are an ecological nightmare! I plant not just for myself, but for the planet. I’m rehabilitating an acre that was severely neglected and overrun with invasive and destructive plants. Planting clover to fix soil that was previously just a muddy morass of nothing. Mostly to start I will be focusing on pollinators, soil regeneration, and planting medicinal and edible herbs. Thank you so much for the reply!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Glad to help! Your mindset seems perfect.

[@sharonagoren6751]

Beautiful beautiful! I love your approach and this is a great video. The thing that impresses me the most is how food forests affect human relationships. How they strengthen families and create a line of positive communication among friends and neighbours. I loved seeing your family!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thanks 😊 for sure, there is something about nature and food that creates bonds. Combining them is a sure win!

[@vishallama7898]

Amazing 🤩 I live in Toronto. how can I visit the farm and learn in detail the process . Im willing to pay for your teachings 🙏😊

[@johnnmartens3067]

Wow that’s beautiful ecosystem in your backyard I’d never get bored thx for the video!

[@sacredcowbbq1326]

LOL. If it says berry on the end, we have it. Love it!

[@qflower4982]

Great tips

[@banksarenotyourfriends]

Thanks for making these videos, as others have already said; it's really useful having a source of info for cold climates. I'm in Northern England at a high altitude, and our winters are pretty harsh, even compared to the rest of England. As an engineer, are you following any of the various Electric Vehicle manufacturers? I'm really excited about the future of Rivian. I need a utility vehicle, but don't want another diesel when my current vehicle dies.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I have been a big fan of Tesla for a while (much less so for Elon himself). We have a model 3 and it's the best car I have ever driven. I have mentioned this before in a few places, but I have always bought really minimal cars. They have always been an "A to B as cheap as possible" thing for me. About a decade ago I took a huge job (which I did for about 4 years, until I made radical lifestyle changes as I got into permaculture). My colleagues were buying vipers, and I bought a 12 year old minivan lol. I'm very excited for the whole electrification transition for humanity as a whole, as well as cutting edge engineering. "Real Engineering" is one of my most watched KZbin channels actually. Rivian is very exciting, for sure.

[@banksarenotyourfriends]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy I've always been more of a minivan man than a sports car man myself as well, hahaha! Utilitarian 'til I die! :D If it weren't for my rural location I'm not sure I'd even have a car, but around here it's not uncommon to have 6ft drifts across the roads in winter, and heavy rain for 2 seasons per year, so you can probably imagine the state that the surface of our 'roads' are in most of the time, and a 4x4 is a necessity. I try to do as many journeys as possible on an e-bike though, and I've probably cut my mileage in the car by 75% since I bought one in January. If you haven't already come across the brand, check out Rad Power Bikes - they're at the cheaper end of the e-bike scale. So much fun, and it's extended the range of my guerilla tree-planting missions by about 20 miles too, lol. Thanks for the detailed reply.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Lol. That whole reply is pure awesomeness. I'm pretty sure we just became best friends.

[@banksarenotyourfriends]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy Hahaha! Goodnight new bestie.

[@tonymcguinness9496]

Impressed