I’m not even sure what a Shazzazle is, it’s a word I made up to describe a kind of fuzzy/ hazy idealised mishmash of thoughts about a possible future situation. So a Permaculture shazzazle is a bunch of vague thoughts about how Permaculture might be integrated into my future.
I had had this Permaculture stuff all in the process of being planned out when I’d bought my land in Portugal and had a specific plot to work with in a specific region. Permaculture planning kind of requires specific details involving temperature, rainfall, topography, so you can, well, plan what to plant and build and where.
Without the specifics doing a plan is a lot more difficult, but you can shazzazle, as I’m gonna call it.
Although having said that about Portugal, I didn’t really do that much planning, I was so busy just finishing off the house, and maintaining the land I didn’t really see the need to do a plan until I’d got on top of what was already there, but that never happened before I left, but there you go. At least I learned that having a place would make planning EASY, not necessarily the execution.
Anyways, anyways, anyways….on with the Permaculture shazzazling…
Let’s think 10 years from now…. 2033….
What do I WANT….?
- 3-5 acres woodland somewhere on the welsh borders.
- OR - thinking on my feet, maybe just 3-5 acres of land that I can turn into a Woodland.
- It’d be too much hassle to live there because of UK planning laws.
- Does that even mean it’s Permaculture? - only in the forest garden sense of the word.
- But that’s O.K.
- So I’d need a van. I want a van anyway, so that’s O.K.
- Some kind of storage unit for tools. Shipping container would obviously be ideal for security purposes.
- Own water supply and compost toilets would work.
- On site solar rig would probably get nicked, could just rely on the van.
- Crazy thought - set up a solar energy field, tie it into the grid, that’s pretty Permaculture.
- Sane thought - it’s VERY wet on the welsh borders so forget that idea!
- I’m enjoying this Shazzazle so far.
- Hedging… I’d enjoy doing that, Permaculture loves edges.
- Trees - lots of trees… If it’s a field, plant lots.
- If it’s a woodland I’d like a clearing so I can plant at least some fruit trees.
Tree nursery. Young trees are much cheaper. - NB I’m talking about woods for real long-term crops, not my dailys.
- Courtyard garden and allotment are fine for daily veg.
- Woodland or woodland to be a long term build and chill spot.
- CHICKENS… They probably wouldn’t work in a woodland, they’d get eaten.
- Poor chickens.
- So no chickens.
- Damn, I really want chickens.
- Tough. The kind of house I’d need to have a garden big enough for chickens is just too pricey.
- Meditation Zone - I’d craft one of those UK Zen stylee somehow.
- Other people - I’d like to rope in some other victims.
- There’s little point having a woodland to myself.
- People could drum there.
- That would be nice!
Phew!
O.K. great, that gives me a slightly less vague picture of what I want compared to this morning.
I still really want to build one of these bad boys!
In the meantime.
It’s all about small scale smart permaculture. Focussing on my allotment and my small backyard.
Small, manageable projects.
Problem is my mind’s gone a little blank here.
Ah, start with what to grow for next year…. Simple crops, in pots, for the back garden, and HERBS.
I’d also like a watering system of some kind, and to do better with composting.
NEXT STEPS…
Read and plan and get a specific vision in place, with a diagram, of my back garden.
Small steps!
Nice shazzazle!
Afterthought - I think the word classifies as an onomatopoeia
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My list would be like:
Where do I poop?
Where do I shower?
Where to plant potatos?
Food forrest is a myth. Good luck harvesting some low hanging fruit and watching the rest get eaten by birds and stuff. No way will that produce significant calories.
Chickens are great; free roaming is absolutely impractical in most cases.
I really don't understand why you want to buy the land. Real estate trading is a whole industry, some people do it all their lives and you won't stand a chance against them.
What about Ireland? Maybe the English aren't the most popular of people there, but to me it seems quite attractive... but WALES of all places? Lovely people, but the weather, the architecture... I found it one of the most depressing places I have ever been to.
SW Ireland, where I'd be most likely to buy is just as wet as the Welsh borders! I am aware that to get calories out of a food forest would require some management, I'm not against usual agricultural methods either. Buying is just so I have some autonomy really.
It's a thought experiment in progress...!
You didn't even ask, but I will answer the question :D
I would suggest, to focus on one thing.
Want a hut in the forrest where people can meet, do the drum circle thing (I would melt of cringe, but to each their own :P)?
Then do that and only that. The forrest would be just the decoration and if it produces calories, that's a nice side-effect.
Rent it out as a permaculture learning experience center for meditation and things, host workshops or whatever, make it profitable and spend the proceeds locally: buy veg from a dedicated organic veg grower, get your lamb from some organic sheperd, your eggs from someone who runs their chicken organically. Pay them well.
Find a niche so you can integrate.
Everybody on their own will not work. Eventually you will burn out.
You need to connect and build relationships.
It's the only way to become independent from the system. Can't do it alone. What would even be the point?
Nice idea as it goes, I certainly don't want to be isolated.
You're welcome to the drumming circle anytime, there will be a dress code...
:D I'd join a DnB circle rave any day of the week :D
-where the mushroom farm?
-where the worm farm?
_aquaponics?
yeah, nah.
Pick one.
Oh I'd love a roundhouse and a food forest and woodland and a mushroom farm and animal sanctuary. That's my vision.
Yours sounds great.
But yeah we got to focus on what we got and the space we have to grow food, that is super important xxx
Ah yes, mushrooms, I forgot those, possible in relatively small spaces too!
Sounds like having that land in Portugal was a rather eye-opening experience for you.
It was great, just the language!
Honestly, this bugs me a little bit.
I follow you; I can see how hard you work, how organized you are. Anyone, who reads your stuff, must notice that you are quite intelligent.
I can not get over the fact, that language was your barrier.
The language I am writing to you in right now, is my second language. Sure, my English will never be perfect, I will always have some accent, but I feel like I can express myself well enough. I have gotten to a point, where I can express certain things easier than in my first language.
Altogether, I know 4 languages.
That's not because it came easy to me, but because I learned.
Learning 10 words per day (weekends off), you will know ~2500 words after a year. 5000 words after 2 years.
The average English-speaker uses ~3000 words (don't quote me on that) during a normal day...
I am planning to leave Germany for good.
I might have to learn an entirely new language.
I can see a lot of challenges along the path, but language is a minor concern, only.
I'm just a bit crap at languages, and the anxiety I get is huge! Also, I think I'm just very British!
I bet! It has been a joy to watch.
I'm going to steal your made up word. I like it, and my wife and I have been doing our fair share of shazzazling lately, too. We bought some land in the mountains. The previous house burned down and there's a lot of clean up to do. But once that's done we'll be working on our own permaculture dreams. Since we're still in the clean up phase and can't even yet move our RV onto the land, we're mostly just planning and daydreaming right now. I always enjoy your posts on the topic.
That's so cool, when are you moving dyou know?
We're shooting for the end of winter, before the plants and insects start taking over the property again. We won't have the place completely cleaned out by then, but we should have room enough to move our current RV on to the property and build out some rain catchment and some solar in preparation for the bigger projects in years to come. Right now there's a large motorhome right at the entrance of the property that was damaged in the fire that occurred before we purchased it. Once that's removed we'll have room to get our own stuff staged.
As you know, it's always a bigger project that it seems, and timelines can shift with weather and the availability and cost of contractors for the things we can't do ourselves.
Be interesting to follow for sure! Good luck!
Thanks. I'll probably post the odd update here and there once things get going. Right now it's more a matter of watching the seasons change. Doesn't make for terribly riveting content, lol.
It seems you want to become a self-sufficient 10 years later :)
In the 2030s, android robots will help us with hard work in the garden. We might even ask them what is best to grow in certain areas of the garden. And the robots will calculate the optimal watering of the plants.
That land gave you so much insight and helped you to reason better
Hoping to have 3 or more acres in the next few years is never a bad idea
It is cool