At the end of 2015, we planted our first trees out that will eventually be feeding us, the animals here, and the community. About 50 trees and shrubs were planted which were a mixture of Wild Plum, Elderberry, Blackcurrant, Persimmon, Heartnut, Butternut, Pecan, Apricot, and Aronia. It was a very fun and sunny early winter day with family and friends!
This year we will be adding to the assortment with Raspberry, Blackberry, Hardy Kiwi, Nanking Cherry, Gooseberry, Maypop, Goji, Hardy Almond, Quince, Maple, grafted Apple and Pear, and additional varieties of Persimmon, Pawpaw, Blackberry, Raspberry, Blackcurrant, and a few others.
At the end of June last year, we hosted the first Vegan Permaculture Design Course to take place in the United States. Our friends Graham Burnett of Spiralseed and William Faith of Genius Loci Permaculture led the 13-day full design course at Wild Earth. Students spent time in the classroom and also outside learning through hands-on experience. The course is full of many lessons in designing our lives to be in line with our values of ecologically sound living. This included growing our own food from gardens to food forestry, solar and renewable energy options, community building and designing our lives around alternative economic models, and many lessons based on observation of the patterns and details of the ecosystems around us.
This October we are offering several workshops starting with the Vegan Permaculture Design Course on October 1, with the same lineup of instructors. All the details for this course can be found at here. Our first Alumni Harvest Gathering will follow the PDC, which is a fun-filled gathering of everyone who has been involved with Wild Earth including family, friends, past students, volunteers, and neighbors. During the day there will be small workshop presentations based on topics we find interesting and valuable. This year we will be looking at topics such as "Designing Your Life in Permaculture", "Yoga for Gardening or Farming", and several others. On October 15th and 16th, Willie Crosby with Fungi Ally will be leading a 2-day Mushroom Cultivation Workshop. The October coursework culminates with a special collaboration with Mark Shepard who will be leading his 3-day Restoration Agriculture Course within the framework of veganism as well as a farmed animal sanctuary!
We hope to see you at the farm in October!
Joe Kilcoyne
Co-Founder Wild Earth Farm and Sanctuary
Wild Earth Farm is an LLC that operates to provide educational courses and farm products.