I'm the product of an Alberta farming family (there are towns named after my mom's family out there) and 3rd generation local to a nearby farm town who is HAPPY to be in the big city of Seattle. Only, I missed gardening - tomatoes, green beans, apples, prunes...none of it tastes right if you don't grow it yourself. And watching my grandparents tend a garden must have sunk in. The idea that food has a cycle, it's a labor and a reward, is one that I want to pass on to my kiddo and any of my friends who make the mistake of asking why the marinara tastes so good. I have no formal background in permaculture, just some practical gardening experience and now a permanent urban spot.
Permaculture was an underlying theme in my college education at Fairhaven in Bellingham and as I've gotten back into gardening, it's easy to see the practical and labor-saving reasons to implement it more fully in my own space.
Additionally, my boyfriend didn't want any lawn and cooks like a demon. How could I provide for his kitchen, meet his design criteria, teach my kid, and create a place to relax outside that looks great year round? The answer was permaculture, not a traditional veggie garden. My intention is to go from a blank small space with new construction (ugh) soil with significant soil erosion to a place that is entirely edible, beneficial insect managed, and provides the wonder of the outdoors for gatherings.
A weather station for our (apparently) microclimate