Perennial Polyculture Prevails over PeakOil

KrisCan visits Eric Toensmeier in his Holyoke, Massachusetts home garden that was transformed from a bleakly barren backyard into a thriving oasis of year-round, productive perennial fruits and vegetables. Eric talks about how waste heat from factories and power plants can be utilized for greenhouse gardening; urban food security and self-reliance in the face of diminishing petroleum supplies; edible forest gardens and how they mimic the patterns and designs of ecosystems to create productive perennial polycultures.

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Education

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[SubtUtiles]

great work, kris, keep it up. this video with Spanish subs in case anyone is interested: /watch?v=2-Ydyax42bw. i keep up my efforts to be your fan #1, cheers, a.

[kriscanshow]

@SubtUtiles

Fantastic! Thanks so much. Appreciate your input. Cheers.

[jokertim777]

Growing fruits and vegetables in your backyard is fantastic, but shouldn't be sold as a solution to Peak Oil. Although "nutrient dense" they aren't calorie dense like bread, dairy, or meat. You have a good start, but its only part of the equation. I was impressed with the variety and use of micro-climates.

[kriscanshow]

@jokertim777 : True, there is no one solution, but there are many ways to live well using fewer fossil fuels. This is one way. The equation not only has many formulas, but many outcomes and no one is saying you have to chose just one.

[vention4wh]

Thanks for this! The authorities who own the government and industry fear people like this a lot more than the Idaho survivalist types. A guy like this doesn't need to buy Monsanto junk. He can spend less time working and paying taxes because his homestead meets a lot of his needs.

Every time money changes hands, governments take 8 to 25% at every step. This guy is bypassing a lot of that, and that scares the caviar and champagne out of these rich jerks who own everything.

[Coldstream63]

This man's expertise will be in high demand.

[jetle25]

this is great but where can I buy these plants in the Northeast? Nursery Lists?

[sundogforlove]

I think the woman interviewing is beautiful. I wonder if I could take her out for dinner? Will you go out to dinner with me?

[vodkablond]

You gotta love Permaculture im setting up my own

[angieangieful]

This lady is awkard.

[angieangieful]

Interesting video but this lady is awkward!

[yourmajezty]

thanks for the vid :)))))

[FreedomFox1]

Cool garden. What's all this 'end of civilization' stuff?

[Gardensnog]

Great Vid - Pay attention young lady this is no t 7/11 !

[BarefootBotanist]

Great vid. Always good to see people growing their own food in a sustainable way, and being so passionate about it. For the 'calorie dense' crops, depending on your climate, try legumes (lentils, pigeon pea), Root drops ( potato, yam), and nuts (whatever grows in your climate). What would you recommend jokertim777?

[theonymous]

That's amazing. I own a home in Connecticut and I've been looking into doing this to my yard. How do passion fruit vines and banana tree survive the winter?!?