Lessons in this episode:
20 Years of Brutal Farming Lessons You Need to Hear
How We Survived the Black Hole of Permaculture
From Scraps to Success: My Darkest Orchard Days
Why Brutal Years Made Us Unbreakable Farmers
No Money, No Problem: Building an Orchard on Grit
Mental Toughness: How We Conquered Farming’s Dark Times
DIY Farming Hacks That Saved Us From Ruin
Turning Pain into Profit: Our Permaculture Journey
Episode Focus: Reflects on 20-25 “brutal years” of starting a permaculture orchard, highlighting lessons to ease future struggles.
Brutal Years Defined: 15 years of monoculture organic orchard plus 5 years replanting permaculture; a financial “black hole” sucking resources.
Rejection of Handouts: Pops avoided government aid (e.g., crop insurance) to maintain independence, contrasting with subsidy-reliant European farmers.
Resourcefulness: Built pens and traps from scraps (e.g., pallets, buckets), evolving designs (e.g., heavy cedar to lightweight skis) via quick tests.
Nursery Struggles: Grew 7,000 trees from rootstock, redoing the nursery thrice, trading time for money with apprentices like Jean-François (split 3,500 trees).
Time vs. Money: Lacked funds, so leveraged time, observation (e.g., shrubs vs. painting trees), and annual crops (e.g., veggies, lambs) to bridge gaps.
Mental Toughness: Brutal years built resilience; Pops sees setbacks (e.g., losing tens of thousands) as growth, not defeat.
Learning Curve: Mistakes (e.g., replanting mature orchard) shaped low-maintenance systems, now in Master Class to save others time.
Frugal Habits: Lived below poverty level, prioritizing needs over wants (e.g., $100/day family trips), habits persist despite success.
Mindset Shift: Encourages starting small (e.g., two trios), observing, and appreciating modern ease vs. historical homesteading.
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** NEW ** Stefan’s Master Class: https://permaculture.study (START FOR FREE)
Want to VISIT the Permaculture Orchard? Start your VIRTUAL TOUR of the Permaculture Orchard for FREE at: https://miracle.farm/vt1/
Want to LEARN how to setup your own Permaculture Orchard or Planting? Watch the FILM ‘The Permaculture Orchard: Beyond Organic’ https://www.permacultureorchard.com
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=== MUST WATCH VIDEOS ===
Origin story of MY Permaculture Orchard: https://youtu.be/zArUk3THIV0
How to Plant YOUR Orchard (TRIOS): https://youtu.be/bDog8MLFJtk
My Favourite Playlist (Indicators Of…): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2KDEvIH0SXxgyd2nARGHmUir7mq4QC3l
My BIGGEST Mistakes made in the Orchard (Playlist) THIS WILL SAVE YOU crazy TIME and MONEY!!!: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2KDEvIH0SXwqhJo1q79RCD1tNbxsxd3Y
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=== SOCIAL MEDIA ===
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lesfermes.farms
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X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/permaculorchard
My FRENCH YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-fKD72AtioxXV2C9oZf6ZQ
