guildfordcycads

I rarely see discussions here on how to enter into permaculture and the transition to make it a full time career. Today I began selling succulent pups at my farm shop. When I decided to start a permaculture farm I had no intention of doing so as a form of income. I reflected on the time in my life as a broke college student growing seedlings I collected from my landscaping job in egg cartons, with $15.00 in my bank account after I paid rent. I know how expensive plants can be and how unaffordable it can all seem. I know how I was able to begin my operation but have questions for the community as a whole to hopefully inspire/help those who perhaps were like me starting out. English is not my first language so please tolerate if I make a mistake. Below are the questions I have that I wish someone could’ve answered for me at the start:

• What was the hardest barrier to entry for you to start practicing permaculture, strictly regarding financials?

• Have you ever seen permaculture as a way to make a living?

• What cottage industries have you started? Did you begin with them as the end goal or did they come along the way?

• If you are a full time permaculture farmer, at what point did it become your full time employment?

• Have you taken advantage of USDA grants and programs to assist with organic, regenerative, and environmentally conscious agriculture?

• If you don’t own land, how do you practice permaculture on leased parcels?

• If you sell surplus, do you prefer produce or value added products?

• How have you scaled your permaculture operation?

• If permaculture has been strictly a hobby or for personal use have you considered a farm shop? If so, why/why not try to have one?

• What was a lesson on affordable permaculture you wished to learn earlier?

• What is the cheapest way you recommend people begin practicing permaculture?

• Feel free to discuss/comment and any and all tangential and germane topics I missed

I have my answers to all of these but would like to see outside perspectives. I began permaculture as a way to farm with more profit and be a good steward of the land. In my experience permaculture has been steep fixed costs with far lower marginal production costs compared to my neighbors who farm conventionally. I have been able to progressively grow significantly more per acre than them while purchasing few if any amendments. I choose to reinvest any and all profits back into the operations as a way to scale. I am not at the point yet where I can fully rely on my farm to cover expenses, however it looks feasible within the next decade. I have gone from working 80-100 hours a week between my employment and operation to only 50-60. I am here to try help anyone else who wants to attempts to do the same.

Hey y’all I pulled up a couple sunchoke plants I found growing in a parking lot with hopes of propagating them at home. Would it be better to just plant the tubers or the whole plants?

Hi – I’m in London UK, my garden has this lovely area(first year, it’s been very dry this summer until now so please pardon my work in progress…. The Phacelia isn’t native— but the bees love it and it quickly helped get ground cover.)

I’m having an issue with comfrey… I don’t know what type it is, but it pops up everywhere. I know comfrey has amazing positives, but at the moment it’s killing off the balance of the other plants. I’m hoping time will maintain the balance— I’ve already beat bind weed simply through attracting bindweed moths to the garden. I’m hoping a similar course of action exists where I can have the comfrey exist in peace. Any suggestions/advice — I picked this group to post as I know there’ll be a more holistic approach. Thank you!

There’s nothing I love in agriculture more than watching things grow and multiply. This tiny tidbit grew in 6 months, no irrigation. Soil amended with hog manure, alfalfa hay, biochar, and wood chips. I have 1/4 acre planted, mostly with Bockings 4 and 14. We’re going to pelletize it and package it as garden fertilizer and a feed additive.

RoundUp exposure has been linked to Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and other cancers. Lawsuits are active nationwide in 2025, with victims seeking compensation for medical bills and lost wages.