Introduction to Whimsical Gardening Objectives

shape and substance.

spring grow tables:

450 assorted tomatoes; 400 assorted onions and leeks;

a hundred mixed peppers; and herbs. just getting started.
narrow the options. 7 acres and a barn? Or 67 Acre handyman special vintage buildings?

potential. options. decide: something with garden and greenhouse space .

(abandoned 1860 farm building cluster in Southern Ontario consisting of 3 outbuildings and a large barn constructed of hand adzed post and beam trunnel jointed frames with rough sawn plank sheeting up to 22" widths and layers of cosmetic siding. The large original house has been expanding, rather wandering outwards in eccentric, impulsive do it yourself additions since about 1860. A fun 5 year restoration project if ever we saw one.)

These Farm Investment Dreams

from the 1998 "PLACE OF 4STONES Inc."

background notes on farm "wilderness garden clubs"

- began with urban fantasies of "wilderness garden clubs" on an abandoned and derelict farms

- readjusted to reality

- objective morphed into "The Whimsical Garden Club " and "The Garden Club" with practical SPIN farming and raised bed gardens.

- that translated the "granma's kitchen in the country" whimsy into a community based farm investment project.

This process modified language but all been done before. Sometimes it works and sometimes it gets run over by the empire.

What the heck. It a lot more fun than golf and certainly more useful. The adventure awaits.

Abandoned farmhouse and outbuildings in the Niagara District.

We bring a combined 85 years as spear carriers in the pharoah's armies; farming, gardening, construction, investments, mortgages, systems management, international consulting and military-defence roles.
We want to build something perennial in unstable times; something with the wealth of common heritage and the evolving technology that sharply defines the substance of dreams.
In short, restore, build, preserve wildness, live in harmony with the environment, provide quiet sanctuary for labours, be self sustaining while building blueprints for social architecture.

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WHAT are we talking about?

Reconnecting to the soul of farming:
an unfolding farming archetype -

partners, families, groups and skilled duffers like ourselves :

- build "Garden Clubs"; suburban or near urban farms, restore the "Greenbelt" agricultural adjunct to the urban complex.
- construct community equity "Investment Clubs"; specifically food based currencies for farmland.
- restore farm buildings.
- build market gardens, four season farming, herbal farms; gardens within greenhouses; recreation, craft and work facilities; community halls, community canning programs, grain mills and masonry stove baking steering towards passive and active off the grid energy systems.
for starters....

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WHY would we want to do that?

a farming objective with partners family or groups can

- refocus and utilize the valuable skills of seniors.
- answer the need for wilderness and recreational spaces as well as food growing land
- extend to urban families a Grandmother’s kitchen in the country.
- assist the development of sustainable community systems.

and that's the basic underlying philosophy..the work that follows is in the details

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abandoned greenhouse complex in Hamilton, Ontario Region

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We've discovered in this process that

the single family farm is an anachronism.

the job description now requires

community farming,

investing shareholder-directorships,

working residents

diverse life skills

such as:

legal and paralegal

business, accounting

medical, paramedical and health

construction, trades and engineering

communications, multimedia

farming, gardening

and more

The farm now requires:

Building a financial blueprint

in Community Investment

to shape the village green, the new paradigm

with critical path for objectives

management structure: a board of directors and project teams:

and "Shareholder" structures.

For example, we've worked in the past within a common mining industry financing tool, voting stock in $1,000.00 units for capitalization and a COMMON STOCK for internal currency such as $1.00 pv, $1,000,000.00 capitalization. The same formulas could be used for a food base currency, somewhat like community shared agriculture and working shareholders.

In a farming-gardening the shares can be earned or purchased in a " LET system" framework. Members build t "sweat equity", and salvage and barter contributes to the objective.
Labour time values can be assigned for "jobs" such as building, maintaining structures; board of directors time, etc.
Capital value can be assigned to transferred assets such as equipment, vehicles, building materials, new or salvage subject to approval by a board resolution.

In a "club" setting a small group of shareholders can restrict common share or non-voting stock ownership for individual members. However, to maintain a corporate democracy limit we would suggest one voting share per member.
The group would also restrict the transfer or sale of stock without the approval of the larger group and the board of directors to ensure investment is compatible with the long term objectives and precludes "takeover buyouts".
Provisions for individuals to liquidate their holdings in "The Club" if personal circumstance should require it. Provisions within a capital reserve fund for the buyback of voting class stock. Common shares tabled for purchase by existing or potential members or used as "currency" to purchase product from the farm. The common stock is also the accounting vehicle for the distribution of taxable profits.

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long term objectives in our situation are components and facilities for members such as:

- 80% of land holding eventually wild spaces.
- natural growth encouraged, wetlands, ponds, streams, eco forestry,
- food gardens: using raised beds, high tunnel SPIN farming, living water greenhouses
- sustainable companion gardening and permaculture with natural herbs, plants,
orchards, forest gardens, etc.
- residence apts. and/or cottages
- kitchen/main kitchen pantries for food preparation and preserving
- site Laundromat
- tea room facility in greenhouse complex
- greenhouse/pool/hottub: for those February winter glum days
- wood shop: fix and make workshops
- pottery shop
- sound studio
- vehicles and equipt. maintenance shop
- fine crafts shops
- office: computer centre, colour copiers, fax, satellite & Internet links
- retreat centre facilities: a one acre "retreat space"
- "Chapels" in the woods; "sweat lodge", "Kiva’s, and "Medicine" places:
- Library
- Community Hall

Environmental factors:

- sustainable communities and permaculture farming are necessary for the technological society. - the near urban farm project is an important component of that.

- the sustainable community, long term plans:

- Community heat, water, utilities, septic systems and garbage factors.
- Solar; passive and active systems for all buildings.
- Windmill pumps for water systems in pools and greenhouses.
- Wood backup heat, baking-masonry stoves with hot water systems.
- Forced air primary furnace; bio-diesel oil (or methane bio gas) for residences and workshops
- Rainwater collectors, cisterns, overflow for gardens, pools, ponds and greenhouses.
- Wells with water purification for cooking.
- Reforestation programs.
- Recycling site wastes, minimum 5 categories of metals, glass, plastic, paper, etc.
- Site shredders, chippers, mixers : wood ash, garden & kitchen waste, composting, soil mixing.
- Air conditioner: a straw bale construction ice house with solar fans.

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a simple objective. from the realms of the dysfunctional,

unfolding world realities, logical and practical

march-2009

rdb/jcm