Ecosphere Permaculture

07/16/2026

A gorgeous mix of purple coneflower and Culver’s root in the garden this year! 🌸✨ Beautiful as they are, they’ve officially staged a hostile takeover of the strawberry bed. Win some, lose some!

06/24/2026

I guess when you're turning your backyard into a permaculture ecosystem, you have to expect the unexpected! 🐢🌱

A mother snapping turtle decided my pile of mulch was the ultimate nursery and laid about 30 eggs! I accidentally uncovered them while working, but I made sure to carefully rebury them in a safe location. If all goes well, we’ll be welcoming some tiny, prehistoric-looking neighbors this fall!

06/21/2026

Although it’s hard to tell from the photo, this gazebo is surrounded by elderberries, an apple tree, and a grape vine. I love sitting inside to reflect and watch the birds. It’s getting a brand-new roof this summer!

06/20/2026

8 am . June 20th - standing on the top of our gazebo, listening to the birds and enjoying the view on our permaculture garden and food forest! permaculturenisgara

06/13/2026

Another Bruce trail section done! We officially finished the Toronto section and started Calendon section. We walked through Silver Creek Conservation Area, Terra Cotta Conservation Area, and past the Cheltenham Badlands, interesting areas to discover ! 27 km today! 👍🎉

06/05/2026

Listen to the garden. 🌱✨

Right by our roadside edge, nothing seemed to want to thrive, except for a massive, highly energetic patch of Canadian thistles.

While many might see a "w**d" problem, we chose to see a message from the soil.

Thistles are incredible indicators. They thrive in tough, compacted spaces where other plants struggle, opening up the ground and acting as absolute magnets for local pollinators.

Instead of fighting the landscape, we decided to take the hint. Since this plant family clearly loves the area, we are leaning into those natural patterns by introducing near this area its striking, big cousins, Globe Artichokes and Cardoons!

My cardon survived last winter under mulch so it is worth a try.

Permaculture isn’t about forcing a rigid plan onto a piece of land; it’s a continuous dialogue. It's about looking at what wants to thrive, understanding the lesson, and collaborating with those natural tendencies.
🌿

05/31/2026

I am happy to share with you today the new edition of Seeding Stories where I am offering you a story of resilience, sorrel recipes and advice for adding sorrel to your garden.

Enjoy!

https://buttondown.com/ecospherepermaculture/archive/celebrating-spring-with-sorrel/

Connecting human culture and ecological design: why common sorrel is the ultimate powerhouse for your food forest.

05/23/2026

🦉 HOOT HOOT! Yesterday, a schoolyard right in Niagara Falls was transformed into a giant storybook! ✨
I had the joy of leading an outdoor adventure for groups of kindergarteners. We went on a mission to investigate a secret local neighbor: the Grand-duc d’Amérique (Great Horned Owl) who visits their school at night!
Equipped with exploration kits (binoculars and magnifying glasses), the kids practiced their « owl vision » to explore the surrounding landscape. They did an amazing job exploring using only their new « hibou » skills and their « wings. » The imagination was so high that some mini-detectives even spotted insects, rabbits, and snakes! 🐍🐇
The kids marched back to class with new knowledge about owls, a new nature perspective, and still flapping their wings—proof that deep nature connection can happen right in your own schoolyard. 🎒🦉

05/23/2026

Not the best weather for our Level 1 kayaking course today, but we still had fun! 🌧️🥶🌊 On the bright side, the lake water actually felt warm compared to the air temperature. Sorry, no pics of or me capsizing in the kayak! Probably tomorrow. 😉