Over 200 Food Plants on Just a Tiny 1/10th Acre of Cold Climate Urban Land

The scattergun technique in permaculture – planting over 300 edible plants in your backyard to see what sticks, what takes off and what dies in the process. This is the technique used by Permaculture authors Eric Toensmeier and Jonathan Bates when they converted their 1/10 acre suburban backyard into a perennial food garden of exotic plants located at Holyoke in Massachusetts. They transformed it into a functioning cold climate urban paradise.



2004



2011

In this very small backyard, Eric Toensmeier and Johnathan Bates live in a duplex sharing their mutual passion for rare plants. It also ended up as a business opportunity for Johnathan who now sells these plants to other permaculturalists.

They’ve successfully turned their passion into a success. They have authored a number of books including the book documenting their ten-year labor of love on this garden, called Paradise Lot.

They grow over 200 perennial food plants in temperatures that plunge below minus 20°C (-4°F).

Take a tour with the video below;

To learn more about Eric Toensmeier and Jonathan Bates:

Check out Eric Toensmeier and Jonathan Bates’ PRI Author Profiles: