Competition winner shares her story.

Dorothy Allen, Permaculture Association member

This month, Permaculture Association member Dorothy Allen won our prize draw as part of a campaign to encourage people to share the benefits of permaculture, and the work of the Permaculture Association, with their friends and relatives. Dorothy won a Cafe Direct hamper, kindly provided by Ecotricity.

I heard the word permaculture about 25 years ago and have been inspired ever since; for me it's a way of life. 

Recently, instead of throwing our kids trampoline out after years of fun, we decided to make it into a polytunnel, for even more fun, this winter enjoying veg and salad through the colder months.

I have no lawn left in my garden, well, a wee bit around the kids swing! Over the years I've turned it into an edible garden with lots of perennial fruiting trees and bushes, perennial veg and herbs, growing plants that are useful and beneficial for the wildlife too, leaving the annuals for a garden share plot I have on the other side of the town. 

Family, friends and neighbours all enjoy the garden and the food that comes out of it which is important to me sharing the produce propagating plants for them inspiring them to find a patch in their own garden to grow some of the food they eat working with nature making bug homes looking after and enjoying the space we live in. - Dorothy Allen, Permaculture Association member 

Dorothy's trampoline polytunnel

For more inventive techniques, practical solutions and productive ways to re-use and re-cycle, like Dorothy's trampoline polytunnel, why not check out and contribute to the Permaculture Association's Knowledge Base? 

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