Spring is here and we are back on the land, finding peace, inspiration, community and learning from the land! The first Whatcom Permaculture Meet-up, in partnership with Regenerate Whatcom, was held Friday March 27, 2026 at Inspiration Farm. The focus was learning about how to propogate hard wood plants and a spring tour of the Farm.
Permaculture Meet-ups occur the last Friday of every month-sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on these and other events.
After showing us how to cut the stems, add root hormone and placing in rooting medium, Brian showed us his “greenhouse” which sits on a compost pile. This helps keep the pots warm from the ground and the plastic shell, warm from the sun. It is amazing how many woody starts can get going in one small pot.
Here we grape cuttings, interlaken, seedless table grapes and more. Brian talked about the ease of propagating this way and how it can fit into an economic model.
Here you see a view of the set-up.
Permaculture principles included in Brian’s method of propogation include:
- Catch and store energy
- Obtain a yield
- Use & value renewables
- Integrate, don’t segregate
- Use slow and small solutions
- Value diversity
The Water Bodies were full with all the rain we have received. We learned again about the “small water cycle” that is part of nature’s cycles and how it has been disrupted in so many places. On Inspiration Farm, one sees the impact and learns about how land is healthy when the small water cycle is supported and active. We walked by the ponds and along the swales that go horizontal along the landscape planted with food forest plants; by the fruit and nut trees and the annual food gardens. With this system, no irrigation is needed for annual crops in the summer!
The Fairhaven Plant Sale was held the day after the Meet-up and Regenerate Whatcom was there to talk with folks, educate about regeneration, bioregionalism, living in place and what we can do together!
The branches in the foreground are smooth sumac bare root bushes donated to Regenerate Whatcom by Shooting Star Gardens, Seattle. Folks were happy to take home a free smooth sumac bush!
Here you see Brian Kerkvliet and Cory Sevin, 2 of the 4 initiating stewards for Regenerate Whatcom. We are in front of Brian’s Inspiration Farm booth for the plant sale.
