Permaculture · Sustainable Living · Circular Farming
Touching the soil
changes everything.
For 10 years I've been transforming my garden with permaculture. Honest notes on rare seeds, cuttings and circular living.
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Butternut Rugosa: 10 Squash from One Plant and a Kitchen Guide
This year's Butternut Rugosa winter squash in the vegetable patch surprised me: 10 squash from a single plant. I got the seeds through a seed swap, harvested them this week, and now I'm exploring how to use them.
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Jujube Harvest Has Begun: Li Abundant, Chico Few But Incredibly Delicious
Jujube harvest has begun this year. Both Li and Chico cultivars fruited, but very differently - Li was abundant enough to weigh down the branches, while Chico gave only a handful of fruit, though that handful was incredibly delicious.
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Miljska Fig: The Sapling I Brought From Montenegro and Planted in My Garden
I brought this sapling back from my trip to Montenegro and planted it in my own garden, and now I'm harvesting from my own tree. As I researched it, this deep purple fig's name turned out to carry an unexpected story and a tricky identification process.
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Ravika Fig: The Taste Serdivan Carried Across a Bridge of Memory
We've been harvesting from this tree for two weeks and still can't get enough. But Ravika fig isn't just a delicious fruit - it's a name woven into Serdivan's identity, carrying the story of a migration.
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Batumi Pear: A Regional Delicacy Passed Down From the Caucasus Migration
This year, we made our final harvest from this tree. Batumi pear is known in my family as a regional delicacy, a pear variety that takes its name from the city of Batumi in the Caucasus.
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Rudbeckia Triloba: Not Black-Eyed Susan, But Its Much More Floriferous Cousin
I thought this plant was Black-Eyed Susan, but the fact that it branches so much and blooms so profusely was the real clue - it turns out to be Rudbeckia triloba, a much more floriferous member of the same family.
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Coreopsis Tinctoria: The Flower I Mistook for Black-Eyed Susan
I first mistook this yellow-maroon flower for Black-Eyed Susan, but the leaf structure and flower pattern actually point to Coreopsis tinctoria. It's a true annual that self-sows from seed.
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Weigela: The Shrub in My Garden With Those Deep Red Trumpet Flowers
When I saw these deep red, trumpet-shaped flowers, I suspected it might be Weigela. I don't know the exact cultivar name, but the flower structure and foliage point quite strongly to this genus.
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Fernleaf Yarrow (Achillea filipendulina): A Gold-Colored Guest That Gets By on Little Water
Since fernleaf yarrow entered my garden, it's become one of the corners that asks for the least water and complains the least. With its flat, plate-like golden-yellow flower heads, it's both a visual and a practical win.
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Gul Biberi (Rose Pepper): The Pepper From Germany That Resprouts From Its Root Even Through Frost
I brought this pepper plant from Germany - I know it as 'gul biberi' (rose pepper). Every winter it looks like it's died back to frost, but come spring it resprouts from the same root, and when it ripens it turns into a red, hot pepper.
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Pink Lady (Cripps Pink): The Late-Ripening Pink Apple in My Garden
I caught this apple on my tree at an early stage - the pink patches scattered over a green-yellow background and the late ripening timing pointed me toward Pink Lady. There's no confirmed nursery tag, but the visual and seasonal fit is quite strong.
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Kadi 77: Yalova's Registered Early Summer Pear
This pear sapling I got from Yalova Tarim is Kadi 77 - an early summer pear cultivar registered by the Yalova Ataturk Horticultural Research Institute. The first fruits in my garden stayed yellow, but the flavor is genuinely good.
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Vitis vinifera Alphonse Lavallée: The Purple Pearl of the Garden
With its large purple-pink berries and intense aroma, Alphonse Lavallée grape is one of the most spectacular fruits in our garden. Late August harvest, its flavor comparable to nothing in the store.
Read more"Keep the cycle, the future is in your hands."
— HE-QA Garden
Permaculture for me is not just a gardening technique — it's a life philosophy. To repair the soil, keep the cycle and leave a richer nature for future generations. Every seed is a trust, every cutting a hope.
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Letters from the Garden
Seasonal planting calendars, rare plant introductions and permaculture tips. Once a week.