Triskele Urban Farm is a developing urban permaculture farm project on two city lots in Lansing, MI. The goal of the project is to demonstrate how a large amount and diversity of food can be grown in a small amount of space. Permaculture uses ecological principals in the design of sustainable human systems. Permaculture was developed in the mid-1970’s by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren.

The farm is still in the brainstorming stage so far, since I just purchased the house (my first!) last month. Most of this brainstorming takes place on the phone with my brother Allen Pyle, who is collaborating with me on the project design. Allen is a professional horticulturist and maintains the websites Perennial Guru and Great Lakes Permaculture Network. He is also consulting on a permaculture project called Two Fish Farm in Bear Lake, MI. Allen completed his permaculture design training at Lost Alley Educational Center in Dexter, OR in 1997. I followed in his footsteps and completed my training there in 2006. We have lots of plans this spring for dwarf fruit trees, a grape arbor, vegetable gardens, bees, and chickens. I also dream of urban goats… I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they will be legalized soon in urban areas in Ingham County.

What about the farm name? A triskele is a triple spiral Neolithic symbol that has been incorporated into Celtic culture. It symbolizes the unity of mind, body, and spirit. It appears in rock carvings in the Newgrange monument in Ireland, which was built around 3200 BC. The triskele was also adopted as an emblem of Brittany, France. One of my best  friends, Nick Mason, bought me a triskele medallion (see picture) as a gift when he studied in France during college. I wore it almost every day for years. When I was thinking of potential names, ‘Triskele Farm’ just popped up in my mind. I checked immediately for the URL and was pleased that is was available. I hope you’ll enjoy reading about the farm as it emerges!