I am a retired primary school teacher with a master's degree in biology. I am a passionate gardener and specialise in vegetables and fruit. I grow exhibition sweet peas quite well but I have never felt the need to show them off.
I have been a member of the environmental movement since 1980 when I joined the Institute for Earth Education. I have been a grower since I was 8. My interest in permaculture came from an attempt to combine the two interests. I read everything that I could find on permaculture - except Bill Molison's Design Manual - and found it fascinating. I also watched Geoff Lawton's video collection and found them very inspiring.

Although I seem to have applied a lot of permaculture principles to my gardening, there is still more that I can do to improve. I have a large allotment garden rented from the local council. I am thinking of developing a community orchard using my own grafted fruit trees. I want to keep bees and chickens - the next project...