diff --git a/basis/cpu/ppc/ppc.factor b/basis/cpu/ppc/ppc.factor
index 8491a933db..a6d70f88e8 100644
--- a/basis/cpu/ppc/ppc.factor
+++ b/basis/cpu/ppc/ppc.factor
@@ -29,6 +29,14 @@ enable-float-intrinsics
 \ ##float>integer t frame-required? set-word-prop
 >>
 
+: %load-vm-addr ( reg -- )
+    0 swap LOAD32 rc-absolute-ppc-2/2 rt-vm rel-fixup ;
+
+: %load-vm-field-addr ( reg symbol -- )
+    [ drop %load-vm-addr ]
+    [ [ dup ] dip vm-field-offset ADDI ] 2bi ;
+
+
 M: ppc machine-registers
     {
         { int-regs $[ 2 12 [a,b] 15 29 [a,b] append ] }
@@ -418,7 +426,7 @@ M: ppc %set-alien-float swap 0 STFS ;
 M: ppc %set-alien-double swap 0 STFD ;
 
 : load-zone-ptr ( reg -- )
-    "nursery" f %alien-global ;
+    "nursery" %load-vm-field-addr ;
 
 : load-allot-ptr ( nursery-ptr allot-ptr -- )
     [ drop load-zone-ptr ] [ swap 4 LWZ ] 2bi ;
@@ -678,13 +686,6 @@ M: ppc %box-large-struct ( n c-type -- )
     ! Call the function
     "box_value_struct" f %alien-invoke ;
 
-: %load-vm-addr ( reg -- )
-    0 swap LOAD32 rc-absolute-ppc-2/2 rt-vm rel-fixup ;
-
-: %load-vm-field-addr ( reg symbol -- )
-    [ drop %load-vm-addr ]
-    [ [ dup ] dip vm-field-offset ADDI ] 2bi ;
-
 M:: ppc %save-context ( temp1 temp2 callback-allowed? -- )
     #! Save Factor stack pointers in case the C code calls a
     #! callback which does a GC, which must reliably trace
diff --git a/basis/cpu/x86/x86.factor b/basis/cpu/x86/x86.factor
index 9222e63b7f..4f79f50f96 100644
--- a/basis/cpu/x86/x86.factor
+++ b/basis/cpu/x86/x86.factor
@@ -566,7 +566,8 @@ M: x86 %sar [ SAR ] emit-shift ;
 
 : load-zone-ptr ( reg -- )
     #! Load pointer to start of zone array
-    0 MOV "nursery" f rc-absolute-cell rel-dlsym ;
+    [ 0 MOV rc-absolute-cell rt-vm rel-fixup ]
+    [ "nursery" vm-field-offset ADD ] bi ;
 
 : load-allot-ptr ( nursery-ptr allot-ptr -- )
     [ drop load-zone-ptr ] [ swap cell [+] MOV ] 2bi ;
diff --git a/basis/vm/vm.factor b/basis/vm/vm.factor
index 5ae82c1c7a..19d009f121 100644
--- a/basis/vm/vm.factor
+++ b/basis/vm/vm.factor
@@ -3,6 +3,18 @@
 USING: alien.structs alien.syntax ;
 IN: vm
 
-C-STRUCT: vm { "context*" "stack_chain" } ;
+TYPEDEF: void* cell
+
+C-STRUCT: zone
+    { "cell" "start" }
+    { "cell" "here" }
+    { "cell" "size" }
+    { "cell" "end" }
+    ;
+
+C-STRUCT: vm
+    { "context*" "stack_chain" }
+    { "zone" "nursery" }
+    ;
 
 : vm-field-offset ( field -- offset ) "vm" offset-of ;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/vm/data_heap.cpp b/vm/data_heap.cpp
index e790c63122..de3d8d87be 100755
--- a/vm/data_heap.cpp
+++ b/vm/data_heap.cpp
@@ -1,13 +1,8 @@
 #include "master.hpp"
 
-factor::zone nursery;
-
 namespace factor
 {
 
-/* new objects are allocated here */
-VM_C_API zone nursery;
-
 cell factorvm::init_zone(zone *z, cell size, cell start)
 {
 	z->size = size;
diff --git a/vm/data_heap.hpp b/vm/data_heap.hpp
index 88316ffd8d..7e6ff81e70 100755
--- a/vm/data_heap.hpp
+++ b/vm/data_heap.hpp
@@ -66,6 +66,3 @@ PRIMITIVE(next_object);
 PRIMITIVE(end_scan);
 
 }
-
-/* new objects are allocated here */
-VM_C_API factor::zone nursery;
diff --git a/vm/vm.hpp b/vm/vm.hpp
index 40be36b249..12f767404f 100644
--- a/vm/vm.hpp
+++ b/vm/vm.hpp
@@ -2,9 +2,10 @@ namespace factor
 {
 
 struct factorvm {
-
-	factor::context *stack_chain; 
-
+	// if you change this struct, also change vm.factor
+	context *stack_chain; 
+	/* new objects are allocated here */
+	zone nursery;
 
 	// segments
 	inline cell align_page(cell a);