Permaculture for Tim!

Now that I have lived in Tim's home for about a year, I am trying to apply permaculture principles to a larger site design. I've had a chance to observe sun and wind patterns and feel a tiny bit more confident about what is possible for Tim's property. The easiest will be the front yard garden, which I will call Zone 1. In October 2016, we started gardening in the front yard - tilling up the lawn, laying down manure and straw, and clearing out blackberry roots (I wish I had a photo from "Before"!). Here is a photo from last winter:

Over  the past year I put in edibles & ornamental perennials (donated), annuals and one fig tree. There are power lines overhead most of the yard so I had to place it carefully. Also, I tried to choose plants according to Tim's taste, and always checked in beforehand. He gave me a lot of freedom. It's amazing how after a little soil building, and making do with many donated plants and seeds, the front yard became this:

So here is our starting point for thinking about a larger permaculture design for the property. While considering Tim's personality and likely maintenance habits and goals, it's important to honor all the human elements: the house/deck, fire pit, batting cage, mother-in-law apartment and power lines -- all Zone 0. Designing sensible access around all of these will be critical, and minimizing high maintenance areas means all cultivated areas in the front yard -including just outside the fence and a small street garden- will be Zone 1. Everything else will be Zone 2. Here is a rough map (based on Google Earth image):

In this map I tried to clearly mark all the human elements (Zone 0: purple) and pathways. I wanted to place all cultivated areas into Zone 1 (green) to keep them under the scope of ongoing maintenance. They need to be properly cared for before more can be introduced; the greatest challenge will be keeping invasive weeds under control in most of Zone 2 (white). For example the south facing fence line of Tim's property has a terrible English Ivy problem, and the north-west facing portions of Zone 2 have a Himalayan blackberry battle. Zone 2 also contains new plantings like elderberry, bay tree, western red cedar and limber pine that will need a little bit of maintenance and a watchful eye. Caring for Zone 2 is essentially invasive weed management so that new plantings will be okay.

Now just for fun, here is the map again, this time with sectors depicted (sectors are external energies that move through land and influence how things grow, like wind and sun). I was recently introduced to a neat resource that helps you calculate the angles of sun where you live. In my first year of living here I wasn't sure what to expect and thought I may be living in a part-sun valley, so I didn't grow many heat-loving plants. I eventually observed that a portion of the yard receives full sun. To be honest I'm still not sure how to interpret the sun angles in this map, except to notice that the sun covers more of an area in the summer. Depicted here are the angles of summer sun (red) and winter sun (blue). I also included a fire sector around the fire put, thinking that plants shouldn't be placed around there for the sake of bonfires. I wasn't sure how to depict wind, though. I also added lines depicting where power lines go (unfortunately they're all basically in the front yard).

Now, I want to discuss the Zone 1 elements more in depth - they are all within the front yard fence line and the first thing people see when they visit the home. (Note: there is a small street-level garden, which should really be placed in Zone 2 because of it's proximity to the house, however, since it is already cultivated I will consider it in Zone 1.)

Zone 1: raised bed of greens; berry border; Fig Tree Guild, herb border

Raised Bed O' Greens

Characteristics: accessible to kitchen and close to spigot, consumed daily, high value

Needs: Nutrition, water, sun, hygiene, pest/disease management

Products: daily food for humans and insects, soil stabilization, beauty, multiple levels for growing plants in symbiosis (particularly the kale along the fence line)

Comments: the kale along the fence is starting to get tall, so I sowed cover crop (white clover) underneath for overwintering, and next spring other greens can be sown underneath. In the densely planted square bed, if we get many cold nights we might lose some of them (the mustard is getting stressed) but there's a great chance it will overwinter and stabilize the soil. In the spring we can cut much of it down, add some top soil and grow something else from another family. Before it was greens it was garlic. I'll have to see what Tim would enjoy there. 

Berry Border

Characteristics: several kinds of berries: raspberries, goji berries, strawberries, blueberry; high value perennials, food for humans and animals, high shrub and groundcover, in full sun year round, must compete with invasive himalayan blackberry.

Needs: acidic soil, lots of sun and water for berry production, nutrition, weed management, pruning

Products: delicious berries, seasonal interest (flowers and fall color), long term value, soil stabilization

Comments: the plants are all still babies and have many weeds to compete with, which luckily are all herbacious. Hopefully their roots will establish over the fall/winter so they will push a lot of new growth in the spring. The soil is more sandy in this area of the yard and suffers from some erosion, so continuing to add good top soil will be important. It's a big mystery as to how they will look in their second year!

Fig Tree Guild (Ficus carica 'Olympian')

Characteristics: baby fig tree planted, and some of the guild members are already present, as the tree gets larger with each passing year more members will be able to be added in. My dream is to have the whole front yard be a Fig Tree Guild.

Needs: good soil, sun, water, companion plants, weed management, training/pruning (not yet)

Products: summer shade, mulch, beauty, food, and it will be the one and only tree in the yard!

Comments: although figs grow faster than many fruit trees, it will be awhile before the guild really takes shape. A wonderful exercise in patience and also dedication. If we can set up the right environment from the get go, hopefully it will make it through it's first winter and be healthy! Stay tuned as more of this story unfolds with passing time.

Herb Border

Characteristics: In full sun, faster draining soil then inside the fence line; mostly perennial herbs and flowers that are drought tolerant; pleasing to the senses for pollinators and visitors, the first thing people see when they arrive! 

Needs: Pruning/ plant separation, nutrition, occasional summer irrigation

Products: Beauty, medicines, good smells, culinary purposes, gifts for friends and family

This is the photo from last year when it was first installed. Now below you an see what it looks like a year later!

Comments: this is my favorite area of the garden. There are so many textures, colors and smells all coexisting together. I am excited to see how all the plants evolve together in time. Also, I am hoping with the installation of vines and as the plants mature, the fence line will be obscured. 

In conclusion, I want to share my intentions for Year 2 on Tim's property. First of all, I wish to get the invasive weeds under control, and second, to appropriately maintain all the cultivated areas, while especially developing The Fig Guild. I am also not very clear on how wind moves through the property so will need to pay more attention to that too. Once Zone 2 is cleaned up and cleared out I can start thinking about cultivating other areas. Also -- given that the Fig is considered a Mediterranean plant, and because I believe I spent too much time/resources this past summer watering the garden, it would be best to transition the entire property toward more Mediterranean plants with minimal summer irrigation needs. Stay tuned!

Permaculture Ethics: Dealing With Consumption

I am a human being therefore it's highly possible that I cause pollution through my lifestyle. This is not something I want to admit or face because I would rather think of myself as good or wholesome, someone who is mitigating the pollution of my fellow species. But if I don't examine that in myself than I risk perpetuating toxic patterns. I remember going through this process before during a breakup, where suddenly all my shortcomings reared their ugly heads laughing at me and pointing fingers. Not the most fun. But I'm probably better for it now, having made some changes, and coming through to the other side.

I am trying to develop more awareness around the ways I cause pollution - materially, energetically, spiritually and so forth. Not to justify my actions, hopefully, because I'm sure I'll want to negotiate the necessity of my polluting habits in order to keep my comforts. Pollution is probably a byproduct of my consumption habits.

At the NW Permaculture Convergence recently, I attended a workshop given by Jessi Bloom, author of Practical Permaculture, and I don't remember what she specifically said, but a nagging question came into my mind, "Do I consume more than I produce?". This workshop followed on the heels of a workshop given by Alexia Allen of Hawthorn Farm - who shared her family's year-long experiment of only "consuming" what they themselves had grown, or otherwise bartered from people they knew. She talked about tapping sugar maples, for example, in order to have a sweetener.

The truth is I currently produce very little. I have a full front yard where I've grown annuals like greens, garlic, potatoes, herbs and tomatoes - but I consume far beyond that. As a gardener, often times of ornamentals, I could say that I produce beauty. I also produce music, which I would like to think benefits others. But I did not produce the instruments I play. I enjoy producing my own herbal medicines, which I have either wildcrafted or purchased from bulk herb stores. Still I do not know exactly where those plants were harvested. It is hard to wrap my head around exactly what I am producing in this world. I feel out of balance, and therefore causing pollution.

Now fortunately my intentions to reduce waste, packaging, transportation costs, etc-for many years now-have caused my consumption to be lower than the average American. Yet that's not really saying much. Especially knowing that millions of people around the world are living on much less than I am (and are probably better off). In the very least, I would like to be able to say I produce more than I consume. If that's really true, than I have some changes to make.

Of course this "ideal" cannot just happen overnight. I will slowly need to increase production while decreasing consumption. I think both are possible. 

Perhaps in order to face my consumption patterns I can admit some of my most foul habits:

• Drinking coffee. Yes there's direct trade, and yes those beans come from far away. Also, Coffee is a metaphor for any exotic foods I purchase, perhaps from over 100 miles away. The issue with exotic foods, which is not just the pollution caused in the transport, but also my body may not be properly adapted to it's nutrition.
• When I graciously receive the food and drinks of my friends because I want to be nice, yet I inadvertently enable their bad habits, and by extension, my own.
• Buying food from supermarkets, cafes, or anywhere that's not out of a farmer's hands. 
• My computer usage, for listening to podcasts, doing internet research, learning new music, taking youtube yoga classes, using the internet-metronome.
• Being up past dark whether at home or playing music with friends, where electricity is utilized to light rooms. Like right now as I write this blog post.
• Borrowing my roommate's car for taking short vacations, for to go on beautiful hikes, or my recent trip to Portland and the Permaculture Convergence. I put bussing around in this category too.

Ok so my list is not terrible. In fact it's pretty darn normal. Yet on the other hand -- none of this is necessary for me to lead a meaningful life. I ought to question: am I making my life less profound while missing out on my fullest capacity, by often mindlessly engaging in these habit-patterns? 

I love how Alexia Allen and her family have been "experimenting" with their food consumption and I feel inspired to create my own experiment. I am not ready to commit to anything for a full year, but I like the idea of finishing my year off a little stronger (it's less than three months after all). Do I have what it takes to deal with my consumption addictions? 

Between October 7, 2017 - December 31, 2017 I commit to:

1. No more buying coffee. I can drink tea. I can use up all the bulk teas I have purchased in the past year that are sitting on the shelf. I can plant a Camelia sinensis in the front yard. I'll have my last cup of coffee tomorrow morning to celebrate! (Does that just show how deep the addiction runs?)
2. Boycotting supermarkets; buying food only from Farmers Markets, where I can trace the source. Otherwise the food is coming from my garden, client gardens, or wildcrafted by my own hands. The important thing is that I know the source. Yes this means foregoing a lot of food I might want, and forces creativity (no, it's a good thing!) 
3. No more hanging out late in bars; socialize during the day. This will be hard given that I live in a party house of musicians, and that I love a good night at the bar playing music with friends. But it also means more practice time, and getting to bed at a reasonable hour. Perhaps my last party until the end of the year is tomorrow night, for a friend's birthday. Perhaps instead of parties I can have meaningful one on one visits.
4. Severely curtailing my internet usage. I have sheet music, I have a mechanically operated metronome, and I have my own inner teacher. I don't need YouTube yoga videos nor Buddhist podcasts. I do have a couple gigs to prepare for and an independent study in Integrated Pest Management, as well as an online Permaculture Design Course (PDC) -- that definitely requires internet research. But if I only allow myself one hour a day, perhaps I will be more "productive". I'm not sure how to handle the Thursday night band practices though.
5. Stop staying up late; rest easy. Perhaps if I absolutely must be up late I can utilize candles. There is something deeply nourishing about the idea of going to bed with the sun, though.

I don't know what is going to happen for me in the next few months.This experiment will be around the same duration that I spend doing the online PDC. With permaculture ethics in my face constantly there is a great chance I will succeed with this experiment. It will be interesting to see where I end up by the end of the year, given that I plan to leave Seattle on January 13, 2018 - the day after my birthday - to transition into farming. 

Downshifting my consumption habits seems like the best way to transition into becoming more productive as I seek the farming lifestyle in my near future. Stay tuned!