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!

Elder & Hawthorn &

This month "Beaver Moon" is in the constellation Taurus, an earth sign ruled by Venus. (There are many interpretations about what this means online.) I love that I've made a recent commitment to make medicines each time the Full Moon comes around - perhaps it will ground me into a workable structure. Tonight I am cooking up an Elderberry Hawthorn Syrup and a tincture of Echinacea root.

Elder (Sambucus) and Hawthorn (Crataegus) are both naturalized to the Pacific Northwest. You can learn to identify them and follow proper harvesting techniques to obtain nature's gifts.

Elder, from the honeysuckle family, is said to be anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anticancer -- treating colds, flus and allergies. The berries help reduce swelling in mucous membranes, such as the sinuses, to relieve nasal congestion. [1] They act by inhibiting enzyme, neuraminidase, which viruses use to penetrate cell walls. They contain flavonoids (antioxidant) as all good, dark berries do, and high concentrations of Vitamin C. Despite being foraged by many species of birds, it's recommended that the berries are cooked. Perfect for making decoctions or syrups! I've used lozenges purchased from the market in previous years and I'm excited to make my own medicine this time.

Hawthorn (rose family) is revered as a heart medicine for humans, as well as an important food source for birds, moths and butterflies. The hawberries also contain flavonoids, one in particular, proanthocyanidin, which plays a role in dilating blood vessels, lowering blood pressure and improving circulation [2]. What if you already have low blood pressure? What if you happen to love garlic and other herbs that lower blood pressure? Last time I was at the doctors I was told, "Treasure your low blood pressure now, as it's only going to increase as you age". I'm curious how that will unfold. Anyway here I am creating a delicious, antioxidant berry syrup to help me prevent the onset of winter flu (will last a solid 2-3 months, stored in the refrigerator - all winter long).

The recipe was based off one I found from Dandelioness Herbals:

.5 oz Sambucus nigra

.5 oz Crataegus

4 c well water

3/4 c raw honey

I've also created another Echinacea tincture (good for several years):

I've always used Echinacea purpurea (daisy family) to avoid or shorten colds and flus. Yet I recently read in Matthew Wood's book The Earthwise Herbal that Echinacea may be taken to bolster the immune system in cases of putrefaction, functioning as an internal antiseptic. Which is interesting when we consider that the plant was traditionally used to relieve blood poisoning. Putrefaction results when cell metabolism becomes sluggish permitting foreign antigens to invade, causing the breakdown of tissues. In addition to exercise (!) herbal antiseptics like Echinacea (and yarrow, and lavender) can stabilize cell metabolism in order to keep viruses out. 

Echinacea's effectiveness is quite controversial despite how popular it is in natural medicine. In 2009, Echinacea aroused sales of $132 million in the U.S. [3] The herb has an interesting consumer history: In the 1800's, H.C.F. Meyer (dubbed "snake-oil salesman") marketed the herb as a panacea "cure-all". It was later introduced into Germany by physician Gerhard Madaes in the 1930s where it was popularized in Western medicine. Contemporary studies demonstrate mixed evidence: it likely combats various infections, reducing inflammation and attacking yeasts and fungi directly [4]. Yet it's effectiveness doesn't appear much better than a placebo. Still recommendations are made to avoid the plant if you are on immunosuppresants, or are a heavy caffeine taker. More carefully monitored studies need to be conducted. 

My recommendation: know your body, observe your reactions, and stay open in your experiments.      

Works Cited

[1] Ehrlich, Steven D. "Elderberry". May 7, 2013. University of Maryland Medical Center.
     November 6, 2014. <http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/elderberry>.
[2] Hudson, Tori. "Hibiscus, Hawthorn and the Heart". July 2011, Vol 3, Issue 7. Natural Medicine
     Journal. November 6, 2014. <http://naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2011-07/hibiscus-
     hawthorn-and-heart>.
[3] Novella, Stephen. "Echinacea for Cold and Flu". December 22, 2010. Science-Based Medicine.
     November 7, 2014. <http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/echinacea-for-cold-and-flu/>.
[4] "Echinacea". Medline Plus. July 7, 2014. U.S. National Library of Medicine. November 7, 2014.
     <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/981.html>.

Native Plants

I went to an ethnobotany field seminar hosted by Friends of the Forest and the Salal Chapter of Native Plant Society. I used to live in Anacortes and hike the community forest lands almost every day. It felt great to return and hike around with a bunch of older ladies (and one gentleman). Denise who taught the workshop has worked as a naturalist in this area for over 20 years and began learning ethnobotany at Evergreen long before then. She's built some intimacy with the land and shared much knowledge. I jotted down some plant names and snapped photos to research later on the internet. Not quite the same as receiving her stories but I guess it's all part of the game.

Skunk cabbage in the summer is not quite as exciting as early February when the bright yellow flowers stink up the marsh, attracting their early pollinator beetles and flies. See the phallic pimply seed pod displayed in this photo. I always knew they smelled like a carcass, but I just learned the inside of the flower can generate heat up to 70 degrees - making it a thermogenic plant (although some sources say Western Skunk Cabbage is not one of these). Imagine the little beetles trekking around February's cold ground, finding way back into the heat lamp of the skunk cabbage. That sounds awfully cozy and smelly. The roots were eaten as famine food (worst case taste) and the large leaves to store berries.

 We can find Salal inside the city and in the woods since they are popular for native plant landscaping. To be honest I've never more than munched on a berry, but I understand them to be an important food source because they keep well. I learned the young leaves have been eaten as an appetite suppressant, especially important for gatherers - better to avoid eating so many before bringing home the berries! They are an excellent source of Vitamin C. I was fortunate to come across many young leaves as I was feeling quite hungry at the time. The leaves are said to be astringent, and may be taken as tea for reducing internal inflammation. As well they can make a poultice for insect bites and stings. Something to keep in mind among mosquitoes.

Oceanspray is a plant I've never given much thought until now. It just makes me think of the dried fruit company and sugary cranberries. It likes a lot of sun and can be found in younger stands of alder and cascara. And according to King County is a great to plant along the highway. The flowers in tea have been used to treat diarrhea, as well as the berries, to treat diarrhea, smallpox, chicken pox, and more generally as a blood tonic. It's wood is strong and was traditionally used to make tools and furniture. Denise mentioned their use for making baby-carrying frames. I'm wondering how well they'd hold up for backpacking frames!

I took this photo, not because you can really see what's growing but because we were told these were a bunch of wetland plants in the carrot family Apiaceae: water hemlock, water parsley and kneeling angelica. I'm always curious about the wild origins of our favorite cultivated vegetables. Kneeling angelica is a beautiful plant I see all the time I have confused with yarrow and queen anne's lace. The root has been used for headaches and their hollow stems for making drinking straws, whistles and breathing stems to remain underwater longer. We don't need all these plastic straws and snorkels!

I never really knew what this adorable plant was - Cleavers. Considered a noxious weed to some, and causing contact dermatitis for others, cleavers is in the same family as coffee and may serve as a coffee substitute with less caffeine. Apparently geese like to eat it too! this plant has been used as a blood purifier as well as a diuretic and lymphatic for swollen glands and skin problems. One study demonstrated cleavers to lower the blood pressure of dogs. Denise mentioned cleavers was traditionally used to treat HIV but I can't find any information online so far about that.

I hold Oregon Grape close to my heart. I love how abundant they are everywhere I go. I take the roots in tincture and tea form as an alterative - liver detoxing plant. I've seen it an ingredient in salves for it's antibacterial properties. This is a plant to consider in building up your body's own natural antibacterial resistance. Since plants are far more chemically compounded than pharmaceuticals, there's less chance of bacteria developing resistance to store bought creams and such. Though less powerful perhaps, I think they can be more effective long term. This blog encourages us to harvest bark rather than digging up roots to help protect the plant more. Especially important to keep in mind as more and more people turn to plants for medicine. I never thought of chewing the young leaves before but they were quite nice.

I think I've finally learned how to identify Western Hemlock. It looks like a spray of cedar needles except the branches don't curve back up to the sky and it's in the pine family. These trees help identify the more mature stands because they appear in the darker reaches of forest. It can live a long time and has been known to age over 1200 years! The young leaves, as pictured here can be enjoyably chewed or made into a bitter tea full of Vitamin C (we need as many natural sources of this as we can get!) I myself has not brushed my teeth yet and after chewing the needles felt much better. 

I sit here sipping an elderberry infused red wine and I write this. Last fall I went to a workshop with herbalist Corinne Boyer of Opals Apothecary in Olympia, focused on three plants, one which was elderberry. (She writes a useful herbal newsletter called the Gathering Basket she gives away for free!) That's when I made the infused wine. Not only are the berries delicious for making liquors, wines and cordials, it has been used for treating flu, allergies and as a respiratory tonic. In Traditional Chinese Medicine it's used for treating rheumatism. Their branches have been made into flutes. A plant pleasing to both the palette and the ear. 

Oh what a good it was! So much to learn.