Redesigning my garden as an abundant and enjoyable space
My first project is to design my garden. This is particularly exciting for me as I have been wanting to do it for a few years! On this page I will take you through the design process.
As with all of my diploma work, this is a work in progress! I have not currently implemented the design, and there is still work to be done on the design itself. I feel anxious that it is not completed, although I am focusing on replacing this with a commitment to continual improvement and development. Anxiety is a disempowering state, whereas creativity and exploration are empowering. I am drawn to something that my tutor Richard said at the Diploma induction, "If something is worth doing, it is worth doing poorly!" The gap between my ideal reality and current reality is something that has often felt so great that I am overwhelmed, resulting in procrastination and poor productivity. Focusing instead on the individual steps towards where I want to be will increase my productivity and wellbeing.
A with all of my diploma work, your feedback is much appreciated!
As with all of my diploma work, this is a work in progress! I have not currently implemented the design, and there is still work to be done on the design itself. I feel anxious that it is not completed, although I am focusing on replacing this with a commitment to continual improvement and development. Anxiety is a disempowering state, whereas creativity and exploration are empowering. I am drawn to something that my tutor Richard said at the Diploma induction, "If something is worth doing, it is worth doing poorly!" The gap between my ideal reality and current reality is something that has often felt so great that I am overwhelmed, resulting in procrastination and poor productivity. Focusing instead on the individual steps towards where I want to be will increase my productivity and wellbeing.
A with all of my diploma work, your feedback is much appreciated!
Design Process
Permaculture is the conscious design of sustainable and abundant systems. There are a few things to bear in mind through the Permaculture design process. I will discuss them briefly here.
The foundations of Permaculture lie in three simple ethics
Earth Care - Looking after the planet, nature, and its systems
People Care - Meeting the needs of people and facilitating their wellbeing
Fair Share - Sharing the surplus in an equitable way; reinvesting in earth and people care.
These ethics are pursued through conscious design, following 12 principles
We can follow a process to guide our design -SADIMET
Survey - Look. Research. Investigate. Ask.
Assess - Think. Reason. Deduct.
Design - Plan. Draw. Apply. Create.
Implement - Do it.
Monitor - Observe. Check. Respond.
Evaluate - Learn. Inquire. Explore.
Tweak - Improve. Develop. Respond.
The foundations of Permaculture lie in three simple ethics
Earth Care - Looking after the planet, nature, and its systems
People Care - Meeting the needs of people and facilitating their wellbeing
Fair Share - Sharing the surplus in an equitable way; reinvesting in earth and people care.
These ethics are pursued through conscious design, following 12 principles
- Observe and interact - Taking the time to observe a situation or landscape allows us to tailor our designs to the unique factors present. Interacting encourages experimentation and learning.
- Catch and store energy - Energy is around us in many forms. We can catch and store energy in many ways - be it solar panels for electricity; plants for food and fuel; or the energy of volunteers in a community project.
- Obtain a yield - Yields can be wide ranging, from experience to food to fun. But whatever the situation and whatever the yield, if you are getting out less than you are putting in then it isn't sustainable! The natural flow of life seems to be towards greater yields and growth.
- Apply self regulation and accept feedback - This is about designing in checks and balances. How will I know if my project is successful? Under what circumstances will I need to come back to the drawing board and radically rethink my design? If something unexpected happens, how can I adapt to make it beneficial?
- Use and value renewable resources and services - We are heavily reliant on non-renewable resources and services. Using renewable resources increases resilience and self-reliance.
- Produce no waste - Waste is simply an unutilised resource. Sending food to landfill is wasted compost. There are markets for a lot of our waste, such as cans, cd's, paper, and glass.
- Design from patterns to details - Start with the big picture and work out the nitty gritty later! This lets you design more holistically and maintain focus.
- Integrate rather than segregate - Value and sustainability comes from the mix of component parts. In business, the entrepreneur integrates the factors of production. In nature, complex ecosystems develop with great resilience and no maintenance. Modern agriculture segregates a single crop from 'weeds' and 'pests' and people and nature. This requires massive inputs of biocides, fertilizers, fossil fuels and human effort. If we design instead to integrate, we can reduce these inputs and direct our energies to more productive pursuits.
- Use small and slow solutions - Nature evolves slowly over time. If things change too fast, entire ecosystems can collapse. The same may apply to societies - if things are rapidly changing all the time then we can feel alienated and confused. Small and slow solutions allow the system to adjust and adapt. If we make a mistake it is easier to rectify if it is only a small one.
- Use and value diversity - Variety is the spice of life! As the diversity of a system increases, so does its resilience. A business consisting only of managers, or floor workers, or accountants, will struggle to succeed! A field of only one vegetable will be quickly wiped out when its pest or disease strikes. Diversity results in more stable yields. In a hot and dry summer, some species will thrive whilst others will perish - but we will get a yield in either circumstance. In increasingly uncertain times, we must use and value diversity!
- Use edges and value the marginal - The edges of a system are where the most productive and profound events happen. The edge of a forest gets the most sunlight and thus fastest growth. The amount of life a pond can sustain is dependant on the perimeter of its edge. Ideas that revolutionise our worldviews and spark paradigm shifts come from the edge of society.
- Creatively use and respond to change - If there is one thing in the universe that will never change, it is the fact that change is ever present! Trying to continue on as we always have will inevitably result in failure. We see it with businesses that fail to innovate and are left behind for something new. We see it in nature when a species fails to adapt to new circumstances. If we can anticipate change and consciously use it to our advantage then we can thrive.
We can follow a process to guide our design -SADIMET
Survey - Look. Research. Investigate. Ask.
Assess - Think. Reason. Deduct.
Design - Plan. Draw. Apply. Create.
Implement - Do it.
Monitor - Observe. Check. Respond.
Evaluate - Learn. Inquire. Explore.
Tweak - Improve. Develop. Respond.
Goals Articulation
As part of the survey process, I asked all of the family what they enjoy using the garden for and what improvements they would like to see. Here are some mind maps.
Assess
Common themes
The family all enjoy using the garden for relaxing. A hammock will provide a comfortable place to relax, where the designer can become the recliner!
Diversity is a priority of the client, who want to encourage birds, bees and butterflies. Georgie enjoys taking pictures of these, as well as taking macro shots of flowers. Anne wants some attractive flowers that she can cut for decoration in the house. Pete wants edible flowers that can be used to brighten up salads. Decorative flowers will also improve the aesthetics of the garden.
The family all want to use the garden for growing more food. Currently there are some strawberries, blackcurrants, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, gooseberries and crab apples growing. However, these have not been terribly successful so far. A good design will increase the productivity of these and introduce more low maintenance edibles. Pete would really like to experiment with some food forest principles.
This year, Anne grew some rocket. Anne and Pete are both looking to grow more vegetables next season. Pete is keen to use mainly heritage varieties. Anne commented that she worries about what to do and when in the garden, which can result in planting dates being missed etc.
After a holiday to Italy in the summer, where the family enjoyed using a traditional Italian pizza oven, Pete would really like a clay oven. This would create a focal point for family and friends to have pizza parties.
Steve enjoys cutting back trees and vegetation in the garden. Some fast growing green manures and nurse trees would allow him to cut things back whilst increasing the fertility of the soil.
There is some conflict about how long the grass should be allowed to grow. Anne likes short grass that looks neat and tidy. Pete likes the grass to be left longer as he observes much greater diversity in insect populations. Steve likes to leave it longer at there is less mowing! The design might leave some areas to grow wild, or perhaps plant a wildflower mix. A wildflower mix might satisfy both, as what is lost in tidiness is replaced with colourful flowers and diversity.
Georgie expressed her dissatisfaction at the state of the pond. It fills up with leaves very quickly, is heavily shaded and contains no plants. Sometimes we see frogs in the pond, but there is a lot of room for improvement. Opening up the pond to more light, somehow reducing the amount of leaves that get in, and planting aquatic plants would be welcome improvements.
Anne already grows some herbs, but would like to grow more. Pete has been interested in constructing a herb spiral for some time. Somewhere around the patio might be good for this.
The garden is fairly unique in that it edges upon a semi-ancient woodland. There are two mature oak trees in the garden, with two sycamores and another oak overhanging from the gardens either side. This creates some unique opportunities and constraints. Opportunities include less waterlogging on the heavy clay soil; an abundance of leaf litter; an existing diverse ecosystem; nature corridor and preexisting zone 5. Constraints include significant shading; lots of raking in autumn and the ground is hard to dig due to roots. The successful design will take into account these elements and utilise the edge to maximum effect.
Garden Areas
There are a variety of distinct areas in the garden, each used in different ways. The patio has a table and chairs, and is used for eating, reading and sunbathing. The deck has a chimenea and is used in the evenings for relaxing and socialising. The lawn area isn't really used for much, but requires regular mowing to keep it tidy. The sloped area of the garden between the patio and the lawn is planted up with ornamental trees and plants. There is another steeper drop at the bottom end of the garden, which leads to a woodland leaf litter floor. There is a shed, leaf mold pile, hedgehog habitat pile, and storage area under the deck.
The family all enjoy using the garden for relaxing. A hammock will provide a comfortable place to relax, where the designer can become the recliner!
Diversity is a priority of the client, who want to encourage birds, bees and butterflies. Georgie enjoys taking pictures of these, as well as taking macro shots of flowers. Anne wants some attractive flowers that she can cut for decoration in the house. Pete wants edible flowers that can be used to brighten up salads. Decorative flowers will also improve the aesthetics of the garden.
The family all want to use the garden for growing more food. Currently there are some strawberries, blackcurrants, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, gooseberries and crab apples growing. However, these have not been terribly successful so far. A good design will increase the productivity of these and introduce more low maintenance edibles. Pete would really like to experiment with some food forest principles.
This year, Anne grew some rocket. Anne and Pete are both looking to grow more vegetables next season. Pete is keen to use mainly heritage varieties. Anne commented that she worries about what to do and when in the garden, which can result in planting dates being missed etc.
After a holiday to Italy in the summer, where the family enjoyed using a traditional Italian pizza oven, Pete would really like a clay oven. This would create a focal point for family and friends to have pizza parties.
Steve enjoys cutting back trees and vegetation in the garden. Some fast growing green manures and nurse trees would allow him to cut things back whilst increasing the fertility of the soil.
There is some conflict about how long the grass should be allowed to grow. Anne likes short grass that looks neat and tidy. Pete likes the grass to be left longer as he observes much greater diversity in insect populations. Steve likes to leave it longer at there is less mowing! The design might leave some areas to grow wild, or perhaps plant a wildflower mix. A wildflower mix might satisfy both, as what is lost in tidiness is replaced with colourful flowers and diversity.
Georgie expressed her dissatisfaction at the state of the pond. It fills up with leaves very quickly, is heavily shaded and contains no plants. Sometimes we see frogs in the pond, but there is a lot of room for improvement. Opening up the pond to more light, somehow reducing the amount of leaves that get in, and planting aquatic plants would be welcome improvements.
Anne already grows some herbs, but would like to grow more. Pete has been interested in constructing a herb spiral for some time. Somewhere around the patio might be good for this.
The garden is fairly unique in that it edges upon a semi-ancient woodland. There are two mature oak trees in the garden, with two sycamores and another oak overhanging from the gardens either side. This creates some unique opportunities and constraints. Opportunities include less waterlogging on the heavy clay soil; an abundance of leaf litter; an existing diverse ecosystem; nature corridor and preexisting zone 5. Constraints include significant shading; lots of raking in autumn and the ground is hard to dig due to roots. The successful design will take into account these elements and utilise the edge to maximum effect.
Garden Areas
There are a variety of distinct areas in the garden, each used in different ways. The patio has a table and chairs, and is used for eating, reading and sunbathing. The deck has a chimenea and is used in the evenings for relaxing and socialising. The lawn area isn't really used for much, but requires regular mowing to keep it tidy. The sloped area of the garden between the patio and the lawn is planted up with ornamental trees and plants. There is another steeper drop at the bottom end of the garden, which leads to a woodland leaf litter floor. There is a shed, leaf mold pile, hedgehog habitat pile, and storage area under the deck.
Elements to include in the design
- A garden calendar that will list what to do when. Include dates for planting, harvesting, cutting back, and any other activities
- Investigate feasibility of a clay oven
- A range of heritage vegetables to plant in guilds of beneficial relationships
- Plants and trees that will provide a good range of forage for birds, bees and butterflies throughout the year
- Plants and habitats that will encourage beneficial insects
- Interesting and unusual edibles
- Edible flowers
- Shade tolerant species
- Improvements to pond, possibly incuding relocation
- Planting aquatic plants
- Herbs
- Wildflowers
- Nitrogen fixers and dynamic accumulators
- Diversity
- Open space
- Stepping stones and pebbles
- Beauty and aesthetics
- Possibility of chickens or ducks
Applying the ethics and principles
Earth Care - Increasing and supporting diversity in the garden. Reducing consumption of supermarket bought food and associated food miles, pesticides, fertilizers etc. Care taken in selection of materials.
People Care - Growing healthy and tasty food for the family. Meeting wants and needs in the garden. Increasing self reliance. Being inclusive in the consultation process.
Fair Share - Reducing reliance on supermarkets who have an exploitative relationship with farmers. Sharing surplus food and seeds with family, friends and neighbors. Sharing knowledge and experience on my website.
These ethics are pursued through conscious design, following 12 principles
People Care - Growing healthy and tasty food for the family. Meeting wants and needs in the garden. Increasing self reliance. Being inclusive in the consultation process.
Fair Share - Reducing reliance on supermarkets who have an exploitative relationship with farmers. Sharing surplus food and seeds with family, friends and neighbors. Sharing knowledge and experience on my website.
These ethics are pursued through conscious design, following 12 principles
- Observe and interact - Years of observation of the garden. Interacting with natural processes such as collecting the abundant leaf fall every autumn.
- Catch and store energy - Currently a lot of our energy stored as trees and plants leaves the garden in the green waste bin. Using these for mulch, compost, craft etc will store the energy in the garden and increase fertility. More plants on the patio will capture the suns energy that is currently under-utilized.
- Obtain a yield - Fun, food, experience, diploma work, flowers, wildlife, carbon sequestration, health, vitality, rainwater, soil, compost.
- Apply self regulation and accept feedback - Keep a gardening diary that will monitor what is growing well and what isn't. Be ready and willing to redesign elements that can be improved.
- Use and value renewable resources and services - A bag of salad from Tesco is non-renewable; when you have eaten it all you have to go and buy a new one. A bag of heritage seeds is renewable, not only will your plants keep growing through multiple cuttings; you can harvest the seed and use it again next year. Leaves fall from the trees every year and can be turned into leaf mold - much more sustainable than buying in compost - especially the peat based stuff!
- Produce no waste - Make use of as much of our garden and kitchen waste as possible before putting in the green waste bin. Reduce time wasted maintaining unproductive ornamental plants.
- Design from patterns to details - Starting with a broad plan for the garden, I will work down to the details. For example, I will later design the specifics of the food forest which will involve a complex planting of beneficial plants and trees.
- Integrate rather than segregate - Integrating the work and leisure areas of the garden. Planting veg up on the patio allows impromptu summer salads.
- Use small and slow solutions - Start with a few types of easy to grow vegetables, and work up to trickier varieties. Ease Mum gently into wilder areas of grass. Allow for limited time.
- Use and value diversity - Plant different vegetables together. Food forest will be diverse. Include plants and habitats that will encourage beneficial insects. Grow a surplus for the wildlife to loot - it's their garden too (although I think it's this mindset that is why I don't get any of the raspberries!)
- Use edges and value the marginal - View the woodland edge as an opportunity instead of a constraint. Enjoy and utilise the abundance of wildlife.
- Creatively use and respond to change - Stay observant! Keep an eye on what is changing. Use it to your advantage instead of trying to fight it.
Design
Zoning
Zone 1 will include planters on the patio, and the construction of raised beds on the other side of the slope. These will contain vegetables that require regular maintenance and interaction. These vegetables will also be selected for their aesthetics, for example colourful and interesting lettuces and chards.
Zone 2 will be down at the bottom end of the garden, under and around the deck. A semi-wild area of shade tolerant perennials will be planted. Edible and medicinal species will be included such as Ramsons. Once established, this area should require little maintenance.
An area of the garden will form a small food forest, which will act as zone 3. This part has been located on the slope where it will receive good levels of sunlight and be easily accessible from the sunlight. It is good practice to keep slopes planted with trees and other permanent vegetation in order to reduce soil erosion.
I am not sure that a zone 4 would be relevant in our design. Whilst I would love some kind of woodlot or coppice, we are limited on space and already surrounded by trees! However, I do know that BTCV or whoever maintains the woodland have been coppicing the hazel. I can contact them and enquire what they do with the wood post-coppice. I was disappointed when recently I did some coppicing with a conservation group who simply sent the poles to landfill! I managed to salvage a tall pole as an apple tree beater. Perhaps I could liberate some poles from the woodland to use in the garden.
Zone 5 extends to the woodland beyond the edge of the garden. There is a gate in the fence leading out to this woodland. I have found edible mushrooms, blackberries, sloes, hazelnuts, elderflower and more. I can continue to use the woodland as a space for foraging, relaxing, exercising and exploring - bearing in mind to only take sustainable yields and not cause any damage.
Plant selection
For my vegetable selection I have been reading through the selection at realseeds.co.uk. Realseeds is a small enterprise that sells heritage varieties which have been tried and tested in our climate. Heritage varieties differ from the usual hybrids because they breed true to their parents, increasing self reliance of the grower who can save seeds from each crop. By selecting seeds from the best performers of each crop, the grower can over time develop vegetables that are highly adapted for their individual growing conditions. What particularly excites me about Realseeds is that they manage to get their hands on very rare strains a couple of hundred years old! They select their varieties for gardeners, rather than trying to peddle commercial varieties like other seed companies. To buy from Realseeds is also to support an ecologically minded alternative to the big commercial growers.
The Realseeds are particularly suited to this brief, as many of the varieties are particularly nice to look at. For example, they offer a lettuce seed mix of all different colours, shapes, sizes and patterns – ideal for planting in containers around the patio with some nasturtiums and marigolds.
I am selecting shade tolerant species initially, since even the sunniest areas of the garden are shaded by trees at certain points in the day. From my research, I have identified that leafy green vegetables should still perform well in the garden. This is good as I am currently addicted to making tasty salads, so it will be great to grow an abundance of salad leaves! I will also experiment with some other vegetables, such as the "Champion of England" Tall Pea, that grows to 10 feet tall. My thinking is that with a little guidance, these might be able to grow up some of the trees and fencing to find ample light to produce a good crop. Who knows?! It will also be good to plant one of two of them on the patio, as they will get a large yield in a very small area whilst providing a novel focal point.
Other vegetables that I experiment with will be early varieties, based on the assumption that being "early" means that they require less light (please let me know if you have any better ideas!). So I will try some early squash, courgettes, peppers, and tomatoes. Whilst I would love to dive in head first and try loads of different varieties, I am going to play the slow and small solutions. I think this will help ease us into vegetable growing. Trying a load of different things all at once could end up with us getting overwhelmed, demotivated, and put off! I am also going to do a spot of Guerilla Gardening, through which I will have access to sunnier pastures! But that will be the topic of another project.
The next source of seeds, plants and trees is the Agroforestry Research Trust Catalogue. Wow, what a collection! Edible Daylillies will brighten up the patio and salads alike. A mixture of shade tolerant perennials such as mints, ramsons, and maybe wild strawberry(?) will be planted down in the area at the end of the garden.
Green manures, nitrogen fixers and nutrient accumulators will be sourced and purchased. These plants collect and cycle nutrients, keeping the soil healthy and abundant. They also tend to grow rapidly, meaning Dad will have plenty to cut and hack at - whilst increasing the fertility of the garden.
An area in the sunnier part of the lawn will be planted with lawn chamomile. This will create a great area for relaxing and sunbathing. When the chamomile is bruised by contact, it will release the essential oils - nourishing the skin and relaxing the mind.
We are going to get chickens. Further research required.
A further avenue of exploration will look at growing some more exotic things in the conservatory. I came across a website showing how to grow pineapple and ginger indoors! I also want to sprout more seeds and grow microgreens, which can be done all year round.
Activity Calendar
January
- Search for materials to build the raised beds. Ideally these will be reclaimed/recycled, durable and ecologically sound.
- Look further into keeping chickens. Assess required space and work.
- Select and purchase seeds, plants and trees.
- Go to car boot sales to find interesting planting containers for the patio
February
- Construct raised beds
- Construct chicken coop?
- Plant early seeds in mini greenhouse
March
- Plant into raised beds and patio
- Plant groundcover and green manures on food forest area
Implementation - Coming Soon!
I have ordered my seeds and I am going to start planting peas at the weekend. Then in March I will get started with the leafy green veg. More to come on that later.
