Overview
This project is to design the garden of the house that I grew up in. We moved out of this house in winter 1989. My parents moved to the house next door, and I moved out of the neighbourhood. Since then the property has been rented out to various tenants. No tenant ever looked after the garden, and given that summer was the busiest time of year for our family business we had to pay someone to manage the garden — which in reality meant someone coming in 3 or 4 times a year to cut the grass and chop everything that was not a tree down to bare soil.
When I finally had the time to manage the garden, the tenants would not let me enter, so I had to wait until Autumn 2011 when the tenants moved out. This design shows how and why I decided to turn this garden into a low-maintenance forest garden.
Choosing a Methodology
As part of the Permaculture design of the garden next door, my analysis revealed this place to be a zone 3 or 4, as the client will not be going to this garden every day. I therefore decided this place would be best suited to become a forest garden. Given that the design of a forest garden is simpler than a full permaculture garden, I decided to use the more straightforward methodology CEAP, instead of OBREDIM or SADIM.
Note on How to View the Mind Maps and Images
Most of the documentation I have created over the years has been in mind map format. My hand-written mind maps are quite illegible to anyone other than myself, so I use the computer application Xmind to create legible — though not always as colourful — mind maps. Wherever possible I have included static images of the original Xmind mind maps, which give you a clear snapshot of each stage of the design process.
Working Through the Methodology
Collect Site Information
As with almost every design methodology, we start by collecting as much information as we can about the subject. In this case we collect information about the site: what is already there, what the site is lacking, what we would like, and so on. I have used a series of tools to gather this information, which systematically help me to look at the site from different angles and build up a robust body of data. In many cases a tool may uncover information about an area we have already considered — but rather than treating this as duplication of effort, it helps me look at the same subject from a fresh angle and invariably gives me different ideas about how to work with it.
Below is the information collection mind map for this design.
Geology
Using websites and applications such as iGeology, I found the bedrock of this site is part of the London Clay Formation, comprised of clay, silt and sand, with between 6 and 10 metres of superficial deposits of mainly sand and gravel. This is borne out by the historical information I gathered — and by my own childhood memories of piling up huge amounts of stone dug out of the ground while planting vegetables. The images below show some of the findings from my internet research.
Soil Type
The soil samples I took from this garden were very similar to the samples taken from the garden next door. We have a mix of sandy, silty loam with naturally high groundwater — all of which lends itself to a wet acidic meadow and woodland habitat, and arable grassland and woodland land cover. This is borne out by the history of the site (see below). The soil pH was around 6.5 to 6.7, though I am not convinced the meter we used initially was actually working. We have since tested it again using pH strips, and it consistently measures around the 6.5 mark (double-checked with home-made apple cider vinegar).
Site History
Goodmayes was largely arable land until urbanisation of the area began between 1898 and 1910. This coincided with Goodmayes Railway Station being built in 1901 as part of the Great Eastern Railway from Liverpool Street to Southend. Most of the houses were completed in that period; however, as you can see from the maps below, there were 3 streets which in 1944 remained as orchards and tree nurseries. Talbot Gardens was one of those streets. You may also notice from these maps that the majority of houses were built with east or west-facing fronts and backs — which for those wishing to maximise solar gain is quite a challenge.
Other Survey Maps
As you can see from the basemap, the forest garden is next to the permaculture garden — it is the garden at the bottom of the map. You will notice there are 2 existing trees, both around 60 years old. The one at the back of the garden is an apple, and the other, by the shed, is a pear. We also have an elder which overhangs into this garden.
The wind statistics were gathered from windfinder.com. I have superimposed the wind stats onto the basemap so we can see which winds could potentially cause us problems. What I have witnessed is that most of the wind in spring — when tree buds are at their most vulnerable — is at the back of the garden. In April, May and June, the wind is predominantly coming from WSW, which is directly perpendicular to the house. This means the turbulence is, as we have noticed, mainly at the back of the garden.
You can also see the midday spring equinox shade caused by the high neighbouring fences. This is important as this is the most likely spot where any spring frost will take the longest time to thaw — which has been borne out by observation.
Sun and Shade Maps
I used Google SketchUp to map the sun and shade over the seasons. I chose to map the winter, spring, summer and autumn equinoxes at 8am, midday, 4pm and 8pm.
Evaluate the Information
Having collated a significant amount of data in the collection stage, we then move on to evaluating the information and making sense of the data. To conduct the evaluation, I took every point that was raised and thought about its implications. I noted my thoughts and added any additional questions and comments. As you will see, these comments, thoughts and questions can then be fed into the design process when we apply permaculture principles.
This section includes detailed mind maps exploring the evaluation work. In the original Xmind mind map you can see how I have taken information from the previous stage and added comments, highlighted in yellow.
Evaluating the Information
Evaluating the Existing Plants, Animals, Structures and Events
Here I go through the plants, animals, structures and events that already exist on the site and evaluate what they mean and whether I want to encourage them or not.
Evaluating the Microclimates
Here I evaluate the impact of wind and frost on the site and include a permaculture zone map of the garden. I identify where the wind is strongest and conclude that while it is not urgent to make a windbreak, planting a large tree in the middle of the garden will help soften the wind at the back. I also identify where the frost pockets are likely to be — and therefore where I should avoid planting frost-tender plants.
Given that the client lives next door (which since my father passed away means I also live next door), the zone map has been made to include both the forest garden and the permaculture garden, with the client's house as zone zero. Hence, for us, the forest garden is a zone 3 — it is not a place we will visit every day — while the roof of the shed is a potential zone 4. I will therefore plant things in the forest garden that do not need much care, maintenance or daily picking.
Sun and Shade Maps — Evaluation
The sun and shade map shows clearly where the sunniest part of the garden is (in front of the apple tree). The conclusion I draw from this is that this is the spot where I need to plant the most sun-hungry plants. Given it is a relatively small space, I am also considering how to make better use of it — specifically, how I can create more height here so that the space can be better utilised.
Researching the Plants for This Design
To calculate the best position for each plant, I first need to do some research on what each plant needs. Once I have this information I can then find a niche in the garden which will allow the plant to thrive. I took the list of plants gathered from the PASTE tool and used my plant database to extract the relevant information.
Apply Permaculture Principles
At this point I realised I had better tools available to design a forest garden than the standard tools I would normally use with CEAP. I tried to use the usual tools but struggled. So, applying the permaculture principle of "Apply self-regulation and accept feedback", I accepted the feedback of "struggling" and applied self-regulation to switch to a more appropriate tool. I switched to using my forest garden methodology, which I have been evolving and teaching over the years.
Rak's Forest Garden Design Methodology
My methodology fits neatly within CEAP or SADIM — the "Collecting site information" and "Evaluation" processes are the same as in CEAP; ditto "Survey" and "Analysis" of SADIM. You could say the design phase of my methodology is a fine-tuning or a specific tool within the CEAP or SADIM design section. No matter how you view it, this is the tool I have developed and prefer to use to create dynamic forest gardens.
Anyone who knows me well will know I very rarely do something just because others are doing it, so rather than follow a system that isn't working, I'd prefer to admit it isn't working and find a way that does. After all, tools and methodologies are just tools to help you work — if a tool doesn't work, find a new one, or make your own.
Applying Rak's Forest Garden Design Methodology
Needless to say, this methodology — like any methodology — is not linear; it is iterative. The pictures below are therefore not a true representation of the design process but give you a snapshot of it. The process involves keeping the summary of design elements open as you work through each section.
The process in this case started on paper rather than on a computer (it was around the time my camera was stolen, so I do not have any photos). It would typically involve using either paper cut-out circles or, as in this case, laminated green circles which I made for designs and for teaching. Each circle (or other shape) represents a plant or a structure, and because they are laminated I can write on them with information such as height, sun preference, soil preference, and so on.
As the design progressed and I was happy with the placements of the elements, I then transferred the design into a Google SketchUp model. I chose to keep the trees in 2D rather than 3D as the laptop I was using at the time had memory problems running a buggy Windows application under a Linux operating system.
Applying Permaculture Principles With the Summary of Elements in Mind
During the design process I would reach into my permaculture principle box and pull out a set of principles — Holmgren, Attitudinal, Ecological, as well as the three permaculture ethics — and see how they applied to this design.
The Final Design
So the final design looked like this, with all the major trees, shrubs and some herbaceous plants decided. In effect I have created a pattern and created sections with clear borders. The details of what to plant under each tree I have left intentionally open, as I find it easier to create guilds on the fly according to what is available. My guilds have 10 elements, and as long as I find plants that adhere to those 10 factors, the actual details are not so important at this stage — I know some things will change when it comes to implementation. Even some of the trees may change. This is my way of working from patterns to details.
Plan a Schedule of Implementation, Maintenance, Evaluation and Tweaking
The Implementation Plan
The plan was very simple: do whatever I could, whenever I could, with whoever was available, and when the right resources became available. There was no urgency with this project, so going with the flow and letting it happen naturally was an entirely appropriate approach.
The Actual Implementation
As of writing, the full design has not been implemented, though large parts of it have. Here is the story so far.
Slight Change to the Plan
As expected, not all the trees and shrubs that I originally planned for were available — and interesting alternatives did make themselves available. Because the design was clear, I could easily choose how to replace like for like and make a few other adjustments along the way.
Health and Safety
Even though this is a private house, we do invite members of the public — students, friends of the family, and so on — to see the garden. Hence I regularly check the garden for any potential health and safety hazards and issue a health and safety notice for visitors.
Evaluation
Compared to how the place looked when we started, it is such an inviting space now, full of interesting life. I go here a lot more often than I honestly thought I would — it feels like an extension of the permaculture garden. The neighbours think it is a mess, and many people who come over also think it is a mess, until I show them the design and walk them around and get them to taste and smell things. By the end they invariably say "WOW, we must have one of these" — or words to that effect.
I will sum up more in the summary section, but overall I am very happy with how it is progressing, especially given the very little time I have had to make it.
The only thing that is not working so well is the amount of mulch material I am generating — there simply is not enough for the hugle.
Tweak
Plant more mulch material, including comfrey, alfalfa, yarrow, globe artichokes, and similar dynamic accumulators.
First Phase of the Implementation
We started clearing the garden in late 2011 — if anyone has photos of this group event, please let me know!
Second, Rather Unexpected Batch of Woodchip Arrives
I was running a 4-day intensive forest garden design course at the permaculture garden. On the last day I took everyone out for a walk to look at patterns, resources, identify plants and trees — a general ramble around suburbia to see what we could learn. We spotted a tree surgeon, so we approached him to ask if he could drop off some material to our garden. I had a nice talk with him and explained that we needed trunk rounds, long logs, woodchip and foliage.
Before we had even walked back (we also stopped to pick up a disused loft water tank to make a pond), the first load of woodchip arrived. We used the logs to make borders, the woodchip to put on the paths, and the rounds to make seats.
Making the Hugle
Surprised at how quickly this was made — though we could have done with more mulch material.
Yield
Some of the fruits of the garden so far — the apple tree in particular was incredibly productive once the guild plants were established around it.
Summary
I will sum up by using the 4 permaculture questions (4Qs).
1. What Went Well
- The design process was quite simple and very enjoyable.
- I am pleased with the layout, especially the paths and the general feel of the design.
- I had 3 groups of students over who used this garden to practice designing — it was enjoyable to see what they came up with.
- Laying the paths was great fun, especially with all the people who got involved.
- The incredible amount of apples from the tree was extremely satisfying — the guilds worked so well.
- The fact that the pear tree fruited after so many years of not fruiting was a complete surprise, and again shows the power of taking care of the soil.
- The amount of strawberries and raspberries was also impressive.
- The perennial cabbage established itself very fast and is producing lots of year-round greens.
2. What Would I Do Differently
I would have left more areas for growing mulch, as the hugle and some other areas really could do with more mulch material.
3. What Is My Vision
I would like to get cracking with making the ponds. I have the materials — all I need is to find the time. I would also like to get some mulch onto the hugle, or get a green manure growing on it.
4. What Is My Next Step
Get another layer of soil onto the hugle and plant a winter green manure. I will also transplant some strawberries onto the hugle, to keep the soil together and to cover it with a living mulch.