Small Scale and Intensive Systems - Putting it all together!

The next Permaculture principle we are going to take a look at is the concept of small scale, intensive systems.  Small scale systems take up a relatively small amount of space so they use fewer resources. They are considered intensive because there is a lot going on in that relatively small area.  Building a small-scale intensive system involves liberally applying the other principles that we’ve already learned about:  observation, making connections, catching and storing energy and materials, making sure that each element performs multiple functions and that each function is supported by multiple elements, and making the least change for the greatest effect.  While the picture shown above is a pretty big area, a plot of about 60 square feet (6’X10’) or smaller is a good starter size to get used to implementing and experimenting with your ideas without feeling overwhelmed. You also need not feel limited to growing vegetables or using raised beds unless that is what you really want.

As always with permaculture, you need to start out with defining your goals before beginning to plan your system. What elements do you want in your garden? Do you want food? Herbs? Cutting flowers? Specific birds or butterflies? Specific animals like toads, chickens, honeybees? Specific predatory insects like the praying mantis?

Once you’ve decided what you want, start making observations. Where can this system be placed so that you will be most likely to interact with it daily? Once you have decided on the best location, or a couple of options, start keeping track of the elements that already exist in that space and which ones you might need to change or control vs. those that you can do nothing about. Some basic observations you will need to make about the space are:

• The level of sunlight

• Soil quality.  This includes the consistency of the soil (clay, loamy, sandy, rocky, etc.) in addition to basic soil testing.

• What animals, insects and birds already seem to make use of the space, including humans and pets!

• Foot traffic patterns - yours, other members of your household, including dogs and cats, the mail carrier, visitors, etc.   

• Prevailing winds and how they effect the space

• How water moves through or collects in the space  

• Plants that are already in the space

• The slope of the land you want to use

• Anything else about the space that feels important to you

Your observations give you a reality check about what can or can’t actually be done with the space and what changes you might need to make to bring your goals to fruition. The next step is to research the elements you want to include. Which plants do you want to grow? Which creatures do you want to attract and which do you want to discourage? For the elements that you want in your space, what do they need in order to flourish? Can you provide it for them immediately? With adjustments? Not at all? For those that you want to discourage, what can you do to make your space less inviting or even make it out of reach?

As you go through this process of deciding what you want, where to put your small scale and intensive plot, the existing realities of the space, and the needs of your proposed elements, your observations and research will lead you to start making connections. Maybe you love monarch butterflies and want to encourage them. You also have sandy soil and aren’t sure what you can actually grow in your space. Through reading about monarchs, you discover that butterfly weed thrives in sandy soil and is a primary food and incubating plant for monarchs at every stage of their lives. Or it could be you have all sorts of ideas for what you want to do in your chosen space, but you discover that most of what you want to do won’t thrive there because it is too shady. Instead of moving spaces, you begin looking into the wide world of shade loving plants and discover a whole new love. Once you start making observations, choosing to work within the bounds of the space you have chosen (making the least change for the greatest effect) and doing your research, there are always possibilities for connections that lead to a flourishing garden. Just remember that those connections are best when the elements (anything that occupies space) and functions (a specific role or benefit that an element provides) all support each other in multiple ways.

Your observations and research will also help you discover opportunities for catching and storing energy. You may realize that your proposed site is on a slope so a small swale to slow rainwater will help you keep your plants well watered. Or you may recognize that leaves from a nearby tree will make excellent food, mulch and a source of soil microbes without much effort on your part. The more time you spend with your small scale intensive system, the more connections and opportunities you will recognize!

If a 60 square foot space feels too small to you, think of it as a learning lab. Ideally this small space will be the first in an ever growing series of changes that you make to the rest of your yard as you learn what connections and elements work well with the functions you need and which functions and elements you might like to add to your yard in the future. Once you feel like you’ve really got the hang of your tiny space, you will have a whole set of skills unique to your yard that you can apply to a new area and expand.

– Mary Beth

Spring Rains and the Home Garden

Spring is upon us in the Piedmont, and with it comes our familiar fluctuations in weather. As I write this, a light rain falls on my own garden, collects in my rain barrel, and runs through my driveway - taking a bit of gravel with it as it flows downhill. Rain is often a blessing as our temperatures start rising, but NC downpours can create issues as often as solve them. You may be noticing problem areas around your own property, such as soggy turf, erosion, or loss of gravel or mulch - or even notice that your neighbor’s rainwater is causing changes “downstream” for you.

Gardeners and Horticulturists have created an environmentally friendly method of dealing with these sorts of troubles, and a beautiful one at that! This solution is the humble rain garden. But what is a rain garden, exactly?

Rain gardens are essentially a modified garden bed: a plant-filled, shallow basin which slows the flow of water, regulates water absorption, and seriously beautifies areas that previously were empty, muddy, or just impossible to maintain. Not only are they stunning, but they can combat issues that are on many of our minds these days, such as controlling erosion (sediment runoff is the #1 water pollutant worldwide!), limiting fertilizer and pesticide/herbicide entering waterways, and creating food and shelter for our wildlife. Rain gardens are also incredibly versatile, from marshy shade to hot sunny spots, and everything in between. Perhaps best of all, once they are established, they are actually quite low maintenance! Rain gardens don’t require compost or fertilizer, and filling them with mostly native plants means they should require attention only a handful of times a year. Sound too good to be true yet?

Here are some examples of the transformation that can occur when a rain garden is installed, and how they work:

Rather than installing a plastic-based french drain system, or eternally fighting to grow turf-grass in a difficult area, I would encourage you all to consider implementing a rain garden on your property. There are so many benefits to reap from these small changes, and every helpful critter from the worms to the bees to the birds will thank you!

– Ray
For more information, please contact admin@birchmeadowgc.com or ray@birchmeadowgc.com.

BOOK REVIEW:

Good Weed Bad Weed, - by Nancy Gift

This is a friendly, authoritative, easy-to-use guide to the uninvited plants in our yard: who they are, how to control them safely - and why it's a good idea to love some of them just the way they are (including a chart for how best to let our labor-intensive lawns “go native”). Weed expert Nancy Gift considers 50 of the most interesting and noteworthy weeds in our lives, with generous helpings of full-color photos, humor and some tasty weed recipes. Presented in the same format as popular field guides to garden insects, Good Bug Bad Bug, with heavy matte-laminated pages and concealed-wire binding for handy use outside. An attractive gift book for adults and curious kids alike.

- Shannon

PLANT FOCUS
Painted Buckeye; Aesculus sylvatica

If you’ve been paying attention, you may have noticed the annual greening of small understory trees, many of which are still the size of bushes, throughout our still mostly leafless forests.  If you have, noticed this promise of spring it’s probably painted buckeye.  Painted buckeye is a small, deciduous tree in the maple family (Sapindaceae) that is native to the southeastern USA. In NC it is found in the Piedmont in mesic, nutrient-rich forests, on bottomlands, lower slopes, and in ravines. Also in the Coastal Plain primarily on floodplains and in the Mountains only at low elevations. It will grow 10-20 feet high in a shrub or tree form.

It does best in sun to part shade in moist, well-drained soil and is intolerant of dry soils. It will grow 10-20 feet tall and spread 6-15 feet wide.

Painted buckeye leafs out early in March-April with attractive palmate leaves that may start out reddish. It usually drops its leaves by September. Flowers are showy in upright clusters of usually greenish-yellow but sometimes pink or red.

Give this tree a moist but well-drained site and some afternoon shade in a woodland or naturalized area.

…

“One of my favorite plants to watch this time of year is the Painted Buckeye, Aesculus sylvatica. It is a common shrub in our woods, and one of the few things the deer don’t seem to bother. It is also our first shrub to leaf out in Spring. We walked the property this weekend, looking for signs of Spring and possible nest cavity trees. Along the way, I stopped to admire and document the various stages of buckeye buds. There is so much life and hope contained in a single bud. I think Spring is finally here…”

Quote taken from Roads End Naturalist, visit their site for lovely pictures of the buds.

• Shannon

TO-DO List for April

After the last frost date (April 1 in Piedmont NC), it is generally considered safe to plant tender seedlings outdoors. Last frost dates are estimates, so while you can anticipate the last frost, your best bet is to rely on the weather forecast or local recommendations. 

• Scatter annual flower seeds in flower borders. The fine seeds need no covering. The plants grow rapidly and provide colorful blooms in early summer.

• You can sow seeds outdoors directly into the garden for beets, carrots, Swiss chard, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, mustard greens, collards, turnips, radish, spinach,and bunching onions.

• Plant new trees and shrubs by the end of the month.

• Continue to stay on top of and pot up your tomato seedlings. 

• Wait until after April 15 to plant out warm season summer veggies! The chance of a late frost is still high, and warm days can be deceiving.  Check the weather forecast on the 15th to make sure that you are in the safe zone.

• You can still start seeds indoors of okra, squash, cucumber, melons, and watermelons. Sow vining crops in individual peat pots since these do not transplant well if the roots are disturbed.  You can also plant seeds for these plants directly into the ground in April, but be sure to wait until the 15th to plant the okra as it is a bit more cold sensitive.   

• Plan new landscaping projects on paper first. Do not overplant. Be sure you know the mature size of each plant and allow for growth. See our article above for ideas about how to plan out a very rewarding small scale, intensive system.

• Cover Brassica and squash crops with floating row cover to protect from cabbage moth and flea beetle damage if these little critters have been a problem in the past. They tend to come out a touch early.

• Keep “hilling up” potatoes.

• Plant out sweet pea seedlings

• Get dahlia tubers out of storage and start potting up

• Take cuttings (ie plectranthus, salvias, dahlias) to start new plants

• Pot on cuttings as they take root

• Start to harden off any seedlings you have started indoors at least a week before you are ready to plant.

• And always keep on top of weeding!

My Little Rain Garden

From sky's vast urn, the April rain descends,

A liquid grace, where nature's spirit blends.

Yet down the slope, the torrent's restless stride,

Steals earth's soft cloak, where fertile dreams abide.

But heed, dear soul, a wisdom softly sown,

A basin carved, where gentle seeds are thrown.

The rain garden's heart, a sanctuary deep,

Where thirsty roots their silent vigil keep.

Let iris rise, a purple, regal hue,

And ferns unfurl, where shadowed droplets accrue.

Let native blooms, a verdant tapestry weave,

A living sponge, where waters interleave.

If barren ground, or muddy paths you see,

Then shape a haven, for Earth's tranquility.

Embrace the rain, not as a foe to fight,

But as a gift, to nurture life's pure light.

– Shannon

Happy Gardening!