Make the Least Change for the Greatest Effect

When you are working with a permaculture mindset, smaller and slower is better. The smaller the change we make, the easier it is to make it happen and then see what effect the change has on the rest of our yard. Any change you make should work with the existing natural systems in your yard so well that the total amount of work you need to do in order to meet your goals decreases while the total benefits increase. Figuring out which small changes will make big differences and will work within your existing natural systems takes a good sense of what your overall goals are, and plenty of time for pondering and letting things perc. Most of my best ideas come when I’m busy doing something else and suddenly see a connection I hadn’t seen before.

To illustrate what I mean, I’d like to share the example of how I have worked with water issues in our yard over the last 7 years. When we first moved into our house, we knew that there was a drainage problem and that the foundation of the house was always wet. We were advised to pile topsoil along the east facing foundation wall to block water from going under the house and divert it to either side of the house, a simple plan that was easily implemented and did the trick. This was small change number one. I also knew that I wanted a vegetable garden and that our yard had a slight slope to it. I had always just laid my beds out in the traditional rectangular pattern, but this time I took the small step of laying out the beds along the contour of the slope in order to evenly catch any water that drained toward the garden during a rainstorm and prevent good garden soil from eroding. You can see what that looks like in the photo above. This was small change number two for me.

After a brief walk around my neighbor’s house during a rainstorm, I confirmed that all of his downspouts eventually ended up draining towards the east side of our house. This wasn’t really a problem at the time because we had shored up the east side of the house to divert that water elsewhere, but I kept pondering the possibility of somehow making use of all that extra water. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it so I just kept turning the idea over in the back of my mind. In the meantime, I began edging my vegetable garden with a small trench to catch and hold more water from the existing slope when it rained, small change number three.

Last year, an unusual number of heavy rain falls flooded the Birch Meadow nursery area to such an extent that our nursery stock was completely covered with water up to the top of the pots plus a little more at the height of the rainfall. We decided something needed to be done. Figuring out what to do gave me a chance to connect all of the dots: the extra water from the neighbor’s house, the slope towards the vegetable garden, the beds laid out along the contour of the slope and the edging ditches designed to catch and hold water. I knew where the water was coming from and where I wanted it to end up and I was prepared to catch, hold and make use of it. After bouncing around some ideas with various people, we came up with a plan that caught the water at the nursery area with a grate and ran it underground to the top corner of the vegetable garden where the slope and edging ditches take care of evenly distributing the water. You can see the new nursery area in the photo at the end of this article.

So far the plan has worked beautifully. There is no more flooding in the nursery area and the vegetable garden is easily absorbing all of the excess water. The new system will further minimize how often I need to water my garden over the summer and has made taking care of Birch Meadow plants much, much easier. If I had taken big steps quickly when I first moved in, they probably would have included hiring someone with big equipment to come out and regrade the entire area so that excess water would run to the drainage ditch along the road, and installing an irrigation system for the veg garden that depended on our well water and a lot of plastic piping. Instead I’ve decreased the amount of watering I need to do, kept useful water on our property and created a much more usable workspace for Birch Meadow. I call that a huge effect for a series of very small changes over time!

I am now waiting to see what happens the next time we have a 3-5” rain event. Can the vegetable garden handle all of that water at once? If not, I am considering the possibility of digging out a small rain garden to slow, catch, catch and hold extra water during extreme weather events. Or I may think of something else entirely that is even simpler.

Time will tell.

– Mary Beth

For previous articles on permaculture, check out the links below.

What is Permaculture

Observation

Connections

Catch and Store Energy

Multitasking: Each Element Performs Multiple Functions

Redundancy: Each Function is Performed by Multiple Elements

Time for Pruning!

If you have bushes that you would like to have reshaped or resized, Feb. 1 to March 15 is the best time for the health of the plant. 

• Flowering shrubs should generally be pruned immediately after flowering to avoid cutting off the new buds after they have set, unless your plant needs reshaping or resizing in which case, the healthiest time to do it is now.  

• It is best not to reduce a plant by more than ⅓ of its current size.  If you have bushes that are way too big, plan on having us come out for several years to continue the resizing process until you are happy with them.  

Please contact us at admin@birchmeadowgc.com if you have bushes that need pruning attention.  It’s best to email us to let us know even if we are visiting your house for regular maintenance as we may not realize that you want your bush(es) resized or reshaped.  

Best of all know that even though the days are still short and the weather is cold and often drab right now, spring is coming!

– Mary Beth

BOOK REVIEW:
From Wasteland to Wonder - by Basil Camu 

I can’t recommend this book enough!  Camu starts with one of the clearest and most concise descriptions of how healthy natural systems work that I have ever read.  He keeps his explanations simple and interesting with beautiful pictures.  

Once we have a grasp of how our planet is designed to keep us alive, he gently but firmly leads us through a description of all of the ways in which those systems on which we all depend are being broken down.  Do not fear!  He does not leave us to wallow in the depths of despondency.

He then goes on to give us agency and power through our relationships with our own yards by providing us with plenty of information about things we can do and habits we can change that will have a huge, immediate and visible impact on the ecosystems connected to our very own doorsteps.

If you follow any of his advice, you will feel empowered to make positive environmental change in ways that you can enjoy every time you step into your yard for years to come.  The photos in this book are stunning. It’s a rewarding read, and best of all you can download it for free on their website.  If you prefer to have an actual physical book, you can order the hardcover at cost ($10.75) and they will ship one to you.  It’s a beautiful book full of really useful information that everyone should know.

- Mary Beth

PLANT FOCUS
Red Maple; Acer Rubrum

Red maple is a native keystone species that blooms at this time of year.  Small, red flowers in clusters mature in late winter and are one of the first signs of spring.  Because the flowers are so small, you might not even recognize that the tree is in flower, but if you keep an eye out for trees that seem to be covered in red growth at this time of year, and then have a look up close, you’ll be able to see the flowers.  The flowers go on to form light brown or red-winged samaras which is the fancy name for the seeds we find in fall that spiral down like a helicopter when tossed into the air. They are handsome shade trees that are easy to grow because they are tolerant of a wide range of soils and moisture levels which makes them excellent lawn, park, or street trees.  They are also one of the tree species that is most likely to grow in areas disturbed by construction, fire and other events that have removed the native flora.

The bark of the red maple has been used to make dyes, ink, and medicine while the soft wood has been used for furniture, clothes hangers, and interior finish. Bees and many other pollinators depend on the very early nectar source of the red maple when they first begin to stir in spring. The larvae of the stunning Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) are one of many species that depend on red maples to get their start in life.  Red maple seeds are enjoyed by birds and the seeds and buds are a primary food source for gray squirrels in late winter and early spring. The prolific sprouts of red maples are also a favorite food for white-tailed deer.

If you are looking for an easy shade tree that will provide you with beauty throughout the year and support your local ecosystem, you can’t go wrong with a red maple!

• Mary Beth

TO-DO List for March

• Apply a layer of mulch around shrubs.  Be sure to keep the mulch thin (½”-1”) in areas where you are expecting perennials to make a return. 

• Fertilize azaleas, camellias, ornamental shrubs, and palms, if needed. We recommend an organic fertilizer like Holly Tone for acid loving plants like azaleas and camellias and Plant Tone or Garden Tone for other bushes and trees.

• Check the NC State Extension Planting Calendar for which veggies can be planted in March.  There are many!

• If you do plant cold hardy veggies, thin plants when they are 2 to 3 inches tall to give them room for growth.

• Side-dress your early-planted crops with compost.

• Begin hardening off any seeds you may have started indoors by placing containers outdoors in a sheltered area for a few days.  Make sure to keep an eye on the weather before you do this and be aware of both too much wind and too much sun in addition to predicted cold.

• Check sprinkler systems for any issues and fix them, as needed.

• Remember to water fresh transplants for several days after transplanting and keep a close eye on them if temps climb above 75.

• Keep a look out for insects. Control aphids with soapy spray on leaves.

• Plant bulbs for spring and summer flowers such as dahlia, lily, gladiola, hosta, peony, day-lily and begonia. 

• Continue pruning summer-flowering shrubs, such as limelight hydrangea, beauty-berry, crape myrtle, butterfly bush, gardenia and rose. Do not prune spring-flowering shrubs until the last flowers have faded (but before new buds set), unless you need to seriously resize or shape them.

The March Wind

The March wind, raw and fitful, stirred the loam, 

A gritty rasp against my weathered thumb. 

Up from the porch, I'd watched the robins come, 

Their speckled breasts a promise, bringing home 

A hint of warmth, though winter's teeth were numb.

The ground’s red clay, a stubborn crust, 

Held fast the bulbs and sleeping, buried things. 

I knelt, and with a trowel, like whispered wings, 

I broke the surface, trusting in the thrust

 Of daffodils, and all that springtime brings.

No gentle rain, but flurries, light and brief,

 That dusted down the bare, dogwood's grey limb. 

The early peas, I'd planted, looked quite slim, 

And vulnerable, beneath the wind's relief, 

Or lack of it, a season's fickle whim.

The earth, a book of secrets, dark and deep, 

Where roots and worms in silent labor lay. 

I pressed a seed, and brushed the chill away, 

A tiny hope, a promise I would keep, 

And watched the clouds, that hurried on their way.

– Shannon

Happy Gardening!