Permaculture Course Design Project
Christopher A. Kletz – Danvers, IL
Prepared By:
Christopher A. Kletz, Conner Matusek, Dawn Keding, Daniel Hall
June 30, 2013
Assessment of Property
3319 E. 1625 N. Rd., Danvers, IL 61732 – McLean County
Full Climatic Information is available on-line:
- Long/Lat. --
- Elevation Above Sea Level --
- Rainfall --
- Dominant Wind Directions are from the South/West: All data available here:
http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/sites/windrose.phtml?station=JXN&network=MI_ASOS
o Wind Rose: Bloomington/Normal, IL, airport
o Wind Rose: Peoria, IL, airport
- Sun Aspects
- Topography: The aerial photo below shows 6 inch topographical lines. These lines indicate a 4 foot drop in elevation from the slightly west of center point to the north east corner, a 2 food drop in elevation from the slightly west of center point to the south west corner, a 1 foot drop from the slightly west of center point to the south east corner and North West corner. Approximate area outlined by property boundaries is 3.2 acres. The top of the photos is due North.
- Soil:
o The soil on the northern portion of the property is almost entirely of the Osco series consisting of a good mixture of organic material, clay and sand within the top 30+ centimeters. Permeability is good and the slope only 0-18%, so the potential for surface runoff is low with good drainage. The north east has a slight portion of the Saybrook series consisting of a good mixture of organic material, clay and sand within the top 30 centimeters. Permeability is good and the slope is 0-20%, so the potential for surface runoff is medium with good drainage.
o The soil on the southern portion of the property consists of the previously mentioned Osco series and the Muscatune series which consists of a good mixture of organic material, clay and sand within the top 30+ centimeters. Permeability is good and the slope is 0-5%, so the potential for surface runoff is low with somewhat poor drainage.
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- Vegetation: The property has a very small diversity of grasses with most of the trees and shrubs located on the northern portion of the property.
Vision for Property
· Get a sustainable and diverse food production built within 5 years that will feed the household and animals
· Expand outside of the household to family and friends and look into year round food production
· Market outside the home while still providing home, family and friends
· Expand land usage by renting from neighboring farmers
· Provide educational opportunities
Early Design Strategies
· Capture Water and Fertility High on the Landscape
· Build Soil Fertility and Organic Matter
· Manage the southern winds
· Attract pollinators
· Design for access
· Design for easy harvest and maintenance
· Within budget
· Beauty
· Slow and steady solutions (implementation over time)
· Easy to integrate small livestock
· Design to minimize reliance on fossil fuel
· Design for seasonal change/ frost
· Long harvest design (sequential) / 4 season harvest
· Consider neighboring runoff
· Diversity on the landscape
The Permaculture Design
(Recommended Techniques and Specific Design Solutions)
· Water
o A pond on the southeast corner of the property will be in the form of a moat around an island.
o A series of swales south of the household will be dug on contour and overflow into a pond in the southeast corner.
§ The first swale will be north of the septic system and will overflow on the west side into the secondary swale.
§ The secondary swale will be south of the septic system, running from the west side to the mid property just below the east side of the 8 car garage where it would overflow into the tertiary swale.
§ The tertiary swale will run from the west side of the property to the east side of the property into a pond.
o A ditch on a slight grade will begin in front of the 8 car garage, curve around the west side of the 8 car garage, and feed into the secondary swale.
o The garage’s and machine shed’s west side rain catchment will be stored and made available for garden watering. The overflow will be directed into the secondary swale.
o The 8 car garage’s west side rain catchment will be channeled into the secondary swale.
o The 8 car garage’s east side rain catchment will be stored on the south side of the 8 car garage. Overflow will be directed into the secondary swale.
o The hog shed’s rain catchment will be stored within or on the east side of the hog shed.
o The house’s rain catchment will be used for watering the west food forest and the primary garden.
o The machine shed’s east side rain catchment will be stored on the north corner of the machine shed. Overflow will be directed somewhere.
o The chicken coop’s rain catchment will be directed and stored on the east side of the chicken coop. Overflow will be directed somewhere.
o A series of swales north of the household property will be dug on contour and overflow into the northern drainage ditch.
§ The first swale will start from the north west side of the property and on contour will end somewhere east of the house hold property near the edge of the driveway property. The overflow will occur towards the east side of the swale into the secondary swale.
§ The secondary swale will start from the northern section of the property and on contour will end somewhere near the central point on the west side of the driveway. The overflow will be directed into the drainage ditch.
o The north west swale design will be based on the current vegetation location – if contour lines are not readily discernable, fish swale scales will be utilized.
· Access/Circulation
o Driveway
o Path to house
o Path through garden
o Path to food forest
o Path through botanical garden
o Path from drive way, directly in front of machine shed and chicken coop, heading to the edge of the east side of the property, heading south to the south east pond. Path will fork north of the hog shed and head west stopping directly north of the 8 car garage.
· Vegetation and Wildlife
o Fruit Orchard –4 Apple, 3 pear, 3 cherries, 2 plums
o Blackberry patch
o Established Hardwood
o Black Walnut
o Crab Apples
o Grass
o Clover
o Dandelion
o Agriculture Surround (neighbors) – Rotation of corn and soy
o Food forest edging with two stories along south edge for wind block (future)
o Botanical learning garden in northwest quadrant (future)
o Squirrels
o Rabbits
o Birds
o Voles
o Coyotes
· Microclimate
o House
o Trees
o Greenhouse (future)
· Buildings and Infrastructure
o House – Rehab to make energy efficient and allow storage of food
o Garage – Add Rocket Stove
o Machine shed – Add rain catchment and possible wind catchment
o Chicken coop – Tear down – rebuild for better access, functionality, and add rain catchment
o Barn – Tear down – utilize materials for reinforcing machine shed and other projects
o 8 car garage – Rehab to make energy efficient and add two rocket stoves
o Hog shed – Rehab for animal purposes
o Barn’s southern concrete slab – Potatoes?!
o Chicken coop’s eastern concrete slab – More potatoes!?
o Eastern concrete slab – Even more potatoes!
o Hog shed’s southern concrete slab – POTATOES!
o Septic field – Be aware of a no deep root zone
o Greenhouse with Aquaponics (future – built in area where barn stands)
o Vertical structures i.e. pergola, trellis (future for berries and vining plants
o Bee hives (future – 4 around the central tree cove near the green house)
o Vertical Wind Generator on top of machine shed (future)
· Zones of Use
o Zone 0: The house!
o Zone 1: Path from house to driveway
o Zone 2: Annual planting requiring special attention, Garage, Machine shed, 8 car garage, chicken coop and greenhouse.
o Zone 3: Northern and southern property containing herbs and food forest.
o Zone 4: Mostly the corners of the property containing self-sufficient trees.
· Soil Fertility and Management
o Initial replenishment of the southern property using mulch and horse manure
o Aeration of hardpan possibly with Keyline hoe
o Compost crops
o Addition of animal matter via coop cleanings etc.
o Egg shells to balance calcium deficiency
o Bio-char
· Aesthetics/Experience of Place
o Lovely!
o Natural division between quadrants
o Shaded and cooler near the house in spring and summer
o More of a draw towards trees and house
o The composition of hardy timber trees and fruit bearing plants symbolically characterize the farmer’s strength and productivity.
Closing – Conclusions
In closing, it is recommended that Chris plant in food forests as much as possible. Understory fruiting plants such as gooseberries and currants will add flavorful options for long term jams and jellies as well as fresh eating. Additions of flowering plants with flowers ranging throughout the spring, summer, and fall will provide nutrition for his many bee hives. Following a plan similar to the one below will increase variety and decrease the aggravation of pests. Small herd animal such as Nigerian Dwarf Goats (or Nigerian Dwarf crosses) will help keep brush in check and add an easy milk source.
A new rocket stove design explained by Daniel.
Cross Section Example of a Linear Food Forest
with Hugelkultured Swale
Many other species of plants might be included.
“For what is the use of a house…
if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?”
~ Henry David Thoreau
References
“(Woodchips) make an attractive, stable road base that holds soil in place and compacts into the ground to make a firm driving surface. Creation of a wood-chip driveway is a permanent work in progress because this organic surface biodegrades over time and needs new chips added periodically.” http://homeguides.sfgate.com/create-wood-chip-driveway-32638.html
Quick List of Useful Permaculture Plants
Temperate Climate, North American, Midwestern SpeciesCommon Name / Scientific Name / Uses
Canopy
Beech / Fagus grandifolia / Nuts
Butternut / Juglans cinerea / Nuts
Shagbark Hickory / Carya ovata / Nuts
Sugar Maple / Acer saccharum / Syrup
White Oak / Quercus alba / Nuts
Understory
American Persimmon / Diospyros virginiana / Fruit
Apple / Malus pumila / Fruit, flowers
Cherry / Prunus spp. / Fruit, flowers
Cornelian Cherry / Cornus mas / Fruit
Crabapple / Malus spp. / Fruit, flowers
Hazelnut / Corylus spp. / Nuts
Kentucky Coffee Tree / Gymnocladus dioica / N-fixer
Paw Paw / Asimina triloba / Fruit, flowers
Pear / Pyrus communis / Fruit, flowers
Plum / Prunus domestica / Fruit, flowers
Serviceberry / Amelanchier spp. / Fruit, flowers
Witch Hazel / Hamamelis virginiana / Medicinal, flowers
Shrub Layer
Common Name / Scientific Name / Uses
Blackberry / Rubus occidentalis / Fruit, flowers
Currant / Ribes sativum / Fruit
Elderberry / Sambucas nigra / Fruit, flowers
False indigo / Baptisia australis / N-fixer
Gooseberry / Ribes uva-crispa / Fruit
Raspberry / Rubus idaeus / Fruit, flowers
Rose / Rosa spp. / Medicinal, flowers
Siberian Pea Shrub / Caragana arborescens / N-fixer, flowers
Herbaceous layer
Arugula / Eruca vesicaria / Edible
Chamomile / Chamaemelum nobile / Tea, flowers
Chives / Allium schoenoprasum / Edible
Comfrey / Symphytum uplandicum / Medicinal, mulch
Cornsalad / Valerianella locusta / Edible
Dill / Anethum graveolens / Edible, insectary
Fennel / Foeniculum vulgare / Edible, insectary
Garlic / Allium sativum / Edible
Kale / Brassica oleracea / Edible
Lemon balm / Melissa officinalis / Tea
Lettuce / Latuca sativa / Edible
Lovage / Levisticum officinale / Edible
Mint / Mentha spp. / Edible
New Zealand Spinach / Tetragonia expansa / Edible
Onion / Allium cepa / Edible
Parsley / Petroselinum crispum / Edible
Rhubarb / Rheum rhabarbarum / Edible
Salad burnet / Sanguisorba minor / Edible
Sorrel / Rumex scutatus / Edible
Spinach / Spinacea oleracea / Edible
Stinging Nettle / Urtica dioica / Edible, mulch
Flowering Ground Covers
Strawberry / Fragaria spp. / Fruit, flowers
Nasturtium / Tropaeolum minus / Edible flowers
Violet / Viola spp. / Edible flowers
Vines
Grape / Vitis vinifera / Fruit
Hardy Kiwi / Actinidia arguta / Fruit, flowers
Hops / Humulus lupulus / Medicinal
Scarlet Runner Bean / Phaseolus coccineus / Edible, N-fixer, flowers
Wisteria / Wisteria floribunda / N-fixer, flowers
Leaving the planet in better condition than we found it.
Midwest Permaculture
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