[Permaculture Design EXERCise] / Maegen Gabriel Property /

Permaculture Course Design Project
Maegen Gabriel – Chelsea, MI

Prepared By:
Midwest Permaculture PDC Course #41
June 28, 2013

Assessment of Property

17120 Boyce Rd., Stockbridge, MI, 49285 – Washtenaw 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:

  • Wind Rose: Jackson/Reynolds, MI, airport

-Sun Aspects

-Topography: The aerial photo below shows 1 foot topographical lines indicating a 10 foot drop in elevation from the NE corner of the property to the SW corner. Approximate area outlined by property boundaries is 7 acres. The top of the photo is due North.

-Soil: The soil on this property is almost entirely of the Spinks (Montcalm) series consisting of very deep, mostly sandy soils. Permeability is moderately rapid and the slope only 2-6%, so the potential for surface runoff is negligible to medium.

-The native vegetation is hardwoods, dominantly oaks and hickories.

Vision for Property

Early Design Strategies

  • Capture Water and Fertility High on the Landscape
  • Build Soil Fertility and Organic Matter
  • Capture the sun!!!
  • Love the world
  • Manage the wind
  • Attract pollinators
  • Design for access
  • Design for privacy
  • Design for easy harvest and maintenance
  • Within budget
  • Gathering space, public amenities, public use and enjoyment
  • Beauty
  • Slow and steady solutions (implementation over time)
  • Protecting from wildlife (minimize pressure)
  • Easy to integrate small livestock
  • Design to minimize reliance on fossil fuel
  • Design for seasonal change/ frost
  • Long harvest design (sequential)
  • Consider neighboring runoff
  • Diversity on the landscape, supporting market niche
  • Be conscious of woodlots
  • Support existing orchard

The Permaculture Design
(Recommended Techniques and Specific Design Solutions)

  • Water
  • Access/Circulation
  • Vegetation and Wildlife
  • Microclimate
  • Buildings and Infrastructure
  • Zones of Use
  • Soil Fertility and Management
  • Aesthetics/Experience of Place

Cross Section Example of a Linear Food Forest
with Hugelkultured Swale

Many other species of plants might be included.

Closing – Conclusions

“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.”

Quick List of Useful Permaculture Plants

Temperate Climate, North American, Midwestern Species
Common Name / Scientific Name / Uses
Canopy
Beech / Fagusgrandifolia / Nuts
Butternut / Juglanscinerea / Nuts
Shagbark Hickory / Caryaovata / Nuts
Sugar Maple / Acer saccharum / Syrup
White Oak / Quercus alba / Nuts
Understory
American Persimmon / Diospyrosvirginiana / Fruit
Apple / Maluspumila / Fruit, flowers
Cherry / Prunus spp. / Fruit, flowers
Cornelian Cherry / Cornus mas / Fruit
Crabapple / Malus spp. / Fruit, flowers
Hazelnut / Corylus spp. / Nuts
Kentucky Coffee Tree / Gymnocladusdioica / N-fixer
Paw Paw / Asiminatriloba / Fruit, flowers
Pear / Pyruscommunis / Fruit, flowers
Plum / Prunusdomestica / Fruit, flowers
Serviceberry / Amelanchier spp. / Fruit, flowers
Witch Hazel / Hamamelisvirginiana / Medicinal, flowers
Shrub Layer
Blackberry / Rubusoccidentalis / Fruit, flowers
Currant / Ribessativum / Fruit
Elderberry / Sambucasnigra / Fruit, flowers
False indigo / Baptisiaaustralis / N-fixer
Gooseberry / Ribesuva-crispa / Fruit
Raspberry / Rubusidaeus / Fruit, flowers
Rose / Rosa spp. / Medicinal, flowers
Siberian Pea Shrub / Caraganaarborescens / N-fixer, flowers
Herbaceous layer
Arugula / Erucavesicaria / Edible
Chamomile / Chamaemelumnobile / Tea, flowers
Chives / Allium schoenoprasum / Edible
Comfrey / Symphytumuplandicum / Medicinal, mulch
Cornsalad / Valerianellalocusta / Edible
Dill / Anethumgraveolens / Edible, insectary
Fennel / Foeniculumvulgare / Edible, insectary
Garlic / Allium sativum / Edible
Kale / Brassica oleracea / Edible
Lemon balm / Melissa officinalis / Tea
Lettuce / Latuca sativa / Edible
Lovage / Levisticumofficinale / Edible
Mint / Mentha spp. / Edible
New Zealand Spinach / Tetragoniaexpansa / Edible
Onion / Allium cepa / Edible
Parsley / Petroselinumcrispum / Edible
Rhubarb / Rheum rhabarbarum / Edible
Salad burnet / Sanguisorba minor / Edible
Sorrel / Rumexscutatus / Edible
Spinach / Spinaceaoleracea / Edible
Stinging Nettle / Urticadioica / Edible, mulch
Flowering Ground Covers
Strawberry / Fragaria spp. / Fruit, flowers
Nasturtium / Tropaeolum minus / Edible flowers
Violet / Viola spp. / Edible flowers
Vines
Grape / Vitisvinifera / Fruit
Hardy Kiwi / Actinidiaarguta / Fruit, flowers
Hops / Humuluslupulus / Medicinal
Scarlet Runner Bean / Phaseoluscoccineus / 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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