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Food garden: Site survey

Mapping:

 

I mapped out the garden by pacing, tape measure & trilateration.

 

Together with my brother we mapped some of the contours using the bunyip, to do this we created a grid of squares 3metres square (the length of the bunyip) & measured each point in relation to our starting point.

It's hard to explain & I'm not sure it was the easiest route! but it was helpfull in as much as anything developing a better eye for looking at slopes. 

 

Seeing as we haven't had time/opportunity to map the contours on the larger part of the garden, for now we are doing it 'by eye', this is alot easier having spent the time learning on the smaller part, I have developed 'an eye' for sussing out the contours more accurately (easier said than done seeing as the garden has been worked for years & there are beds all over the place, some raised, some not, along with uneven slopes in a few different directions)

 

All of this formed the base map.

Then I made some overlays using tracing paper

 

The overlays I made show: sectors, (existing) zones & desire lines, slope & water, existing trees & plantings.

 

A key learning for me during this whole process  which was done over a good few months, is that 'the map is not the landscape'! (Whitefield)

While I could generalise & assume things from the map It was only in being out on the land in constant observation & awareness of my surroundings that the detail & accuracy came out.

Plants Animals Structures Tools Events

 

Using the acronym PASTE here are some examples of things I've observed so far through working in the garden with my permaculture glasses on:

 

Plants:

Brassica seedlings everywhere.

Trees & Perrenials: Between the tree nursery, the trees I've planted in the last few years & the natives there are loads of trees & perrennials scattered around the garden.

The sycamore beside the kitchen shades the garden quite a bit.

See overlay of existing plantings.

 

 

Animals:

About 5 different types of slugs are around,

Night time with a torch is the best time to catch sight of them

On a dry night there are also loads of beetles scurrying about! Hopefully they are predating the slugs but I havn't seen any direct evidence of this yet!

In the tunnels I am (touch wood) managing to minimise slug damage by planting out large plants, & watering plenty into the planting hole then covering with dry soil. I don't have to water again for about a week when they are more established & the slugs are not attracted to the dry soil surface.

There are rats about the place; compost heap, polytunnel; chicken area.

A Pigeon appears to be nesting in the elder tree behind small tunnel.

Leatherjackets in the compost heap, in the polytunnel

Large beetles (like 1 inch!!) in the black water tank?! sometimes come out through the tap alive, sometimes dead.

Lots of earthworms in the soil

Chickens & Ducks in flexi fence are doing a great job helping me clear beds, slugs & leather jackets. Curently carrying water to the ducks takes time. They seem to like the cover of the fruit bushes. Occassionally they break out & do some damage in the garden.

Humans are somewhat lazy & generally take the easiest option even if it's clearly not the best thing to do.

The cat likes to sit on plants in the tunnels.

My dog & visiting dogs have no regard for the current bed/path arrangement unless there are very large plants in the way.

Lots of birds, Blackbirds especially are eating almost all the fruit before it is ripe. Wasps also do this but not to the same extent.

Bumble bee nest down the yard visit the garden. No honey bees?

Horseflies in the tunnel... 

Occasional animal hospîtal in the grassy 'lawn' area.

Occasional rabbit tractors.

Some toads & frogs about the place.

 

 

 

Structures:

Soil: I have done some basic soil tests (see images)

also I plan to send some samples to a lab to test for nutrient balance in the soil, As I want to eat much of my own produce i want to ensure the nutrition of the soil is adequate to maintain my health. 

Beds: Currently any existing beds are mostly running down the slopes. raised but no sides. Mostly overgrown with grass. New beds this year are slightly raised & just off-contour, pathways feed surplus water into small polytunnel, seems to be working well so far

 

Tunnels: 2 tunnels, 1 new 1 old & larger. The smaller newer tunnel is better situated & is a good bit warmer than the larger one. It also sits directly on the soil whereas the larger one sits on hardcore. 

Pathways: Grass pathways harbour slugs especially if they get overgrown. Muddy pathways attach themselves to boots & get walked out of the garden.

Water tanks: 2 X 1000 Litre tanks collecting rainwater from house & barn. Barn feeds into large tunnel well via hose. House is too low to feed the small tunnel so I have to get it with cans. (however I use alot less than in the large tunnel)

Fences & gates: The newer part of the garden is sporadically fenced, the gate from the house area is broken.

Other: 

Septic tank to the far end of the garden. Not much used as we have a compost loo.

Moveable chicken & Duck houses.

Shed & house.

Rest & relaxation places: there are none!!

 

Tools:

Hand tools & wheelbarrows.

Tarps 

 

Events

Rain!!

Dry spells

Frost (lingering in pockets -see map)

Slug attacks -overnight & during warm & wet spells, particularly in grassy areas or places attatched to grassy areas

People gardening & harvesting -daytimes

 

 

 

 

Current yields

 

I am taking part in an experiment recording the time inputs & yields of permaculture gardens -not that this could be a prime example of a permaculture garden just yet!

 

I record the hours of work input each day & the edible weight of crops harvested.

This information is entered into a spreadsheet & it will be totted up & analysed by the guys running the experiment.

 

Although I havn't got the full results yet, the process has been invaluable for the purposes of this design as I am also noting what kind of work is done each day so I am beginning to see where all the time goes!

 

The main culprits are:

  • Preparing beds in spring

  • Watering the tunnels in summer

  • Weeding in summer

  • Wheelbarrowing fertility around -manure, compost, mulch etc

 

And some examples of high yielding crops are:

  • Leafy greens-salads, chard, Kale etc

  • Beetroot

  • Tomatoes

  • Runner beans

  • Leeks

  • Winter squash

  • Parsnip

  • Carrott

 

Just beginning to measure yields has highlighted other happennings linked to that such as pests & crop failures which need to be given consideration in the design.

 

 

A note on Soil!

I did some basic investigations digging test holes to see the layers. I did some texture tests & concluded that sandy, silty clay loam depending on how long it's been gardened. 

I also looked at indicaror plants onsite but I only recently got around to testing the PH.

Granted I used a cheap test kit from a garden centre so it's possibly not 100% accurate but I'm surprised at the results. According to these tests the soil appears to be definately alkaline in & around the 7 mark. This is logical given that it's on limestone rock, yet I had assumed that it would be slightly acidic like much of the land in this area, or at the most neutral.

To souble check I used the kit to test from a field where I'm fairly sure it is acidic soil, the results showed... acidic -but only just -6.5. I would have expected more givent he indicator plants.

So to triple check, I went back to the indicator chart & began to cross reference some of my assumptions.

I found that the plants I had identified as indicators of acidic soil were actually mainly just indicators of wet conditions. Possibly his could create acidic conditions but the soil itself is alkaline. The high rainfall, and the clay soil means that the soil holds water alot.

Focussing in on the garden then, the PH could have been further raised by the use of lime in previous years and also the constant addition of cow manure. I also read that intensive chicken rotations can raise the PH so this could also have contributed.

I'm left wondering why lime would have been added? Possibly along with the manure? possible from a mistaken assumtion that the soil was acid? or to add calcium?

I certainly won't be adding any more! Apparently seaweed/meal can add calcium without raising the PH so I'll be more inclined to use that which also brings more trace elements & minerals.

From this I've learnt that plants can indicate more than one thing! And at  the same time they are very specific, for example, the narrow leaf dock indicates wet & acid whereac the broad leaf dock indicates wet only. Always cross reference & double check!

I'm still not 100% convinced that this information is correct so I'm going to have a look at soil tests that would have been carried out on the farm in previous years.

The reason I'm so interested in this is because I've always heard that vegetables & fruit prefer slightly acidic soils. And because I've been planning to plant an orchard too.... So I need to get this straight!

 

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