The topics on this page are:

• Making Market Garden Space
• Planting an Orchard
• Next Level of Transformation

MAKING MARKET GARDEN SPACE

Starting at the old chicken yard gate, remove the fence (and the birdhouses) that circles around the bottom of the garden in a westerly direction. Save the two strips of wire to recycle and use for deer deterrent (flat fence) up the driveway and around Plum and Alder ponds. Install a deer fence from the old, old gate across the field again below the large rock outcropping, which will actually become one edge of the new driveway mentioned later in the report under the topic Next Level of Transformation. Fencing along the new forest and parallel to the main road will keep the chickens from laying eggs in the forest and thicket. This whole fenced area will make an excellent short-term chicken yard for the fall and winter, and the chicken tractors will work it over until it is ready to be a market garden in the spring. The chickens will also love all the activity of digging as it progresses. They will be able to access the Gate Pond for water whenever this is their regular yard. Remove the few treated posts from the garden entirely to accommodate certified organic status rules.

Relocate the hazelnut tree, roses, figs, comfrey, golden rod and other plant stock before the new ditch is dug, and the old berm leveled out.

Clean out the two ditches running from just below the plum trees towards the raspberries and level out the earth and large compost pile over the open space. At the same time, remove the old water system, old paths and old tarps. Work around (leave in place) the three apple treess, eucalyptus, walnut, and kiwi. When the chicken tractors are moved in the spring, cultivate the resulting space and mulch heavily with straw, right down to the rock outcropping edge.

On the old fence and earth berm running northwest from the old chicken house gate to the big metal gate, leave the blackberries, but digging/clearing the roots back to original berm and controlling growth for ease of picking as a crop (making access easier). Remove the two patches of willows. Clear out around the hazelnut tree so nuts can be picked up easily. Dig out the old pine tree root, and any other old tree roots. Spread compost widely.

Cut down the large balsam tree at the edge of the pond (but leave the stump to avoid disrupting drainage of the pond). Clear and level the whole area. Again, after the chickens have wintered here, cultivate the resulting space and mulch heavily with straw from the old chicken yard gate right up past the raspberries to the Gate Pond berm. Mulching would be beneficial all the way round the Gate Pond up to the litch gate.

PLANTING AN ORCHARD ARBORETUM

The space available for the orchard arboretum runs from the new forest area and chicken house in the north east corner up to the parking lot and on to the prospective Alder and Plum Ponds in the north west corner of the property. It will be naturally watered and drained on four sides, protected from animals, and maintained by the chickens. If this area is divided visually, there will be three large circles to plant within. Pace out the area and stake out the approximate centre points for these circles.

The top circle centre may occur close to a natural rock outcropping (several inches below the surface, where the field is perennially dry and brown). This rock outcropping is an ideal area for growing grapes and figs. If this rock is bared and ditched, then planted around, grapes and figs will have a better chance of surviving the summer cool nights and winter north winds (although the winters are seem to be becoming milder and milder each year). The rock will act as a heat sump to keep the surroundings of the grapes and figs warm through the cool summer evenings. The grapes would be better left to roam over the rock area than being staked, wired or otherwise controlled. Excess rocks can be piled around the base of the fig trees for added warmth. The snakes will love the rock piles!

The centre of the lower circle would benefit from a city of bee boxes installed to ensure proper fertilization in the whole orchard arboretum and other gardens. Bee hives would work, too, but would add another whole dimension (particularly of work) to the mixed farming project. Both inner circles (grapes/figs and bees) would benefit from interplanting with rigosa roses and comfrey. This is for ecosystem benefit.

The centre of the third circle will be the Chicken Pond.

For a start this fall, plan on planting six trees around each of the centre points. In the spring, or at some point in the future the orchard arboretum can be expanded by inter-planting at 20 foot intervals. Trees should be chosen for their heritage, arboretum characteristics, and contribution to self-sufficiency. For instance, apple varieties would be chosen for hardiness, keeping ability, and taste: Grime's Golden, for example, is infinitely preferable to a Golden Delicious, for the above reasons. The wider the variety of fruits and trees intermixed in the planting, the healthier the orchard arboretum will be.

A smaller area between the Alder Pond and the walnut tree at the entrance is large enough to accommodate a hazelnut and a pistachio nut tree along with the landscaping of the pond that will be visible to the road.

For the health of the soil and grass, conservation measures, and mulching, it would be advisable to mow the orchard area before planting, and at least once a year thereafter (preferably twice). Or, allowing the chickens free range in the orchard for half the year may accomplish this, eliminating the need for a mower.

THE NEXT LEVEL OF TRANSFORMATION

Access

To create a flow of energy on the property it would be advisable at some point to change the driveway system. This is how it could look. Vehicles entering at the top of the property at the present 181 Beaver Point Road sign will drive down the west edge of the property to the parking lot, and have a choice of parking and walking or driving to the house as they do now, accessing the orchard area which is new, or stopping to buy at the proposed farm stand. The next new section of the driveway will start in front of the house and head east towards and beside the forested area turning and flowing between the trees and the end of the rock outcropping along the east boundary to the legal permitted access to the property (permit from the Department of Highways in hand). This would also provide access to the produce preparation building proposed for the market garden space. If signed, the road need not be two cars wide as all traffic would be going in the same direction.

Buildings

The gardening and orchard enterprise may eventually need a barn/farm/produce building (or two) to accommodate its many aspects: tool storage, farm vehicles, produce preparation areas, straw storage, washing facilities, food storage space, herb drying facility, and more. The space for this building has been earmarked at the bottom of the market garden space, near and on the rock outcropping, leaving arable land for market produce production.

Dig out the Indian plum, wild rose and willow thicket back to the rock ledge to make this space. The resulting thicket refuse can be added to the berm fence being built along the east side of the property at the bottom end of the rock outcroppings just beyond the "alley way" behind the big rock, rock pile and rock outcropping for future road redirection and access.

A produce stand building in the parking lot would be a popular addition creating safe and secure farm-gate sales. This building can be designed to include a tool shed, greenhouse, straw storage, food storage (dry and/or cold), stock storage and more.

A teaching centre would be a natural adjunct, and easily added to the house. This complex could include a multi-purpose room for agricultural or community events, workshops, meetings, classes, celebrations and more. Furniture storage, washrooms, break-out rooms, and kitchen catering facilities would surround the main open gathering space. As the house is built using the sacred geometry of hexagons (like honeycomb) adding another cell or two or three would be relatively simple design wise, and allow for further illustration of sustainable, green building. There is lots of room on the back side of the house towards the old forest for expansion.

Renovation and expansion of the current cottage space would allow the accommodation of more living-on-the-land farm workers, and students acquiring on-the-job experiential training in various gardening and farming techniques such as permaculture.

Environmentally sensitive camping

Camping is an "allowed" activity on Agriculture Land Reserve land. Up to ten sites may be developed here. The new forest in the northeast corner of the property would be ideal, as would the forest near the house which currently contains two or three tent sites. Solar shower facilities could be added to the produce production building, or to a new straw bale structure built in the forest closer to the campground (which could also be an storage space for camp ground equipment when not in use.) Sawdust composting toilets would be the best option as the resulting compost would be a good addition to the orchard garden at the end of a year.

Cottage & View Point

One can see that the gardens were a focal point for the cottage at one time. That time is gone, however! It is suggested that all the "old" works around the front door be removed and replaced with a more natural, easy care, water conserving environment.

The cottage environment is a perfect private space for adding an outdoor tub and shower off the main upper level deck. The greywater can be used for watering purposes.

A second bathroom could be added without much plumbing difficulty, for living comfort. A toilet (even a sawdust composting toilet), shower and basin could be installed where the built-in desks are currently located. A new hot water tank for this upstairs bathroom can be easily installed in the storage room directly under it. This would make the master bedroom ensuite.

The metal roof would make the ideal beginnings of water catchment system to provide summer water for reduced-size gardens.

The woodshed would be more useful if it was clad in flitches or rough lumber closing out inclement weather.

Continued on the next page.