Final Design Map

Topography, Pedology Samples & Hydrology Contours

The above map shows the very limited topography (red cross hatch), location of pedology samples taken (lime green numbers) & the hydrology contours (blue cross hatch) of the study area, superimposed on the zone analysis map. The results of the soil analysis can be found here.

Zone Analysis of the Study Area

Geology & Soil Analysis

In addition to performing a soil analysis (below), I have done some research on the soils in my area. British Geological Survey maps show the geological bedrock to be alluvium. Sitting on top of the alluvium are “Loamey and Clayey soils with naturally high groundwater” (National Soils Resources Institute), or more scientifically “Dry Clay Loams, or Gleyo Eutric Fluvisols” (European Union Survey).

I took several pH measurements around the garden, thus:

Area	pH	Number on Map
Lawn (next to fruit bushes)	7.0	1
Vegetable plot	6.5	2
Orchard (centre, away from trees)	7.1	3
Nettle Stand	7.1	4
Compost Heap	7.0	5
Ash from recent fire	7.1	6

The 'Number on Map' column refers to the numbers visible on the Topology, Pedology Samples & Hydrology Contours map, in lime green. I made observations of soil samples from three of the areas above (the other two are not as functionally important to me):

Area	Description
1. Lawn (next to fruit bushes)	Very dark brown to black in colour. Clumps of soil. Grey appearance. Greasey smear mark on glass (forma 5- 10 cm clumps). Much undecomposed material; small twigs, and root- like.
2. Vegetable plot	More friable than above. Less clumped together. Some lumps, circa 1- 2 cm across. Light grease marks on side of glass. Loamy appearance, little undecomposed material. Intermediate in colour between sample 1 and sample 3. Dark brown.
3. Orchard (centre, away from trees)	Lighter brown in colour. Some undecomposed material; rootlets, blades of grass, etc. More clumps than sample 2 about 1-2 cm across. One larger clump c 10cm. No reasemarks on glass. Examination with a x 10 handlens reveals occasional grains of sand, which are absent with sample 1.

 

The results in all cases are indicative of clay loams. All samples have virtually no silt, but varying degrees of sand and mostly clay. Samples 1 and 3 have the largest fraction of clay, and a modicum of sand (10- 20%). Sample 2 (from the vegetable plot) however, has a larger proportion of sand (circa 40%), and also a lower pH (the standout value of 6.5 from the table above). This is not so surprising when we consider the vegetable plot has been used historically, and was used in recent years to grow vegetables following a hiatus for an unknown period of time. I delivered a topping of manure to the plot about a year ago, which may account for the lower pH (plus the sandier condition of the plot). Samples 1 and 3 are more akin to the ‘natural’ state of the soil. I would hazard a guess that the area which floods (sample 1) which is more clay- like than any of the other samples, and accounts for a slight hollow in the lawn, has had a layer of topsoil removed which was transported to the vegetable plot. This would make sense. The bungalow was built in the inter- war period. Self sufficiency and vegetable growing was much more prevalent than today, and the homeowner no doubt needed to extract as much productivity from the thin soils as possible in their vegetable plot, and could afford to sacrifice a bit of lawn, although the seasonal flooding may have come as a surprise. All of this is conjecture, but explains the nature of the soils I have analysed.  

From left to right: soil jar test samples from the lawn, vegetable plots, and orchard respectively. 

The Earth Laughs in Flowers

The Earth laughs in flowers. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Margaret Fuller: The Prose of Life

I fear I have not one good word to say this fair morning, though the sun shines so encouragingly on the distant hills and gentle river and the trees are in their festive hues. I am not festive, though contented. When obliged to give myself to the prose of life, as I am on this occasion of being established in a new home I like to do the thing, wholly and quite, - to weave my web for the day solely from the grey yarn. ~Margaret Fuller~

Meditations of John Muir

“This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried all at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.”  ~John Muir~

John Burroughs: The Healing Power of Nature

I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.
~John Burroughs~

[Image: sunset from the front of the bungalow]

Osho on Nature

Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars... and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful. Everything is simply happy. Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance. Look at the flowers — for no reason. It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are.  ~Osho~

Damp Meadow Species for Borders

Primary damp meadow herbs	Secondary meadow herbs to consider
Common bentgrass Crested dogstail Smaller catstail Hard fescue Trophy chewings fescue Smooth stalked meadowgrass Ladys Bedstraw Ragged Robin Ox-eye Daisy Meadow Buttercup Meadowsweet Ribwort Plantain Self Heal Common Sorrel Yellow Rattle	Agrimony Betony Birdsfoot trefoil Buttercup, meadow Common centuary Cowslip Cranesbill, meadow Cuckoo flower/ Lady’s smock Dyers Greenweed Field Scabious Goatsbeard Great Burnet Knapweed, common Pasque Flower Quaking Grass Rock Rose Salsify Snakeshead fritillary Sneezewort St. John’s Wort Vetch, common Majoram Meadow Vetchling Meadow Saxifrage Musk Mallow Wild Carrot Wild Thyme Yarrow

Low Conifer Trees

The low conifer trees provide some variety in the garden. They break up the long line of sight and permit a perching spot for the chickens in rainy weather.

Margins, Hedges and Fences

Site of removal of large fig tree. 

 Site of previous Leylandii hedge along border of lawn. It has since been planted up with some perennial ornamentals but has become overgrown. I have ear- marked the border for damp meadow herbs in future.

 Further down the border, the plants thicken into bushes and an overgrown ornamental grass specimen. This has been left for conservation cover and to maintain visual variety in the garden.

The border runs up to the vegetable plot and provides a natural screen containing brambles, roses and other bushes. 

Mature Leylandii adjacent to the vegetable plot. As they are getting quite obtrusive and will probably undermine a neighbour's outbuilding, they will ultimately be removed. I intend to plant an indigenous conservation  hedge in its place, incoorporating hawthorn, beech, blackthorn and alder. They could be maintained by laying every 7- 10 years. Food plants such as blackcurrents, brambles, and elder would be encouraged.

Spring daffodils in the margins.

 The very back border of the garden was reinforced with materials I found whilst clearing the compost heap. It has so far remained stock proof, preventing egress of chickens and access by foxes, farm dogs or cats.

This area right at the back of the garden and pressing up against the farm stables is due to be up- planted with architectural herbs such as comfrey, mullein, or ferns. I will probably clear the area of debris and use some excess compost as a substrate into which to plant the herbs. 

Functional Permaculture Chicken

Potential of a Food & Ornamental Patio Area

Garage & Patio Area

Looking down the drive towards the front of the house.

View down the length of garden, including lawned area, patio & chimnea

Breeze block wall with potential for enhancement using climbing trees, fruit bushes, and ornamentals.

View of the rear- facing aspect of the house.

Nettle Stand & Log Pile

It is a basic tenet of conservation that certain areas need to be given over to nature. In the Permaculture design, wild areas supply highways into and out of more intensively managed sectors by encouraging predatory insects and birds, self seeding flowers and other ‘blow ins’ which contribute to species diversity and resilience. At the back of the garden, adjacent to the orchard is a nettle stand which had an accompanying log pile from some previous clearance work. Nettle is particularly good for butterfly conservation. It did cross my mind, however, to bring the area into production for food; it has a generous supply of sunlight, and the fact nettles are growing suggests there is a good mineral composition to the soil. 

The soil, however, is full of small rubble and pebbles, and would be difficult to dig, or grow root crops. The sector is also next to a tall (7 ft) breeze block wall, which abuts on to the adjacent farm. Peeking over the wall reveals a disused stables with concrete floor, about half an acre of overgrown waste land, a rusting tractor, and a number of plastic 50 litre containers that appear to have had agricultural chemicals in at some point. Right next to the wall seems to be a storage/ loading bay which may have been used to load up tractors or booms with chemical sprays. As I cannot rule out the containers are from pesticides, and leaching has not occurred, I am disinclined to launch into cultivation of this portion of the garden, preferring to use it as a buffer against a possible contamination source. The sector is some distance from the house, and watering and intensive maintenance tasks would be problematic, applying some zonal thinking to the situation.

Wherever humans have settled, nettles appear. The oldest human latrines, tips, food stores and waste ground have nettles growing on them. They thrive on the nutrient rich waste of humans, and as a result purify the ground and redeem the soil. For now, letting the nettles do their work is satisfactory. If in future this area is to be cultivated, I would suggest shrubs and fruit bushes to accompany the orchard plants and circumvent any problems with digging soil.

Whitebeam Tree in the Study Area