The Permaculture Gardens at Arcadia

GMU PDC 2015

Client Goals

Land Preservation

Seasonal Food Production Permaculture Education & Community

Involvement

Low Maintenance

Walking TrailsAccessibility

Permanence at Woodlawn

• Ideal site for education of Permaculture through hands-on experience

• History– Owned and visited by George Washington

• Most befitting as the future site of Permaculture education

– Inhabited by the Powhatan Indian Federation and the Algonquin tribe

– Long history of natural and industrial food growth and extraction.• Native Americans were likely to have grown tobacco.

• This site has all of the key forces of nature required for permanent sustainable systems of food forest, edibles, plant ecosystem...

• EXCEPT Water - Too much water! The field is drowning!

• Currently lower field is a seasonal wetland. • Very difficult to grow diverse and high yield

system in such an environment

• Suggest repairing the field fertility by adding a pond/cistern/pump system on the SE corner

Water Imbalance Water drainage is impeding soil fertility and plant growth

Underground French DrainsEstablish a permanent solution using Permaculture principles

• Simple series of drains (French Drains) will improve the soil fertility and therefore the system permanence yield.

• Pond/Cistern catch can repump to the field during the dry season if there is a natural spring

• If a natural spring exists on the property, the spring will be captured and can be pumped back to the field for irrigation. (Natural spring flow can be measured.)

• Upland water catch (off the current cite) can also be included.

• Cistern pump can be powered by solar pump or wind mill pumped.

Improve Soil Fertility

• Simple series of drains (French Drains) will improve the soil fertility and therefore the system permanence yield.

• Pond/Cistern catch can repump to the field during the dry season if there is a natural spring

• If a natural spring exists on the property, the spring will be captured and can be pumped back to the field for irrigation. (Natural spring flow can be measured.)

• Upland water catch (off the current cite) can also be included.

• Cistern pump can be powered by solar pump.

Existing/Observed PlantsWater problem is limiting plant diversity

• American Holly• Aster ragwort• Beech• Black locust• Blackberry Vines• Brier vine• Eastern Pine/Adirondack• Golden Rod• Grape Vines• Grasses• Hickory• Honeysuckle• Joe Pye• Juniper Cedar

• Milkweed• Nightshade• Oak - Other• Pin Oak• Poverty Grass• Privet• Red Cedar• Red Oak• Russian Olive• Snakeroot• Sumac• Sweet Gum• Sycamore• White Oak• Wild onion• Wild Strawberry• Yarrow

Concept Design

Design Elements

● Water Feature

● Windmill and Windbreaks

● Food Forest

● Hugelkultur

● NAP Fruit Orchard

● Vegetable Garden

● Beehives/Chicken/Ducks

● Meadows and Pollinator Areas

● Gathering Areas

● Mushroom Logs

● Berry Maze

Water Feature, Mushroom Logs, Tool Benches, Compost

• Daylilies• Common Marshmallow• Watercress• Cattail• Milkweed• Mayapples• Spicebush• Ostrich Ferns• Blueberry• Elderberry

Food Forest

● Sugar Maple● Paw Paw● Spicebush● Yarrow● Comfrey● Currents● Wild Ginger ● Solomon’s Seal● Snakeroot

Herbaceous● Insectary meadow plants

Edible Hedge● Black raspberry● American Hazelnut● Hedgeapple● Wild grape● Elderberry● Wild Plum

Hugelkultur & Edible Screen Hedge & Vine Guild MazeEvergreen

● Pines (Virginia Pine)● Cedars (Eastern Red Cedar)

Deciduous● Willow Oak● Shellbark hickory● Mulberry

Shrub/Bramble/Vine layer● Raspberry and Blackberry● Grape (Muscadine)● Lingonberry --tolerates shade, likes cool

weather, evergreen● Thimbleberry● Maypop/Passionflower

RICHMOND HIGHWAY

Windmill and Windbreaks

• Pecan• Black Locust• Hazelnut• Comfrey• Woodland Vetch• Yarrow• Groundnut• Elderberry

Biointensive Annual/Perennial Vegetable Production• Tomatoes • Peppers• Beans• Cucumbers• Kale• Arugula • Collards• Thyme• Savory• Rosemary• Sage• Milkweed• Watercress• Artichoke• Cardoon

NAP Fruit Orchard

•Nitrogen Fixing Trees:  Black Locust and/or Alder•Fruiting Trees: Apple/ Pear

(Asian)/ Cherry/ Persimmon•Plants: Anise/ Borage/

Chicory/Chives/White Clover/ Coriander/ Comfrey/ Currents: Gooseberry and Jostaberry/ Lovage/ Daffodils/ lupine/ Rosemary/ Summer Savory/ Sorrel/ Strawberries/Thyme/ Creeping thyme/ Yarrow

Beehives & Compost Sites

Meadows and Pollinator Areas

• Aster• Dandelion• Goldenrod• Ironweed• Joe pye• Milkweed• Strawberry• Wild onion• Baptisia• Bee balm• Boneset• Chamomile• Chicory• Clover• Columbine• Comfrey• Coneflower• Evening primrose• Fennel

• Lupine• Lavender• Max. sunflower• Mints• Native grasses• Queen anne’s • lace• Rosemary• Rudbeckia• Sweet cicely• Thistle• Vetch• Violet• Wild geranium• Yarrow

Gathering Areas

Client Goals

Land Preservation

Seasonal Food Production

Permaculture Education & Community Involvement

Low Maintenance

Walking TrailsAccessibility

THANK YOU

Questions?

Backup Slides

Insectary Meadow: Suggested PlantsMultifunctional plants attract pollinators and have other functions (nitrogen

fixing, edible, medicinal, aesthetically pleasing, etc.)

Existing/Observed

● Aster● Dandelion● Goldenrod● Ironweed● Joe pye● Milkweed● Strawberry● Wild onion● Yarrow

Not Existing/Observed● Baptisia● Bee balm● Boneset● Chamomile● Chicory● Clover● Columbine● Comfrey● Coneflower● Evening primrose● Fennel● Lupine● Maximilian sunflower● Mints● Native grasses● Queen anne’s lace● Rudbeckia● Sweet cicely● Thistle● Vetch● Violet● Wild geranium

Natural Structures

Tool Shed

Gathering Space

Gathering Space

Tree House

Raised Bed

• Characteristically, the site is a seasonal wetland: when snow/rainfall occurs, the water accumulates beneath the wild grass and conglomerates in the top layers of soil, remaining until later in the season when the southern sun’s exposure dries out the soil.

• Wetland soil: Carbon-rich

Perennial plants that flourish in seasonal wetlands

• Daylily– Robust: ability to tolerate drought and frost– Low maintenance– Bloom twice per season for 1-5 weeks

Common Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis)

– Leaves, flowers and roots have medicinal properties that can be made into alleviants for respiratory, gastric and circulatory systems

– Root extracts (halawa extract) is used to make marshmallows and other ethnic delicacies

Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)– Related to Mustard, Radish and Wasabi– Cultivation feasible on large and small scale;

semi-aquatic plant, well-suited to hydroponic cultivation, and thrives in slightly alkaline water

– Large demand for hydroponically grown watercress; keeps leaves wetted

– Highly nutritious (contains significant amounts of iron, calcium, iodine, manganese, folic acid, vitamins A, B6, C, K and several antioxidants.

Cattail (Typha)– Pollination by wind dispersal– Durable: thrive in varying temperatures; contain

well-developed air channels (aerenchyma) which enable them to survive submerged in water

– Invasive species– Multiple utilizations: used in culinary practices,

building material, paper, fiber, agriculture, etc.

Milkweed (Asclepias)– Larval food source for Monarch

butterflies, beetles, moth, tree bugs, etc.– Various uses: hypoallergenic material,

fibers are used to clean up oil spills, cordage (rope making), plant beneficial (repellant to several pests such as wireworms)

– Over 140 species• For Arcadia, Poke milkweed, Swamp

milkweed, Four-leaved milkweed, Sullivant’s milkweed, and Green milkweed are preferred choices because they are native to the Northeast and thrive in a variety of temperatures and prefer moist soil

Paw Paw Guild

Plant Ecological Function Human Use/Crop● Sugar Maple ● Insectary, Nectar, Food,

Shelter, Habitat● Food, Medicine,

Lumber

● Paw Paw ● Insectary, Food ● Food, Insecticide ● Dye, Fiber

● Spicebush ● Insectary, Nectar, Food ● Food

● Yarrow ● Green Manure, Insectary, Cover Crop

● Medical

● Comfrey ● Green Manure, Insectary ● Herbal Tea, Medicinal

● Currents ● Insectary, Nectar, Food ● Food, Medicine

● Wild Ginger ● Insectary, Nectar, Food ● Food, Medicine, Fiber

● Solomon’s Seal ● Insectary, Nectar, Food ● Food, Medicine

● Snakeroot ● Insectary, Nectar ● Medicine

Sugar Maple

PawPaw

Spicebush

Comfrey

Yarrow

Currents

Solomon's Seal

Wild GingerSnakeroot

Client Goals

Primary• Diverse, Season-long Food

Production– Provide food for Arcadia’s

mission– Provide food to upscale

restaurantsEmbody Permaculture PrinciplesServe as Demonstration Site AND Working Production SystemLow (ish) Maintenance Requirements

Secondary• Network of walking trails

– Aesthetically Pleasing– Informative

• Meeting place/spot for bonfires (firewood production?)

• Aesthetics important in key areas – access points, entrances to trails, etc.

Legal & Social Issues

• Major digging & earthworks not feasible due to archaeological considerations

• Long-term maintenance of the site is uncertain – best to design for lower overall maintenance

• Cost a major issue – reduce costs, especially in terms of infrastructure

Align with Arcadia’s mission statement:

Historic ConsiderationsThe site was inhabited by the Virginia Algonquian until the 1800s

Native foods and crops included:

● Beans ● Maize● Tobacco

Plan Goals

• Minimize disturbance• Maintain mowing laws• Establish a low-impact trail system for leisure and

educational purposes• Plant a low, maintenance forest garden to yield

seasonal fruit, wicker, and herbs• Attract pollinators • Buffer road noise• Create

Trees Observed

Herbaceous Plants Observed

NAP

• Nitrogen Fixing Trees: Black Locust and/or Alder• Fruiting Trees: Apple/ Pear (Asian)/ Cherry/

Persimmon• Plants: Anise/ Borage/ Chicory/Chives/White

Clover/ Coriander/ Comfrey/ Currents: Gooseberry and Jostaberry/ Lovage/ Daffodils/ lupine/ Rosemary/ Summer Savory/ Sorrel/ Strawberries/Thyme/ Creeping thyme/ Yarrow

Black LocustPersimmon Tree

ComfreyWhite Clover

GooseberryCreeping Thyme

Trees and Plants Ecological Function Human Use/ CropBlack Locust Produces flower, attracts

bees, fixes nitrogen, pods feed livestock

Long-lasting fence posts

Alder Nitrogen Fixer Wood

Apple Insectary/ wildlife food Food / Fiber/ Wood

Pear (Asian) Insectary/ wildlife food Food / Fiber/ Wood

Cherry Insectary/ wildlife food Food / Fiber/ Wood/ dye

Persimmon Insectary/ wildlife food Food / Fiber/ Wood

Borage Aromatic Pest Repellent, Insecticide

N/A

Chicory Insectary/ accumulator/ mulch

Biomass/ compost/ Dye/ Food / Medicine

Chives A pest confuser, insectary

Food

White Clover Nitrogen Fixer Medicine, Food, Cover Crop

Comfrey Chemical Barrier/animal food/ Insectary/

Biomass/ compost / Food/ Medicine

Trees and Plants Ecological Function Human Use/ Crop

Lovage Edible - food

Daffodils Insecticide Cut flower/ Dye

Lupine Animal forage/ nitrogen Fixer

Fiber/ Food/ Soap

Rosemary Pest confuser Food

Summer Savory Food - herbs

Sorrel Insectary, Nectar, Food

Food

Strawberries Insectary, Nectar, Food

Food and Medicine

Thyme Erosion control and biomass

Medicine and spice

Creeping thyme Ground Cover N/A

Yarrow Aromatic Pest confuser/ nurse/Insectary

Cut and dried flower/Dye essential oils/ food / medicine

Currents: Gooseberry and Jostaberry

Insectary, Nectary, Nitrogen Fixer

Medicine, Food

Edible HedgeBlack RaspberryNative, deciduous shrub, reaches heights of 36 to 60 inches tall with a 24 to 36 inch spread, requires sandy loam soil, lots of sunlight, provides food for insects, birds, people, harvest mid to late summer.

American Hazelnut (filbert)Native, deciduous shrubs that grow quickly to between 15 and 20 feet tall, partial sun, food for wildlife and people.

HedgeappleNative, deciduous, can adapt to various soil types, medium to large tree depending on how often pruned (26 - 49 ft) can use pruned limbs for kindling and hugelkultur food for wildlife, and seeds may be consumed by people. Great for education and fun “monkey brains.”

American plumNative, deciduous shrub, reaches up to 15 feet, requires partial to full sun, adapts to various soil, provides food and shelter for wildlife and people, harvest mid to late summer.

ElderberryNative, deciduous shrub, growing 5-12 ft, likes sun and moist soil, provides shelter and food for wildlife, provides food and medicinal purposes for people, harvest in early Fall.

Wild Grape Native, perennial, high climbing, sprawling vine, likes moist soil with partial to full sun, provides shelter and food for wildlife and people, harvest August through October.

Sound Barrier/Visual Block/Hugelkultur hedgeEvergreen

● Pines (Virginia Pine)--yearlong blockage, edible/medicinal, wildlife habitat and food● Cedars (Eastern Red Cedar)--Yearlong blockage, wildlife habitat

Deciduous● Willow Oak--grows fast, likes floodplain environment, edible● Shellbark hickory--slow growing, likes moist soils, edible nuts● Mulberry--Grows fast at first, edible fruit

Shrub/Bramble/Vine layer● Raspberry and Blackberry● Grape (Muscadine)● Lingonberry --tolerates shade, likes cool weather, evergreen● Thimbleberry● Maypop/Passionflower

Herbaceous● Insectary meadow plants