3
The
The
“Wonderland”
Garden
"Golden Beetroot Mangel"
Educational area developed with the idea of creating a very diverse and multifunctional garden that would be an example of what can be done on a small scale.
"Golden Beetroot Mangel"
Educational area developed with the idea of creating a very diverse and multifunctional garden that would be an example of what can be done on a small scale.
This garden would provide food for the Vale da lama permaculture institute, a shop and café, with all the herbs and teas in combination with the function of being a seed sanctuary of perennial and annual plants.
"Wonderland poem"
This project was born after I left the “Toca do Rebento” project and went to live to Lagos in the southwest of Portugal with the idea to implement a national permaculture institute that would represent Portugal.
I presented this idea to Lesley Martin and Walter Ludwick looking for a possible support for implementation.
After the aproval from the economic part and the educational part we have dived into the process of developing a permaculture school.
I presented this idea to Lesley Martin and Walter Ludwick looking for a possible support for implementation.
After the aproval from the economic part and the educational part we have dived into the process of developing a permaculture school.
Our goals for the farm were that we would be sustainable in the aspects of food, energy and water, and that I would be developing the educational programs and the demonstrative gardens for intensive food production.
The farm was very big and with an amazing potential, 42 hectares in an estuary region facing the Atlantic ocean with a relaxed mediterranean to sub tropical climate
The potential for growing subtropical plants in Portugal was one of the targets by thoes times so this context was perfect to start my research about the possibilities.
The “Wonderland” was a demonstrative garden about the possibilities of design and implementation of a zone 1 area, with the goal to be as much productive as educational.
It would also act as an sanctuary for wild life and seed preservation, designed specialy to preform the function of improving plants genetics so that then they could be tried in a more demanding area of the farm.
Observation
Intuitive
Observation
-Abandoned
growing area
-Next
to support house
-Very
exposed to wind
-Some
wild vines
-Next
to greenhouse
-Close
to main path
-Some
small fig trees
-No
ground coves
-Soil
compacted.
-Water
tank close
-Far
from main house
-Some
trelices installed
-Some
abandoned raised beds
Deductive
Observation
-Potential
for big production
-Possibility
for multiple irrigation methods
-Possible
area for chicken tractors
-Possibility
to produce the vegetables for a big group of people
-For
full production high maintenance required
-Big
need for organic matter production
-Large
amount of mulch needed
-Easy
cardboard access in the city
-Some
difficult weeds
-600
square meters area
-Raised
beds need recovery
-Possibility
for ponds and vertical growth
D.A.F.O.R.
Priority
of Ideas
Dominant
Needs
strong improvement on soil
Potential
for amazing educational area
Abundant
Possibility
of vertical stacking
Good
for planting many different plants
Possible
introduction of animals
Frequent
Important
to have more workers
Possible
genetic bank of plants from all the farm
Occasional
Limitations
on materials and tools
Potential
for getting great practical experience
Rare
Possibility
of heavy wind and hot summers
Irrigation
and weeding maintenance
Boundaries
Holistic
objectives
Vision
The
Vision for the “Wonderland” garden is to create a educational
area of permaculture methodologies used in Zone 1, for the students
of the Permaculture Institute.
Mission
The
mission for this garden is to be a genetic seed bank of useful annual
and perennial plants , producing food with some of the strategies
developed by the permaculture science.
Values
This
project has as main values, education, integration, patience,
sustainability, hope, creativity and healing.
Quality
of life
By
developing this project i hope to have a
deeper understanding of Nature and its
seasonal flows, and to create a good deposit of
plants in a very calm environment.
deeper understanding of Nature and its
seasonal flows, and to create a good deposit of
plants in a very calm environment.
Future
resource base
For
the Future of this project the idea is that other permaculturists and
volunteers can keep on learning and developing its structures and
thecnics.
Visible
Boundaries
600
square meter garden
Big
green house
650
mm rainfall
Dry
summer
Water
from well and canal
No
shade
Relatively
close neighbors
Limited
working materials
Working
volunteers
Invisible
Boundaries
-Difficulty
on cleaning irrigation system
-Ideas
for some areas
-Presence
of client
-Limited
knowledge
-Budget
-Time
for maintenance and development
The
scale of permanence
1-Climate
Very
stable weather
Most
of rain in the winter time
Not
extreme summer
Maximum
rain in one day around 40mm
Temperatures
between -5 and 38ºC
Possible
frost for 2 weeks in February
Orographic
effect due to close presence of mountains
Very
big Wind exposure
2-Landscape
-Totally
flat garden
-Compacted
and eroded landscape
-Rich
ecossystem
-Estuary
3-Water
-Water
from irrigation canal and well
-Dripping
irrigation
-Some
sprinklers
-Intensive
mulching
-Possibilities
for ponds
4-Access
-From
all sides of garden
-Car
access close
5-Habitats
-Not
much biodiversity
-Introduction
of flowers attract many insects
-Some
stone walls for reptiles
-Some
blind mowls detected
-Possibility
of small domestic animals
6-Micro
climates
-Easy
implementation of micro climates
-Walls
preserve heat
-Stable
temperature
-No
shade to create cooler areas
-Walls
facing west
-Wine
trelices
7-Buildings
-House
in the east side
-Green
house in the direction north south
-30
000 liters water tank
8-Zones
-Urban
environmental context
-Easy
social interconnections, local, national and international
-Temporary
rented house
-Compacted
soil
-Very
low in organic matter
-Deeo
clay soil
-Ph
7.8
-No
mulch
-Abandoned
raised beds
10-Aesthetics
-Very
coasi
-Perfect
for as an example of a zone 1
-Characteristics
of intensive system
-Potential
for art
Subtile
boundaries
-High
vine trelice
-Water
acumulation points
-Flooding
greenhouse
Desire
lines
-Desired
lines already implemented
-Need
to built garden beds access
Bounderies
Dominant
Bad soil
Abundant
Dripping
irrigation
Frequent
Working
force
Ocasional
Presence
on site
Rare
Financial
limitations
Visible
Resources
-Virtually
unlimited water
-Unlimited
cardboard
-Abundant
kitchen scraps
-Some
gardening tools
-300
square meters gardening space
-Vertical
growing space
-Irregular
volunteers
-Local
plants nurseries
Invisible
resources
-Limited
knowledge
-Abundance
of ideas
-1 person 40 hours per week to maintain garden and greenhouse
"Green house developments"
P.A.S.T.E.
Plants
|
Animals
|
Structures
|
Tools
|
Events
|
Annuals
Lettuce
Spinach
garlic
onions
potatoes
Tomatoes
Sunflower
Pumpkins
Courgette
Kholraby
Melons
Cucumbers
Perennials
Cabbage
Swiss chard
Petunia
Primula
Fleur du lis
Strawberry
Wild strawberry
Taro
“Banana”
Sugar canne
LEGUME
Beans
Peas
Fava
Luzern
Clover
TEA/MEDICINAL
Mint
Pennyroyal
Basilicum
Aloe
Citronela
Thyme
Calendula
Viola
Mint
Red mint
Shrubs
Sweet lime
Fisalys
Fushia
Abutilon
Trees
Fig trees
Vines
Passion fruit
Wine
Chuchu
|
Mammals
Rabbits
Cats
Dogs
Mowls
Worms
Birds
Black bird
Sparrow
House Martin
Chickens
Pigeons
Insects
Bumbblebee
Carpenter bee
Honey bees
Dragonflies
Sirfids
Reptiles
Rat snake
Water snake
Amphibians
Frogs
Fish
Koy fish
Cherry shrimp
|
Houses
Storing house
Buildings
Green house
Sheds
Germination area
Paths
Paths around all raised beds
|
Machines
Streamer
Shreder
Tools
Gardening tools
|
Natural
Heavy rains in April
Hot summer
Strong winds
Courses
Introduction to permaculture courses
Several permaculture design courses
Permaculture internships
Visits
Schools visits for environmental education
|
Evaluation
Imput and output analysis
Inputs
Needs
Needs
D.A.F.O.R.
Dominant
-Volunteers
-Watering
-Wind breaks
Abundant
-Introduction of plants
-Germination area
Frequent
-Compost
-Worm composting area
Occasional
-Chickens
-Ferilization
-Visits
Rare
Limiting
factors
What
is limiting your yield?
-The
factor that limits mostly the yield is the not constant flow of
volunteers.
Were
can i open more niches?
-Many
places to develop microclimates
What
improvements can be done?
-A
good organization of time and tasks
How
to extend limits and comfort zones?
-Trying
to plant new species of plants and at different times of the year
Energy
leaks
Where
are you bleeding?
Watering
system
Poor
soil quality
Not
having a constant work force
S.W.O.C.
Strenghts
|
Weaknesses
|
Opportunities
|
Constraints
|
Central
area
Easy
resources
|
Time
Permanent
maintenance
|
Education
Networking
Experience
|
Other
activities
Climate
|
Systems
dynamics
Key
functions
Learning
Food
production
Composting
Planting
Watering
Making
fertilizer
Worm
composting
Systems
to support the key functions
Plant
harvesting
Different
watering systems
Worm
compost bathtubes
Practicing
Recycling
Researching
Elements
to support the systems
Myself
Volunteers
Students
Compost
bins
Water
barrels
Greenhouse
Nursery
Whyte
House
Relations
+ + between systems
kitchen
+ + compost
compost
+ + garden beds
garden
+ + kitchen
Web
of life
Snails
as food for chickens
Chickens
weed and fertilize garden
Garden
produces food for chickens and people
Pond
attracts insects
Insects
control pests
frogs
eats mosquitoes larvae
Flowers
attract insects
Insects
pollinate flowers
Flowers
produce fruits
Fruits
get eaten or composted
Compost
fertilizes soil
Soil
produces flowers
Master
plan
Moment
1
-Improve
growing beds
Moment
2
-Increase
quality of the soil
Moment
3
-Design
new beds
Moment
4
-Open
to visits
Moment
5
-Courses
and education
Zoning
“Wonderland”
was a zone 1 garden
-Most
of the garden for vegetable production
-Vegetables
and medicinal herbs around garden
-Mixed
garden with perennials and annuals
-Worm
and hummus production
-Composting
area
-Chickens
-Pond
-Wild
life corridors
Sector
analysis
P.M.I.
Plus
|
Minus
|
Interesting
|
Micro
climates
Vertical
stacking
Resources
in close city
Fast
development
National
exposure
Create
the opportunity for permaculturists to learn
Experience
on design and implementation
Long
growing season
Potential
for subtropical plants
|
Maintenance
Not
much time for observation
Combining
with educational activities
Quality
of soil
Watering
system
|
Abundance
of resources
Experience
in semi arid landscape
Being
in permaculture school
Easy
promotion
Frequent
visits
Use
of permaculture principles
Interesting
for regeneration
|
Filtering
Tools
Permaculture
Ethics
Care
for earth
Reduce
Reduction
on water uses
Reuse
Old
bath tubes converted in worm farm
Recycle
Cardboard
from city for compost and mulch
Repair
Old
dripping irrigation system
Care
for people
Social
landscapes
Landscape used for many visits, courses, and education for
volunteers.
Fair
share
Seeds
exchange
Open visits to the garden
Fruits and herbs for visitors
Information Knowledge
Permaculture
Principles
The
most frequent principles applied were:
The
problem is the solution
Integrate rather than segregate
Start small
Use local resources
Each element must perform several functions
Financial
analysis
Important
to have a good investment in plants and compost
Quality
of life
-The
quality of life we have tried to achieve, despite the
limiting boundaries, was to have a constant vegetable
production and courses to share the research with students.
limiting boundaries, was to have a constant vegetable
production and courses to share the research with students.
Implementation
D.A.F.O.R.
Dominant
Improve
garden beds
Get
compost
Improve
watering system
Abundant
Observation
Start
germination
Vegetable
harvesting
Frequent
Built
trelices
Plant
flowers for insects
Apply
mulch
Occasional
Fruits
harvesting
Introduce
chickens
Rare
Weeding
Stacking
Time
Life
story
2011
Improving
soil
Creation
of composting area
Fertilization
program
Germination
area
National
TV reportage
2012
More
stable flow of volunteers
Worm
composting at full power
initial
stages of aquaponics system
Seasonal
Spring
Intensive
germination
Introduce
leguminous plants
Propagate
worms in garden
Intensive
mulching
Summer
Planting
of pumpkins and melons
Special
attention to watering
Make
preserved foods
Autum
Heavy
mulching
Seed
harvesting and organizing
Winter
Heavy
composting
Improving
growing beds
Improve
drainage
Space
-The
project was design to use as much as possible the vertical space
without compromising the sun sector.
Maintenance
S.W.O.C.
Strenghts
|
Weaknesses
|
Opportunities
|
Constraints
|
Education
Soil
improvement
Diversity
of plants
|
Irrigation
Permanent
maintenance
|
New
crops
Experiments
Experience
|
Weather
Time
|
P.A.S.T.E.
Plants
|
Animals
|
Structures
|
Tools
|
Events
|
Water
2 times a week in summer
Doesnt
need water for all winter time
Constant
germinations and sprouts
Reproduction
by cuttings
Seed
saving
Protection
from animals
Harvesting
|
Feeding
Collecting
manure
Collect
eggs
Improve
shelter
Reproduction
Release
in garden
Protect
fruits from birds
Attract
insects
Worm
composting maintenance
|
Organize
storage room
Chicken
coop
Build
chicken tractor
Organize
seed bank area
|
Organize
garden tools
Measure
ph
Measure
humidity and temperature
Maintain
aquaponics system
|
Harvesting
fruits
Composting
Mulching
Prepare
for winter rains
Make
fertilizer from willow and nettles
Organize
courses
|
Collecting
data
Most
of the data collecting was done by videos and pictures since the
beginning of the project.
Celebration
D.A.F.O.R.
Dominant
Courses
Visits
Abundant
Painting
Relaxation
Frequent
Observation
Building
Trellises
Occasional
Art
Music
playing
Meditation
Rare
Buillding
ponds
S.W.O.C.
Strenghts
|
Weaknesses
|
Opportunities
|
Constraints
|
Central
area of farm
Frequent
students
Creates
a lot of inspiration
|
Time
Maintenance
of demonstration areas
Logistics
|
Education
Experience
Sensitive
plants
Experiments
|
Combining
with teaching courses
Space
for big groups
Knowledge
about local growing season
|
Evaluation
P.A.S.T.E.
Plants
|
Animals
|
Structures
|
Tools
|
Events
|
Crucial
importance in choosing the best place
Shaded
area for shade plants
Many
plants collected around the city
Trees
develop in amazing way
|
Chickens
eat more than expected
Chickens
are very easy to breed
Incredible
impact in wildlife
Mowls sometimes attack the garden |
Constant
possibility for improvements
Limitations
acording to resources available
Many
improvisations
Required
|
Tools
dont last very long
Important
to reduce the need of tools as much as possible
Better
to invest in quality
|
Extreme
importance on doing things at the wright time
Events
must be very well planned
before
Use
energy flows as much as possible
|
Limiting
factors
What
is limiting your yield?
-The
factor that limits mostly the yield is the need for constant working
force for implementation and maintenance
Were
can i open new niches?
-
Applying new gardening permaculture technics
What
improvements can be done?
-Make
the system in a way that it can be maintained by a small number of
people
How
to extend limits and comfort zones?
-Moving
to international projects and try new things
S.W.O.C.
Strenghts
|
Weaknesses
|
Opportunities
|
Constraints
|
Knowledge
Experience
Attitude
Networking
|
Finding
proper niche
Timming
Angsiety
Patience
|
Personal
and professional growth
Quality
of life
Learning
|
Language
Time
Confidence
Luck
|
Web of Life
A
nice story about the influence of this project to the biodiversity of
the area is related to the introduction of Asclepia, a plant brought from the Forest garden project, that
attracts the Monarch butterfly to the "Wonderland Garden.
Some other interesting animals that made their home in this garden are the Lacerta lepida and the Hyla arborea.
Sardão
Lacerta lepida
Rã arboricola
Hyla arborea
Some other interesting animals that made their home in this garden are the Lacerta lepida and the Hyla arborea.
Sardão
Lacerta lepida
Hyla arborea
Future
Developments
In
my opinion the next steps will be mainly
focused on filling up the
empty spaces on the
raised beds with more plants and also keep a
good
cover with straw to prevent evaporation
and also to reduce the
irrigation needed
What would i do different?
What would i do different?
Final
observations
By
developing this project my conclusions are
that its very important to
give small steps and
look for the best option.
Its
very important to have a permanent person
responsible for this area
with the help of one or
two volunteers to keep a good flow of
implementation.
This
area has been developed by a big number
of volunteers and aprentices
that have been
working with me side by side trying to learn
and
develop their own style on sustainable
gardening.
This
project is dedicated to all the people that
have invested their
personal energy on the
implementation of this “Wonderland”
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Thank you to all the support