Permaculture Takes Root in Kew Gardens
It seems so long ago that we undertook our initial site assessment of the Hatem family property back in January. As recent graduates of a Permaculture Design Certificate Course held in Hancock, NY last fall, our group was eager to find a way to put our newly acquired design skills to work. We were fortunate in that, at about the same time, Lori Hatem, whom I had met at an Armenian line dance party and to whom I had casually broached the subject, had readily agreed to move forward with a proposed perma-blitz at her home in Kew Gardens.
A perma-blitz is a lightening speed Permaculture makeover of a piece of property that usually takes place within the span of a single 8-10 hour work day, hence the term, “blitz.” After the first interview with Lori and assessment of the site, several brain-storming sessions were to follow, including a consultation with our group’s teacher, AJ, from the Hancock course. In our consultation with AJ we decided to “stack functions” by combining our get-together with a farewell dinner for him (prepared by yours truly) as he was soon to embark on a trip to Jordan to collaborate on an important permaculture project there. We were determined to get as much information from AJ as we possibly could before he was to travel out of reach to far-flung places. This process culminated in a presentation of our group’s final design proposal for consideration and approval by Lori and her family.
After countless email communications among the members of our team and various outreach efforts to recruit volunteers, the day of the perma-blitz drew closer. Though, as rain was forecast for the actual day of the blitz, we were all a bit nervous and unsure that the blitz would actually happen. Despite the threat of rain, we forged ahead with our plans and, as luck would have it, the weather held off until the end of the day and we were finally able to implement our design plan. We dug swales, seeded the ecolawn and installed a rain barrel to catch water from the roof. Brendan supervised the installation of the rain barrel and planting of the cherry and apricot trees and the blueberry bushes in the front yard. Everyone really appreciated the way our gracious hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Hatem kept our crew sated with delicious Armenian fare throughout the day. Wielding her tiny camera, Dana Cohen kept herself busy capturing the goings on in the front and back yards on video for us and lending a hand where needed.
Overall, our very first permaculture blitz process was an enjoyable and worthwhile experience for the team and for all those who participated in the design and final blitz event. It was gratifying for our original team to see this project through from beginning to fruition. And speaking of fruit, we anticipate our trees and plantings to one day bear delicious cherries, apricots and other edibles in the Hatem family garden. It is also encouraging for us to hear Lori’s recent report that, during the night of the blitz, rain had fallen and the rain barrel catchment had already begun collecting its precious stores. What’s more, the swales seem to be doing their intended job of capturing and holding water in the soil, as there was none of the usual flow of mud and seeds down the family driveway after the rains. Prior to the creation of the swales, this messy run-off had been something the Hatem family had come to expect after a rainfall, especially if the lawn had been freshly seeded. What better evidence of permaculture principles in action; design schemes that really work to help restore nature’s balance by offering sensible, low-impact solutions to everyday problems that might otherwise be addressed using methods that are inefficient, toxic or wasteful!
Gusti and the TSFNL Design Team would like to extend a big thank you to all who braved the weather and came out to our perma-blitz on Saturday, May 19th, and helped us make the day a great success! Special thanks to Lori Hatem and her family for hosting the blitz and to Brendan Baer for his expertise and guidance. Also, many thanks to Dana Cohen for videotaping the event. Watch for Dana’s upcoming episode of our Kew Gardens Perma-Blitz on her show, “Ecology Now,” on www.Tribeca.net
This is an informative and
This is an informative and important site.I like it very much. Thanks for sharing.
- Visit my puppies for sale website
Permaculture a growth process
The following posts are taken from a series of emails received from our recent perma-blitz client:
Gusti:
Good bye Mulberry tree
Last Wednesday night, 6/26, we experienced serious rain and flooding in the
neighborhood, as did much of the city. The 30+ year old mulberry tree which
had grown along the property line at the back of the house was whipped by
wind and rain and caused a blow out to the power. I think I had mentioned
that the neighbors all hated that tree because it dropped fruit, and that
professional tree cutters had made attempts to trim it but were afraid to
because of the power lines. Now Con Ed insists on cutting it saying it poses
a hazard.
This gives rise to a question and concern:
1. Any recommendations for a replacement tree? One which might fit
comfortably in that corner and not pose problems in the future.
2. did we do wrong to put the cherry and apricot where we did? Will they
interfere with lines in the future?
Swale & berm
The swale and berm are constantly difficult to mow. The swale gets scalped
and the berm doesn't get cut. I'm not sure how to fix this save making the
contour softer. Any ideas?
Fig tree
Keep your fingers crossed, it looks like its taking hold.
Water barrels are so awesome. I love them and plan on putting in more. We've
had a really wet year this year, but I think it is so ideal to re-use the
rain water.
LSH
Lori:
Thanks for the update. I am sorry to hear about your Mulberry tree. I don't have a specific suggestion to replace it but would recommend another fruiting tree, possibly a Paw Paw if that area gets plenty of sun. Perhaps someone else on this list can be more specific. Did you experience any flooding on your property? If not, the swales are doing their jobs successfully. I would not recommend trying to make the berm softer on the larger swale as you may compromise it's water capturing function but if you must modify it, please consult pages 84 & 85 in Toby Hemenway's book, "Gaia's Garden, A Guide to Home-scale Permaculture," where he shows you the best way to create a "gentle" swale.
Glad to hear about your rain barrels and that you'll be installing more. Best of luck with the swale and do keep us posted.
Cheers,
Gusti & the Design Team
Hi Lori,
Thanks for the update, it's great to hear the progress.
As far as another tree goes in the corner that depends on what you are looking for. Fruiting, non fruiting, deciduous, evergreen, flowering etc...if you could be more specific on what you want to get out of a tree, I could give you some suggestions.
In regards to the height question for that corner as well as to the cherry and apricot, that is where taking a hand in your garden is imperative. One of the current ideas in backyard fruit culture is keeping your trees a manageable height (not much higher than one might reach standing on a stool.) This requires multiple pruning sessions throughout the year to make sure that the trees don't get out of hand. Trees will grow regardless, and most will grow tall unless we keep them in check. As you have fruiting trees it is important that you understand how to prune each tree in order to maximize fruiting.
The swale and berm sound like a bit of a problem for you. Unfortunately, swales were NOT designed to grow grass, at least not any type of grass that needs to be mowed. I would like to make a few suggestions to remedy the current situation:
1. Don't mow the lawn. As seen in the following link, that is one of the benefits of ecolawn. It DOESN'T have to be mowed. http://www.naturallymaintained.com/ecolawn.html
2. Remove the swale. If a flat yard is what you are looking for then cover over the swale, flatten the berm and continue with the flooding that plagued you before.
3. Create a barrier or break in the lawn. Use the berm to plant flowers or edibles, and don't try to cover over the swale which is suppose to be left fallow to allow accumulation of leaves, and runoff sediment from the sloping areas.
I have total faith in the Fig! You may want to consider placing the fig where the mulberry was. You shouldn't have to worry much about its height as figs are really too cold sensitive for the East Coast to get out of hand. Freezes tend to keep them more as a "bush" as opposed to a tree.
Summer cheers,
Brendan
finding the right tree for your spot
hope this new password works, now is the time to start "thinking" about changes to your front lawn, or back lawn. Francine Zaslow Walker
Cornell Cooperative Extention has offices throughout the tristate area. Your local extention office has volunteers who can help select the right tree for your location. Sun, zone, wind access to watering are all factors to consider. Fran Walker
Perma Blitz Update 2
Dear all:
To answer the timeless question: "how does your garden grow?"
Last night I took down all the "laser" lines and mowed the lawn. The enviro lawn is a very thin bladed grass, which kind of flops down like a shag carpet, and doesn't actually get cut by the lawn mower. Seems promising.
Right now it looks a little thin and spare. Ara said it looks the hair of a balding man. If it actually gets a little denser, and holds up to Lucky (the dog), this stuff is a godsend. I would welcome not having to mow.
The swale continues to subside. I have put down another 240 lbs of topsoil to try to make the grade workable. The berm is holding up fine, but with the swale sinking, it is difficult to mow, and a real trip hazard.
The rain barrel is amazing. Dad and I changed the spigot to a hose on Saturday. With the rains that we got from the tropical storm "Barry" aftermath, I think it is at full capacity. If Friday's weather is as hot as anticipated, I might use it to water the front garden.
I have been mulching the perimeter plantings. I will mulch the trees and shrubs soon.
We have found homes for the almond and maple tree, my aunt will be putting them in her yard in Forest Hills.
Tiny asparagus sprouts have come up (they are too cute for words). Blueberries are doing well. Squirrels are having a field day in the mulberry tree.
Putting the milk crates over the trees, and over the raspberries was super smart. They haven't been bothered by anything.
Azaleas have withered, roses are now in full force.
Thanks again.
LSH
Thank you for a great Blitz day!
The following is from an email received from our Blitz host, Lori H.
Gusti:
Thank you and the team for a wonderful Blitz. I am pleased to report that the weather continues to cooperate. Shortly after you left, we got a sprinkle which helped to set the grass seed. We got another shower between 4 and 6 last night. The rain barrel works and is collecting. The laser lines of yarn, and the strips of plastic bags seem to be effective thus far in keeping the birds at bay.
Oh yes, and the swales and berms seem to be helping too. Usually, with rains like this so soon after the planting, I would have had a lot of run off and mud and seed all the way down the drive. But none as yet.
Mother and I bought 5 more dianthus and I put them into the holes you dug in front of the azaleas. I've put down landscape cloth and wood chips around the three blueberries and around the dianthus too.
Raspberries, asparagus, garlic, spinach, swiss chard, oregano, basil and parsley will be put in shortly, as will marigolds.
Looking forward to many tasty harvests.
LSH
Recent comments
38 weeks 1 day ago
45 weeks 17 hours ago
45 weeks 1 day ago
1 year 37 weeks ago
3 years 6 weeks ago
3 years 7 weeks ago
3 years 9 weeks ago
3 years 11 weeks ago
3 years 11 weeks ago
3 years 11 weeks ago