LGC Permaculture Workshop - 2009

2009-05-29T10:40:00.000-07:00

Here it is, Saturday and Sunday, on a Memorial weekend, and I'm thinking I need to get this blog started on the Permaculture workshop we just had at Lane Community College (LCC), last Thursday, 5/21/'09. It started with a presentation in the Forum building, and moved outside (weather was fantastic!) to the Learning Garden area where the actual plot for the forest garden is located. Our guest instructor was Devon Bonady from Fern Hill Nursery (Thank you, Devon, you did a marvelous job!!). Below is her bio:

"Devon Bonady has been learning, teaching, and practicing Permaculture in the Pacific Northwest for over nine years. She has worked and studied at communities and farms focused on integrating self-sufficiency into daily lifestyle. She offers a variety of plant-based permaculture workshops at Fern Hill Nursery and at Botanical Sanctuary in Cottage Grove, OR., where she grows a diverse array of edible and useful plants. Fern Hill Nursery is a certified organic plant nursery providing edible, medicinal, and native plants for the Pacific Northwest. Devon also does consultation work and teaches Permaculture, gardening, and native plants at Lane Community College, Eugene, OR."

In attendance were our sustainability workgroup: Aileen Hickey, Devon Guyette, Meagan Campbell, Christy Cooley, Ryan Wilson, and myself. Plus, we had other visitors, but I don't have the sign-in sheet in front of me right now.

The objectives of the workshop were basically threefold:
1-Promote local awareness of the forest garden project and the Learning Garden Club (LGC).
2-Provide permaculturally-based design recommendations to the LGC.
3-Facilitate "buy-in" by LCC students to help with work in the forest garden.

As you can see in the photo, the plot for the forest garden is still pretty much wide open. Brendan Lynch, founder of the LGC, shared his observations:
1-Generally, [it is] clay soil with some rocks; some areas have more loam.
2-[The site gets] partial shade from cottonwood trees.
3-[There is] standing water in some areas during winter, or excessively wet spells; drainage strategy needed.
4-[Ground cover] area populated mainly with grasses and some clover.
5-There can be significant wind patterns (gusts) from the North.

Brendan's general plans prior to the workshop are also included here:
"This area [I envision] to be planted with fruit trees, fruiting shrubs, perennial vegetable plants, native plants (some shade-loving), and Native American food plants. One idea is to have the taller fruit trees to the North, fruit shrubs to the east and west, and fill in the shady area under the cottonwoods to the south with shade tolerant species like high bush huckleberry. This area has no irrigation installed and will be hand-watered to begin with, then hopefully managed so as to add little additional water other than annual rainfall [we get about 50"/yr]. Essentially, we create a food forest with plants growing at different heights throughout the area, from below ground to the canopy. [I also see a] fruit orchard along the north side ~ two rows of semi-dwarf trees (apples, pears, plums), spaced approximately 12' apart. Fruiting shrubs (blueberry, raspberry, gooseberry, currants, grape, hardy kiwi, akebia) could each have an area of their own, or be planted along an actual fence between the fruit orchard and the access road. Yellow flags are placed approximately where a fence would go in the future. Fruiting plant [ideas]: strawberry, Jerusalem artichoke, sunflowers, perennial collards, long term annuals like garlic. Native shrubs and plant [ideas]: Oregon grape, high bush huckleberry, regular huckleberry."

Before the tour of the plot, Devon talked about the ethics and principles of Permaculture, and the designing process in general. Some specific tips I noted were:
» Allow yourself time to observe and interpret what you see.
» Allow the vision ("big picture") to take place before planting.
» Draw out the design concept (master plan), and implement in phases.
» In your master plan, draw the "hard" surfaces first.
» Evaluate continually; changes are natural; learn to work with nature.
» Think about individual plant needs.
» Allow for proper spacing between plants (e.g., root systems).
» Minimize competition; maximize cooperation between plants.
» Diversity is the key to the health of an ecosystem.

It was a grand, information-packed, three hours that still holds us in the throes of being in the "observation and interact" mode in planning out this forest garden. There is a lot to consider. I will be uploading excerpts of the workshop to YouTube, so stay tuned in!

As far as the original objectives for the workshop are concerned, I feel good about our group's efforts to promote local awareness of the LGC's forest garden project. We were hoping for a bigger turnout, but sometimes smaller is better. Our smaller size made it conducive to share ideas openly, and not feel intimidated by a large audience.

Specific design ideas (I recall) as a result of the workshop were as follows:
¤ While we're still drawing out the master plan, let's see what we can do about soil amending (i.e., truckloads of leaves from the city, etc.).
¤ We need to allow for a gathering place, perhaps in the center of the forest garden ~ a contemplative place for students and faculty to enjoy?
¤ In addition to Brendan's inputs, how about nut trees and winter growing edibles?

As far as LCC students "buying-in" and signing up to help out, only time will tell. I know Devon and Brendan are on board, but they're not students anymore. Hopefully, interest and commitment will continue to grow.

It is the hope of this blog to elicit more thoughts and ideas as we take the planning process into the implementation phase. We will try to bring you updates regularly.