Our Permaculture System

Here is a cross-section of our permaculture system. Our canopy species will be the old growth "champion*" sequoia trees which David Milarch and Archangel have pledged to donate. The understory will be comprised of apple, pear, and mulberry trees. Beneath the understory, the shrub layer will be made up of blackberry and gooseberry. Alfalfa and comfrey are planted beneath, comprising the herbaceous layer. Next, our groundcover layer will contain clover for nitrogen fixation as well as strawberries. Finally, the root layer will be solely ramps (basically wild leeks).

The different layers of this system will benefit one another in a variety of ways. For example, the clover and comfrey will be effective nitrogen fixators while the canopy and understory will provide soil structure support as well as protection from the elements for lower layers (Hemenway, 2000). The diversity of plants in the area will help deter insect herbivory through the many different volatile organic compounds produce by each plant as well as just spacing plants farther apart so the herbivores are not as effective as they would be in a monoculture system (Tang et al., 2013).

Here is a video that shows how the swale (the dip and rise in topography to the right and below the first tree) fills with water as it rains. The larger cross-section shows that our system will just repeat down the slope of wherever it is placed, and each swale will catch the water runoff from the area above it. For more on swales, click here.

*A "champion" tree is a designation given by Archangel to a tree with "the highest combined score of three measurements: height, crown size, and diameter at breast height" (Robbins, 2012).

Sources:

1. Tang, G. B., Song, B. Z., Zhao, L. L., Sang, X. S., Wan, H. H., Zang, J., Yao, Y., C. 2013. “Repellent and attractive effects of herbs on insects in pear orchards intercropped with aromatic plants” Agroforest Ecosystems. 87(2), 273-285.

2. Hemenway, Toby. Gaia's Garden. 1st. White River Junction: Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2000. 4-172. Print.

3. Robbins, Jim. The Man who Planted Trees. New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2012. Print.