Working on the Site Analysis for our property was very enlightening. We had never thought about all the different elements, but it does make a lot of sense. Most of the Permaculture concepts we’re learning in this class make so much sense, it makes you wonder how we’ve wandered so far away from these common sense principles.
Understanding Zones was very helpful for me. With over four acres of lawn and creek area, it’s obvious that we will have to prioritize our efforts to improve the land. Focusing on the areas where we spend most of our time makes sense. Now I don’t feel so bad about intentionally leaving a good portion of our property “wild”.
With all the beautiful land around us, our front yard looks barren – with only five trees in front of the house. One of the first things we noticed about the property when we moved in in February was the strong, cold wind coming in from the west. Even before the class on Sectors, we figured out that a windbreak would be needed on the west side of the house. When doing the Wind Sector Analysis, I noticed that during the Summer, the wind comes mostly from the south – southwest, rather than from the west. This information will be helpful as we determine the placement of our trees. We sure don’t want to block any summer breezes.
With winds coming in from the west or southwest, and our trees on the berm and behind the berm, the Fire Sector includes the berm and behind the berm, so our house is not in any danger. That’s where wildlife hang out as well. It’s nice to see that the deer are coming back around. Last week was the first time Richard had seen any evidence of deer back by the creek – since the flood in May. Things are finally coming back to life back there!
One of issues for our windbreak is the driveway. There is only about 15 ft between our property line and our driveway. Any windbreak will need to be planted close to the asphalt, so we need to avoid species like Maple because of their surface roots. We were leaning toward Leyland Cypress trees, but after the discussion in class today, I’m going to start doing some research on Eastern Red Cedar. I am amazed at the diversity of talent and experience in our class and the discussions that have come up. There is so much to learn!
Permaculture_TN 