Permaculture Archives | Julie A. Wallace

As I wrote back in June, I’m not a natural born gardener. I learned about gardening in my 30s and then got a 72-hour permaculture certificate through the Women’s Permaculture Guild in my 50s. Having just migrated into my 60s, this summer was the time to really start in earnest on applying permaculture to the small yard.

And the first step in any ‘renovation’ if you will is always demolition, so that’s what happened. The demolition was for the majority of the back yard: there were so many weeds, volunteer trees, and other stuff that it really had to be pulled back to the basics. And that happened. What was a virtual Midwestern jungle in this small town lot is now pretty empty.

Implementation Phase I

I’m not big on hard timelines and clearly defined goals and dates. Instead I developed “phases” that allow for fluidity and flexibility which ultimately makes the process of transforming the yard a whole lot more fun.

In Phase 1 of this transformation, the focus is all about the back yard. I figure I’ll concentrate here and then eventually get around to working on the more public front yard. That way I can make a complete mess in the backyard so that the front will look prettier and I’ll know more what I’m doing. Fingers crossed.

Phase 1 really started last year with a soil test (mineral/sandy loam with pH of 7.3 and lacking in potassium and needs nitrogen,) relocating the compost bin, and installing the patio with permeable concrete. This summer there were two focuses: 1) cleaning up all the plants that don’t need to be here and 2) redirecting water.

One of the existing downspouts in the backyard shuttled water off to the neighbor’s property. The other shot the water straight into the backyard where it did nothing but sink and then dry up. For this design, the downspout that sent water into the neighbor’s property was moved so that it points straight down and the water flows into a rain barrel. The other downspout got similar treatment.

Rain Barrels and Tile

What are rain barrels? As the name implies, rain barrels collect rain. There’s a water spicket near the bottom, so you can use the stored water in drier times. I will probably add soaker hoses or something similar to run through the future beds, too.

When the rain barrel is nearly full, the excess water is channeled into tile that runs into the back yard.

Rain barrel awaiting that black tube to be attached. The tube leads to the tile which is underground. And can you see how the rain from downspouts is directed into the barrel?

So when it rains, water coming from the sky and falling onto my roof now moves through the rain gutters, into the rain barrels, and then into the property. That tile is laid out in four distinct “arms” reaching into an existing bed and the almost to the very back of the yard.

With the tile in place, I now know about where my pathways will be located. I can start double digging beds and transplanting. And I can order fruit trees: mulberry and pears are on my wish list for this fall. (I already have peach, apple, crabapple, and plum.)

Ordering fruit trees makes me want to order or go find a whole lot of other plants, too, but I’ve got to curtail myself. It’s super easy to buy all the plants and then realize that this beautiful, capable, yet aging body say, “Err, nope” to more digging in the dirt. Slow and steady is definitely winning for me when it comes to gardening.

Before

Look at that lushness! Unfortunately, there were also a bunch of weeds (err, unwanted plants) in there – and an unwanted tree.

To the left is crunchy grass that never gets enough water in the summer. To the right is a lush “jungle” and the back of the property.

The phlox run 🙂 I adore phlox, even when they’re falling over. But there are a ton of weeds and way too much grass growing in between the plants.

This narrow walkway runs from the front to back yard. It’s totally overgrown with unwanted weeds. And you can see the white downspout pointing off into the neighbor’s yard, too.

The lushness of the far back yard. Lots of weeds and volunteer trees and Rose of Sharon.

After

Sure, I loved the lushness. I was happy to have extra Rose of Sharon and copious amounts of weeds I hadn’t bothered to identify (well, at least not all of them.) But now? They’re all gone.

I will miss the Queen Anne’s Lace that volunteered; I’m hoping some shows up again sometime… Yes, I know it’s a “weed” but it’s really pretty weed and it’s edible.

That narrow walkway that runs from front to back? All the weeds are gone. You can see the downspout more clearly here shooting off into the neighbor’s yard. That now goes straight into a rain barrel (there are two in the back yard.)

Rain barrel all set up and awaiting rain.

That lush bed is now almost barren. Sigh. See why I want to buy plants?

See the two “arms” of soil? That’s where the tile was laid. Overflow from one rain barrel will traverse this tile.

The far back yard “jungle” was tamed. The “volunteer” Rose of Sharon’s were spread out along the fence to act as a green screen.

The phlox wall is still mostly intact. But what’s all that dirt? More tile! And can you see how the downspout has been rotated to fact the yard? The other rain barrel is located right at that spot.

One of the tile lines ends at this very sad bed. I swear there was a heavy mulch in there at one point. The Nanking Cherry, Echinacea, and Plum survived the aggressive culling. So did the comfrey, lemon balm, and chives.

Here’s another view of that same bed with a special guest star, Princess Leia, visiting from a neighboring house – not a galaxy far, far away.

Princess Leia (and at least one other neighborhood cat) used to nap in the weeds in this area, so I’m sure she’s sad all the overgrown weeds are gone. Meow 🙁

Another look at where the tile was laid along the West side of the back yard. Apple tree straight in front, peach by the patio. And under the patio? That’s the ultimate goal: total diversity with chives, comfrey, lemon thyme, clover, daylily, and more.

Like I said at the top of this post, there was a lot of deconstruction. And then a lot of very hard physical labor to get that tile laid. The fun part comes next: finding plants. Then it’s more hard work.

Neat And Green

Thank goodness James at Neat And Green in Mount Pleasant, Michigan is open to trying new stuff; I shared my entire 40+ page permaculture plan with him and he embraced a different way of working with a yard. The crew was here 2 1/2 days and did an amazing job; I’ll have them come back again next year for more work I’m sure.

Ultimately, I’m shooting to have a relatively work-free back yard. It will have lots of pretty flowers and plenty of edible things, too. I don’t have kids or grandkids so having grass is an absolute nope for me; I don’t want to mow it and I don’t want to pay somebody to mow it, either. I want to wander into my back yard and stroll along small paths, or rest in a chair in a quiet, secluded spot.

Adding in tons of biodiversity will make the local wildlife population happy, too. I mean, how many peaches will the squirrels eat this year? Answer: most of them because your “not a gardener” girl didn’t get out there and bag those peaches up. So it’s been fun watching the squirrels climb the little tree and then gnaw through the small peaches. There’s always next year for bagging up peaches to freeze!

What’s Growing In The Garden Of Your Life?

So what are you digging and planting and growing? It doesn’t have to be flowers and plants – so many things in our lives are tended and need nurturing. What’s growing in the garden of your life right now?

I’m not a gardener. I didn’t come to gardening naturally or in childhood. I didn’t grow up gardening side-by-side with my parents, grandparents, or anybody else.

I mean, my parents gardened for a few years, but I didn’t want to be out there at all. Heck, I just barely wanted to leave my room.

In fact, I wasn’t drawn to nature the way so many people are. I’d mostly rather sit quietly and read a book than anything else in the world. Add in meditation and cute clothes, and these are some of my favorite things.

I learned to garden from a housemate in my 30s. The house was in a rural setting and we had another friend till the land; then we planted. Going out to daily to tend plants and pluck veggies and herbs for dinner was a treat; it’s something I still enjoy.

Permaculture

Permaculture came into my awareness as a result of working at the world-renowned Omega Institute for Holistic Studies; there was a course and it sounded intriguing, but I really didn’t want to dig in dirt. Books meditation, cute clothes, remember?

But as the years passed by and I learned about propagating plants and had small gardens in pots on balconies, I hoped for a place of my own where I could grow something. Maybe food? Definitely pretty flowers.

Fast forward to 2012, and I purchased my current home. It has just the right amount of garden space for me to putter, and then a little bit more. I’ve puttered around a bit, and have some pictures to share from earlier this month.

Wild violets in May. They spread prodigiously and add deep purple sparkle in early spring.
Red tulip
The apple tree bloomed. At least, I think it’s the apple; it might be the crab apple.
Peach blossoms
Coleus for all summer color
Biodiversity! There’s so much going on in this one picture. I don’t know all of the plants, but recognize moss and plantain.
Handmade stepping stone. These were made one summer day with friends some years ago. So pretty!
Itty bitty Red Haven peaches
Deep red peonies on the way.
Japanese andromeda. Aren’t the colors gorgeous?
White, purple, and yellow colored Iris.
Having waited two or three years, the apple tree is officially making apples.
Woodstock Chime still singing after more than ten years.
This crab apple was planted the same time as the apple: little crab apples are here, too.
Look at the Nanking Cherries! These grow fast, taste good, and have beautiful white blossoms in early spring (about the same time as tulips and daffodils.)
Allium ready to burst.
A fuzzy bee friend loving the five foot tall comfrey.
Pale pink peony about to burst open.
The city offers free trees every year. I had them plant an oak tree for me this year.

Perma-what?

Permaculture is a whole different animal than conventional gardening. It’s an overall philosophy and systematic approach to a piece of land; it can also be applied to our inner life as well as inside the home.

And there are tons of resources online to learn more. Over the last two years I worked at obtaining a 72-hour Permaculture Design Certificate through the Permaculture Women’s Guild.

The course caused me to learn about things that are way outside of my comfort zone of meditation, cute clothes, and books. At the end of the course I had to do a 20-minute presentation giving an overview of my forty-plus page plan for my little piece of land in Michigan.

Permaculture has informed what I’ve planted and how I’ve planted. From the pictures, you can see I have peach, apple, and crab apple. I also have plum and Egyptian “walking” onions. There are two kinds of thyme here, and an abundance of flowers and other herbs.

Weeds and Water

There are also a lot of “weeds.” What’s the phrase? One man’s weed is another man’s flower – or something like that.

In my journey towards permaculture I had to adjust my thinking about weeds. I love a beautifully manicured lawn as much as the next person, but I also know they’re generally horrible for the environment. All that grass has very little to offer bees, birds, and other wildlife. Grass eats up water, and (in urban settings) sends that water down the driveway and into the street.

Maybe the easiest way to get a basic understanding of permaculture is through thinking about water. Where does the water on your property come from, and where does it go?

On my tiny property, water comes in from the city and goes back out. Water comes down from the sky in the form of rain and snow. The rain goes through the gutters and two downspouts shoots the water straight towards my neighbor’s yard. Another downspout shoots the water into the backyard. With permaculture, my goal is to capture that rain water and invite it to sink into the land, thus nourishing everything.

It’s kind of the same with plants. I let the clover and plantain grow because they nurture healthy soil; I can also eat them and/or use them for medicine if need be. Plantain, for example, can be used for first aid on stings, bites, or minor burns; it can be used in an infused oil or salve, too.

You can make a tea from red clover, or use it in an infusion or tincture; pretty sure one of these days I’ll learn how to do these things. I already make tea from my overabundance of lemon balm; it’s great for relieving stress, helping with digestion, and overall mental health.

I’m growing all those herbs and flowers and fruits for the same reason. And if you look at a garden bed I’ve developed it has got peach, comfrey, lemon thyme, chives, clover, and more. It’s messy and it’s very diverse.

June In The Garden

In early June, the greens in the garden are on point. All the grass is alive and not crunchy; that happens later towards August and September.

The Iris, clover, and chives are blooming. Now is when I go out and cut chives to sprinkle on dinner or use in sandwiches. Maybe some chive spread? And I’ll for sure use either the English thyme or lemon thyme on something – maybe salmon.

The wild violets are done blooming for the year, as are the fruit trees. But if you look closely on the fruit trees, you will see little tiny fruits just starting to grow; they’ll be ready towards the end of the summer. I’ll be able to pick the Nanking cherries in July; I’m hoping the Everblooming strawberries settle in and get really comfortable. They’re new, so I don’t blame them if they don’t feel like making strawberries this year.

I’m not a gardener. But I am as predictable and as diverse as my garden. How about you?