When first approaching the question of preparing your land for farming or gardening we suggest to contexts are the most useful. One is having a thorough understanding of the landscape in terms of multiplicity of factors , some of which include the general makeup of soil, drainage patterns, rainfall patterns, etc ,The second is something approximating the crops you hope to produce Some significant consideration in trying to turn your in depth understanding of your existing landscape into one which will produce the crops you desire will include several other considerations. One is how much time and energy you are willing to devote. You can of course also pay people to do the work for you. Investment in watering systems, greenhouses and other commercial improvement may be an important consideration for some. But for those who are are particularly oriented towards the local design principles, and which tend to shun a lot of inputs in terms of fertilizers and machinery, the process of using so called natural design principles is likely to be a much more complicate calculation. Theoretically at least this added burden in terms of more effort in terms of the early design may be worth the effort if the design eventually lead to a more successful garden which in some ways is meant to run itself to a large degree. A further expectation is that you will need less store bought maintenance inputs and will save both money and time if that turns out to be the case . Certainly some of you are more interested in simple approaches and just want to grow some stuff and not redesign their yard. That sentiment is understandable and certainly desirable for some. But it is possible you may end up doing more work in the long run, and in some ways be working against the natural tendencies of your landscape if you do not look more closely at the holistic picture The overall undertaking in determining the smartest approach can be a daunting task, and adding too much complexity to the question may intimidate some folks.. A piecemeal approach of selecting only a portion of your land to work with can make things easier for a beginner and may be a necessary first step for some.
In general the first order of business in site preparation is to observe the landscape. The degree and time dedicated to such an evaluation will of course depend on a variety of factors. How much land are you dealing with? Is it property which you have just begun to farm or garden or are you re-evaluating anew? Are weeds more prevalent in some areas more than others? What is the nature of animal and insect populations and their interactions with the landscape? Are there obvious areas of rocky outcroppings? . Does water pool up in certain sections? Do you have significant amounts of runoff and erosion in certain areas? A final point about the observation phase is to try to avoid arriving at conclusions while making observations. For instance a yellow leaf on some plant may lead you to a specific conclusion which may or may not be the case. For the most try to avoid conclusions, and simply let the environment speak in its voice and not yours
Maps should be sen as opportunity to extend the breadth of understanding, rather a restrictive process. The level of detail, and your capabilities as a mapmaker, should be seen within a continuum of expertise. How you relate to your map, while it may sound strange, plays an important role. In other words the map is a translator for you in understanding your landscape. Paying close attention to how the map is working for you and any way to fine tune the process which seems particularly tailored to your needs, should be included in your overall approach. A wide variety of books and resources are available in landscape planing, or site visualization as a more creative term for some, which invites more of a discussion with the landscape than one which is forced upon an environment. Hopefully the term site visualization does not scare folks off, but the idea here is indeed embedded within an interactive and creative process that is not really captured in a term like evaluation. Software programs can help facilitate many aspects of what we have been discussing here so far, but again a gradient of expertise to combine these skills, with the challenges of learning the software at the same time, can be challenging. Unfortunately the starting point of the actual implementation of a plan can be critical. It perhaps seems a little unfair that it should be so difficult to simplyget started, but it can save you headaches down the road.
Maps should include existing buildings, paths, trees, other large plants, drainage patterns and watercourses, soil types, slope, and a scale for distances and elevations. Making a map generally creates an improved understanding of the land beyond what can be gathered by observation alone Attention to small details in the map-making process usually alerts you to details which were previously missed even by the most focused observers. Other factors which should be accounted for, either directly in the mapping process, or at least in the overall assessment process, include; power, phone, sewer, and gas lines, etc. Regulations from homeowners associations and governments in regard to things such as easements,, yard waste pickup, herbicide spraying, zoning, and construction permits also need to be considered. The history of your land may reveal some secrets which can prove valuable. Such histories may be located by record searches or by discussions with neighbors or perhaps historical societies. Further you might incorporate some data sets such as average rainfall, temperature, humidity,wind, and how those effects change by season into your evaluation. Such additional information may or may not be applied directly into your maps, and may be used as a kind of hybrid between maps and charts
Before we go further in our discussion of maps and planning your landscape, we need to first return to the idea of what it is you want to get out of your yard. In other words you obviously have a goal in mind in wanting to effect change in your landscape. For the most part, we are assuming the discussion here is changing your landscape to assist in more food production. Likely many factors will come into play in terms of what you want to get out of your space, and the limitations you will have in the resources to effect change. How much time you have to devote to the project, and whether you can not be too overly optimistic in estimating what you can get done are often serious challenges. Therefore such goals, or visioning, should be seen in the context of balancing between the needs of the existing ecosystem, which is your landscape, and the necessary resources you have to arrive at the end result that you desire for that landscape. Usually the planning stage will require a certain back and forth between your goals and the resources you have to accomplish them. Such goals may call for a set of different strategies such as simply making lists or other brainstorming techniques which help you refine what it is you want to get out of your project. Different people will have different strategies and we hope to elaborate on a variety of them here
So with that in mind we can now see the mapping function as also creating a map of what you want your landscape to become. Such a framework should include a series of maps whether they are figurative or literal, of how the land will progress over time. Generally this idea is referred to as succession. Succession simply meaning how a landscape is expected to change over time. This idea can encompass a wide variety of aspects in planning your landscape. If you are planting any large trees you will need to account or their height in the future to be casting shade where none presently exists. If you have poor soil in certain areas you may need to plan for the how long the process will take to improve it. It may even be the case that if you are planning a quiet space in your yard for years down the road that you may plan this for when your neighbors noisy children will be grown
Of course you will also need to factor in the intrinsic qualities of the vegetation itself. We have chosen to have site preparation and plants in separate categories, yet in the planing process a large part of your study will be accounting for their needs and inputs and how they will fit in your landscape. So in this planning stage this distinction we have made should not imply you plan your site and then plan for your plants. That is of course ludicrous. However you might want to see these intrinsic natures of individual species, and their interactions with one another and how they 'fit' with tendencies of the environment they habitat. Also of key importance is our ability to understand these relationships and to manipulate them to the advantage of the entire environment. This part gets controversial since manipulating, or managing the environment, can be seen as a person serving as a steward simply trying to restore natural systems which have been corrupted by mans intervention, or one can be seen as restoring natural systems but with some placing of the parts in a way that lets natural systems produce some things you desire such as food an attractive environment, etc The characteristics of various plants will be given in the next section, but we can at least outline some of the more obvious needs or functions plants and animals will need and offer. They obviously need water, sun, space, soil, compatible neighbor plants, etc. But on occasion they can actually function to provide parts of such needs. Large trees can collect dew for water. Some plants can shade other plants, or if they are large strong plants they can provide a structure for other plants to grow on. The section in Natural Design includes more on this discussion in the sub menu on "Connecting needs with elements."
As we move away from the generalize structural design process we want to slowly add what might more likely be seen as more of a maintenance function. Maintenance will of course include some weeding, watering, observing for problems, pruning. planting, harvesting, etc. Such activities clearly need to be considered in your plan. You will need paths with access to both plants and watering devices. And if annual vegetables or grains, are to be a significant part of your garden you will need to develop some strategies and a schedule for their proper maintenance production since annuals require a lot of attention and planning. Before we continue with some explanations about annuals and their care requirements, we want o again look at this aspect of maintenance time in relation to all of our other planning aspects, In establishing a wide panoply of understandings and applications to effect the system, we create more flexibility in our ability to adapt to problems of various sorts. So one of the tradeoffs in this equation is the upfront investment in extensive initial planning, and making so called productive use of your time. In other words it may take you longer to launch a well planned garden than one that is just thrown together. A second an almost equally crucial point is building intuitive understandings and and technical skills which will empower your ongoing relationship with you and the land. In other words what is your talent level for performing the ongoing maintenance and re-valuation of the needs of the property on an ongoing basis. Now these talents are likely to be similar to the information you studied to plan your landscape in the first place. For instance the focus on careful observation remain perhaps the most valued tool both in the planning stage and the ongoing management stage.
There are a few aspects to the ongoing management that we want to mention. Having some sense of your priorities and what things you might need to sacrifice in the case of some problems. You might call to this as creating fallback positions. The quality of your choices for such fallbacks, or or any other way of reorganizing priorities, will again be based on what we call your overall talent level to understand the systems you are playing with
In general the first order of business in site preparation is to observe the landscape. The degree and time dedicated to such an evaluation will of course depend on a variety of factors. How much land are you dealing with? Is it property which you have just begun to farm or garden or are you re-evaluating anew? Are weeds more prevalent in some areas more than others? What is the nature of animal and insect populations and their interactions with the landscape? Are there obvious areas of rocky outcroppings? . Does water pool up in certain sections? Do you have significant amounts of runoff and erosion in certain areas? A final point about the observation phase is to try to avoid arriving at conclusions while making observations. For instance a yellow leaf on some plant may lead you to a specific conclusion which may or may not be the case. For the most try to avoid conclusions, and simply let the environment speak in its voice and not yours
Maps should be sen as opportunity to extend the breadth of understanding, rather a restrictive process. The level of detail, and your capabilities as a mapmaker, should be seen within a continuum of expertise. How you relate to your map, while it may sound strange, plays an important role. In other words the map is a translator for you in understanding your landscape. Paying close attention to how the map is working for you and any way to fine tune the process which seems particularly tailored to your needs, should be included in your overall approach. A wide variety of books and resources are available in landscape planing, or site visualization as a more creative term for some, which invites more of a discussion with the landscape than one which is forced upon an environment. Hopefully the term site visualization does not scare folks off, but the idea here is indeed embedded within an interactive and creative process that is not really captured in a term like evaluation. Software programs can help facilitate many aspects of what we have been discussing here so far, but again a gradient of expertise to combine these skills, with the challenges of learning the software at the same time, can be challenging. Unfortunately the starting point of the actual implementation of a plan can be critical. It perhaps seems a little unfair that it should be so difficult to simplyget started, but it can save you headaches down the road.
Maps should include existing buildings, paths, trees, other large plants, drainage patterns and watercourses, soil types, slope, and a scale for distances and elevations. Making a map generally creates an improved understanding of the land beyond what can be gathered by observation alone Attention to small details in the map-making process usually alerts you to details which were previously missed even by the most focused observers. Other factors which should be accounted for, either directly in the mapping process, or at least in the overall assessment process, include; power, phone, sewer, and gas lines, etc. Regulations from homeowners associations and governments in regard to things such as easements,, yard waste pickup, herbicide spraying, zoning, and construction permits also need to be considered. The history of your land may reveal some secrets which can prove valuable. Such histories may be located by record searches or by discussions with neighbors or perhaps historical societies. Further you might incorporate some data sets such as average rainfall, temperature, humidity,wind, and how those effects change by season into your evaluation. Such additional information may or may not be applied directly into your maps, and may be used as a kind of hybrid between maps and charts
Before we go further in our discussion of maps and planning your landscape, we need to first return to the idea of what it is you want to get out of your yard. In other words you obviously have a goal in mind in wanting to effect change in your landscape. For the most part, we are assuming the discussion here is changing your landscape to assist in more food production. Likely many factors will come into play in terms of what you want to get out of your space, and the limitations you will have in the resources to effect change. How much time you have to devote to the project, and whether you can not be too overly optimistic in estimating what you can get done are often serious challenges. Therefore such goals, or visioning, should be seen in the context of balancing between the needs of the existing ecosystem, which is your landscape, and the necessary resources you have to arrive at the end result that you desire for that landscape. Usually the planning stage will require a certain back and forth between your goals and the resources you have to accomplish them. Such goals may call for a set of different strategies such as simply making lists or other brainstorming techniques which help you refine what it is you want to get out of your project. Different people will have different strategies and we hope to elaborate on a variety of them here
So with that in mind we can now see the mapping function as also creating a map of what you want your landscape to become. Such a framework should include a series of maps whether they are figurative or literal, of how the land will progress over time. Generally this idea is referred to as succession. Succession simply meaning how a landscape is expected to change over time. This idea can encompass a wide variety of aspects in planning your landscape. If you are planting any large trees you will need to account or their height in the future to be casting shade where none presently exists. If you have poor soil in certain areas you may need to plan for the how long the process will take to improve it. It may even be the case that if you are planning a quiet space in your yard for years down the road that you may plan this for when your neighbors noisy children will be grown
Of course you will also need to factor in the intrinsic qualities of the vegetation itself. We have chosen to have site preparation and plants in separate categories, yet in the planing process a large part of your study will be accounting for their needs and inputs and how they will fit in your landscape. So in this planning stage this distinction we have made should not imply you plan your site and then plan for your plants. That is of course ludicrous. However you might want to see these intrinsic natures of individual species, and their interactions with one another and how they 'fit' with tendencies of the environment they habitat. Also of key importance is our ability to understand these relationships and to manipulate them to the advantage of the entire environment. This part gets controversial since manipulating, or managing the environment, can be seen as a person serving as a steward simply trying to restore natural systems which have been corrupted by mans intervention, or one can be seen as restoring natural systems but with some placing of the parts in a way that lets natural systems produce some things you desire such as food an attractive environment, etc The characteristics of various plants will be given in the next section, but we can at least outline some of the more obvious needs or functions plants and animals will need and offer. They obviously need water, sun, space, soil, compatible neighbor plants, etc. But on occasion they can actually function to provide parts of such needs. Large trees can collect dew for water. Some plants can shade other plants, or if they are large strong plants they can provide a structure for other plants to grow on. The section in Natural Design includes more on this discussion in the sub menu on "Connecting needs with elements."
As we move away from the generalize structural design process we want to slowly add what might more likely be seen as more of a maintenance function. Maintenance will of course include some weeding, watering, observing for problems, pruning. planting, harvesting, etc. Such activities clearly need to be considered in your plan. You will need paths with access to both plants and watering devices. And if annual vegetables or grains, are to be a significant part of your garden you will need to develop some strategies and a schedule for their proper maintenance production since annuals require a lot of attention and planning. Before we continue with some explanations about annuals and their care requirements, we want o again look at this aspect of maintenance time in relation to all of our other planning aspects, In establishing a wide panoply of understandings and applications to effect the system, we create more flexibility in our ability to adapt to problems of various sorts. So one of the tradeoffs in this equation is the upfront investment in extensive initial planning, and making so called productive use of your time. In other words it may take you longer to launch a well planned garden than one that is just thrown together. A second an almost equally crucial point is building intuitive understandings and and technical skills which will empower your ongoing relationship with you and the land. In other words what is your talent level for performing the ongoing maintenance and re-valuation of the needs of the property on an ongoing basis. Now these talents are likely to be similar to the information you studied to plan your landscape in the first place. For instance the focus on careful observation remain perhaps the most valued tool both in the planning stage and the ongoing management stage.
There are a few aspects to the ongoing management that we want to mention. Having some sense of your priorities and what things you might need to sacrifice in the case of some problems. You might call to this as creating fallback positions. The quality of your choices for such fallbacks, or or any other way of reorganizing priorities, will again be based on what we call your overall talent level to understand the systems you are playing with