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TRANSCRIPT
A
PERMACULTURE MASTER PLAN
FOR THE GURPREET PADDA PROPERTY
BY
AND
A Permaculture Master Plan For The Gurpreet Padda Property
May 3, 2011 | 1
May 3, 2011
Table of Contents
Master Plan Narrative
The Master Plan
Appendices:
Maps and Site Plans
Plants
Soils, Biology, Climate
Stephanie Baker Grimes
Belleville Zoning Ordinances
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Goals as stated for the Padda Property by Gurpreet Padda:
1) The property will be a destination: restaurant, pastured animals, annual crops, orchards,
greenhouses, etc. The restaurant will open for business in 2012. The agricultural work
will begin immediately.
2) French Restaurant in retrofitted barn, serving capacity 200 diners, three nights per week
by reservation.
3) Deck on east side of barn with restaurant seating.
4) Large windows on east side of barn/restaurant.
5) Certified commercial kitchen in attached additional classic barn. Processing area for
goat milk products, honey, etc.
6) Retail display in restaurant for goat products, honey, etc.
7) Parking lot located in front of restaurant at approach to property off the main access.
One-way in, one-way out. Stone columns at the entrance to the driveway.
8) Renewable energy systems integrated into restaurant structures.
9) Goat housing and storage in basement level of barn.
10) Underground structure from barn/restaurant to silo retrofit.
11) Silo reconditioned and utilized.
12) Truck access to kitchens and storage, loading dock.
13) Pastureland on east side of property for goats and chickens, etc. within view of
restaurant and deck; rotational grazing.
14) Egg mobile for free range chicken production/secure chicken coop.
15) 2-3 acres of agricultural fields for annual and perennial crop production for all of
Gurpreet Padda’s restaurants in the St Louis area (see attached plant lists and
restaurant crop needs).
16) Fencing at perimeter of all crop areas for critter protection. Wildflowers planted along
fence perimeters (native prairie species mix).
17) Development of privacy screens for private residential areas.
18) Two vineyards.
19) Orchards.
20) Native plant restoration; minimal water usage.
21) Two high tunnel greenhouses for year round crop production.
22) Composting areas.
23) Lavender and sunflower plantings as a major theme of the French Restaurant.
24) Zones of use: private and public.
25) New access road to private residences.
26) Rehab the existing well. Waterlines to agricultural areas for irrigation.
27) Attract native wildlife to property: bats, horny prairie chickens, etc.
In order to honor and address these goals, the designers have rigorously attempted to lift the
veil of the words and penetrate to the essence of their meaning. A master plan is a complex
endeavor and needs insight, intuitiveness and practical skill in order to create a comprehensive
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design that will pay heed to the ecological integrity that will bring health to the land for
generations to come. As stated by Bill Mollison, the founder of the Permaculture system of
design:
“Cultures cannot survive without a sustainable agricultural base and land use ethic.
Permaculture is about the relationships we can create between minerals, plants,
animals and humans by the way we place them in the landscape. The aim is to create
systems that are ecologically sound and economically viable, which provide for their
own needs, do not exploit or pollute, and are therefore sustainable in the long term.”
Well said. In order to deliver this narrative in a well wrought structure, and to make it accessible for the many, this report will follow the Scale of Permanence as defined in the initial assessment for the Padda property, with one caveat: this narrative is an explanation of how the master plan meets all the goals set forth in the original discussions so it will also need to address items that may or may not easily fall into this Scale of Permanence outline.
The ten steps in delineating a master plan are as follows:
Climate
Landform
Water Systems
Access and Circulation
Vegetation
Microclimate
The Built Environment
Zones of Use
Soil
Aesthetics
These ten points of permanence ground the vision for the project in “real time” and offer a comprehensive framework for planning and design.
A master plan is by no means a finished product. It is a scaffold for depicting the vision and goals of the stakeholders involved in a land development project. We might liken it to a painting wherein the painter works within a frame (think of the property perimeter), and initiates the painting with broad, brush strokes before the details emerge. The painter sets the table, so to speak, before the guests arrive. One by one they are seated at the table, then all the meal’s courses are served.
Another point to note is that the painter enters the canvas from the outside. Think of this as the designer and stakeholders imprinting their ideas on the blank canvas. We also might think of
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the canvas within a frame as the land within the property lines, this land that is not isolated from the external forces that course through it always. Change is inevitable. The natural world is constantly forcing its hand on the plants, soils, stones, animals, structures, and human beings.
One of the critical dicta of Permaculture is to “make the least amount of change for the greatest affect”. Why would we make any change to a landscape? By making small (or at times momentous) changes we are attempting to augment the general health and balance of the ecological functions of the land and make the land viable for not only the present, but for future generations. So, as we journey through the Padda Property design, and examine why we place each element where we place it, we will take a look at the significance of placement and the interconnections produced thereof.
From authors Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, from “Permaculture One”:
“In any landscape planning, relative permanence is of great importance if the planning itself is to be part of some ongoing evolution of the landscape. Time scales for complex landscape evolution span many generations and cannot be considered a finite task. For the purpose of putting planning and design work into perspective, Yeoman’s Scale of Permanence is very useful. However we would amend the scale to adapt it to planning for Permaculture systems.”
From author David Jacke:
“This Scale of Permanence can be used as a way of structuring one’s observations and analysis of the landscape, as a means of prioritizing which aspects of the design are most important to design first, and, in some cases, which parts may be most important to implement first.”
One more note on the Scale of Permanence: Originally set out by P.A. Yeomans of Australia, best known for his work with the Keyline system (a method of holding water and nutrients on the land where and when the rain falls), this method of assessing the landscape has since been modified by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren (the founders of Permaculture) and David Jacke. Of course, without sound observation and rigorous design practice, the Scale of Permanence becomes just another list amongst lists. We utilize this system in order to help us organize our assessments, inventories, ideas, goals and visions into a comprehensive whole. Permaculture is about functional relationship and seeks to delineate the interconnections of the many functions of all elements in the landscape. A comprehensive design is a “whole” design, a unified expression of all stakeholders involved in the creation of a landbase.
We will be referring back, from time to time, to the original goals and vision stated by Gurpreet Padda as we proceed through this narrative.
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Belleville, Illinois and the Surrounding Bioregion
Our first steps in the design of a property begin with observation and an assessment of where the property lies and all the natural forces that affect it. We also take inventory of what is already there: the geology, soils, biology, climate, vegetation, animals, built environment, movement of water through the land, and general health and ecological balance. In order to enter a Permaculture design process and utilize “the biological intelligence” already present on and around the property, and to merge the design with landform and life already present at the site, this initial assessment dictates the direction that we take. Therefore, an encapsulated description of Belleville and the surrounding bioregion is presented here.
The Belleville region is embedded within the Southern Till Plain natural Division of Southwest Central Illinois. This is a highly diverse bioregion supporting several intermingling ecosystems. Also within striking distance of the American Bottom (Mississippi River), the watershed and drainages encompass the Kaskaskia River and the Mississippi. 2/3 of all the water in the continental United States eventually end up in the Mississippi and subsequently in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Southern Till Plain Natural Division The Southern Till Plain Natural Division of south-central Illinois is a dissected Illinoian till plain south of the terminal Wisconsinan moraine. Forest was found along streams and prairie and occupied the level uplands. Although about 40% of the natural division was prairie at the time of European settlement, upland soils are largely alfasols formed under forests. These soils are relatively poor because of high clay content and frequent “claypan” subsoil. Because these soils have a comparatively light color, upland prairies here have been referred to as the “gray prairie.” Southern flatwoods is a characteristic natural community found on level uplands and river terraces. Northern crayfish, frog, ornate box turtle, and remnant populations of greater prairie-chickens are characteristic animals of the Southern Till Plain Natural Division. The division encompasses large portions of the Kaskaskia River and Big Muddy River watersheds, and tributaries to the Wabash River. Extensive areas of river floodplain and ancient glacial lakebeds were occupied by forested wetlands and some wet prairies. Upland prairies were highly interspersed in the Southern Till Plan, and many were likely quite open due to the influence of fire. The American Bottom is the flood plain of the Mississippi River in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois, extending from Alton, Illinois, to the Kaskaskia River. It is also sometimes called "American Bottoms". The area is about 175 square miles (450 km2), mostly protected from flooding by a levee and drainage canal system. Immediately across the river from St. Louis, Missouri are industrial and urban areas, but many swamps and the major Horseshoe Lake are reminders of its riparian nature. Deforestation of the river banks in the 19th century to fuel steamboats had dramatic environmental effects in this region, leading to the Mississippi River between St. Louis and the confluence with the Ohio River becoming more wide and shallow, as unstable banks collapsed into the water. It resulted in more severe flooding and lateral changes of the major channel, causing the flooding and destruction of several French colonial towns, such Kaskaskia, Cahokia and St. Philippe, Illinois.
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The southern portion of the American Bottom is primarily agricultural, planted chiefly in corn, wheat, and soybean. The American Bottom is part of the Mississippi Flyway used by migrating birds, and has the greatest concentration of bird species in Illinois. The flood plain is bounded on the east by a nearly continuous, 200–300 foot high, 80-mile (130 km) long bluff of limestone and dolomite, above which begins the great prairie that covers most of the state. The Mississippi River bounds the Bottom on its west; the river abuts the bluffline on the Missouri side. Portions of St. Clair, Madison, Monroe, and Randolph counties are in the American Bottom. Its maximum width is about 9 miles (14 km) in the north, and it is about 2–3 miles in width throughout most of its southern extent. Major Habitats and Historical Constraints Forest - historic over-grazing, species composition, invasive species, fire suppression, fragmentation, poor timber harvest practices, changes in hydrology, exurban development. Open Woodland/Savanna/Barren - scarcity, overgrazing, succession, lack of prescribed fire, invasive species, poor timber harvest practices, exurban development. Grassland - scarcity, fragmentation, conversion to hay/pasture monocultures, dominance by invasive species (especially fescue), overgrazing of pasture, excessively high or low disturbance levels, low structural diversity, loss and degradation of prairie remnants; much of the grassland acreage in the division is temporary in the Conservation Reserve Program. Wetlands - scarcity, altered hydrology, dominance by invasive plants, sedimentation. Lakes and Ponds - sedimentation, nutrient loading, backwater lakes have been nearly eliminated; water level fluctuations in the reservoirs and downstream of Rend and Carlyle lakes. Streams - sediment load, incision, lack of riparian habitat, channelization; impoundment for water supply, flood control, and recreation. Native History and Settlement Settlement patterns strongly influence the landscape in a region. Human beings have manipulated the endemic landforms and life of most of the United States. Tracing these patterns to those that came before us affects the way that we perceive the landscape. We are not attempting to reestablish some pristine mirage of “what the land used to be”. We simply research what was here in order to establish the ecosystem processes that underlie all the processes in the landscape that we witness on a daily basis. History Indigenous People Before European settlement, the area was home for many centuries to indigenous peoples. The peak civilization was created by peoples of the Mississippian culture, known as the Mound Builders. With the cultivation of maize, they were able to create food surpluses and build
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concentrated settlements in the centuries after 600 CE. The Cahokia Mounds Site, which was built as the center attracted a rapid increase in population after 1000 CE, is a six-square mile complex of large, man-made, earthen mounds rising from the flood plain. In 1982 it was designated one of only eight World Heritage Sites in the United States by the United Nations UNESCO. The most prominent structure is Monks Mound, rising ten stories high at the center of the complex and fronting on a 40-acre (160,000 m2) Grand Plaza. Monks Mound is the largest Pre-Columbian earthwork in the Americas, and the complex is the largest earthwork north of Mexico. The engineering of the mounds showed that their builders had an expert knowledge of the varying soils and their capacities. Cahokia was a complex, planned and designed urban center, with a residential population, farming and artisan production of refined crafts and goods. With its location at the confluence of three major rivers, it was the center of a regional trading network reaching to the Great Lakes and the Gulf Coast. With a population estimated at 30,000 at its peak, Cahokia was the largest city north of modern-day Mexico. Perhaps due to ecological reasons of deforestation and overhunting by the population, the city went into decline after 1300 and was abandoned before 1400. No city in the territorial United States surpassed this population until Philadelphia after 1800. Archaeological investigation has determined that the various types of mounds were arranged in a planned construction that reflected the cosmology of the Mississippians. The smaller ridge-top and conical mounds were used for ritual burials, some for elites and some for apparent sacrifices. The larger platform mounds were used for temples and homes of the elite. Archaeologists have found remains of a 2-mile (3.2 km) long, defensive wooden stockade, which enclosed the central precinct and was rebuilt several times. They also discovered two major solar calendars, which they called Woodhenge, as the works were constructed of cedar, considered a sacred wood. The area surrounding the mounds had numerous borrow pits, from which soil was taken to build the mounds, and to fill and level the Grand Plaza and other plazas. European Settlement After Cahokia was abandoned, there were few indigenous inhabitants in the area in the 17th century, at the time of first French exploration. The French made the earliest European settlement in this region of the Mississippi River Valley. They encountered Illiniwek clans called Cahokia, after whom the complex was named, and Kaskaskia, after whom a river and town were named. The French villages included Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Prairie du Rocher, St. Philippe, and Prairie du Pont. Examples of 18th-century French Colonial architecture survive here, including the old Cahokia courthouse and Holy Family Catholic Church, both made with distinctive vertical log construction called poteaux-sur-solle. United States Settlement European-American settlers began arriving near the end of the American Revolution after the Illinois Country was ceded by Great Britain to the new United States. In the early years, American single men came to the country, and there was little government and much anarchy. As Americans arrived, many residents of French descent moved west of the Mississippi River
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to St. Louis and Ste. Genevieve. Within several years, the former French colonial towns had become mostly American in population and English dominated as the language. The Goshen Settlement was an early American settlement at the edge of the Bottom. The settlers continued to use the rich alluvial floodplain mostly for agriculture until the late 19th century. The rivers provided trading and transportation. The introduction of steamboats to the Mississippi and other major rivers led to deforestation of the river banks in the 19th century. The steamboats consumed much wood for fuel, leading to dramatic environmental effects along the Mississippi River between St. Louis and the confluence with the Ohio River. It became more wide and shallow as unstable banks collapsed into the water. This resulted in more severe flooding and lateral changes of the major channel, causing the flooding and destruction of several French colonial towns in the 19th century, such as Kaskaskia, Cahokia and St. Philippe, Illinois. The area directly across from Saint Louis, Missouri, became highly industrialized. Industrialists located many "smokestack" industries here, such as steel mills, chemical plants, and oil refineries, because they ran on Illinois coal. People who built the first bridge from St. Louis across the Mississippi River to Illinois imposed a tax on heavy traffic. Rather than pay that, developers simply located their industries in East St. Louis. In the early 20th century, dramatic growth in industrial jobs in the American Bottom attracted many European immigrants and African-American migrants. The latter left the South in the Great Migration to work in factories and gain better lives for their children. Eastern-European immigrants founded the first Bulgarian Orthodox Church in the United States in Madison, Illinois. Today East Saint Louis is predominantly African American, as other immigrant descendants moved to other areas as they followed jobs and housing. Heavy industry is still prominent in the area, although total employment in these industries continues to decline after restructuring and industry changes. Like the Mississippian-era people, Americans made massive changes in the floodplain; their development reduced its ability to absorb floods. The destruction of wetlands and paving over areas along all major rivers has increased the severity of flooding over the decades, despite engineering solutions. During the Great Flood of 1993, major portions of the southern Bottom were flooded; 47,000 acres (190 km²) of land below Columbia, Illinois was inundated, destroying the town of Valmeyer. The waters came within five feet of overtopping the East Saint Louis levee. If they had run over, they would have flooded 71,000 acres (290 km²) and destroyed this urban industrial area.
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Climate Data for Belleville, Illinois Average Temperatures for Belleville (St Louis area)
Month Low High
Jan 21.2°F 37.9°F
Feb 26.5°F 44.3°F
Mar 36.2°F 55.4°F
Apr 46.5°F 66.7°F
May 56.6°F 76.5°F
Jun 65.9°F 85.3°F
Jul 70.6°F 89.8°F
Aug 68.6°F 87.9°F
Sept 60.3°F 80.1°F
Oct 48.2°F 68.3°F
Nov 36.7°F 53.8°F
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Dec 25.8°F 42.0°F
Belleville’s coldest month is January when the average temperature overnight is 21.2°F. In July, the warmest month, the
average daytime temperature rises to 89.8°F.
Average Rainfall for Belleville
Month Precipitation
Jan 2.14in.
Feb 2.28in.
Mar 3.60in.
Apr 3.69in.
May 4.11in.
Jun 3.76in.
Jul 3.90in.
Aug 2.98in.
Sept 2.96in.
Oct 2.76in.
Nov 3.71in.
Dec 2.86in.
The driest month in Belleville is January with 2.14 inches of precipitation, and with 4.11 inches May is the wettest month.
Monthly Sunshine Hours
Month Sunshine Hours
Jan 50%
Feb 52%
Mar 54%
Apr 56%
May 59%
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Jun 66%
Jul 68%
Aug 65%
Sept 63%
Oct 60%
Nov 46%
Dec 43%
Frost Dates > Belleville, IL 62220
USDA Hardiness Zone: 6A
Last Frost Date (Spring 2011): 4/28
First Frost Date (Fall 2011): 9/24
Average Growing Season: >159 days (A frost is defined as a light freeze of 32° F. There is a 10% chance that a frost will occur outside of the average frost dates
above.)
Climate
How does climate impact this design?
In the temperate latitudes, large masses of warm, moist air from more tropical climates advance northward to meet masses of cooler, drier air from the polar-regions. The warm front, characterized by low barometric pressure, and the higher-pressure cold front collide and swirl about each other, increasing local wind velocities and releasing precipitation where the warm air is suddenly cooled by contact with the cold air. Weather patterns in the temperate latitudes are the result of such frontal systems. They are less stable and predictable than tropical weather, which is dominated by the general sun-induced circulation of the atmosphere. Because of this instability it behooves us to plan accordingly: proper shelter, microclimate delineation, frost and wind protection.
Sun angles change throughout the year. This also affects local climate in that there are diverse patches of cold and warmth generated in the landscape based on variations in topography. These colder and warmer areas mix and match and create the potential for weather patterns based on the differences between these extremes. Winds develop, rains fall, cold and frost roll down into the valleys, fogs form. These sun angles also determine the length of growing potential for field crops: the more sunlight during the warmer months, the more photosynthesis, biomass and food production.
As we initially walk the land and observe we take an inventory of the affects and movements of the local weather patterns that are written in the configurations created by wind and water, cold and heat, geological processes and plants and animals. Are the trees flagging in one direction
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(wind), is there any erosion (water), dams created by animals (beaver), abundant organic matter laying on the surface of the ground (plants)? All of these indicators, and more, belie the importance of recognizing how and where the forces of nature leave an imprint on the landscape, a curvilinear line here, a straight line there, a gully here, a steep slope there.
Assessment of climate is first and foremost a determiner of what we can and cannot do at a particular site. No matter where we go, there it is. The Southern Till Plains Region of west central Illinois demands that we pay special attention to the cold winters and gradual warming trends in spring and summer. The limiting factors here are a growing season bookended by freezing temperatures, cold winds that pour down from the north and northwest during the winter months, fairly abundant rainfall, variable winter snow cover, orientation to the sun at different times of year, and in general, weather extremes that must be accounted for in all areas of a master plan: planting regimes, species selection, native vegetation based on local climate, home climate comfort, shelter from strong and penetrating winds, monthly rainfall and snowfall averages, and because of a sloping topography, the swift movement of water from precipitation, down to the bottom of the watershed at the Mississippi and Kaskaskia Rivers.
An example of this is: if we have designed a shelterbelt of trees to the west and northwest of building locations, this shelterbelt is meant to slow cold winter winds down to a minimum, and thus, help regulate climatic extremes inside structures and site features in zone one (the first zone adjacent to the buildings) of the landscape.
As we continue on our journey through the delineation of the Padda Property master plan, we travel with the affects of climate, first and foremost, in whatever we wish to establish for the design as a whole.
The focus at the Padda Property is agriculture, along with a restaurant. Because of the delimitations of first and last frost dates and the winter freeze the key here is to delineate how we can go about producing food for 365 days a year.
We recommend that there is a focus on food preservation, growing in high tunnels, planting cold hardy crops and season extension in general in order to develop a consistent production system that does not stop because of the constraints predicated on weather extremes.
Freezing, canning, drying, root cellaring and fermentation are the main stays of preservation. We recommend that the commercial kitchen being designed for the restaurant is utilized for food preservation and that a root cellar be configured for winter storage of fruits and root crops. One of the advantages of a root cellar is that we eliminate the need for electricity that a freezer or walk-in would necessitate.
In the high tunnels that will be situated on the east side of the Grimes home, greens and winter hardy crops can be sewn without supplementary winter heating. A second hoop and plastic covering is all that is needed. We can also get a jump on warm season crops by starting them early in the high tunnels and subsequently opening the high tunnel membrane as late spring warmth comes on.
As the larger planting regime falls into place, over time, microclimates will develop where the opportunity for early and late plantings will become obvious. Berms, building walls, tree cover, windbreaks, water’s ability to hold the sun’s heat all become possibilities for season extension and early and late crops.
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Climate extremes obviate the need for proper building insulation. The barn will have to be retrofitted for proper insulation and comfort from climate extremes for clients. We would also recommend that there is a review of heating bills for the homes and possible retrofit for energy efficiency.
The human body is continuously cooled by the heating of respired air, the vaporization of water from the lungs and breathing passages, the convection and radiation of heat from the surface of the skin, and the diffusion of small amounts of water vapor through the skin. At the most fundamental level, each person requires a place to sleep, facilities in which to carry out the basics of personal hygiene, a source of water, a source of food, and facilities to prepare the food for eating. These elements and comfortable indoor temperatures are basic to human health and balance. It is recommended that in the design of the restaurant and other structures that these simple points are considered in detail.
Rainfall averages in the Belleville area are fairly high and consistent throughout the year. In this part of the country we are blessed with abundant rainfall. The question is, how do we take advantage of this and hold the water where it falls on the property? Of course the tendency for water is to flow to the lowest part of the property and eventually to the bottom of the watershed (the Mississippi). As a result of this we are placing ponds, swales (ditches dead level on contour to slow water down), roof collection, storage and distribution, berms, tree cover and keylining into the site plan. We will approach these topics in more detail in the landform and water segments of this narrative.
Landform
The Padda Property slopes primarily down in all directions off the main ridge, which is relatively flat for about three acres. The top of the ridge beginning at the main access road receives abundant sunlight from all angles. The bedrock of sandstone, with sporadic outcroppings of limestone, comes close to the surface of the property in specific areas. Otherwise, the soil matrix is predominately a silt clay loam, rich in nutrients, with a clay base. Clay is the most highly nutrient rich soil and it has the capacity to hold water well, thus, an opportunity for a good seal on the bottom of a pond.
The topography initially falls off gently in al directions from the crest of the ridge and, mid way down slope, becomes more severe to the north, east and west.
The general sloping nature of the farm obviates the need for holding water as high in the landscape as possible for plant, animal and human needs. By slowing water down and holding water high in the landscape we also hold nutrients on the land. We will also accomplish the objective of using the force of gravity to move much needed water to lower elevations. After all, water is life, and we need to pay particular attention to this basic necessity.
We accomplish this need by evaluating topography and contour lines (which sit dead level) and by creating opportunities for water management by directing water where it is needed most and spreading it around the property so that all areas are on equal footing based on need.
The sloping topography of the land presented an interesting challenge for the designers. It is recommended that there will be development of the site into terraced gardens, during phase
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two, when more annual cropping fields will be accessed, as we move away from the flatter ridge-top.
Yet, the ridge crest is also where the roads, homes, initial agricultural fields, the restaurant and other central features are located. Most designs would endeavor to move buildings and spaces away from the road, but in order to move people, materials, crops, etc. through the property the placement of these structures and fields is ideal in terms of economy of movement.
Landform and water are inseparable. In order to direct water where we need it we must reconfigure the topography of the land that it flows through.
By changing the landscape where needed, we will accomplish this task through:
Utilizing the Keyline system: Keyline design is a technique for maximizing beneficial use of water resources of a piece of land. The Keyline refers to a specific topographic feature linked to water flow. Beyond that however, Keyline can be seen as a collection of design principles, techniques and systems for development of rural and urban landscapes. Keyline design was developed in Australia by farmer and engineer P. A. Yeomans, and described and explained in his books The Keyline Plan, The Challenge of Landscape, Water For Every Farm and The City Forest.
In a smooth grassy valley, a location called the keypoint can be found where the lower and flatter portion of a primary valley floor suddenly steepens. The – Keyline – of this primary valley is revealed by pegging a contour line through the keypoint, within the valley shape. All the points on the line are at the same elevation as the keypoint. Contour plowing parallel to the Keyline, both above and below will automatically become "off-contour" but the developing pattern will tend to drift rainwater runoff away from the valley centre and incidentally, prevent erosion. Keyline pattern cultivation on ridge shapes is done parallel to any suitable contour but only working on the upper side of the contour guideline. This automatically develops a pattern of off-contour cultivation in which all the rip marks left in the soil will slope down towards the centre of the ridge shape. This pattern of cultivation allows more time for water to soak in. Keyline pattern cultivation also enables controlled flood irrigation of undulating land, which further assists in the fast development of deep biologically fertile soil, which results in improving soil nutrition and health.
We recommend that we Keyline the entire Padda property by spring of 2012.
Creating swales and bio-swales at specific locations: A swale is a slight depression that runs along the contour of the land. That is to say, it is level all along its length. It can be deep or shallow, or even hidden (a ditch filled with gravel and capped with topsoil), and the dirt from digging the swale is usually used to make a berm on the downhill side. A common sized swale is two or three feet wide. Of course, you can make them any size you want. An important distinction is that a swale is not a drain. It is a water collection device. The cheapest way to store water is in the soil. And of course, by stopping the run-off, it prevents erosion as well. How it works is this: Rain falls on your property, and instead of running straight down the slope, it runs to the swale and gathers. There it soaks in slowly, forming a lens of
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water underneath the swale. This provides a plume of shallow sub-surface water down slope from it for an extended length of time. Please refer to site plan for location of swales.
Building terraces that grade back slightly toward the up slope below the centrally located buildings and structures.
This is recommended for future agricultural sites. It is important to have flat areas for planting annual crops for both accessibility and ease of planting and harvesting.
Digging ponds for catchment, wildlife and human needs: please refer to site plan for pond locations.
Installing cisterns near the house and barn for holding capacity, supplied by roof surfaces. This will become important during later phases of development. Clean water is one our most basic needs.
Directing roof and surface runoff into agricultural areas for thirsty plants. In essence, a building is as much a landform as a hill, its surfaces producing significant runoff. There is also opportunity to collect, store and distribute runoff from hard surfaces (driveways, sidewalks, etc).
It is recommended that we set up a roof gutter and downspout system to move water from the private residences into agricultural fields. This obviously precludes less need for irrigation from the city mains. The restaurant (barn) will feed the pond and pastures below it, the Grimes house will feed the north and west agricultural fields, the herb beds, orchards and vineyard to the south and the residence east of the Grimes will feed the south field in front of it.
Water Systems
Water and landform are inseparable. Water knits the landscape together with its power to give and support all life, and reveals its multifunctional ability to connect all the dots in the design matrix.
As already stated above we direct water where needed through the “manipulation” of landform, moving structural earth around to hold and shift water to point of use. As already explained, we will do this by developing these key earthmoving objectives:
Swales, keylines, terraces, roof catchment, cisterns, ponds, well.
The fact that most of the activity of the Padda property is located at the highest point in the landscape, the ridge, means that the only water available (outside of the city mains and the reconditioned well) for capture is the water that falls on the site, whereas parcels of land situated lower in the landscape, will have water flowing down from higher elevations for potential capture and use. Therefore, we must strike a careful balance between placing our points of collection high in the landscape for use but low enough to effectively collect surface groundwater. The implications of beginning at the top of the ridge, and making our way down from there, are that the potential for collecting a high volume of water for multiple uses, when starting high in the landscape, is paramount to quenching the many “thirsts” needed for all. We
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also diminish the possibility that a large percentage of the water falling on the property will find its way to the creeks, small rivers, the Kaskaskia and eventually to the Mississippi, before we have the chance to convert it to the landscape’s many needs.
Our first step in slowing down and holding water on the Padda property will be to “Keyline” the entire farm by spring 2012. We accomplish this task by first observing where the head of a valley (which is steepest) begins to flatten out and move gradually downhill. This point, where concave and convex landforms meet in the valleys, is known as the keypoint. Once identified, we use the contour line that intersects the keypoint for our primary reference line. We will do this for all the essential valleys on the farm. All subsequent lines that we need to know about will run parallel to the original keylines. We then use a “Keyline Plow”, or subsoiler, which consists of several 12” to 18” shanks on a toolbar pulled by a tractor through the soil. This opens slits in the soil profile and allows for water and air to circulate freely through the topsoil and vertically beneath. This action supports the biotic life in the soil matrix to do the work of building topsoil anew. It also opens channels for roots that not only support trees and plants, but it allows for free exchange of nutrients and gases and for the network of mycelial threads to reach out easily and transfer nutrients between perennial woody species.
Bioswales will filter and clean water that pours into the property from several points along the site.
As we travel down the slopes there will be smaller swales at the up slope of major woody species plantings, with an accompanying berm to the down slope of the swale (ditch on contour).
The roof systems of structures planned for the farm are significant water collecting surfaces. These surfaces will collect rainwater that will be directed to large capacity cisterns buried below frost line. This water will be used for landscape needs and a backup resource for human use.
An example and breakdown of the large amounts possible through rainwater collection:
Annual Water Volume
sf gal/sf/inch inch/yr gallons/yr
House 2100 0.65 32.9 44,909
Barn 1500 0.65 32.9 32,078
Greenhouse 935 0.65 32.9 19,995
Tower 705 0.65 32.9 15,076
Total water from the roofs: 112,057 gallons
Monthly Water Volume Per Growing Season (June through August)
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sf gal/sf/inch inch/yr gallons/mo
House 2100 0.65 4 5,460
Barn 1500 0.65 4 3,900
Greenhouse 935 0.65 4 2,431
Tower 705 0.65 4 1,833
Total water from the roofs: 13,624 gallons
It is anticipated that two 10,000-gallon cisterns will be first filled with the roof collection water. One cistern could be dedicated to gravity fed irrigation to agricultural fields. The second cistern could be dedicated to pumped irrigation for the greenhouse and plantings around the front of the buildings. Both cisterns will have a back-up supply from the well. During a rain storm, and after the cisterns have been filled, the water will be directed through overflow lines to supplement surface groundwater that has also been channeled to fill the ponds. This pond water will be able to be pumped and used for irrigation of the terraces and fields as might be needed. As it is unknown yet how much water the Padda property agricultural operations may use per day during the growing season, we cannot yet calculate how full the ponds are likely to remain. Future calculations of anticipated use in the gardens (based on types of plants selected); use in the greenhouses (based on types of plants selected); and volume of surface groundwater channeled to the pond(s) can more accurately estimate anticipated pond levels. Example: volume of water needed to keep the two ponds full.
area (sf)
average depth (feet)
volume (cu ft) gal/CF
volume (gallons)
Pond #1 1850 6 11,100 7.4810 83,039
Pond #2 1850 6 11,100 7.4810 83,039
Total water needed to fill ponds: 166,078 gallons There is much potential to construct small water gardens, ponds and biological wetlands for phase two of this project as we design more intensive garden areas now and in the near future.
Initially, a septic system or city mains will remove and process waste from the buildings, but we will minimize what goes into the septic by minimizing the flow of water to it. The first step here will be to install water saving toilets and fixtures.
Graywater reuse will be delineated with a branch drain system for agricultural irrigation. Diverter valves accompany all plumbing that moves “wastewater” from the buildings so that, when the need arises, water can be diverted easily to the septic.
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Low flow showerheads, taps, and conscious use of water will also be implemented.
We will recondition the pre-existing well that was drilled many years ago, for primary human usage, irrigation and potable purposes.
It is also important to note that plants are great collectors of water. Plants dig their roots into the soil and drink when rainfall and snowmelt make water available. Plant roots also mitigate erosion and absorb nutrients that are used for growth, and are then given back to the soil at leaf fall and by shedding roots and branches, and eventually, death. Without this constant cycle renewal of the landscape would be impossible. Therefore, we are designing a significant amount of trees and plants into this landscape. Trees and plants will also help to sequester carbon that will benefit this property, macroclimate, local climate and land in infinite ways.
Access and Circulation
General access and flow through a property helps to weave all the elements in the landscape together, and directs people and animals to nodes of activity (or quietude) where they need to be. There are vistas, gardens, homes, barns, meeting areas, places of meditation and contemplation, storage areas, forests, that are central to how and why we move through a site.
These avenues of access are fairly permanent once established in the general design. Therefore, much contemplation is required for the appropriate direction, scale and frequency of use of these pathways. When we think of access and circulation we can think of the circulation of blood and nutrients in the human body. All of the veins and arteries are connected as they move from larger trunks to smaller capillaries in a network of flow. The paths and byways on a property do the same thing. We are directed into a main entrance and, as we proceed, we move to smaller paths, which point the way to significant nodes of life.
The Gurpreet Padda property needs consideration for both public and private use. As a place for domicile we have created private spaces with separate access: please refer to site plan.
But beyond this, the public will play an important role here at the Padda property. The restaurant and agricultural operation, the ponds, the forest and savannah, work areas, gardens, tool sheds, the barn and, in general, the entire property will be for public use. Add in more possibilities for economic development and education, we must design for large (and small) groups of people that will visit the restaurant and agricultural operation and reside on the farm. As the world goes through major changes this farm will become an important center for people to learn about and practice the skills that may become all important in the current state of affairs, to learn self reliance in their daily endeavors.
Therefore, vehicle access must work, but the site should not be designed around it as first priority. People and nature are more important. There will be limited access for vehicles in order to eliminate the potential for soil compaction, inundation by vehicular chemicals, and noise.
All walking paths are linked together in flowing fashion. These walking paths direct people to all the important activity nodes or places of quietude on the property. Planted along these paths will be fruits, foods and herbs for the picking and for scent, interest and beauty.
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There is access for work related activities: truck access, a one-way in, widened main entrance, a loading dock, a turnaround for trucks, and a one-way exit. Please note all the paths and roads on the site plan for work and private domicile.
A parking lot will be located on the south in front of the barn/restaurant for customers and clients.
Paths and roads are built on contour as much as possible in order to eliminate potential erosion.
Vegetation and Animals
Plants are key to life in all ways. Without plants we simply do not exist. The food chain is such that plants are the primary resource for the growth, ongoing health and nutrition for all beings. A wide diversity of plants and plant guilds (beneficial groupings of plants) is required for maximum health and balance. Lavender and sunflowers, and a host of wildflowers and cultivated varieties will enhance the beauty and appeal of the site. Culinary herbs and native vegetation (reestablishment of savannah) make this site unique and inspiring in this day and age of monocultures and mass marketing of very few varieties to the general public.
Savannah restoration is key to the Padda Property. Although we do not wish to recreate a pristine savannah environment we will mimic this biome and the ecological processes that drive it. Historically, the Oak-Savannah was (and still is in many places in Ilinois) the primary “native” habitat. The oak acts as the keystone species. Stands of woody vegetation, surrounded by prairie, are key to a healthy savannah. We have included a complete description and methods for restoration as an appendix to this narrative (please refer to it).
We will initiate the process of developing the savannah environment in 2011 by planting the major canopy tree species and extensive orchards, as phase one, that will be high yielding for human use. As a side-note, a much-underutilized resource, acorns for food, is abundantly available. All the functions of all the plants in a savannah are unlimited and infinite. The high yielding cultivars, once established, will almost be overwhelming and the opportunity for learning how to make use of “uncommon” species will be ongoing.
These trees yield food, medicine and utility. These species will also act to filter road waste and pollution before it moves through the remainder of the landscape. An assortment of fruit trees, nut trees and shrubs are placed on the site plan to maximize landscape balance and potential yield. The stands of existing trees already in place on the site offer windbreak and an abundance of foods, medicines and utility.
Two vineyards are also in order. Please see appendix for wine grape varieties. It is recommended that training to run a winery for the agricultural director is in order.
Another step for spring 2011 will be the implementation of intensive agricultural zones near buildings in zones 1 and 2 at the ridge crest. Cultivars, methods of gardening, maintenance protocols will all need to be defined and put into motion. These areas will be fenced in for critter protection. Wildflowers will be grown around the fence perimeters to attract pollinators and beneficial insects. They will be farmed organically and managed by Stephanie Grimes. Wayne Weiseman has been working with Stephanie personally, strategizing and organizing. The crops raised in these areas will be utilized by Grupreet Padda’s restaurants in St Louis
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and for the restaurant planned for this site. Please see appendix for plant cultivars and specific numbers and quantities for restaurants.
A composting area will be constructed in spring 2011. This will include space for stockpiling organic materials for future composting, mulching, and sheet mulching.
As the farm progresses, other Permaculture zones will take on significant importance. With zones 0, 1, and 5 already in development we can begin to configure what might go in between. Will there be the need to initiate larger crop areas, an expanded fruit and nut orchard, larger animals, silvopasture, businesses or more buildings for interns and visitors? Time will tell.
The planted landscape at the Padda Property includes attention to: diversity of plants, multi-functionality, shade, shelter, privacy, food, medicine, utility, and to mimic the ecology of the local bioregion.
Please see appendix for master plant lists of native species and agricultural species.
Animals will play an important role at the Padda property. Initially goats and chickens will patrol the fields and pastures. We have delineated pasture perimeter on the east side of the property on the slopes below the deck of the restaurant. This includes piles of boulders as an element for the goats to climb on. Movable paddocks will be utilized to move animals around once they have their fill of grasses and browse. The goats will be housed in the basement of the barn/restaurant (code will need to be checked to see if animals can be housed under a restaurant). A milking area will be required.
The construction of an egg mobile for the chickens will take place in the spring of 2011. The chickens will be free-ranged. Secure nighttime housing is important for protection from predators for the chickens.
In the future pigs, cows, turkeys, ducks, quail, etc will become part of a diverse animal landscape.
Products from goat milk: soaps, cheeses, yogurt, etc are in the works and will be sold through the restaurant.
Microclimate
By developing microclimate, opportunities for outdoor and indoor crop season extension, building temperature regulation, outdoor recreation and gathering, present themselves. As we move into phase two of this project, and design buildings and intensive gardens, these opportunities will show themselves many fold. White walls reflect heat. Black walls absorb heat. Plant against these walls and we extend our growing season.
Shelterbelts, screens, and walls will slow down incoming winter wind, intense prevailing winds and rainfall squalls and such.
By observing the path of the sun we utilize sunlight to create pockets of warmth.
After making an assessment of the movement of the sun through the Padda property we agreed that there are already many microclimate opportunities on the site: tree shelterbelts and windbreaks, walls of buildings, slopes at different sun angles, etc. The planting regime makes use of these opportunities.
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As trees and plants grow and as water features and buildings develop more possibilities for microclimatic season extension will arise. A possible resulting constraint is the amount of wind that blows through the Padda Property. Ongoing observation is required in order to assess any extremes at the site that might put constraints on possible agricultural yields, especially high up on the ridge. A natural shelterbelt exists around the property perimeter where mature trees populate from the ridges to the bottomlands.
The Built Environment
We will need to observe the buildings already in place in the landscape at the Padda Property in order to maximize solar gain, protect them from weather extremes, supply easy access, and for integration into the greater land base so that they are both beautiful and part and parcel of the natural flow and texture of site ecology.
Structures are multi-functional entities that not only require inputs, but also can be a major source of supply for all that surrounds them in the landscape. Organic materials seem to pour from buildings. If we pay close attention to these “outpourings” we have ready resources to build soil, water plants, construct buildings and other site features, and utilize “waste” heat. The house is as much part of the “food chain” at a site as an animal that crosses the land every day or a tree that has fallen in the forest nearby.
The central structures of the Padda Property are two homes, a barn, an underground stone crypt and a silo. These structures are located on the top of the ridge and have excellent south-facing, solar exposure, so that passive solar techniques can be used to help regulate temperature and comfort levels in the buildings. Another adjunct point is that the panoramic view from the top of the ridge is spectacular and ties the structures into the surrounding landscape.
Attention to the size of the building footprint and construction site disturbance is tantamount to achieving ecological integrity. How often do we pass by building sites where the land has been completely bulldozed of all vegetation, and when construction is complete, a small mono-crop of sapling trees is planted, without regard for what was there and could have been saved and included in the original site plan?
Local sourcing of materials is key in order to eliminate the footprint based on fuel costs, minimizing the ability for local businesses to supply needed materials, and making use of local stone, wood and other materials that “fit” local climate and bioregion.
Energy systems, such as wind, solar and geothermal are a big part of the discussion on how to power and heat the buildings.
Other major construction pieces that will need a closer look as to materials, construction methods and style and aesthetics, are parking areas, paths, driveways, cisterns, a possible wind turbine tower, the restaurant and its additions (commercial kitchen), silo retrofit (spiral staircase in the center to a lookout of the entire property at the top), roads, and the potential for more animals and agricultural areas to be inserted into the landscape later on that will require shelter, fencing and other needs.
Once the master plan is complete, phase two of the work for the Padda Property will be to generate detailed designs and drawings for all structures on the property. Elements that will be incorporated into these designs are spelled out in the goals stated by Gurpreet Padda at the
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onset of this document. Materials, energy systems, style and structure, the waste stream, footings, foundation, roofing materials, and much more go in to planning for a house that will withstand the affects of time and weather, and if planned consciously, will be completely compostable and recyclable at the termination of its habitation.
Zones of Use
Zones of use are how each area in a design is made use of. In general terms, Zone 0 is the house itself and Zone 1 is used for herbs, annual vegetable gardens, and intensive plantings.
Zone 2 is still heavily cultivated and requires maintenance of orchards and small animals (chickens, ducks, pigeon, quail). This zone includes most outbuildings and incorporates perennials.
Zone 3 is the first zone that probably requires less than daily maintenance/visitation and can be somewhat wild. It incorporates shelterbelts, nut forests, waterfowl habitat and potentially bees. Larger animals (goats, sheep, pigs and cattle) can be located as is appropriate in either Zone 3 or Zone 4. Zone 4 is utilized for both larger animals and for timber production. And finally, Zone 5 is uncultivated and “wild”.
The zones of use revolve around public and private use at the Padda property. Please refer to the site plan for placement of specific land use elements.
Soils
One often wonders why, in the Scale of Permanence, soils sit so low in the list. In reality, none of the points in the Scale of Permanence is any more or less important that any other. But, if there is a hierarchy here, then the one that sits close to last takes on even more importance. We are in an age of peak water and peak soil. So little of the water on this earth is potable and we have polluted it to no end. And most of the topsoil on our continent now lies in the depths of the Mississippi Delta. 2/3 of all drainages in the US end up in the Mississippi which happily makes its way past New Orleans and dumps what little is left of our topsoil in the gulf.
The key to all of our endeavors with soil is organic matter. We have this strange tendency to clear our land of anything that covers the lawn or creates what we perceive as a nuisance of rotting branches, leaves, cardboard, paper, and whatever organic materials get in our way. These materials are a source of gold to the Permaculture practitioner. Whether we are on sand or clay it is the organic materials that matter. This is what builds soil for our crops. And, as was previously stated, without these crops we simply do not exist.
Everything else that we have looked at in this master plan produces “waste’. All of this can be recycled into our soil matrix where the micro and macro organisms go to work on it, turning it into accessible nutrients for our plants, and then of course, for animals and us.
On the Padda Property we will use numerous strategies to keep the soil in good tilth and good health. We will hold nutrients with keylines, swales, mulches, plant density and diversity, and eventually, animals integrated into the system to help build soil.
All “waste” from the entire site will be recycled into compost bins, used for sheet mulch, in hugelkultur mounds and as part and parcel of the cycle of nutrients in the food chain and the great web of life and death.
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Aesthetics
The Padda Property, already beautiful in its topography, views and vegetation, has the potential to be even more exquisite. It is, all in all, about a feeling of “place”. Proper placement of flowers, trees, and all types of plants, along with the general flow of the design will turn all visitors into “budding” artists and adventurers in the natural world. Attention to scale, terracing, the native savannah landscape, building design, year round color in vegetation, the use of natural materials, the winding pathways, all of this, creates more than simply an aesthetic. Aesthetics goes much deeper than surfaces even though these be shimmering and seductive.
As we knit together this landscape in all its possible and impossible connections and convolutions the delight that we obtain from immersing ourselves in it will reach into our personal depths. The opportunity for the “look” of the place, merged with the functional relationships that we design into it and that grow on their own, is an opportunity not lost to anyone with a heart for deeper communication and connection and an eye for beauty. Beauty, certainly, is not only skin-deep. A Permaculture landscape is a unique landscape, one that takes everything under the sun, literally, into consideration. The Padda Property will be a shining example of what can be done for anyone with the heart, soul and mind to put it on the ground. This shining is the true aesthetic. After all, what shines most? The sun, of course. The sun.
We might say that these elements are, because of the many connotations that have accumulated through the years about them, “the” entities that belie something deeper. But when we examine the whole of it, the whole project as it stands, and the reasons for doing it, it is all about the deeper essences that sit inside all of us. The way the natural world works is through inner-connectivity, this seemingly never-ending cycle that keeps giving back and keeps regenerating its self forever. The Padda property is about all of this and there is the willingness to see it all the way through, to follow a thread that few follow, to risk what one believes to be true.
This narrative has explored what is possible on a piece of land, if there is such a creature as a “piece” of land. For how can we take a segment of land out of the greater whole? The forces that act on the land act on all land whether contiguous to what we call “my” place or not. Permaculture is a light shining in the food forests. And it is taking the world by storm. Is it because it simply is the right thing to do? Questions of wrong or right may not hold much water for many, but to tell you truth, a cistern does, and a pond. And this water quenches the thirst of the many.