Wild Meadows FarmWild Meadows FarmChestnut Ridge CooperativeChestnut Ridge Cooperative

March 2005March 2005Permaculture Design projectPermaculture Design projectfor Darrell Frey Permaculture for Darrell Frey Permaculture

Certificate Course—March 2005Certificate Course—March 2005

Permaculture PrinciplesPermaculture PrinciplesDavid HolmergrenDavid Holmergren

• Observe and Interact• Catch and store energy• Obtain a yield• Apply self regulation and

accept feedback• Use and value renewable

resources and services• Produce no waste• Design from pattern to

details

• Integrate rather than segregate

• Use small and slow solutions

• Use and value diversity• Use edges and value the

marginal• Creatively use and

respond to change

Other Listing of PrinciplesOther Listing of PrinciplesToby HemmingwayToby Hemmingway

• Observe• Connect• Catch and store energy• Each element performs

multiple functions• Each function supported

by multiple elements• Make least change for

greatest effect• Use small scale intensive

systems• Use edge effect

• Accelerate succession• Use biological and

renewable resources• Recycle energy• Turn problems into

solutions• Get a yield• Design limits yield• Mistakes are tools for

learning

Observe and InteractObserve and InteractFarm Natural FeaturesFarm Natural Features

• 195 acre farm in Bedford County PA• Ridge and Valley• East of the Eastern Divide—goes in Chesapeake • Spring on farm flows to Bob’s Creek, Dunnings Creek, to

Juniata, to Susquehanna, to Chesapeake• Orchards, dairy farm, and row crops/corn surround—run

off from dairy flows thru woods on farm• Although rural—in 2000 census manufacturing major

employer in area

S—NORTHERN ATLANTIC SLOPE DIVERSIFIED S—NORTHERN ATLANTIC SLOPE DIVERSIFIED FARMING REGIONFARMING REGION

• 147—Northern Appalachian Ridges and Valleys Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia 48,210 km² (18,610 mi²)

• Land use: Most of this area is in farms. About 12 percent is used for urban development or consists of land altered by urbanization or other activities. Approximately 30 percent is cropland. A wide variety of crops are grown, mainly corn, small grains, and forage for dairy and beef cattle. Other important crops include potatoes, soybeans, apples, peaches, and some tobacco and vegetables. Dairy, beef and poultry farms are major enterprises. About 5 percent of the area is permanent pasture. Less than 60 percent is in hardwood forests that are mainly in small to medium-size holdings and some larger tracts of state forests, game lands, and parks. Much of the prime farmland in the valleys is urbanized.

RegionRegion• Climate: Average annual precipitation—900 to 1,275 mm.

Maximum precipitation is in spring and in summer, and the mimimum is in fall. About 525 to 650 mm falls during the growing season. The average annual snowfall is 60 to more than 130 cm. Average annual temperature—8 to 13 C. Average freeze-free period—120 to 170 days; the shorter growing seasons are at the higher elevations and in the north. ----

• Water: Water is plentiful in this area. Springs, wells, farm ponds, reservoirs, and streams are the principal sources of water. The major streams are the Susquehanna and Potomac Rivers. Raystown Lake on the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River is one of the largest reservoirs in the area. Ground water is plentiful; the better producing wells are in the limestone valleys. Mineralized water and pollution of ground water are common land use problems.

Soils and Natural VegetationSoils and Natural Vegetation• Soils: Most of the soils are Udalfs, Udults, and Ochrepts. They have a mesic

temperature regime, udic and aquic moisture regimes, and mixed mineralogy. Nearly level to sloping, deep, well drained, medium textured to fine textured Hapludalfs (Hagerstown, Duffield, Edom, and Washington series) are in the limestone valleys. Gently sloping to sloping, deep, well drained or moderately well drained, medium textured to fine textured Hapludults (Allenwood, Bedington, Frankstown, Mertz, and Munill series), Fragiudults (Buchanan and Laidig series), and Paleudults (Frederick series) are on the lower foot slopes of the ridges and in the valleys. Most of these soils formed in residuum, colluvium, or glacial till derived from limestone, cherty limestone, sandstone, and shale. Sloping to steep, well drained, shallow to deep, medium textured Dystrochrepts (Berks, Calvin, Dekalb, Hazleton, and Weikert series) are on ridges and on the more sloping sites in the valleys.

• Potential natural vegetation: This area supports hardwood forest vegetation. White oak, red oak, black oak, hickories, and associated upland hardwoods are the major species. Scarlet oak, chestnut oak, hickories, and scattered Virginia pine, shortleaf pine, and white pine are common on dry ridges and shallower soils. Yellow-poplar, red oak, red maple, and other species that require more moisture grow in sheltered coves, on foot slopes, and on north-facing sites.

Site CharacteristicsSite Characteristics

• Elevation and topography: Elevation ranges from 100 to 300 m in the valleys and from 400 to 800 m on ridges and mountains, but on some mountain crests it is 900 m. Parallel sandstone and shale ridges are separated by narrow to moderately broad limestone and shale valleys. Ridges have hilly to steep slopes and narrow rolling crests; valleys are mainly undulating to rolling but are hilly locally. Local relief in the valleys is about 5 to 50 m; ridges rise about 100 m above adjoining valleys.

Wild Meadows Specific Site Wild Meadows Specific Site CharacteristicsCharacteristics

• Cropland – Type 2 Undulating—14– Type 3 Rolling—37– Type 4 Sloping—39

• Woodland-Rolling--100.41• Farmstead-3.00• Total-194.41

• Elevation 1200-1500• Annual rainfall –36”• Frost free days—125• Soil---ELiber and Mertz—

Cherty limestone base-and Morrison,dolomitic limestone calcerous sandstone base

• All deep and well drained• Woodlands are Morrison and

Buchanan soils• Major limitations to agriculture

are erodible lands

Farm HistoryFarm History• Farm established 1870s

– Large farm house—1874, Summer kitchen earlier – Large Bank Barn -1870– Pig barn—1920s, (maybe could be converted to bioshelter) – Quarry—old lime stone kilns– Old Orchard—gone after 1960– 1970—on became owned by city folk (weavers—then us)– 90 acres rented to local farmer—leaves half fallow—rotates oats,

corn, barley, soy—contour—strips– Small organic garden with well irrigation system and deer fence– Some mushroom shitake logs – Currently investigating CREP program participation– Sloping pastures—mowed every 2 or 3 years

Chestnut Ridge Cooperative begun Chestnut Ridge Cooperative begun in 1992in 1992

• Links–Arts and Ecology–Rural-Urban–Partnership/cooperative

organization

Chesapeake Education, Ecology, Arts Chesapeake Education, Ecology, Arts Research Society (CHEARS!)Research Society (CHEARS!)

• New organization—separates ownership from mission

• Link to Chesapeake Watershed in which live

• Builds on interest of original members

• Same emphasis on links

Satellite Photo of Farm December 2000Satellite Photo of Farm December 2000

1

Apply self regulation and accept Apply self regulation and accept feedbackfeedback

• Accept that soil on farm is worn out from years of row cropping on slopes

• Search for ways to allow to recover• Experiment with alternatives—some of

which will not work—plan for observing this feedback and revision of plan

• Observe current self-regulation in areas that have been allowed to be untended—old orchard etc.

Key/ Description /from Ridge Road

Crop acres /

Current Use

Orientation/Notes Planned Use

1—Field across from Boyer Orchard—Ridge Road

Class 2-crop 10 C/G

Rented to Joe Echart CVR (conservation plan)

Flat—highest point on farm—across road from Non-organic Apple Orchard

Keep crop transition Organic rotation

2—Woods below 1 Wooded 8 W/M

Woods Strong slope/some dumping by road in past/hunters use for dear cleaning

Keep wooded /clean

3A—Shankle road frontage-right side from farm road from Ridge Road

20—class 2 and 3-srop

Rented to Joe Eckart CVR

Flat Keep crops transition organic

3B—right side of farm road

18—class 4 crop

Rented to Joe Eckart--CVR

West and North facing slopes Possible CREP

4—Left side of farm road from Ridge

18.5—class 3 and 4

Rented to Joe Echart CVR

West and South slope gentle to moderate—contains the Quarry-Lime Stone Kilns

CREP

5 Woods on right side of farm road coming down from RidgeRoad

31.8 Woods Slopes are North facing—includes Spring that flows out of property; run off from dairy farm on other side of a ridge—but does not affect Spring; Storm Creak bed flows down from Dairy— Shitake Mushrooms Large rocks Many fossils Hemlock grove Jewell weed Ferns

Keep wooded Possible Pond site at top of ridge where old power lines were—not yet treed—water could flow down to irrigate the fields below??? Catalogue plants observe effect of run off on vegetation Look for Chestnut seedlings

6—right side sloping pasture meadows behind barn and house

10.2 –class 4 crop

Mowed every 2 years-hayed

North facing View of meadows from house-enjoyed by members

9 CREP 1 acre plant in berries or small fruit

7—left side woods/slope goes North up hill to another ridge

35-woods woods Old fence from field stones—piles Wild Blueberries, wintergreen, wild azalea, mountain laurel, ferns

Catalogue plants

8-left side—top of hill—flat field

17.4 C/G Class 2 and 3

CVR Perhaps best field Keep crop transition to organic

9-Left side 10 woods Old orchard; South facing gentle/moderate slope

Restore with mixed fruit 5 acre—organic

10—flat field right side near house

7 Garden site and 10 fruit trees Rest fallow

Burdock--grows; Bottom land-fertile Maybe frost pocket

Expand garden; establish rotation

11—house/barn/yard 3 Spiral and medicine wheel gardens-native plants; guild

Class 2 (undulating) Class 3 (rolling) Class 4 (slopping) Woodland

Use and value renewable Use and value renewable resources and servicesresources and services

• Foster use of solar, wind, rocks, resources local on farm

• Let the soil rest—avoid run off to Bay---CREP program

• Work with dairy farm to address their run off issue

Use Small and Slow Solutions

• Develop multi-year—5 year plan • Estimate cost and how to get from A to B • Avoid tendency to want immediate

gain/accept limits--• Pick a few things to start with that can do

carefully and well and that might give some payoff in terms of goals

• Build on energy—cooperate/partner

Multi-year plan—Years 1and 2Multi-year plan—Years 1and 2– Chears incorporated as non-

profit– Begin systematic observation

of plants growing in woods and fields/volunteer

– Observe the run off issue from the Dairy farm—begin to develop plan to address

– Start water monitoring project in partnership with others already doing in other areas

– Experiment with guilds using existing apple and black walnut trees in farmyard

– Medicine wheel garden in zone 1--using rocks from farm to provide micro-climates for vulnerable native plants

– Explore CREP program for highly erodable land (meeting with Conservation office March 25!)

– Talk to Joe E. again about organic transition of farm

– Work on establishing a rotation plan for Walter’s organic garden

Years 3 to 5Years 3 to 5

• Complete things from years 1 and 2 that did not happen

• Plant 50 American Chestnut trees on north facing slope

• Work on plan to restore old orchard with heirloom fruit trees—planted by Cheers members for own use

• Establish nursery for plants for the suburban eco-landscaping co-op of members

• Hold 4 workshops

Produce no wasteProduce no waste

• Use material on farm as much as possible—rocks, old lumber, straw

• Solve issue of lack of time to maintain/harvest what start—get more folks from area involved—

• Avoid Wall Mart

Design from pattern to detailsDesign from pattern to details

• Global to local patterns—dominant pattern in area --row crops of corn, soy, grain used to feed animals –meat/dairy based

• Farming--not very labor intensive relative to yield—use of fossil based energy pattern replaced human labor.

• Detail-how to move to more sustainable pattern

Organic Farming Principles and Organic Farming Principles and PracticesPractices

• Principles– Biodiversity– Integration – Sustainability– Natural plant nutrition – Natural pest

management – Integrity

• Associated Practices– Rotation– Animal and green manure, – Cover crops– Composting– Intercropping– Biocontrol– Farmscaping, Buffers– Muching– Sanitation– Tillage– Fire– Natural fertilizers; Foliar

fertilizers– Records

Organic field crop rotation Organic field crop rotation

Soybeans

Corn

Corn

Alfalfa

Alfalfa

Oats, barley, or alfalfa.

manure

manure

Obtain a yieldObtain a yield

• Gains for Bay—might mean in this case reduction of conventional yield

• Education or aesthetic pleasure• Research knowledge gained• Linking folks removed from food source

and nature to these things• Habitat for wildlife• Food/nourishment/medicinal

Obtain a yield (Food)Obtain a yield (Food)• Plant mixed orchard on part of North Slope and also in

old orchard on South Slope• Establish native shrub/bushes plant nursery for use by

the suburban garden co-op • Continue small organic garden for members use• Maintain and expand the shitake mushroom• Catalogue the native plants growing in the woods—

experiment with propagation• Reach out to groups that may need place to host

activities like workshops etc. • Partner with turtle saving groups to see if can use part of

land as habitat

8 year Vegetable Crop Rotation—8 year Vegetable Crop Rotation—E. Coleman E. Coleman

Squash

Potatoes

Root crops

Tomatoes

English peas

Beans.

Sweet corn

Cabbage Family cover crop

Green manures

Good Area for OrchardsGood Area for Orchards

Catch and store energyCatch and store energy

• Need to catch some human energy to implement plans

• Constructed pond/wetland with windmill to aerate (future design)

• Possible conversion of the pig barn to passive solar/bioshelter (future design)

• Other—wind—solar panels exploration• Rain barrel installed in garden

Integrate rather than segregate

• Guild and companion plantings—apple guild and walnut guild around established old trees (see design)

• Mixed orchard plan

Use and Value Diversity

• Catalogue existing plants growing on farm • Plant several varieties of each fruit (see

design)• Rotate annual crops• Get more folks involved in planning

Use edges and value the marginal

• Rocks plentiful – spiral garden, medicine wheel

garden—Spring 2005– Try micro-climate using dry

walls– Edges woods currently have

bramble berries• American Chestnut Foundation

– Plant 50 American Chestnut seedlings—2006 order now for next spring—will probably not survive, but can study and increase the gene pool

– Search for Chestnut seedlings on farm—note all buildings are built from Chestnut wood

Peace

Medicine Wheel Garden with Vulnerable Medicine Wheel Garden with Vulnerable PlantsPlants

Arabis patens Sullivant spreading rockcress

Amelanchier bartramiana (Tausch) M. Roemeroblongfruit serviceberry

Coreopsis rosea Nutt pink tickseed

Cynoglossum virginianum L. var. boreale (Fern.) Cooperrider wild comfrey

http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/topics.cgi?earl=plant_profile.cgi&symbol=ARPA2

American Chestnut FoundationAmerican Chestnut Foundation

Creatively Use and Respond to Change

• Revise plans based on whether working new circumstances

• Build in taking feedback and self-organization• Anticipate know succession patterns of plants

and people in plans• Value and preserve the past—restore the

cookhouse—oldest building we think—study Native American ways

• Build on failures

CHEARS MissionCHEARS Mission

• CHEARS was organized to monitor, understand, and enhance the life and health of the Chesapeake Bay Bioregion. We study our watershed’s local and global interrelationships, share our knowledge, express our concerns in art, and support each other and our likeminded partners in ecological action. CHEARS projects are conceived, developed and implemented by volunteers.

Projects Projects • Place Based Education and Research Projects• Watershed Tracing: Follow the water from a spring on Wild

Meadows Farm near the Eastern Divide in Pennsylvania as it joins Bob’s Creek, then observe its transformations as it joins successively Dunning’s Creek, the Juniata River, the Susquehanna River, the Cheseapeake Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean.

• Wild Meadows Farm Stewardship: Wild Meadows Farm demonstration project, focused on farm survey, preservation, conservation, and transformation

• Identifying Bird-Links: Identify and track bird species from several sites in the bioregion, determine their seasonal migration patterns, nesting, and feeding patterns, and understand and strengthen partnerships with other bioregions

• Eco-Nature Arts Workshops -- facilitate artistic expression through nature arts workshops at Wild Meadows Farm

Projects Projects • One Yard at a Time Eco-Friendly Landscape

Cooperative Aided by permaculture principles households support each other in re-designing their yards to reduce run-off to the Bay and are helped by members in implementing and maintaining healthy yards and gardens. Suburban/Urban Land Stewardship---

• Innovating --- Chesapeake Teamwork for the Next Upcoming Thing (CHESTNUT)

ResourcesResources

• http://www.pnga.net/links1.html• http://landru.myhome.net/burntridge/nuts.html#ha

zelnut• American Chestnut Foundation

http://www.patacf.org/• http://www.nuttrees.com/• http://www.grimonut.com/section2.htm#catsec2• http://www.badgersett.com/• Western PA Conservancy

– http://www.wpconline.org– http://www.growingcenter.org/findus.html