Urban AgricultureTurning an urban homestead into an integrated and

sustainable, social enterprise.

Restoring Community, Protecting the Land and Informing the Earth’s Stewards114 Upper Prince Street, CharlottetownPrince Edward Island, Canada C1A4S3

Phone: (902) 367-0390; E-mail: ibs_pei@yahoo.com

www.ibspei.ca

Workshop Agenda

• Permaculture Design Principals• Edible Landscaping• LED Grow Lights• Solar Greenhouses• Living Walls and Rooftop Gardens• Social Enterprise• Urban Homestead Design

Permaculture = "permanent" & “culture."

Its roots evolve from • the design of sustainable

agricultural systems,• techniques and principles

of ecologically designed communities,

• urban restoration and self-reliant regions.

in such a way that all life benefits (i.e. human and non-human).

Permaculture Ethics and Guiding Principles

Permaculture Ethics• Care of land;• Care of people;• Reduce

consumption and share surplus.

Principle 1: Ethics, care of land and people

Caring for the land, people and all lifewould be a step forward for all.

Principle 2: Relative location

The strategic selection and placement of plants, animals, structures, etc., so that the yields of one element become the requirements for another element

What does the chicken produce that can be used by other elements in the design?

Principle 3: Multiple functions, single element

Every element should provide at least three functions.

• A "living" fence can act as a barrier, act as a windbreak, and provide food and medicine for the family.

• When designed into a system, bees can provide; food, income, and pollination.

Principle 4: Multiple elements, single function

Multiple elements for a single function adds diversity and makes the local ecosystem more resilient to environmental fluctuations.

For instance, for heating a structure, the elements would include: • body heat from animals, • south facing windows, and • the use of thermal mass to store

the collected heat.

Principle 5: Efficient energy planning

The goal is to help reduce the amount of effort (primarily human labour)

The property is divided into zones related to how frequently each zone is visited.

The more intensive the activity the closer to human habitation it should be.

Zones and Sectors

• Zone Zero - Home• Zone One – Home Garden• Zone Two – Home Orchard• Zone Three – Farm• Zone Four – Managed Forest• Zone Five - Wilderness

Sectors take into consideration the natural elements and wildlife.

Principle 6: Biological resources

• Move away from monocultures.

• Mimic the diversity and resistant qualities of natural systems.

• Focus on utilizing energy flows (water, wind, etc.) that pass through a region.

Principle 7: Energy recycling

Energy flowing through the system is used in many ways.

• Water systems might create keyline swales and dams as it passes through the landscape.

• Energy recycling wouldalso include recovering biogas from waste and orientating structures to obtain maximum solar gain.

Principle 8: Maximize diversity

• Build stability by maximizing diversity, in terms of plants animals and in terms of livelihood.

• Maximize the number of beneficial interactions

• Create as many microsites, and habitats as possible by increasing edges, patterns, and plant guilds.

Principle 9: Stacking

Stack elements in vertical and horizontal space as well as in time to grow as much as possible in a vertical plane so larger areas of land can be put back into a more natural state in the hope of healing the planet.

Principle 10: Appropriate technology

Use implements that are locally made, can be repaired locally, and usedwith the skills of local people.

Also, have less reliance on fossil fuels.

E.F Schumacher, ‘Small is Beautiful’

Principle 11: Scale

Return to smaller scale technology and a balance with technical diversity.

http://www.ferrari-tractors.com/smallscale.htm

Mollison's 7 Permaculture Laws

• (1) Everything is connected to everything else.

• (2) Everything gardens.

Mollison's 7 Permaculture Laws

(3) Yield of a system is theoretically unlimited. Limited only by the imagination and experience of the designer.

(4) "Protracted and thoughtful observation, rather than protracted and thoughtlesslabour."

Mollison's 7 Permaculture Laws

5) The problem is in the solution, or everything works both ways. Problems turned into assets and wastes into resources.

(6) Stay out of the bush; it is already in good order.

Mollison's 7 Permaculture Laws

(7) Work with nature instead of against it.

Edible Landscaping

Optimizing Use of Small Space

Vertical Gardens

Outdoor Vertical Summer Gardens

Experimental Outdoor, Year-round Wall

Vertical Herb and Flower Garden

FruitBlack Current

Blueberries

Haskap Berries

Haskap Berries

Haskap Hedge with SedumBlack Currant in Foreground

Haskap Berry

Propagating Black Currants

Rhubarb & Fiddleheads

Rhubarb

Hops(1/8 acre: 500# flowers/100,000 litres of beer)

Agro-Forestry

Mulberry Black Raspberry

Food Forest Garden Plant List

HeartnutCherry

Asian Pears European Pears

Food Forest Garden Plant List

PlumsPlumcots

Chum

Food Forest Garden Plant List

Apple

Dwarf Peach

SeaberryNectarine

ApricotFood Forest Garden Plant List

Almonds

Quince Shipova – Pear x Mtn Ash

Aronia - Choke BerryFood Forest Garden Plant List

Pawpaw

Persimmon

Gooseberries

Food Forest Garden Plant List

Apple Trellis System

Grape Trellised on HouseSpring 2012 August 2012

Grape Arbour

Kiwi Arbour and Straw bale Garden

Hardy Kiwi and Rhubarb

Straw bale Garden

Container Grown Mint

Wild Mint

Edible Landscape Video Linkshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2bvThJn9gQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQDISDZnpPw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKwJ6pIWqLw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSsCvpDbMW8

Books by Rosalind Creasy

LED Grow Lights

11’x15’ Indoor Grow Room; 154 mature plantsThere is a capacity for mature 400 plants, using the same systems,

in this room and still have room for a four trier germination rack

LEDs for Home and Commercial Gardening

Omega Garden

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84zh7XL15n8&feature=related

Self-watering Planter

1 2

3 4

Planters on Decks

Structures

Small-scale Coops & ‘Tractors’

Root Cellars

http://rootcellarsrock.ca/food-skills-workshops/

Rooftops

Green, Green, Greenhouse

Shed & Hydro-Garden

Gardens & Sheds

Insulated Cold framesApril

Insulated Cold framesMay

Insulated Cold framesJune

LivestockQuail

Chicken

Partridge

Worms

Red Wiggler Worms

Common Earthworms

Bees

Urban Bee Yard

Indoor Wall Mounted Observation Hive

‘www.bonterrabees.com’

Solar Greenhouse Rules of ThumbDesign:•If the greenhouse is longer than 16ft., the East and West walls should be solid.•For maximum solar heat gain, the glazed, south side should be tilted to the same degree latitude you are located at, plus 15 degrees.•For maximum solar benefit on plant growth the glazed, south side should be tilted to latitude plus 5 degrees•Snow can reflect 50 more total radiation through a vertical wall than a tilted wall can transmit.•The angle of the north roof should approximate 30 degrees to reflect light down on the inside.•There should be a double doorway/vestibule on the main entrance if the greenhouse is not attached to another building.•Insulate with R-20 in the walls and R-40 the roof.

Solar Greenhouse Rules of ThumbFoundation:•For a greenhouse less than 300sq. ft. should be attached, a pit or dug into the side of a hill.•The floor in a five foot deep pit (no wider than 12ft.) will average 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit, year round; providing warmth in the winter and cooling in the summer.

Glazing:•Glazing should equal at least 1/4 of the total floor area.•R-12 insulation over the glazing for 14 hours will reduce the buildings heat loss by one half.•The south wall should be double glazed.•The east and west walls should be a triple glazed.•The north wall should be insulated and painted white.

Solar Greenhouse Rules of ThumbHeat Storage:•Choose building materials that absorb heat quickly.•Use as much storage as possible.•Use at least 1/2 cubic foot of stone or 4 gallons of water/sq.ft. of glazing•Insulate the perimeters of the foundation.•If it gets above 90 degrees in December, January, or February more storage is needed.•Provide heat storage directly below plants.•Rocks 3/4 of an inch to 1 1/2 inches in diameter are most suitable for storage bins.•The surface area of the storage should be at least equal to the floor area.

Location:•The greenhouse should face within 30 degrees of true south.•No obstruction as tall as the greenhouse should be within 4 1/2 times the height of the house.•Provide a wind break on the north side with trees, buildings, or hills.•If the floor area is less than 200sq. ft., the greenhouse should be attached to another building.

Solar Greenhouse Rules of ThumbPlant Care:•If the greenhouse faces 15 degrees east of south, it will benefit plant response to light intensity.•Red and blue light from painted walls will promote healthy growth and earlier flowering.•Plants prefer fluctuating temperatures from day to night.•Water once/ day during summer and once/ week during winter.

Solar Heat Benefit:•During the day a greenhouse can put excess heat into an attached building heating an area over twice its own size.•A greenhouse will raise the humidity of an attached structure about 5 percent.•An attached greenhouse is usually cooler than a freestanding structure since 10-15 percent of the sun's radiation is blocked by the adjoining structure.

Ventilation:

•Vents should equal 1/6 of the floor area with uppers of 1/3 larger than the lowers.

•Fans regulating air flow should circulate four(4) cubic feet per square foot of glazing per minute.

•Low vent windows should swing open at the top to aid thermo-circulation and deter low flying insects from entering the house.

•Upper vents should be located along the upper ridge or on opposite side wall that a lower vent/door is located.

Solar Greenhouse Rules of Thumb

THE PEI ARK – an early exploration in weaving together the sun, wind, biology, and architecture on behalf of humanity.

Outdoor algae ponds

Ark – Kitchen Garden

Ark Commercial Garden

Ark Garden with Aquaculture Tanks

Bedding Plants

Veggie Greens

The PEI Ark Active and Passive Solar

Bioshelter

Helen and Scott Nearing ‘Living the Good Life’

Nearing ‘Sun-Heated Greenhouse’

Nearings Forest FarmHarbourside, Maine

The ‘New Garden House’

Helen and Scott Nearing Greenhouse Harbourside, Maine

Aquaponic Container Farm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKEIkc98qtE&feature=player_embedded#!

Aquaponics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCCN4nq7BlQ&feature=share

Attached Solar/AquaponicGreenhouse

Green Roof Systems

Vertical Gardens and Green RoofsSee: www.atlanticlivingwalls.ca

and www.ibspei.ca

Grow Your Own Mushrooms

Oyster Shitake

First Mushroom Harvest

Mushrooms

Ethnic CropsIndian Carrots

Pak Choi

Chinese Cabbage

Chinese Mustard

Ethnic Crops

Kohlrabi

Japanese Spinach

Chinese Radish

Ethnic CropsCeltuce

RapiniChinese Broccoli

Japanese Turnip

Okra

Daikon Radish

Japanese Egg Plant

Urban Agriculture – Be Careful What You Wish For

Urban Agriculture – Be Careful What You

Wish For

Social Enterprise inthe Age of Responsibility

Key Principles in the Age of Responsibility

Considered Design- Less energy, less waste, reusable resources

•Eliminate Waste, •Generate Benign Emissions, •Use Renewable Energy, •Close the Loop on Production, •Use Resource Efficient Transportation, •Sensitize Stakeholders, •Redesign Commerce

Life Cycle Assessment and Biomimicry

In the Age of Responsibility the company contributes to and becomes part of the community. It is not just something to invest in or work at. It is something to believe in.

From: •Paternalistic Philanthropy •Risk-based Defensive Responses •Marginal impacts •Western view •Obsolete Products •Annual CSR reports •Stakeholder groups •CSR Departments •Brand/Image Public Relations

To: •Collaborative Partnerships •Reward-based Proactive Strategies •Scalable •Global Consciousness •Service-based, take-back economy •On-line, real time data flows •Social networks •CSR Incentives •Social, Environmental, and Ethical Performance

Consultation, Design and Project Management

Community and Corporate Social Responsibility,Urban Homesteading and Farming,Green Roofs and Living Walls,Solar Greenhouses,Aquaponics,Contact:The Institute for Bioregional Studies Ltd.

www.ibspei.ca; phil@ibspei.ca

Thank You

Restoring Community, Protecting the Land and Informing the Earth’s Stewards114 Upper Prince Street, CharlottetownPrince Edward Island, Canada C1A4S3

Phone: (902) 367-0390; E-mail: ibs_pei@yahoo.com

www.ibspei.ca