From Design to Dirt

It is time! The Swamp Rabbit Cafe and their neighbors next door have given us permission to proceed with the design. Time to get our hands in the dirt.

The date for the first phase of the installment is November 3rd, from 2-6pm. It will be done crop mob style with a meal provided at the end by the Swamp Rabbit. Here is what we will be attempting to accomplish:

Laying edging around the front strip.
Constructing the herb spiral.
Assembling the raised hugel beds.
Laying down cardboard and wood chips over the rest of the front area.

Supplies we'll need:

plain cardboard
local source for wood chips
local source for garden soil
field stones
glass wine and olive oil bottles
plastic landscape edging

My husband and I should be able to construct the raised planters

shovels
trowels
wheelbarrows

Perennial herbs and seeds if available:
sage
thyme
lavender
hyssop
(there is already rosemary, oregano and lemon balm)
garlic

crimson clover seed
oats (seed)

Most of the planting and the smaller planters, the vertical and treehole garden can be added in the spring, but for now we'll have a place to put the existing herbs and we will be planting cover crops on the new beds to prepare the soil.

If you would like to attend or have information on local resources, please see our Facebook page for the event! Thanks! :)

Design for Swamp Rabbit Cafe -2

1. Soil. Since we are not sure what contaminants it may contain, the edible plants are placed in raised beds or containers. It would still be a good idea to get it tested so that it could be remediated. A clean source for garden soil and compost will be needed.

2. I chose crossvine to shade the problem windows and also as a source of nectar for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. It  is somewhat evergreen. It is planted toward the south of the windows where early morning winter sun interferes with work, and on the opposite side toward the north for symmetry. It is a vigorous, native vine, so it would probably be a good idea to plant it in a large container. We'll prune as necessary and remove seed pods in the fall.

3. The rain barrel will hopefully be fitted with a first flush mechanism with an automatic slow release. The area around it contains moisture loving and insectary plants edged with a small rock wall habitat. I have a contact who can help with the barrel repair and can hopefully give advice for an elevated catchment system on the roof of the recessed area on the left, which sits lower than the gutter on the cafe roof. If this can be done, then a gravity drip irrigation can be installed and eliminate the need for tap water in combination with other techniques.

4. Hugelkultur can be used in the raised beds and planters, preferably with already rotted wood from a clean source. Some soils can be excavated from the center of the raised beds for the wood layer, and the height of the wood frame increased to at least 12". Mulch material on the surface can also conserve moisture and perhaps serve as substrate for mushrooms such as oysters grown as companions in the raised beds. Mulch on the walkway between beds can be fresh wood chips which are added to the beds after a year and then replaced. Additional fertilizer can be provided from  local sources (worm castings, rabbit droppings, composted manure)

5. Where possible, recycled items are used, such as wine and olive oil bottles as decorative edging, recycled wooden barrel planters and vessels for rain collection. Where space is an issue along the sidewalk, thin plastic edging can be purchased that is made from recycled material.

6. The "treehole" shaped garden on the left is meant for continuous harvest of greens for all season, including perennials, mixed with edible legumes. The sheltered spot should provide afternoon shade and protection from cold and wind and the use of cloches and edible winter covers can prolong the harvest season.

7. Not pictured are ideas for additional plantings. A shelterbelt along the driveway could be planted with inkberry and winterberry hollies (natives) that would provide holiday cuttings and feed birds. The picnic area could have barrel planters placed at each post (there is a canvas shelter) with the following guild: sunshine blue blueberries (suited for containers) creeping blueberry and groundnut to climb the posts.

Design for Swamp Rabbit Cafe, Phase 1

As the SCUPS project manager for the design and maintenance of the front strip of this establishment, I thought I'd share with everyone the progress so far. Thanks to everyone for your input so far! Above is a view of the area we are starting with. (Please forgive the odd angles and the paradoxical door!) I pasted together 4 shots to get the entire length. Below it is a map drawn to scale.

The exposure is east facing and receives full am sun. There is a very gentle slope to the nw running off the strip onto the sidewalk and a ramp to direct rain onto the parking lot in front. The downspouts from the roof gutter empty into buried drains, although one is bypassed into the barrel.

The raised beds contain a mixture of thriving herbs and few weeds. I noticed rosemary, lots of oregano and lemon balm. The weeds between the beds indicated shallow, wet soil: Virginia buttonweed, nutsedge and crabgrass were dominant. However, there were no puddles after torrential rain earlier in the day.

Windows 4 and 5 receive bright, early sun, making work difficult, especially in winter, when the sun is lower.

There is a little protection from prevailing ne winter and autumn winds, because the area is recessed  from the road, but this may also make it a frost pocket. A windbreak along the roadside and driveway may be in order.

 Swamp Rabbit's Objectives:

1. The design needs to be low maintenance. SCUPS will have responsibility for all maintenance, except perhaps an occasional watering.

2. Signs are needed to let people know what they can pick. The more weatherproof and permanent, the better.

3. Plants for use by the cafe. These include culinary herbs, garlic, and something for holiday deco such as sprigs of holly.

4. Benches for customers. They have someone who can make them and pointed out their general locations, one near the entrance and another between the raised  beds at the opposite end.

5. Upgrade or eliminate the rain barrel. The existing one needs repair and there needs to be a first flush diversion system, the first to be used on non edibles. The hose bibbs also need to be hidden to keep people from drinking from it, a problem they've had in the past.

6. Edging to keep mulch from washing onto the sidewalk.

7. An enclosed area for trash, recycling and farmers' bins. The recessed area connecting the next building beside the front strip could probably be used. We talked about lattice with something climbing on it. I thought later about a bin for food scraps with a SCUPS member set to pick it up, or for use if chickens are added to the property.

8. Budget. They will pay separately for the design, installment and maintenance. We will determine costs and they will decide from there if any negotiation is needed. We didn't get a figure, but we decided on the word "conservative" as opposed to "tightwad" to describe the type of design they are wanting as far as the budget is concerned. The idea of paying with store credit was one I liked very much.

9. Schedule. We decided that I would plan a work day to clean out and winterize the area first with fresh, deep mulch and a few plantings so I would have more time to come up with a good final design, and the soil could be conditioned for spring plantings. Work days could be open to SCUPS members as crop mobs with the cafe providing sandwiches. After the spring installation, maintenance can be done in short sessions for  teams before our monthly meetings, with perhaps a couple work days each year. 

10. Additional areas. The picnic area, woodland, and the grass parking strip, entrance and roadside embankment are available to be designed by SCUPS.