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.