Discussion 5: Scale of Permanence in Case Study 1Courtney Johnson

Climate

In Case Study 1, Climate is something that is very difficult to overcome. Climate is not something that can be changed, and basically provides an outline to what is feasible. It is the most permanent and most difficult to change in Yeomans’ Scale of Permanence. Having this permaculture garden in Massachusetts, the climate is generally cold. This is challenging because there are very few edibles that can thrive in the winter months in MA. It also presents the opportunity to overcome this challenge by incorporating things such as the plastic house they have in the design to grow tropical and subtropical plants. They also mentioned planting things around the house according to the level of sunlight needed so everything could thrive accordingly. Some plants are not used for their intended purpose because of the climate, such as the bananas, but instead they provide biomass and are of use to the neighbors.

Landform and Water

At the site in case study 1, Eric and Jonathan have a relatively small space at about 400 square meters. For one, they have used water to their advantage to grow tropical and subtropical plants. The water in the tanks in the plastic house not only provide nutrition to the plants, but they also act as radiators in the winter though heat exchange with the air in the plastic house to allow the plants to continue to thrive. They originally had wanted to plant 300 species on the land, but realized the landscape worked best at around 200 so they did that instead to make the landscape more resilient. Besides the snow and spring mud, there are not many problems with natural disasters and such to worry about. The spring mud must also be mitigated from the amount of roots in the soil, making it much more stable of a landscape.

Access and Circulation

The first thing that comes to mind about this case study for access to me is the fact that Eric and Jonathan bought this duplex house just so they both could access the garden whenever they wanted to. There are numerous pathways throughout the backyard to allow Eric and Jonathan to get around easily in a way that doesn’tdisrupt the landscape. The shed and the shrubs block neighbors views to keep the garden a bit more private. In the front, the tropical plants seem to be close to the road and right next to driveway areas, and there is also auto access to the side of the backyard closest to the house that runs along the side of the house.

Trees and Structures

It appears that gutters were added to a garage to increase the flow of water into the design. The shed became a blockade from the neighbors yard. The house itself became the place Eric and Jonathan would live as neighbors, but still be able to use the garden collectively with anytime access. Things like raspberries, grapes, and Asian pears were grown against the neighbors fence for stability and privacy. These are just a few examples of how the yard was completely transformed into a perennial garden with over 200 edible species.

Soil

There is a specific section next to the shed that has soil improving plants that are used to richen the soil. Plants like the bananas also provide leaves that are very nutrient rich for the soil. Erik and Jonathan take plants out of their garden that do not work with their design and allow others to take them to recycle, which allows them to also freshen the soil. They have a compost area that is allowing organic matter to decompose and give back to the soil.

Other: Privacy

Eric and Jonathan’s whole reason for purchasing this duplex was to maintain their private space. They realized that through renting property they were not able to do what they wanted to the land because they did not know how permanent it would be for them to live there. They bought this duplex so they would be able to create the space they wanted to without anyone else having any effect on it. They also maintained their privacy by buying a duplex instead of a normal house in the first place. This means they can both live their separate lives, but also both benefit equally from this permaculture design. They enforced the idea of privacy by using things like the shed and hedges as privacy from the neighbors as well.