In March of 2006, Tulsi and Norris purchased a small house on a .2 acre lot, and used permaculture principles to design their food forest, sun garden, and house renovation. They aimed to
create a low-maintenance, truly sustainable habitat for 2-4 people plus wildlife, providing from the property all necessary food, heating & cooking fuel, water, and waste treatment. Join us for a reality
check on what's worked and what hasn't, what seems theoretically possible for the future, and what all this means to the oxymoronic
goal of a sustainable city.
Many more details available at http://farmerscrub.blogspot.com
2. SELF SUFFICIENCY
FIVE YEARS IN
Summer 2009
March 2006
More details at
farmerscrub.blogspot.com
3. Site Info
β NE Portland, OR. Mediterranean climate, Zone 8
β Slopes slightly north
β Almost full sun access
β Well-drained, very rocky soil
β Began with almost no topsoil, nitrogen 1 ppm
β Inherited 1200 ftΒ² of asphalt driveway, and ~6350
ftΒ² of anemic lawn
β Two large seedling cherries on property line
β βLittle shack on the prairieβ - small house in need
of some major work
4. Site Info β Land Area Stats
β Lot officially 50' x 175' = 8750 ftΒ² = .2 acres
β With unused parking strip 50' x 183' = 9150 ftΒ²
β House & garage & carport & porch = ~1620 ftΒ²
β Storage shed, chicken coop, wood shed, compost area =
400 ftΒ²
β Material handling zone = ~200 ftΒ²
β Side yard hang-out area = ~80 ftΒ²
β Paths = ~ 2000 ftΒ²
β Growing space + paths = ~6850 ftΒ²
β Actual growing space = ~4850 ftΒ², non-growing=~4300 ftΒ²
5. Site Info β Ecoroof
β Added 500 ftΒ² of
ecoroof in fall 2010,
with 500 ftΒ² more
planned for this
spring
β 400 ftΒ² of actual
growing space
β Experimenting with
food production; too
early to report results
6. st
1 Year: March β September 2006
β Sheet mulched grass
β Bought in 6 cubic yards
of mixed soil for instant
annual beds
β Planted in wood chips &
large pots
β Got chickens, bees,
fungi
β Observed site: sun,
water, wind, traffic & use
patterns
β Discussed goals & ideas
7. Site goals: Big picture
β Self-sufficiency for 2-4 people in:
β Food - balanced paleodiet, (not 5 pounds of potatoes per day!)
β Water
β Heating & Cooling
β Cooking
β Lighting
β Waste treatment
β Sustainable β really
β Giving back to the land more than we take
β Not dependent on civilization after establishment
β No pollution (exported waste)
β Create habitat β support wildlife, bees, birds, insects
8. Site goals: Garden
β Nutritious, diverse abundance
β Protein crops β nuts, eggs, and meat
β Peaceful & quiet β
nature sounds
β Low maintenance
β Minimal digging
β Urban model
β Inspirational
β Beautiful
β Alive & vibrant
9. Site goals: House Renovation
Goals Parameters
β Comfortable without fossil
fuels & civilization β Space for 3-4 people
β Welcoming & inviting β $25 - $30,000 budget
β End result attractive to β Mostly DIY
buyers for resale β Meets code
β Low maintenance β
mudrooms & outdoor
shower to keep dirty people
(Norris) under control
β Model for low-budget DIY
techniques
Began Summer 2009
Expect end Summer '11
10. Design process: September 2006
β Only observed 6 months before
beginning food forest & site design,
not full 12 months
β Permaculture principles
β Based on Edible Forest Gardens by
Dave Jacke & Eric Toensmeier
β Created accurate base map, cut out
tree & shrub circles to scale, and
shuffled around to maximize
numbers of trees & shrub spots
β Left adequate space for paths &
understory sunlight
β Prioritized favorite fruit & nut trees &
shrubs to fit available spots
β βPlantedβ tall bamboo poles to
represent trees & shrubs
11. Yard Design Elements
β Food forest β Cooking & heating fuel
β Canopy trees β Summer shade for house
β Berries & hangout areas
β Herbaceous understory
β Sun garden (Zone 1)
β Chickens
β Bees
β Ecoroof (came later)
β Hangout areas
β Material handling zone
β Water integration
13. Element: Food forest
β Best fit for goals of low
maintenance, nutritious
abundance, diversity,
protein crops, and habitat
creation
β Encompasses entire
food growing area except
ecoroofs and zone 1 sun
garden
β Most woody plants
planted by spring of 2007
17. Element: Food forest
Herbaceous Understory
β Theoretical polyculture
assigned to each tree
β Very experimental: little
experience with most of
the desired herbaceous
plants
β N-fixers, nutrient
accumulators, beneficial
insectaries, aromatic pest
confusers, ground
covers, plus direct yields
for us
18. Element: Sun Garden
β Mostly perennial veggies:
low maintenance, soil
building, habitat creation,
& nutritious diversity
β Some annuals for things
w/o perennial subs
(tomatoes, melons,
squash, etc)
β Main greens growing area
β ~ 1000 ftΒ² including paths
β Circular layout w/wide
keyhole beds
20. Element: Chickens
β Kept since summer 2006
β Backyard as playground
β Integrated into food forest
β Fed dumpstered food
β Mainly for eggs, but eat
them as they age or die
β Goal to feed them onsite
21. Element: Bees
β Kept since spring 2006
β 2 colonies each spring
β Langstroth & Top Bar
hives
β Minimal maintenance
β Usually 1+ die each
winter
β Restock w/volunteers or
captured swarms
β Harvesting ~30 lbs/year
from dead colonies
22. Element: Food preservation
β Eat fresh in season
β Staggered yields
β Storable foods β nuts,
seeds, honey, eggs
β Solar dehydration β fruits,
berries, fungi
β Wood stove dehydration β
fall crops
β Fermentation
β Limited canning
β Root cellar
β Small livestock
23. Element: Rainwater
β Soil primary catchment;
we added ~9,000 gallons
by adding 8-9β topsoil and
removing driveway
β New metal roof
β Ecoroofs will catch, hold,
& use some rainwater
β One or two ~5000 gallon
water tanks
β Mulch to conserve water
β Perennial plants
24. Element: Rainwater
β Little implemented so far
β Sunspace ecoroof drains
fill 3 backyard bath tubs,
~150 gallons storage
β Front porch drain will fill 2
55 gallon rainbarrels then
~300 gallon pond
β Carport & garage roofs will
irrigate plants in hedgerow.
Could fill some rainbarrels
first
β 5 gal. buckets as stopgap
25. Element: Greywater
β Bathtub, kitchen &
bathroom sinks: ~20?
gallons/day into mini
wetland (buried hot tub
filled with gravel)
β ~50%?? overflows into
buried bathtub β clean
water for irrigation
β Laundry to Landscape
~30 gallons/week
26. Element: Aquaculture
β Very simple, no
pumps/greenhouses/
etc. desired
β Aquatic plants β
wapato, cattail, etc
β Aquatic floaters β
duckweed & azolla for
livestock
β Fish β Gambusia &
goldfish for humans &
livestock
27. Element: Fuel wood
β Not based on hard
numbers, just hope
β Coppice for firewood
β Black locust
β Elaeagnus
β Hazel
β Chestnut?
β Mulberry?
β Paulownia new planting
β Woody prunings for
rocket stove
28. Element: Hot water
β Not implemented
β 160 ftΒ² solar water panels
β Solar pump: water into
insulated pondliner box
(plywood) under house
β City water flows thru 300' of
1β PEX in tank (12 gallons
storage)
β Excess thermosiphons (or
pumped) into radiant floor
tubing
β Wood stove can heat water
29. Element: House heating
β Passive solar sunspace
w/thermal mass
β Bathtubs add some
reflected light/heat
β Minimize winter tree shade
β Wood stove β should really
be a rocket stove
β Lots of insulation, ~R30 avg
all around
β Windows all insulated
30. Element: House cooling
β Summer shade, winter
sun
β Black locusts east side
β Black walnut SW corner
β Grapes on south trellis
β Ventilation
β Sunspace thermal mass
β Cold water through
radiant floor pipes
31. Element: House lighting
β Sunspace
β Bathtubs add light
β Windows in most rooms
β Privacy window between
sunspace & bathroom
β Mostly living with sun
β Headlamps w/solar
battery charger
β Considered light tubes,
but very expensive
33. Design mistakes Problems
β Not designing rotating β SLUGS
chicken paddocks β Mushroom logs dried out
β No ducks β Nettles overwhelmed Ribes
β Omitting nursery area β Raspberry die off
β Omitting secure material β Kiwi establshment (arctic,
handling zone hardy, & fuzzy)
β Pawpaws in driveway β Olives dead
β N-fixers not necessary
β Yellowhorns weak
β Chilean guavas freeze
β Planting garlic w/drought
intolerant plants β Salal & evergreen hucks dry
β Assumed cold winter east β Path maintenance-depends
wind on woodchips
β Lack of security
β Lonely for community
34. Adjustments
β Planned for 1000s of β Minor shrub changes
gallons in water tanks but: β Bamboo shoehorned in
β Too much space required β Mulberry not planted
β Not economical after ~400 until fall 2010
gallons per 1000 ftΒ² roof
area β Even fewer annuals
β 100% gravity feed difficult than orig. expected
β Rely on Bull Run β Ongoing experiments
watershed as giant gravity herbaceous perennials
fed system
β All new polycultures
β Outdoor kitchen moved
β Food balance (greens
β House expanded extra 2'
vs roots vs berries etc)
35. Results: Accomplishments
Meeting our needs
β No fossil fuels for heat (but most wood imported)
β Minimal gas for cooking (rocket stove would
eliminate natural gas dependency)
β No need for sewer
β Garden goes til June w/o needing imported water
β 675 calories, 40 mins maintenance & harvest per
day
β Should scale well as fruit & nut trees begin bearing
β Ducks will add low-maint. high-efficiency calories
β Many calories from animal products imported from off-site
36. Results: Accomplishments
Meeting needs of others
β Habitat creation &
support of biodiversity
β More & new insects,
spiders, soil critters
β More bird activity
β More worms, richer soil
β More trees & woody
growth
β Educational model β
tours & classes
β Source of seeds & plants
for others
40. Results: Greens harvest by month
β Way more greens than we
need in mid to late spring Ounces greens per day
25
β Dwindles in summer,
especially without irrigation 20
β Picks up again in fall
15
β Falls off cliff w/ hard freeze
10
β Available through winter, but
takes longer to harvest 5
β Picking up in early spring
0
β These #s affected by our April
June
August
October February
December April
immersion in house project
41. Results: Animal products calories
1%
12%
Eggs - 184
kcal per day
Honey - 95
kcal per day
Chicken
Squirrel & Rat
30%
58%
43. Results: Root harvest by month
β Abundant from late fall til
early spring Calories of roots per day
400
β Scarce in summer, 350
besides garlic in August 300
β Potatoes comprise much 250
of summer harvest 200
150
100
50
0
June October February
April August December April
44. Results: Food preservation
β Much solar dehydration
(mostly off-site fruit)
β Cherries dry on tree
β βGarden scrap kim cheeβ
β Created root cellar
β Freezer for bulk meat
purchases
β Fridge - often βwhere
food goes to dieβ
β Easier w/more ppl to eat
perishables
45. Results: Conditioning & cooking
β We'll burn ~1.5 cords wood this
season - would need 1.5 acres
to grow (!)
β House heating projects
incomplete: insulation,
sunspace windows, solar hot
water
β Should use rocket stoves to heat
& cook plus hayboxes
β Cooking J. artichokes eats wood
β Drying laundry eats wood
β Body acclimatization to cold
temps helps a lot
β Run fan sometimes in summer,
but not necessary
β Dress appropriately!
46. Results: Lighting
β Haven't installed all planned windows yet
β Sunspace doesn't allow as much light into kitchen as
hoped during gray winter. Does great on sunny days.
β Haven't adapted to living w/sun β still use electric lights
β Headlamps alone for
artificial light would
work
β Haven't really tested
ability of solar battery
charger to keep up
in winter
47. Results: Summary
Self-sufficiency Sustainable
β X Food (can feed 1/3 of a β β Giving back to the land
person) more than we take
β X Water β Not dependent on
civilization after
β X Heating establishment (will always
β β Cooling depend on water supply)
No pollution (could get there
X Cooking
β
β
by not buying packaged
β Lighting (close) food)
Waste treatment (still
β Create habitat β support
β
β
generate garbage, especially
from house project)
wildlife, bees, birds, insects
49. Future theoretical possibilities
β Could maybe feed one person
β Could meet heating & cooking needs by
implementing all strategies and living with
whatever temperature is possible β 50s?
β Could meet all other goals except water self
sufficiency
50. Future yields
β Fruit trees may yield
~350 lbs/year
β Berries may yield
~200 lbs/year
β Walnuts & filberts
may yield ~80 lbs,
chestnuts 10 lbs/year
51. Future development: Meat
β Ducks!
β Live under front porch
β Free range front yard
β Eat slugs
β Rabbits
β Live on roof w/access to
ecoroof
β Feed alfalfa, black locust,
comfrey, paulownia
β Trap or shoot squirrels
β Expand chicken fodders
52. Future development: Seed crops
β Plant 15+ Oikos Tree
Crops dwarf oaks for
human & poultry acorns
β Grow more fennel
seed
β Breed Good King Henry
for seed production
β Experiment w/perennials
for humans or poultry
β Legume seeds (favas,
peas, runner beans...)
53. Future development: Root crops
β Adjust seasonal balance
β Cinnamon vine bulbils
β Yellow asphodel
β More summer potatoes
β Diversify
β Develop polycultures
β Mashua & jerusalem art &
chinese art. or silverweed
β Lily & chinese artichoke
β Oca & lily & yellow asphodel
β Oca & skirret & potato
β Skirret & garlic
β Grow for poultry
54. Cities: Implications
β If can feed one person
& fuel one house from
our lot, then Portland
can support ~280,000
ppl.
β Currently ~600k ppl.
β So everyone needs to
do what we're doing,
only do a better job of
it, and kick out more
than Β½ the population.
β Our conclusion...
55. Conclusion: Let's move to Hawaii!
β No need to heat or cool
β Don't even need clothes
β Fill our shorts with wild
avocados instead