Our mission is to have fun, while respecting and honoring each member's opinions, insights, and ideas. We will hold the integrity of the team together with clear communication, intentionally listening with patience and supporting the individual leadership of each member, all the while being as efficient as possible.
Group Goals:
- Clear communication: Using “I” statements, and taking responsibility for your emotions by expressing them and how they came about for you.
- Communicating clearly about when you will be late, can't keep a meeting, and if you have any miss-communications or questions.
- Having integrity inside of your commitments and being respectful of each other and each individuals ideas and inputs.
- Intentionally listening with patience to each persons' ideas surrounding the project.
- Empowering and encouraging each other in sharing and leadership communicated clearly through hugs and love.
- Conducting efficient meetings by developing an agenda and designating a meeting Facilitator, Scribe and Vibe-Checker.
Personal Strengths:
Morgan: Artistic, Design-Oriented, Creative, Tech-Comfortable, Likes talking in front of people, Can talk to anyone, Knowledge in the retail/selling side of organic produce, Excited to learn
Group First Meeting Reflections:
On Friday (4-15-11), my design project team assembled and after class, we met to construct our mission statement, group goals, and to discuss each of our own personal strengths. All in all, I felt like the process of our coming together happened very smoothly. I love that we all genuinely like each other and feel so similar about communication and how we should manage ourselves as a group. Our first envisioning process went extremely smoothly and I could already feel that the values we were putting into words were being demonstrated through our communication process of what our values should be. I am excited to be a part of such a positive group, all people who I already feel I can work well with.
Site Visit & First Impressions:
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| Older pic of the house, from real estate website, zillow.com |
I viewed several pre-existing elongated raised beds, constructed out of re-used logs. There were some other logs lying along some of these beds, and they were beginning to decompose. In the back, the only two trees still in the growing phase I saw, were one evergreen pine in the northeast side of the lot and one very large tree (silver maple?) to the northwest of the lot, potentially bordering the boundary between Seth’s and the western neighbor’s property. This very large tree seemed to have experienced some sort of breakage and damage as the south side of the branches were broken, leaving the south side of the tree pretty bare. Below this tree appeared to be two piles of compost or ready to be used woody material for compost building. There was a lean-to shed south of the big tree, housing cut logs underneath. The middle area of the yard consisted of grass, though there was one cleared out patch of exposed soil that was about 4’x3’.
I didn’t get very many other first impressions of the site before Seth came out of his house and we began the client interview. Other things I can mention is the site’s proximity to the train tracks (about 2-3 blocks away to the north) and that he lives within one block of one of the busier street in this area, 2nd Street.
Client Interview and Previous Land Use:
Refer to needs of client, taking into account any information regarding the history of the site.
Goals Outline:
I. Vision: We integrate many systems of land utilization and sustainable structures, with a focus on cost effectiveness, to create an edible, beautiful and harmonious landscape, which will be a legacy for future generations.
A. Many systems of land utilization
1. We effectively use water
a. Solving gutter drainage issues
b. Water catchment
c. Tyre pond
d. Swale
e. Berm & Basin?
f. Greywater?
2. We maximize microclimates of our lot
a. South-facing front garden
b. Plants for growing in the shade
3. We maintain healthy soil
a. Beginning with soil testing
b. Removal of bricks in the soil?
c. Kitchen scrap composting
d. Worm Composting
e. Hot Compost
f. Mulch
4. We maximize the use of time and space
a. Plant stacking
b. Time stacking
c. Phasing
5. We create and maintain healthy relationships between the elements on our property
a. Guilds
B. Sustainable Structures
1. We establish regenerative vegetative structures
a. Fruit tree Espallier
b. Wall of Kiwiberry vines
c. Plum tree archway
d. Berry U-shaped structures
C. Edible, Beautiful, Harmonious Landscape
1. We grow as many edibles as possible
a. Fruit and nut trees planted by the end of the summer
b. Fruit bearing Vines
c. Annual vegetable gardening
2. The landscape is focused on food, cooking and eating
a. Courtyard with eating area
b. Cooking Herbs
c. Chicken eggs
3. We value beauty in our landscape
a. Flowers/edible flowers
b. Beauty in design with espaliers and walls of fruit
D. Cost Effectiveness
1. We are not tied to any on label or theory in our design, and though we value methods that are the most environmentally harmonious, we are not opposed to non-organic methods if necessary.
2. We tap into available waste streams for re-use
i. Packing boxes for sheet mulching
E. Legacy
1. We establish food-bearing trees for Seth’s grandchildren
2. We create our landscape keeping in mind the potential for the homestead to become co-op housing for Sustainable Living Students
Goals Statement:
Seth Braun's City Homestead Project is a home-base that features environmentally harmonious and beautiful edible landscaping. The land design maximizes vertical and lateral spaces for growing food, and is oriented toward maintaining healthy soils through various forms of composting and recycling kitchen scraps. The City Homestead project integrates many systems of land use that makes the most of the resources available to create a satisfying interrelating system that will provide a legacy of food availability for Seth's grandchildren and future generations to come.
Functional Analysis of Desired Species from the Client:
Analysis and Assessment Questions:
1. Grapes: What is the structure that the grapevines will be trained onto? How much skill in training grapevines is necessary for Seth to accomplish what he wants with his vines? What is the annual care schedule for grapevines that will be useful for Seth to know? How much grape yield does he want? Is the space for the vines adequate for the yield he wants? How will the harvesting be? If it is a grape wall, are we growing the grapes too high for easy harvesting or does he need a tall ladder?
2. Yarrow: Should we grow the Yarrow along with the other herbs because of the qualities it has to repel unwanted insects and to attract beneficial ones? If we grow Yarrow next to other herbs, will the running quality of its root choke out the other herbs? What if we grow the Yarrow near but in a separate bed?
3. Jerusalem Artichoke: Does Seth have a desire to cultivate the tuber of the Jerusalem Artichoke? It sounds like it reproduces a lot and if he does not want some of the roots, perhaps the JA is not the best garden windbreak for him. Where are we going to place the JA in our design? It likes sun, will the sun be blocked out by the grapevine and kiwi wall?
