This is a Permaculture plan for a 4.5 acre low income senior housing development.

In May 2011 I organized a conference and course for Oregon Housing and Community Services, the state agency that builds low income housing. While at the conference, I connected with developer Rob Roy of Pacific Crest Affordable Housing, and he had me design the site plan for this property in La Pine, Oregon. La Pine is up above 4200' elevation: cold, dry, and windy. Below is the text that is on the drawing. 1 BIOMASS EARTHEN BERM When clearing vegetation from the site, pile waste wood on the ground in the shape of these berms. Then when excavating bio-swales and basins, mound the excavated soil over the woody debris. Plant berms with cactus and other hardy plants that do not require irrigation. 2 CHICKEN COOP Chickens are rotated through different paddocks that are cropped with food gardens when chickens are moved. Gardens are irrigated with harvested rainwater and treated effluent from the eco-machines.

3 GREENHOUSE WITH ECOMACHINE 2600 sq.ft. greenhouse includes an Ecomachine biological water treatment plant that will process the wastewater from the apartment complex. This water will be treated and tested with the goal of producing irrigation water for greenhouse food crops and other horticultural products. This treated water will also supply the spiral stream garden in summer, and be used to irrigate other outdoor landscaping and gardens.The water from the greenhouse roof will be collected is storage tanks adjacent to the greenhouse that will also be used for irrigation and thermal mass. 4 PROPOSED ECO-EDUCATION CENTER Rainwater from roof collects in tanks next to the South greenhouse. Connected to greenhouses by overhead trellis planted in vines. 5 RAINWATER HARVESTING TANKS 5000 gallon black or dark green HDPE water tanks can be sheathed in cedar planks and trellised with plants for aesthetics. To avoid freezing, build earth up around the base of the tanks and keep plumbing under ground with appropriate shutoff valves. Tanks adjacent to the greenhouses can be plumbed directly into them. Plumb tank overflows into bio-swales or other planting areas. Follow best practices for installation as put forth by ARCSA (American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association). 6 IRRIGATED HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL GARDENS Perennial edible, medicinal, and beneficial insect attracting plants are irrigated from treated effluent and stored rainwater. Finished grade is at least 2 below the sidewalk for water retention. Garden is well-mulched. 7 UNDERGROUND RAINWATER HARVESTING CISTERN 40,000 gallons of rainwater storage is under this parking area. Water will be pumped for irrigation of coldframe gardens and other landscape areas. Water will not be collected off of the new asphalt shingled roof for two years while off-gassing and aging occurs in order to ensure water quality for irrigation of food gardens. 8 FRUIT TREES Late blooming frost hardy varieties of fruit trees planted in ideal microclimates: up against the South face of the apartment complex, tucked between water catchment tanks and the sun facing patio. Locate varieties appropriate to high elevation arid landscapes: Apples, Plums, Apricots, ? 9 SHALLOW BIO-SWALE Allows water to collect, but is not too steep to allow for easy access to fruit trees for maintenance and harvest. Greywater from the laundry system is also diverted into this swale for summer irrigation of fruit trees. The Branched Drain greywater system is recommended. 10 BIO-SWALE SNOW DUMP Water collection basin harvests runoff from hardscape surfaces, roadways, and roofs to infiltrate water into soil and support unirrigated vegetation. When snow is cleared from paths and roadways, it is dumped in these basins. Vegetation should be able to survive without supplemental irrigation. Native and useful species are preferred.

The Parkallen Community Garden received official approval by the City of Edmonton on June 3, 2011. So were digging it this spring!

Future Site of the Parkallen Community Garden at 65th Ave in Ellingson Park

Well, were not actually digging it per se, as well be using a no-till strategy to build the soil in our beautiful and innovative pea-pod garden. More on this to come. Here are our final plans: Thanks to Gilbert Catabay, landscape architect with the City of Edmonton; Dustin Bajer, master gardener and permaculture specialist; as well as all the people who attended the Parkallen Community Garden Design Charette on March 5, 2011 at the Parkallen Community League. What an exciting design! Parkallen Pea Pod Garden Plan

The slight diagonal orientation of the garden follows the contour of the land, allowing for more even flow of rainwater into the garden as it runs downhill from the northeast. Community fruit trees and compost bins will be along the rink side of the garden. The garden will use run-off from the rink surface as well as rain water gathered in barrels.

The gravel pad (grey area on the right) will be accessible off the sidewalk on 65th Ave. The garden will run along the length of the hockey rink at Ellingson park. It will be built in phases, (right to left) and not all at once. The plan indicates 36 beds which occupy an area of roughly 400 square meters. Raised beds for gardeners with reduced mobility are also included in the plan. The light brown lines through the garden are mulched pathways. It is designed using a keyhole gardening concept which means that the amount of cultivable land is maximized by making every square foot of garden accessible by the mulched keyhole pathways, but the amount of total area dedicated to pathways is minimized. The Parkallen Community Garden is one phase of the Parkallen Park Re-Development Plan:

F.Y.I. this is not us:

This is a City of Edmonton construction laydown area for the road re-construction crews who will be replacing roads throughout Parkallen this summer.