Urban Permaculture Design 2015 AS min (PDF)

Andrew Snook, Urban Permaculture Design
Petes Permies, Aug 2015 PDC

69 Fulham Rd
Alphington 3078
City of Darebin
Property Size: 669m2
Zone: Urban
Desc: flat property ringed by a 2m high fence, long along the north face and thin 16m x 40m
approx. Lost of rubbish through the soil. A variety of shrubs and trees through the property
including one large Palm tree in the back yard, two Fig tree's and three Plum Trees.
Services: Water, grid power, internet, gas, phone.
Existing Infrastructure:
One house and a garage shed
Fencing: Existing Exterior, 2m high around the three back faces, and a short half meter fence
along the street face (east). Has a 2m high gate down the driveway closing off the back yard.
Existing Stock: none
1: History.
Urban Dwelling.
2: External Influences:
Strong winds from the North West. Has a street on the east face with un-desirable noises and
views, and a few large trees outside the property on the north and east face that cast partial
shade on areas.
Likes to be included:
Fruit and vegetable polycultures, chickens, compost, water tanks, pleasant views and areas.

Commercial:
Sell the surplus

Dislikes, likes to be avoided:
Synthetic fertilisers and sprays, water pollution, noise pollution, street views
Future Vision: To have a compact productive property to substitute my income with as much
food I can grow myself. Also to satisfy a deeper need to interact more with the natural world.

Standing at the North East street entrance facing south west.

Aspect
The property is on an east facing aspect, however its long thin shape stretching back
from the street front provides a large amount of north facing areas, with a good broad
selection of micro climates spaced around the property, providing a good amount of flexibility
and opportunity for harvesting the sun’s energy and growing a variety of plants.

Slope
For the most part this property would be considered flat. According to contour map it’s
elevation is with in 1m. However it is worth noting there is a slight depression in the back
yard providing the lowest point on the property. This has the potential to pool water in wet
times. There is also a slight mound where the palm tree is situated, most likely as a result of
its roots. This will drain water down into the surrounding grass area.

Sectors

Standing at the South West corner of the house,
facing south east

The property is in a good position to be exposed to the winter and summer sun for most
of the day. You would expect colder winds to come from the south-west, while the hotter
winds would come from the north-west. Although there is a 2m high fence around the back
yard, there is little shelter from wind. There are two areas of partial shade on the property
due to large trees on adjoining land. The front yard would enjoy morning shade, while the
north facing areas along the driveway will get mid day shade. Although this can be
restricting, we can design a system to use these shaded areas to our advantage. Also of
note is the street front on the east side of the property. This could be considered an undesirable view with a lack of privacy, which also exposes the property to noise pollution.

Fire
Fire risk from external forces is considered low - zero in this property. It is surrounded
by residential dwellings and urban areas. Although there is always the risk of an adjacent
property catching ablaze, the direction would be at random chance and un-predictable.

Standing at the South West corner of the house,
facing south west

Vegetation

Monthly Rainfall

Most of the property, front and back is covered in lawn. Mixed in with the grass are a
few edible weeds of note. Chickweed is thriving in the back yard, and on the front lawn
along the south edge we find lots of yellow wood sorrel, which has a delicious lemon taste.
Also mellow is seen in patches around the property. Of tree’s that are worth mentioning are
two Fig trees. One is squished behind the garage on the west edge, and another can be
found in the south east corner, accompanied by three plum trees. Other than this we see
some hardy shrubs and trees places along the north border, around the north-east face of
the house, and in the south east corner there is a thriving shrub population of Acanthus
mollis, or Bear’s Breeches. This plant has some medicinal properties besides being ground
cover. The Palm tree in the back yard, how ever pleasant it is, sids in prime productive land,
and shades out much of the yard for part of the day. This is un-desirable.

Climate
Mean Monthly Maximum Temperature.
Broard Climate Data

Mean Monthly Minimum Temperature.

Satellite Contour Map

36m

Contour lines at 1m

Sectors and External Influences
Hot Winds

Winter Sun

Shade Tree

Summer Sun

Mid afternoon Shade Zone
StreetView

Cold Winds

Morning Shade Zone

Shade Tree

Basemap

Palm Tree

Fig Tree
Garage / Shed

Bears Breeches Shrub

4m Tall Trees

4m Tall Tree
House

4m Tree
Small Shrubs

6296L
Catchmen

Hardy Shrubs

t

20060L C

atchment

Clothes Line
Bears Breeches Shrub

Scale 1:100

Three Plum Trees

Fig Tree
Bear's Breeches Shrub

Site A, pH 7-7.5, Loamy Sand
pH 7.5-8

Soil Tests

pH 7

pH 7
Site C, pH 7, Sand
pH 7

pH 6
Site B, pH 6, Sand

Scale 1:100

Site D, pH 7-7.5, Loamy Sand
pH 6.5 - 7

Soil
Composition and PH soil tests were taken at a variety of sites around the property. The ph
readings were within a very reasonable range, from a slightly acid ph of 6, stretching up to ph 8. This
should provide a good habitat for most plants. However the soil composition tests did not come back
so favourably. There is a very high content of sand through out the property. The results came back as
either a loamy sand, or sand. This will require some attention to fix in the early stages of development
in order to have successful yields from planting directly into the soil. There is also lots of rubbish
through the soil. This will be fixed slowly over time as we remove what we encounter as we work, and
continue to add and build new compost. Another solution to shifting the soil toward a better
compositional balance is using bio char. This porous substance has a massive surface area providing
a great place for soil bacteria to thrive while the soil is still repairing, hastening the regeneration to a
healthy soil. By using this, and a few chopped and dropped green manure crops to begin with, soil
quality would be greatly improved.