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Bungala Ridge Permaculture Gardens

REDUCE ... REUSE ... RECYCLE ... REPAIR ... RETURN ... REVEGETATE ... REPLENISH

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Zone Details for Bungala Ridge

Permaculture requires careful placement of elements within a system to maximise potential outputs. This is done using a system of zones. More information about this designing tool refer to All About Zones .

Zone 0 ~ Zone 1 ~ Zone 2
Zone 3 ~ Zone 4 ~ Zone 5

Notable Features of Zone 0

  • Open plan design, with little wasted internal space and large verandahs to encourage outside living.
  • The laundry doubles as main entrance and stores boots, coats, hats, some gardening gear. Grey water from the bathroom and laundry goes to the greywater filtration system to the west of the house. A skylight in the internal bathroom provides ventilation for steam from the shower. The clivus multrum composts toilet waste. Kitchen scaps are placed in a bucket and fed to the guinea pigs.
  • Hot water is supplied by solar roof panels and the Everhot slow combustion stove, which also supplies active space heating in winter. An extractor fan removes cooking odours and draws hot air out of the open plan house on hot nights.
  • Wide south facing verandah is used for spring/summer/autumn dining and recreation, and further shade and insulation from hot summer sun is provided by removable bamboo blinds, which double as insulation in winter, though have not been needed in this way. A spray sprinkler system is attached to balustrade and decking, facing out, as a bushfire protective measure. A wide shallow planter box runs along several metres and is planted with annuals and herbs, and is supplemented with a row of pot plants. A low pressure tap is situated on the verandah for ease of watering.
  • A vine covered pergola provides space for a barbecue and outside dining in summer, and a polycarbonate verandah on north side of house offers a winter dining setting, plus allows winter sunlight into the house for passive solar warming.

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Notable Features of Zone 1

  • The guinea pig and pigeon enclosure is under house, to provide shelter and to use existing structure to reduce resource use. Off site materials, such as seedy mulches and seaweed are processed and enriched by these animals first. The natural sloping ground is used to facilitate collection. A sheltered enclosed shadehouse under house with frog pond helps to provide cooling to house in summer. Under house space is used to store materials waiting to be transported to recycling depots.
  • To the immediate north of the house and near driveways are planted with deciduous trees to act as a fire break, intense summer shade, provision of microclimates and to allow solar access during winter. The nursery is located by the drive, and consists of gravelled beds for pots, raised potting tables and shadehouse for seedling propagation.
  • Stawberry and lettuce beds are complimented with annual and native flowering plants and roses. A banana circle is under construction in a sheltered position beside the battery shed. Seven variously sized frog ponds are a feature of zone one. Rock, galvanised iron, permapine and hardwood sleeper retaining walls are used to retain earth and mulch. Herbs are interplanted in garden beds close to the house, including on the north and south verandahs. Garden beds are hand watered, or are covered by drip or microspray irrigation.
  • An area has been levelled for existing and future rainwater tanks.
  • Pergolas offer vertical and horizontal space for grape, passionfruit, and kiwifruit vines, and offer shade and privacy. These also house a range of tropical plants. Paths are covered with sawdust or paving stones (concrete or stone) or pavers. The vegetable garden is wire fence enclosed, to keep out the bunnies and chooks, etc. This garden is tiered to accomodate the sloping ground.
  • The shed doubles as a tool store, plus houses the batteries, control box and inverter and and water pump to gravity fed tank. A covered washing line with paved area provides all year round drying for clothes. Rainwater is collected from the house only at this stage. Outbuildings are used to grow fruiting vines over and against.
  • Manured mulch from chicken/duck yard is collected for the compost heap or used directly on garden beds.

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Notable Features of Zone 2

  • Banana passionfruit, legumes, etc., are grown along poultry yard fence. Grape vines will be planted along orchard fence (offers some wind protection for zone 0, and sun traps for plants on northern side, also keeps duck from zone 0.
  • A recycled shed has been remodelled as a camping and gardening tools store space, with outside access to firewood store, well away from the house.
  • The fully enclosed duck and chook year (protection from predatory birds, especially to protect young) boasts a cast iron bath for a pond which empties on a bog pond with reeds when cleaned regularly. The chicken house is a recycled modified garden shed, and sports a double roof for insulation in the hot weather. There is a small opening for access to adjacent vegetable garden for cleaning up and manuring garden beds annually.

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Notable features of Zone 3

  • The driveways act as fire breaks near the house as well as access roads.
  • On the slope between the house and the cabin are spot mulched fruit trees, drip irrigated, with an understorey of spring bulbs, comfrey, dandelion, marigolds, clover, umbelliferae species, low daisies species. Nasturtiums are grown for mulch crop, and legumes for green manure crop. There is access to the orchard for ducks/chickens; for pest and grass management and manuring.
  • See the detailed inset diagram of the grew water system for construction and plant species list and placing.

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Notable features of Zone 4

  • Mostly used for recreation. Features olives for oil harvest. Supplies green fodder for guinea pigs during early summer.
  • A future use is the growing of bamboo - for stakes, trellis, etc and shoots for eating. Planned cut flower production of proteas, etc.
  • Extensive wind break and property boundary plantings.
  • Planted native woodlot, doubles as natural forest and habitat for wild animals.
  • Present and future plantings include acacia, coprosma, pigeon pea, cape gooseberry, tagasaste, hardenbergia, etc hedge along orchard fence (south side) for wind break effect, also animal housing/resting/forage.
  • The cabin, presently used as a workshop, is connected to additional rainwater tank.

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Notable features of Zone 5

  • Wirra (revegetation to promote regeneration of native and local species, both plant and animal). Also serves as wind break and privacy screen to west. Other extensive wirra plantings are east of site plan and form the main conservation effort. Trees indicated by thick dots are exotic deciduous which offer shade and moisture in summer and leaf mulch in autumn. These include plane, liquidambar, silky oak, willow (canes useful for basket and other work), maple, claret ash, black walnut, chestnut, and English oak. Used for fruiting vine support. Beehive located in zone 5 adjacent to east end of site. Pollination, honey production, wax.

 

 

 


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Copyright © Beverley Paine 2002-14. Article from this website may be downloaded, reproduced, and distributed without permission as long as each copy includes this entire notice along with citation information (i.e., name of the periodical in which it originally appeared, date of publication, and author's name). Permission must be obtained from the author in order to reprint this article in a published work or to offer it for sale in any form. Please visit Bungala Ridge Permaculture Gardens for more original content by Beverley Paine.