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Running Head: PERMACULTURE at the UVIC CAMPUS COMMUNITY GARDENS Running head: PERMACULTURE AT THE UVIC CAMPUS COMMUNITY GARDENS Permaculture at the University of Victoria Campus Community Gardens By Jori Baum University of Victoria Environmental Restoration 390 For Dr. Val Schaefer August 23rd, 2012 PERMACULTURE AT THE UVIC CAMPUS COMMUNITY GARDENS 2 Table of Contents List of Figures & Tables .........………………………………………………… 3 Abstract ……………………………………………………………………….. 5 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….. 6 The Site ………………………………………………………………. 8 The Study ………………………………………………………………. 13 Methods & Materials ………………………………………………………. 15 Perennial garden beds ………………………………………………. 15 Apple tree restoration ………………………………………………. 21 Invasive species removal ………………………………………………. 25 Results ………………………………………………………………………. 26 Discussion & Recommendations ………………………………………………. 30 Acknowledgements ………………………………………………………………. 32 References ………………………………………………………………………. 33 Appendix A: Permaculture garden beds – plant profiles Appendix B: A step-by-step guide to apple tree pruning Appendix C: Project budget Appendix D: Field notes PERMACULTURE AT THE UVIC CAMPUS COMMUNITY GARDENS 3 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Locations of the old and new garden sites on campus …………………… 11 Figure 2. Site layout for the new McKenzie Ave CCG …………………………… 12 Figure 3. Perimeter measurements of the McKenzie Ave Garden site …………… 13 Figure 4. Shape and measurements of the permaculture guilds ................................ 16 Figure 5 and 6. Mapping out the perennial garden beds ............................................ 17 Figures 7, 8 and 9. Digging the hole, loosening the roots, and planting the first shrub 18 Figure 10. Basic layers of sheet mulching .................................................................... 18 Figure 11. Manure applied as first layer .................................................................... 19 Figure 12. Trench for weed barrier ................................................................................ 19 Figure 13. Newspapers act as the barrier layer ........................................................ 20 Figure 14. Leaves are the final layer after compost ........................................................ 20 Figure 15. Placing the remaining plants .................................................................... 21 Figure 16. A completely planted guild .................................................................... 21 Figure 17. Sheet mulching a small area .................................................................... 21 Figure 18. Plantings along the fence .................................................................... 21 Figure 19. The apple tree at the UVic CCG 2012 ........................................................ 22 Figure 20. Philip Young lectures ................................................................................ 24 Figure 21. Beginning to prune the apple tree .................................................................... 24 Figure 22. Working together to remove branches ........................................................ 24 Figure 23. Branches that have been removed .................................................................... 24 Figure 24. Rubus discolor on site at UVic CCG ........................................................ 25 Figure 25. Ilex aquifolium at Beacon Hill Park, Victoria BC ................................ 25 PERMACULTURE AT THE UVIC CAMPUS COMMUNITY GARDENS 4 Figure 26. Volunteers working to remove invasive species at the CCG .................... 26 Figure 27. Root ball of a Rubus discolor that was removed ............................................ 26 Figure 28. Final site map of the SW corner ................................................................... 28 Figure 29. The three permaculture guilds ................................................................... 28 Figure 30. Locations of invasive species removed on site ............................................ 29 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. List of plants planted at the UVic CCG in the perennial garden beds ....... 27 Table 2. Timeline for restoring the CCG apple tree ....................................................... 28 PERMACULTURE AT THE UVIC CAMPUS COMMUNITY GARDENS 5 Abstract This paper summarizes an urban restoration project that examines ecological restoration as it pertains to sustainable urban agriculture and environmental education. The project takes place in Victoria, BC at the University of Victoria (UVic) Campus Community Gardens (CCG) and aims to replace resource-intensive lawn with perennial edible garden beds, to restore a neglected apple tree to a healthy fruit-producing state, and to remove invasive species in order to prevent their further spread and to maximize the potential of desired species. The gardens have been an important site for community engagement and education at the university since their induction in 1998. This project utilizes the CCG’s presence on campus to expand the university community’s awareness around food security issues and provides volunteers with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with permaculture techniques. As a result of this project 13 perennial food plants were established at the garden site, the apple tree underwent the first step toward restoration, and all the invasive species growing on the site were removed. On-going maintenance and management will be required to ensure the long-term success of this project. PERMACULTURE AT THE UVIC CAMPUS COMMUNITY GARDENS 6 Permaculture at the University of Victoria Campus Community Gardens Urban environments present a unique challenge to the field of restoration as they require a balance between everyday human activities and the integrity of urban ecosystems. The way that we utilize and transform urban spaces is not always in the best interest of the natural environment. According to the Centre for Watershed Protection (Frazer, 2005), 65 percent of North America’s total impervious cover is found in urban areas – roads, buildings, driveways, and parking lots. Impervious surfaces eliminate rainwater infiltration and natural groundwater recharge, altering the natural cycling of water and contributing to polluted waterways and flooding. These surfaces also contribute to the heat island effect – lands that were once permeable and moist are now impermeable and dry, and absorb and retain atmospheric heat which leads to increased energy consumption for cooling which then increases carbon emissions (EPA, 2012). Another phenomenon common in urban landscapes is the prevalence of turf grasses. Heynan, Kaika, and Swyngedouw (2006) estimate that 23 percent of the urban landscape is covered in turf grasses – residential, commercial, and institutional lawns, parks, recreation fields, and golf courses which often appear as monocultures. Milesi et al. (2005) show that total turf grass cover in the United States is three times greater than any irrigated crop. Turf grasses are energy and resource intensive and provide little or no habitat for urban dwellers – both human and non-human. Challenging the ways that urban lands are used is central in urban restoration. As fertile land is paved over and mono-cropped turf grass is cared for, a simultaneous concern is growing around our food systems. The way we eat today is not sustainable and the dominant system in place has many social and environmental repercussions. Western society has PERMACULTURE AT THE UVIC CAMPUS COMMUNITY GARDENS 7 industrialized the production of food and in turn has created a system dependent on fossil fuels, chemical inputs, and cheap labour. Currently in Canada a large portion of the food we eat is imported while most of the food we produce is exported (Elton, 2010). David Pimentel, a professor of ecology and agricultural sciences at Cornell University, has calculated that it takes 1,514 litres of oil to feed the average North American (Elton, 2010). In other words, we are using more kilocalories to grow and transport the food we eat than there are kilocalories in the food itself – a system that is not sustainable. Evidently, as concerns for food security rise, the need for lawns and impervious surfaces should be seriously questioned. In order to address the issues presented by the global food regime, we must look to local and sustainable methods of food production. In her book Locavore, Sarah Elton (2010) states that a sustainable food system can involve both food that is produced nearby as well as imports that are produced and transported in a sustainable way. What about food grown in cities? Growing food in cities is not a new concept. Poverty, not sustainability, drives less prosperous areas of the world to grow food in their cities. In the Western world however, there is a rising ‘urban food revolution’ – different actions within the city limits that aim to take control over the food that we grow and eat (Ladner, 2011). Amongst these efforts is the rise of urban community gardens. Peter Ladner states that community gardens often emerge in periods when people feel threatened by food insecurity – “urban community garden food production has ebbed and waned in the United States in tune with food shortages caused by depression or wars” (2011, pg. 182). For example, Victory Gardens emerged in Canada during World War II and it is estimated that they accounted for as much as 40 percent of the vegetable production in the country at that time. This reveals the potential for food production in Canadian cities today. PERMACULTURE AT THE UVIC CAMPUS COMMUNITY GARDENS 8 Another concept
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