Below is my bubble map for materials.  I would like to find out if I can have a 2nd gate installed in my board fence that surrounds the back yard.  Currently, there is only one gate on the other side of the house, which means I have to move mulch, compost, etc. all the way around the house to the vegetable beds and proposed forest garden. Because my site is so small, this is not a very long walk, but as I get older, everything seems to get heavier. If the cost to install a gate isn't outrageous, it would make it easier to continue gardening as I age.

The 2nd area I noted on the bubble map is a big plus for me - the location of the driveway right at the front door. This makes it very easy to unload groceries and other supplies and bring them into the house through the front door. 

I also just noticed the instruction at the beginning of the forum to keep adding my bubble maps as a reply to my first post. Glad I saw that before I added 10 separate posts! ;-)

Below is my bubble map showing the special places on my site. It would be hard to pick one favorite, but if I had to chose, I think the outdoor shower, or the Dahlia beds would be the winner!

This bubble map shows the design elements I would like to implement that lend themselves to permaculture principles. The main permaculture element is a proposed forest garden that includes a polyculture of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials. The elements included in this bubble map meet my goals of increasing edible yield, while also creating wildlife habitat.

This is my bubble map for the movement of people. As you can see, most of the access is through the front door. Also, if you'll recall the note on my Materials Bubble Map, I want to consider adding a 2nd gate in the fence to provide more direct access from the Work & Storage Area into the front of the property where the vegetable garden is located. This is also the area where the proposed forest garden will be installed.

This bubble map displays the areas on my site dedicated to food production. My site is quite small, so I don't have a large garden, but it's big enough to keep me in fresh salad ingredients all summer. This year, with the addition of 3 new raised beds, I hope to grow some corn, winter squash, and beans. I also converted one raised bed to a strawberry bed last fall. All of the strawberries have survived the winter and are starting to emerge. I just pulled some of the salt marsh hay off to let the sun get to them, but need to keep an eye on the weather in case of frost.

With the addition of my proposed forest garden, I'll be able to increase my edible yield with blueberries and raspberries. In a year or two, I hope to have hazelnuts to add to the menu.

In this last bubble map, I'm addressing wildlife concerns that I've been dealing with. This map differs from my animal map, which addressed animals that are desired, or a minor nuisance. In most cases, they provide unending entertainment.

However, I've learned over the years that some preventive measures are needed to deter less desirable wildlife. Since I won't use poison due to the presence of owls, hawks, and osprey, I've had to come up with some alternative practices to deter rodents, raccoons, and wild turkeys. The most important thing I've learned is that all potential food sources must be covered tightly. This includes kitchen scraps, garbage cans, and even some organic fertilizers and weed control products (rats will eat the bottom out of a wooden shed to get at weed control products that are based on corn gluten!).

• I no longer use or store any kind of fertilizer or weed control products on my site.
• I use 2 tightly sealed compost tumblers for any kitchen scraps. One tumbler is for fresh food scraps, while the 2nd one is processing older scraps. Once the food scraps are fully composted, they can be mixed into the open compost bins without attracting rodents.
• The open compost bins on my site only contain leaves, pine needles, and grass clippings.
• Physical barriers are used in my raised vegetable beds to deter rabbits from damaging vegetables and strawberries. I also use insect netting when the veggies and strawberries are ripening to protect them from birds and wild turkeys. I won't use bird netting, since it can entangle and kill birds.

Hi Deb

I really love your maps, so clear and definitely agree with Melinda about how inspirational they are too.  The bunny pasture is a great idea.  Most of my raised beds are surrounded with clover which has helped.   But when they find the lettuce, oh my.  I have pretty much resorted to floating row cover to discourage them and the flea beetles.  I tried the screening on my seeding trays and so far so good!  Thanks for the idea.

My big culprits are the deer. They are very picky swiss chard, sweet potato and beans.  I think I may  end up with row cover all over the garden :)