PD3: Spring 2021: Kelley bubble maps

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Participant Forum: Bubble Map Sharing

Kelley bubble maps

Here are my first five bubble maps - I'll post the last five in the next day or two. Most of these I had already thought about during previous map-making sessions, except for the "neighbor impact" map. I generated this one after giving more thought to the positives and negatives of our current neighbors; I decided in the end that there are more positives... for example, the neighbor to the rear of us who likes to play loud music on the weekend has similar musical taste (to mine). It occurred to me today how unpleasant it would be if I hated the music that he plays. It seems like a simple thing, but when one is out in the backyard for hours and the music's going, it does make a difference!

Melinda

I specifically called this one "poor soil" because if I had bubbled our "rich soil" there would be precious few bubbles to show!

Melinda

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I will bubble wildlife opportunities in the next batch, but I am also very interested in improving the human benefits of our property as well. I should stay away from pinterest for ideas...combining some of those projects with my permaculture projects seems like a daunting proposition.

Melinda

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I have given a lot of thought to how to maximize the fruit and vegetable production on our plot; nothing has really changed about my plans in that area. I'm still implementing some of these (just finished a new raised bed today); I hope to have them all completed by the end of the summer.

Melinda

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There's also nothing really new about the water map - we have lots of weird wet and dry areas that I'm trying to make the most of. I didn't mark the rain barrels on this map (b/c I've done so on earlier class maps) but I'm hoping to have at least half of our total goal (3 out of 5 or 6) installed by the end of the summer.

Melinda

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Hi,

I split the "animals" maps into two - I was thinking the other day that I have several risks to animals that I need to monitor/eliminate on my site, including but not limited to risks to our pets. The potential benefits to animals are listed in a separate map.

Melinda

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I was excited about my permaculture principles map; I think there are more examples that I could have illustrated, if I'd had more space. As I plotted out my bubbles, I realized that many if not most of my examples stem from the "problems = solutions" principle; I now recognize that that's a good principle to apply to my entire life, as I tend to be a "glass half empty" type of person. As some of you from the first and second classes might remember, I have been very frustrated about my shade, soil, etc., over a long period of time (20 years). However, I am more encouraged than ever before, I think, about the potential that still remains on our site. We may eventually move, but I hope to leave an extensive array of permaculture fingerprints in my wake!

Melinda

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Here are my last two bubble maps - nothing that surprising given my others; the routes of people moving and people moving things are pretty obvious from the layout of our property. Not too much can be changed here b/c of the fixed location of various raised beds, etc. (the sun/shade dictates those) but changing the location of the compost bins, to a closer zone, is a priority.

Melinda

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This is great Melinda! I can really see solutions in this approach.

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Goats will take care of your poison ivy :) The little miniature ones are awfully cute. We are thinking of starting a business with our goats to clean up brush.

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If we could have livestock (beyond chickens) within the city limits here I would be giving serious thought to a goat - I love them (and goat cheese :-)). I have told my husband for about ten years that one day I will be sick enough of my day job to "retire" and the plan in mind is *always* to move to the country and raise goats...

Melinda

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Fresh goat cheese is the best. I bet you'll have one some day. They are so sweet until they raid the bird feeders :)

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Haha - fun! I know they jump on cars too :-)

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Hi Melinda

Have you thought about comfrey (they will be there forever) or daikon radish to break up clay? Strawberries don't mind clay soil either.

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Hi - As a matter of fact, the woman I interviewed in the first course gave me a comfrey start, and it looks great! I don't think it's the kind that spreads on its own, but I plan to split it once it's large enough. And I have the daikon radish seeds too...am just waiting for the right weather to get them in :-). thanks!

Melinda

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Hi

Careful with the comfrey.. you may not have had it on your radar in the early 2000's but all supplements containing comfrey were ordered off the market by USDA and the FDA because it was found to be causing many cases of liver toxicity, some fatal, in humans. More recently it has been listed as a known carcinogen for liver cancer.

I don't know enough about its particular sub-soil science to know if its presence can have any deleterious effects on nearby plants, (although we do know in general that plant enzymes are transmitted underground between plants) but it is one of the plants that permaculturists have used widely because of its decomposed ability to impact the soil. I may be over cautious about these things, but I would keep it away from my edibles and my compost.

Borage has a lot of similar attributes without the reported toxicity. It's an ecological superstar that is edible too!

Peggy

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I sure hope you get a greener neighbor too. I have been looking at private and public as people coming to the farm and keep forgetting to think about neighbors. Our closest ones are great and supportive as they have been here forever. As new ones move in with development, that has changed. We have one that loves to set off fireworks at various times of the day, all year long. ugh

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and Debbie - yikes - fireworks? it's not that bad here yet...but we will have a new neighbor moving in soon next door and I have to say that I am concerned...things could get worse!

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