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Abstract

Cooperation Humboldt and the Appropriate Tech Team collaborated together in an effort to design and build a local community garden. The purpose of the garden is to provide neighbors and visitors fresh food. This community garden has native plant species that will attract native pollinators. This will make managing the garden easier, and it is a more sustainable approach.

Background

Students from Humboldt State University in the class Engineering 305: Appropriate Technology during the Spring 2018 semester will be working on transforming a front yard lawn into a community garden in Eureka, California, USA with the local organization Cooperation Humboldt.

Cooperation Humboldt's Mission Statement: “Cooperation Humboldt exists to help develop a solidarity economy across the North Coast. We identify, support and nurture cooperative economic efforts that help people meet their needs without exploiting or oppressing anyone, without being exploited or oppressed by anyone, and without destroying Mother Earth.”

Problem statement

The objective of this project is to provide the surrounding community with access to local, freshly grown food. The goal is to provide access to fresh food by making a front lawn into a food garden for all to enjoy.

Project Evaluation Criteria

The following criteria will be used when considering the most desirable design for the project. This criteria was developed by the Engineering 305 students in collaboration with Cooperation Humboldt. The weight scale (1-10) represents the importance level of meeting the constraint of each listed criteria.

Criteria Constraints Weight
Usability Must sufficiently produce edible plants for the community. 10
Maintainability Must be easy to maintain, water, and harvest plants. 9
Educational Must provide educational value to the community about the benefits of planting edibles and the benefits of having such available resources. 9
Aesthetics Must look pleasing to the eye. 8
Cost Must be economically friendly and not exceed budget. 7
Sustainability Must have native pollinators to keep the plants healthy and its own source of water. 7

Literature Review

The following is a review of the available literature pertinent to the components and details of implementing a community garden along with the addition of a potential simple rainwater catchment system.

Native Plants

When doing agriculture to any extent, from a large farm to an apartment window garden, it's a good idea to remember the plants (and their associated pollinators)that have evolved to live in your area. These native flowering plants can attract native pollinators, which is a method we and Cooperation Humboldt want to use to improve the yield of the garden. (2015)[1] Per our criteria, we want to prioritize low maintenance perennials where we can. To that end, some California natives that could suit our uses:

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium

Yarrow is a low-maintenance, drought tolerant flowering plant that is good for borders and flowers from late spring to early summer. Fully grown it is 1 to 2 feet tall, spreading 2 to 3 feet, and likes sunny conditions and is adaptable to many soils. (Schmidt 2012 [2]).

Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)

Woodland Strawberry is a native to California that doesn't produce as large fruit as the varieties commonly used by industrial agriculture circa 2012, but is a native groundcover. It prefers full sun to partial shade and does well placed between shrubs. It is adaptable to many soils. Its small fruits ripen in summer. (Schmidt 2012[2]).

Redwood Sorrel (Oxalis oregana)

Redwood Sorrel is a groundcover native to Humboldt county that prefers occasional to moderate water, is adaptable to any soil and is perennial. It doesn't flower to a great enough extent to attract pollinators. It is adaptable to any soil and grows 4 to 8 inches tall, and spreads as a groundcover. It requires shade. (Schmidt 2012[2]).

Western Azalea (Rhododendron occidentale)

Western Azalea is a tall shrub from 3 to 5 meters tall that is native to Humboldt County. It flowers in spring, and prefers shade and can tolerate acidic soils. It requires a lot of water but is easy to take care of, needing water perhaps once a week in some climates. (CNRS 2012)[3]

Cold withstanding edible plants

A few vegetables that can withstand cold weathers include hardy vegetables, half hardy vegetables, and tender plants. Hardy vegetables are good at withstanding cold frost and can be planted in Spring. Some hardy vegetables are spinach, kale, mustard, turnips, onions and peas. Half hardy vegetables can be planted two weeks before a frost is over, and some vegetables include carrots, beets, parsnips, celery, and lettuce. Tender plants can grow in areas with cold weather if transplanted. Tender plants include cucumbers, beans, sweetcorn, pumpkin, squashes, tomatoes, and some pepper plants (Singh and Davidson 2016[4]).

Filtration

Filtration is important in keeping a rainwater catchment system clean. By including filtration, usually a screen, the storage will not have to be cleaned as often to get rid of larger particles that are brought down from the roof. Screens are used for preventing large debris from entering either the storage tank or conveyance which includes gutters or downspouts (Grafman 2017[5]). There are multiple types of materials, shapes, and sizes that can be used for the screen. A few are included below.

Expanded metal sheet screen

Expanded metal sheet usually comes with openings in the shape of diamonds. It is economically friendly and has a strong structure since the metal is stretched instead of having holes punched through (Adame 2013[6]). This type of metal sheet can be difficult to handle and install.

Wire Mesh screen (welded)

Made from different alloys such as steel, stainless steel, brass, and copper. This type of screen comes in all shapes and sizes allowing for versatility. This type of mesh is easy to handle and install, but can be costly (Metal Supermarkets 2016[7]).

Wire Mesh screen (woven)

Woven wire mesh screen can be made from steel, stainless steel, brass, copper. Woven wire mesh gets its name from the wire threads it has that are woven at right angles. This type of wire mesh is easy to handle and install, and durable. The woven type of wire mesh can be costly, but easy to maintain (Metal Supermarkets 2016[7]).

Perforated sheet metal screen

Perforated sheet metal comes in different shapes and sizes making it versatile. Made from sheet steel with round holes punched through. The outer area of the sheet is not surrounded with punched holes so it can retain stability. Its structure is not as strong as that of expanded metal sheet (Adame 2013[6]). Sheet metal screens with punched larger holes cost more than the ones with small holes.

Local Soil

Soil series in the area of the Eureka, California neighborhood we are working in is quite acidic, around 5.0 to 4.5 pH, some kind of clay loam moderately well drained to poorly drained. (UC Davis | NCRS SoilWeb [8]). This should inform our choices of edible and native plants, because soil is the source of the plant. This information is very specific to the neighborhood we are working with, and others using this as a reference should utilize the same tool if the project is located in most of the United States, also referenced here[8] to get a general idea of the soil type without expensive testing.

Designing a replicable garden

Sprouting Education, a 2011 group of students from the Engr 215 course at Humboldt State University, worked with Locally Delicious to create a garden that is functional and can be easily replicated at other schools. The final design included a rainwater catchment system, kiddie pool gardens, and a pallet garden with a greenhouse top.

The pallet garden with the greenhouse top was a success in this project. Children were able to easily access the plants without having to remove the top. Sprouting Education used clamps and a wooden dowel into the design to easily roll up the top and make the plants accessible. For the rainwater catchment system, Sprouting Education used a barrel for the storage, a spigot and hose to access water, and a cut out window screen for filtering out large debris (Appropedia | Locally Delicious 2011[9]).

Climate

For oceanic regions on the west side of continents are that of a maritime climate. Since Eureka is a part of this climate, it has a set of temperatures it experiences throughout the year. This area also experiences a lot of humidity throughout the year. The rainy season for Eureka starts in October and goes through to April which accounts for about 90% of the annual precipitation for the area (Horstmeyer, 2011[10]). Even during the dry season, a majority of the time there is fog or heavy cloud cover.

Easy maintenance and garden design

Edible garden design has an art behind it that includes accent, association, color, composition, structure, etc of the landscaped area (Kourik, 2004[11])). In order for an edible garden to be as low maintenance as possible, the edibles have to be specifically chosen for the area. As well as to start the vegetable area small and in a rectangular shape. Having a low maintenance garden would also need low care ornamental plants for ground cover while the edible plants grow. Ornamental plant gardens tend to be less maintenance than edibles, so the garden should be about half and half of each plant type.

Low Pressure Irrigation

While creating a garden space in a flat, urban environment using a rain water catchment system, it is important to realize that there is a limiting factor in regards to water pressure. Having a tank be vertically close to the garden being watered is a difficult hurdle and must be compensated for in the design process, unless a water pump is being used. Water achieves only 0.43 PSI of pressure per vertical foot (Grafman 2017) [5], which is problematic when comparing it to standard household water pressure of 40-45 PSI. To compensate for this, drip irrigation must be used. Whenever possible, adjustable or low pressure drip emitters must be installed to compensate for lack or pressure and ensure the garden remains properly watered (Valipour 2012) [12]. This can be coupled with a "Low pressure water timer" for ease of use. The timers are generally standard garden hose thread and allow water to flow on a schedule, without the requirement of pressure like most modern water timers.

Types of Wood

During the process, raised garden beds may need to be installed. The benefits of raised beds include more control over your growing medium, and being able to garden in a larger space than container gardening without having to till into the existing soil. Wood is a cheap and readily available resource in most areas, and some is more locally available than others.

Longevity

Redwood has been shown to be one of the best building materials available for raised beds, because it is naturally resistant to rot and mold (Wolford 2016)[13]. This material is readily available in certain areas of the West coast of America. While it is generally more expensive than other woods, its longevity pays for itself by having a longer replacement interval and is aesthetically pleasing. Cedar is another excellent choice for its beauty and mold resistant properties. Pine, while generally being one of the least expensive woods, is a viable option but will need to be replaced more frequently.

Health

It is ill advised to use certain recycled materials such as pallets for food gardening. Pallets can be pressure treated or sprayed with harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde, which poses obvious risks to human health (DIY Projects 2017)[14]. Other materials such as OSB or particle board can also leech toxic wood glues into the surrounding soil. These types of materials should be avoided as much as possible.

Prototyping

Show examples of the prototyping process including what you learned.

Construction

In this section, the students have provided a step by step how to construct a similar garden, a cost table,and a timeline used to complete the project.

==+How to Build a Community Garden==+ The following is a table with a step by step process on how the community garden was built, and how you could do it yourself.

File:Sod removal.JPG
How to Build a Community Garden

Costs

Below is a cost table including purchases made for the project. All materials were purchased by Cooperation Humboldt. Materials that are donated or reclaimed will be helpful in lowering the total cost.

Quantity Material Source Cost ($) Total ($)
1 Seed starter ACE Hardware 10.00 10.00
20 Bags of soil Store 7.00 140.00
2 Lumber Donated 75.00 0.00
1 Irrigation supplies ACE Hardware 50.00 50.00
1 Pack of screws Donated 7.00 0.00
1 Tank Donated 45.00 00.00
1 Miscellaneous ACE Hardware 60.00 60.00
Total Cost $260.00

Timeline

Below is a timeline used to plan and construct the community garden.

Task Completion Date
Review materials to be used/cost of materials March 10
Gather all materials together March 23
Dig up front lawn March 24
Plant edibles/natives/pollinators March 25
Make any necessary adjustments to garden April 7
Complete project update to Appropedia May 4
Create a video explaining garden components May 4
Garden and pantry testing May 4


Video

Below is a video of a brief explanation of the different components of the community garden and food pantry.

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Operation

Below is useful information on when and how to maintain the community garden.

Maintenance

The following includes a schedule of maintenance that should be considered for keeping the community garden effectively growing and healthy.

Schedule

This is a rough layout of the timing of some of the tasks needed to maintain the garden.

Weekly
  • Water the garden weekly or once every 4 days if necessary according to weather, climate, and your plantings. This will vary depending on the area where the garden is built. The native pollinators do not to be watered, unless necessary.
Monthly
  • Check the plots for invasive plant species and "weeds" and compost them as necessary, as well as composting the edibles that you need to rotate out.
  • Plant in new species where desirable, and try to keep in mind nitrogen fixation rotations and other nutrients.
Yearly
  • Check ornamental structures, structures that people touch or move a lot like gates and pantry boxes for normal wear.
  • Consider a planting plan for the next few seasons out.
Every 5 years
  • Check in to see if the signage has not worn down with weathering.
  • Check any retaining walls or larger structural details for wear, warping or major fail points.

Conclusion

Testing results

Testing including asking people walking by for input or waiting to see if they would say anything about the garden and pantry. A comment received was "this is a great idea!" A test subject was also brought by and he was thrilled about the garden. He interacted with the plants in the garden, and also checked out the pantry. Also, the food pantry has been actively used by neighbors.

The test was to check whether the community garden would be inviting enough for people and whether the food pantry would be used by others.

Discussion

Since most of the vegetables and other edible plants are not ready to harvest yet, the students were not able to test whether people would go into the garden and pick them. Cooperation Humboldt did put a few items in the pantry and once people noticed these items, they began taking them. Others began participating by putting in items of their own in the pantry.

Lessons learned

Building a garden is a technically simple idea in many places. We made ours a little more complicated by combating the natural slope of the original lawn area by building an eighteen inch retaining wall to flatten out the planting area. Doing this created a need to fill the space from the wall to the middle-back of the garden with fill and soil. We initially thought that we would need much more fill than we turned out to need, because all of the sod that we pulled up from the garden turned out to be viable to re-purpose as fill for the garden.

Next steps

Steps that will be taken to make the community garden more inviting include: building a pantry where the edible plants can be placed for easy picking, and a bench to make the space more welcoming for visitors. Including a rainwater-catchment-irrigation system will reduce the need for using bought water to water the garden, as well as improving the overall "appropriateness" of the garden.

Troubleshooting

The following is a table with suggestions to any problems that arise for the community garden:

Problem Suggestion
Plants not growing Check soil ph, nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous, moisture, and compaction.
Signage is worn down Check to see if it can be salvaged, repainted, repaired or purchase a new one if necessary.
Animals are eating your edibles Consider fencing where appropriate, observe what animals are encroaching on the edibles and replant with edibles that are less favorable to them; e.g. fruit trees in areas with lots of rabbits.

Team

The Appropriate Tech Team members include:

References

Template:Reflist

  1. Salisbury, A., Armitage, J., Bostock, H., Perry, J., Tatchell, M., and Thompson, K. (Salisbury 2015). “EDITORS CHOICE: Enhancing gardens as habitats for flower-visiting aerial insects (pollinators): should we plant native or exotic species?” Journal of Applied Ecology, 52(5), 1156–1164.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Schmidt, M. G., and Greenberg, K. L. (Schmidt 2012). Growing California native plants. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.
  3. Calscape.org. (n.d.). “Western Azalea, Rhododendron occidentale.” Calscape, CNPS, <http://calscape.org/Rhododendron-occidentale-(Western-Azalea)?srchcr=sc5a84e63962e19> (Feb. 18, 2018).
  4. Singh, D. J., and Davidson, J. (2016). Growing Vegetables in Your Garden - Tips for Planting Vegetable Crops Outside. Mendon Cottage Books.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Grafman, L. (2017). To Catch the Rain. Humboldt State University Press, Arcata, CA.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Adame, E. (2013). “What's The Difference Between Expanded Metal And Perforated Metal? .” ADAME Expanded Metal Solutions, <http://www.adameemsolutions.com/News-Events/whats-the-difference-between-expanded-metal-and-perforated-metal.html> (Feb. 17, 2018).
  7. 7.0 7.1 Metal Supermarkets (2016). “Difference Between Perforated Metal, Expanded Metal and Wire Mesh.” Metal Supermarkets - Steel, Aluminum, Stainless, Hot-Rolled, Cold-Rolled, Alloy, Carbon, Galvanized, Brass, Bronze, Copper, <https://www.metalsupermarkets.com/difference-between-perforated-metal-expanded-metal-and-wire-mesh/> (Feb. 18, 2018)
  8. 8.0 8.1 “SoilWeb.” (n.d.). SoilWeb: An Online Soil Survey Browser | California Soil Resource Lab, <https://casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/gmap/#> (Feb. 19, 2018).
  9. Sprouting Education. (2011). “Locally Delicious school garden.” Locally Delicious school garden - Appropedia: The sustainability wiki, <http://www.appropedia.org/Locally_Delicious_school_garden> (Feb. 16, 2018).
  10. Horstmeyer, S. L. (2011). The weather almanac: a reference guide to weather, climate, and related issues in the United States and its key cities. John Wiley & Sons Inc., Hoboken, NJ.
  11. Kourik, Robert, and Mark Kane. 2004. Designing and maintaining your edible landscape naturally. East Meon, Hampshire, UK: Permanent Publications.
  12. Valipour, Mohammad. “Sprinkle and Trickle Irrigation System Design Using Tapered Pipes for Pressure Loss Adjusting.” Journal of Agricultural Science, vol. 4, no. 12, 2012, doi:10.5539/jas.v4n12p125.
  13. Wolford, DaNelle, et al. “The Best Material for Raised Garden Boxes.” Weed 'Em & Reap, 15 Sept. 2016, www.weedemandreap.com/best-material-for-raised-garden-boxes/.
  14. Contributor. “How to Know If A Pallet Is Safe to Use DIY Projects Craft Ideas & How To's for Home Decor with Videos.” DIY Projects Craft Ideas & How To's for Home Decor with Videos, 13 Mar. 2017, diyprojects.com/know-safe-use-pallet/.
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