Sectors ol’ dirty farm

Noise – My front side property butts up to a road so we’ve started transplanting cedar seedlings that sprout naturally on the property to build a hedge barrier between us and the road.

sun– Being in the South we have very hot summers and our house sits out in the open absorbing it all. We plan to plant Fruit Tree Guilds in our most open areas to provide shade in front of our House. We also will plant Corn and Sunflowers on both sides of the house to help with early morning and late evening sun that the house receives. We also want to add Windows and sunroofs to barn to provide natural lighting

Water– with our flood areas in the front yard we are going to build up the area with mulchy absorbent organic matter along with a fruit tree guild. We also plan to add more rain barrels with gutter systems and to have the well repaired to working order

Wind– During the Summer months it can get extremely hot and having a draft for the herd in the barn is essential. We have in the past left all doors open to create a breeze but we would like to add windows that will allow more air flow through the barn

“The Key to any design process is observation, complemented by forms of data gathering”

Permaculture Handbook by Peter Bane, chapter 5,page 41 “Learning the Language of Design”

Permaculture Principlesol’ dirty farm

Use and value nature’s gift Our Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goat herd

is the cornerstone in our pursuit of self-reliance living. Through breeding they provide us with added numbers to help with browsing the brush on site & also the potential to sell or trade kids to other interested herdsman

We have been able to incubate our own crossbreed (New Hampshire Red/ Leghorn) to make a chicken that is unique to our homestead.

Get a yield (or harvest) Our vegetable gardens are grown in

varying ways all year through our Aquaponics, raised beds and seasonal veggie patches

Our Goat herd provides us milk to drink as well as the ability to make many by-products like cheese & soaps. Their Manure’s & old bedding are worked back into our compost & soil providing needed nutrients for our vegetable gardens to grow in abundance

Our pastured poultry provides us eggs & meat. Their bedding has also been enriched in their manure’s which is returned to our compost & soil

Permaculture Handbook by Peter Bane, chapter 4,page 31-32 Permaculture Principles

Water Analysis ol’ dirty farm

Annual precipitation – 46.8 inches, 1187mm

During the Summer months we tend to go through a small dry spell but in Winter we usually see a spurt of Rainfall. Usually a lot of rain many days in a row then drought like conditions follow

The ol’ dirty farm is located in the:“Middle-Chattahoochee- Lake Harding" Watershed

The soil on the land is a mixture of clay, sand & loam

Water enters our land from the rotational paddock’s, barn area & from my parents driveway area that is paved

Water runs Northeast by my house, Northwest by my parents house & North of barn where it collects in a lower land area in the back of the property (Northern point). It was an area where a small stream was before a 100+ acre organic meat farm cut the woods down for their rotational paddock areas. It now is where everything is washed down & collects

The high point areas are the rotational paddocks by my house & the wooded area next to my Parents house because these areas are on sloped ground.

The Low point areas are next to my house in between the barn and at the Northern point where the water collects and everything washes off to

Permaculture Handbook by Peter Bane, chapter 10, page 153Water from another time

Water Analysis ol’ dirty farm

Gutters & downspouts – 1x gutter at the barn with rain barrel 50ft from house Wells – 1x 50ft east from my house Septic Systems – 1x backyard my house & 1x backyard parents house (inside

fences) Hose Hook-ups - 1x front porch at my house, 1x at the barn & 2x at parents

house (front & back of house) Nearby natural water sources – Ossahatchee Creek Areas of poor drainage – Side of my house in between barn Areas of flooding – Front yard and side of yard Potential Pollution exposure – The front of the property is all road so there could

be chemical runoff such as oil, gas, brake pad dust or even coolant. (no salt only sand for frozen roads)

Water Analysis ol’ dirty farm

- Septic