Category Archives: Ecological Landscaping

Ecologically Friendly House and Landscape

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An Ecologically Friendly House and Landscape

Ecologically Friendly House and Landscape

Copyright Organic Edible Gardens LLC 2015

 

Organic Edible Gardens LLC just designed the landscape of this recently constructed energy efficient home. The house was designed and built by Enviro Home Design complete with large planters to catch most of the rainwater coming off of the roof.

For the landscape we designed a two tiered retaining wall planted with native Sedum and grasses to correct the steep slope on the north east corner of the property. The sunny front yard allowed for an Asian Persimmon tree paired with native red twig dogwood, a  Purple Leafed Plum paired with a gold leafed variety of Ninebark. In front are Half-High Blueberries and New Jersey Tea to the sides. Liatris spicata, white Echinacea, Baptisia australis and Comfrey are a few of the perennials.

In the shady back yard we chose Redbud and Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis) as the understory trees paired with Arrowwood Viburnum and Catawba Rhododendron shrubs. Beneath the shade of the understory trees we chose a dark and mysterious Snakeroot cultivar with purple foliage paired by a light and airy yellow leafed spreading St. John’s wort.

For the part shade and part sun side yards we chose Honeyberries (Lonicera caerulea), Crandal American Black Currants, and Virginia Sweetspire.

Edible Landscape in Sun and Shade

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Edible Landscape in Sun and Shade

Copyright 2014 Organic Edible Gardens LLC

Edible Landscape in Sun and Shade

An edible and medicinal understory and pond designed for a shady back yard full of mature hardwoods. A small sunny patch in the front gave way to edible ground covers, perennials, berries and fruit trees. The front downspouts are piped into two rain gardens, one in the shade the other in the sun. The rain garden in the shade is full of moisture loving woodland medicinals, while the rain garden in the sun contains native insect attracting perennial flowers. Species include: Pawpaw, Fig, Peach, Aronia, Spicebush, Clove Currant, Elderberry, Blueberry, Yarrow, Anise Hyssop, Wild Ginger, Asparagus, Black Cohosh, Strawberry, Goldenseal, Ostrich Fern, American Lotus, May Apple, Giant Solomon’s Seal among multiple other soil building, insectary, and native plants.

Dog Friendly Landscape Design

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Dog Friendly Landscape Design

©2014 Organic Edible Gardens LLC

Back Yard Dog Friendly Design

The homeowners have two large dogs in a small back yard in Arlington.  We designed the landscape to allow the dogs to run the perimeter and guard their territory. Plantings are in slightly raised beds surrounded by stone. Species include Apple, Serviceberry, Swiss Stone Pine, culinary herbs, Prickly Pear Cactus and various soil building and insectary plants.

Fall Gardening and Organic Lawn Care

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Fall Gardening and Organic Lawn Care

©2014 Organic Edible Gardens LLC

 

Fall, in general, is the best time of the year for planting. With temperatures slowly cooling down and an increase in precipitation, newly installed plants have a good opportunity to establish themselves. Fall is the best time of year to plant cold hardy perennials, trees and shrubs. They will set their roots over the winter and come back strong in the spring. When it comes to the month of September specifically, this is a good time for planting cool weather vegetables like lettuces, arugula, spinach, beets and carrots. It is also the best time of year to perform a lawn renovation.

 

Here at Organic Edible Gardens we perform this lawn renovation organically. First we control weeds without the use of chemical herbicides. An organically fertile soil requires organic matter; it is the food that the microbes eat in order to produce nutrients for the plants. Most lawn soils, especially chemically treated ones have low percentages of organic matter. In order to improve this, we apply a top-dressing of well matured compost. We follow this with an aeration in order to improve soil porosity, work the compost into the soil and to provide a good seed bed for the grass seed. Seed selection is important as certain varieties are best adapted to our climate. Finally we apply organic fertilizers whose composition and quantity is determined by a soil test. A short time later, after a little help from Mother Nature in the form of rain, you can have a more drought tolerant, lush green lawn for your children to play in without the health risks of synthetic pesticides or contamination of the watershed.

 

 

Mulch: Materials and Strategies

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Mulch: Materials and Strategies
By Danylo Kosovych, Owner
Organic Edible Gardens LLC

There are many benefits to mulch, including improved soil moisture retention, weed suppression, increase in organic matter and aesthetic quality, but like most things, a sound approach goes a long way,  if applied too thickly, it can create problems like root collar disorders in trees, anaerobic soil conditions and killing of tender perennials. There are multiple material options to consider as well as the ideal time of year to apply mulch.

The best time of the year to apply mulch to your garden beds is the early spring before perennials emerge. It is best to wait until most of the snow has finished, if applied too early, the mulch will be flattened and weathered come spring time. Perennial garden plants will emerge through mulch if not applied to thickly. Attempting to mulch after perennials emerge requires significantly more care because recently sprouted perennials can be damaged if covered by mulch. Mulch applied in spring prevents annual weed seed germination in garden beds and can smother already emerged perennial weeds.

There are many mulch materials available, but the most widely available are shredded bark, leaves and wood. The best mulch resembles most what nature produces. Nature’s mulch is a combination of leaves, downed twigs and trees, therefore one could assume that leaf mulch from the county facility is the best option. While it does produce rich dark soil when used over a number of years, it contains a lot of weed seeds and can counteract the weed suppression benefit of mulch. Bark mulch is high in tannins which over time lowers the ph of our already acidic soil. There is never such a high concentration of bark around plants in nature; it is always accompanied with wood and leaves. No material is perfect, but out of the three, wood mulch is my mulch of choice because it keeps weeds down, looks attractive and has balanced nutrients.

If you would like to smother a section of weeds or lawn consider using a compostable material like cardboard. Weed fabric should be avoided in garden beds. It never breaks down! If not removed annually, perennial weeds begin to seed themselves on top of the fabric, growing roots throughout the fabric, making it more difficult to remove the weeds. It also stratifies soil, not allowing the organic matter of broken down mulch to mix with the lower layers of soil. As a result, roots remain at the surface. Over time, the fabric becomes clogged with organic matter, preventing water from infiltrating into lower layers of the soil. Cardboard, on the other hand can be left in place because it breaks down over time, improving the soil.

Mulch: Materials and Strategies

Ten year old weed fabric with a thick layer of weeds growing on top

Mulch: Materials and Strategies

Cardboard also smothers weeds but breaks down over time

 

Pruning in the Dormant Season

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Pruning in the Dormant Season

©2013-2014 Danylo Kosovych and Organic Edible Gardens LLC

What most people consider pruning is taking a power tool to the exterior of a shrub and turning it into a perfect ball, or hedge row. While this tactic applies to hedges it does not benefit most shrubs and trees. A common pruning practice that you will see when it comes to trees is chopping off the top of crape myrtles. The crape myrtle will survive and flower a lot the next year but the aesthetic structure of the tree is lost forever and will have to be pruned in the same manner every year thereafter.

A much more practical way of pruning which enhances the aesthetic structure of the tree while aiding in pest and disease resistance and increases fruiting (in fruit trees), is pruning from the inside out. This process is called thinning.

The primary objective of thinning is structural; open up the canopy for air and light penetration. Allowing more air to flow in the center of a tree or shrub canopy reduces disease by allowing limbs and leaves to dry sooner. Increasing sunlight onto the interior buds of a tree increases fruit production.  Shaded branches are unproductive but they still use nutritional resources.

During the winter, woody plants store their energy in their trunks and roots. Branches have little stored energy and can be removed without altering the stored energy of the tree or shrub. Because of their dormant state large portions of trees and shrubs can be removed. Plants heal best in the spring and summer, when their physiological processes are at their peak. Wounds from fresh cuts are prone to winter injury, therefore late winter is best. Plants can also be pruned in the summer but major limb removal should be kept to a minimum because you will be reducing the energy of the plant. If the plant is spring flowering and the pruning needs minimal you can wait until after flowering.

The best way to prune a tree or shrub is by looking at the plant from the inside out. Before you cut anything, analyze the plant. Find the large branches that reach the canopy. They should come out of the trunk at an almost perpendicular angle. These are the main structural branches. Do not remove these. Start by removing dead, diseased or broken branches. Any small branch that starts within the interior and does not make it to the canopy can be removed. They are shaded and unproductive. Remove any branches that come out of the truck with a very small crotch angle and then grow vertically through the canopy. They are shoots. They will be of smaller size than the main structural branches and entangled through the entire canopy. When making a cut it is best to remove an entire branch from the trunk at the end of the branch collar.

Pruning in the Dormant Season 1

The resulting tree or shrub will have a cleaner look. There will be less small limbs in the interior of the canopy making the larger structural branches more visible. It will also be more resilient and require less ongoing maintenance as plants pruned from the top down.

Pruning in the Dormant Season 2

January- A Time for Rest and Reflection

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January- A Time for Rest and Reflection

©2013-2014 Danylo Kosovych and Organic Edible Gardens LLC

The shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere is December 21st , the winter solstice. From the advent of the solar calendar, cultures have been holding celebrations on this day in association with their religious beliefs. At this time of the year all of the season’s agricultural work would have been finished and the days were dark and cold. People were indoors and free of the bulk of their chores. If you make your living as a landscaper like I do then the agricultural ebb and flow of the seasons still largely applies. In reference to the suburban garden, the plants are in dormancy and the ground is frozen, now is a good time to rest, relax and reflect.

While snow will have to be removed from paved surfaces like the driveway, walkways and streets, it can be left alone on planted surfaces. Plants with marginal cold hardiness should have been mulched and protected from frost before the onset of winter. Late winter is the best time of the year for dormant pruning but not until February or March. The year’s gardening work is finished. Take some time off.

Many companies have realized that giving their employees time off of work can actually increase productivity and quality of work when their employees return. This is especially true in reference to creativity. Progressive companies like Google are known to give employees an entire month off in an effort to boost creativity. As a result of this policy they have produced some of their most creative innovations. Removing yourself from direct mental and physical engagement with your work allows you to return to your work refreshed and with a new perspective. Simply being able to rest and refresh the mind and body will lead to improved results when one returns. A change of scenery and a break from the ordinary routine can produce insights previously not thought of.

If you kept records of your garden now is a good time to look them over and think about the next year. Walk the garden in winter and take note of the structure of trees and shrubs as they are bare of leaves. Pay attention to the garden beds and pathways, their layout is easier to see without all the vegetative growth of the summer. But most importantly take a load off. Read a book next to the fire. Go on vacation. Meet with family and friends. Drink, eat and be Merry!

Fallen Leaves: A Valuable Resource, Not a Waste Product

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Fallen Leaves: A Valuable Resource, Not a Waste Product
©2013  Danylo Kosovych and Organic Edible Gardens LLC

One of the first practices that struck me as odd when I began landscaping is the collection and disposal of the season’s fallen leaves. Leaves are a good source of organic matter and plant nutrients. You can reduce your mulch and fertilizer inputs by using what nature provided, rather than paying money or expending energy to get rid of them.  If you live in a forest you can simply let them lie but like most people who have a combination of lawn, garden beds and paved surfaces the leaves will need to be processed in one of three ways.

Deciduous trees drop their leaves each fall storing all their energy within their roots. In mature forests the leaves fall onto the ground and whatever nutrients remain are cycled back into the system. Trees need leaf litter; it keeps the soil warm in the winter and prevents evaporation in the summer. Just as we put on more clothes in the winter to keep ourselves warm. Leaves create a warm blanket on the ground, their active decomposition creates heat. The litter of fallen leaves under the tree creates an ideal substrate for beneficial soil fungi and bacteria to grow in. The metabolic activity from these microorganisms can keep the temperature higher than in the surrounding area. The increased warmth supports microorganism activity and root growth as well as providing a habitat for insects and small animals.

The large area and number of trees in the forest keep the leaves on the forest floor. Landscape beds are much smaller and many times slightly raised in comparison to walkways and lawns. As a result, fallen leaves tend to blow off of landscape beds and collect in lower areas of the property. Shredding the leaves reduces the surface area that catches the wind, keeping them in place. They also tend to mat less, preventing the smothering of groundcovers. Shredded leaves have a more uniform color than whole leaves. Leaf mulch is an attractive dark brown and slowly decomposes, releasing nutrients to the plants, and preventing winter damage by keeping roots warm.

Shredded leaves in garden beds:

Fallen Leaves: A Valuable Resource, Not a Waste Product 01

Fallen Leaves: A Valuable Resource, Not a Waste Product 02

An even easier way to utilize fallen leaves is to shred them into your lawn. This takes only slightly more work than mowing your lawn. You will have to mow your lawn 2-3 times over to get all of the last leaves. All it requires is a mulching blade and closing the discharge chute. A study by Michigan State University, found that mulched oak and maple leaves reduced the amount of dandelions and increased spring green up in lawns.  They reduce the prevalence of dandelions by reducing dandelion seed germination.  Shredded leaves provide nutrients and organic matter to the lawn producing a thicker, greener more drought tolerant lawn.

Fallen leaves contain a small percentage of nutrients, ranging from 1-3% nitrogen, (the higher being from leguminous trees) and small amounts of phosphorous and potassium.  While the percentages might be small, the sheer volume of leaves dropped by large deciduous trees creates an ample amount of nutrients. A low input lawn requires 1 pound per 1000 square feet of nitrogen per year. A heavily wooded lot can produce 100 pounds of leaves per 1000 square feet providing enough nitrogen for the year.

Leaves in the lawn before shredding:

Fallen Leaves: A Valuable Resource, Not a Waste Product 03

 

After Shredding:

Fallen Leaves: A Valuable Resource, Not a Waste Product 04

 

If you do not have much lawn but have vegetable gardens, then you might want to save the leaves for the compost bin. Compost improves soil porosity by loosening heavy clay soils and retaining moisture in sandy soils. It also adds beneficial microbes that support root growth and break down the organic matter into soluble plant nutrients.

A balanced compost has an equal ratio of brown (dry) and green (wet) or carbonic and nitrogenous material.  An over proportionate amount of either one will result in unhealthy microbial activity. Too much carbonic material will be too dry and take too long to break down. Too much nitrogenous material will become sludgy and anaerobic producing a bad smell. Leaves and wood are good examples of brown or carbon rich materials while grass clippings, herbaceous plants and food scraps are good sources of nitrogen rich materials.

There are many beneficial uses for your fallen leaves that can save you time and money in the landscape, not to mention the fossil fuel saved by eliminating the transportation of material. Even if you use machinery to process the leaves you will not use nearly as much fuel as transportation requires. Which method you choose to process your leaves or whether you simply decide to let them be is determined by the makeup of your property.

Rainwater-Harvesting Earthworks

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©2013 Jonathan Storvick and Organic Edible Gardens LLC

“Swales” and other rainwater-harvesting earthworks are an integral part of the sustainable landscape.  Harvesting rainwater is by no means a new concept – humans have been capturing and storing rainwater for at least 6000 years, probably longer.  From the cisterns of ancient Rome to today’s ubiquitous 55-gallon rain barrels, people have utilized the free and precious resource of rainwater for every water need from irrigation to bathing and drinking.  Yet the use of tanks, cisterns and barrels can only be a small part of any sustainable water strategy.

This is because catchment itself is only part of the need. First, there is the simple matter of quantity – more water falls from the sky than we can possibly capture and use for our needs.  For example, a 1-inch rainstorm falling on a 1000 square-foot roof generates more than 600 gallons of water – enough to fill a 55-gallon rain barrel almost 11 times.  We could simply build a 600-gallon cistern to hold all of that water, but what if it rains 2 inches? Or 10 inches over a week-long storm?  Where is that water going?  And do we really need to hold on to 600 gallons?  For what use?  This also does not take into account the water that is falling on the rest of the yard.

Second, there is the issue of rainwater that flows over the landscape.  Professionals and organizations are fond of referring to this issue as “stormwater management” – this water is a nuisance that must be diverted and shunted out to the nearest river as quickly as possible.  We could not possibly disagree more with this stance.  Stormwater flow is indeed a serious issue, as Colorado residents could tell you after the recent devastating floods in that state.  However, a responsible stormwater management policy, combined with rainwater harvesting (viewing rainwater as a precious resource), would help to both collect and conserve water, as well as prevent flooding, erosion, and property damage.

Rainwater-harvesting earthworks are a key component of such a strategy.  These earthworks include “swales,” terraces, rain gardens, and check dams.  The term “swale” can be somewhat confusing – landscape and stormwater professionals use the term to denote a vegetated ditch that transports water.  Permaculturists and rainwater harvesters use the word to describe a ditch dug on contour (running along an equal point of elevation crossways along a slope) with a berm placed on the downhill side of the ditch.  When stormwater runs over the landscape, it is caught in these swales, and is allowed to slowly sink into the soil.  Rainwater harvesting expert Brad Lancaster uses the term berm n’ basin to avoid confusion.

The catchphrase for both rainwater harvesting and stormwater management is “Slow, Spread, and Sink.”  The idea is to slow the flow of water over the landscape, spread the water out evenly (instead of having it rush down one spot creating gullies), and sink it into the ground.  Swales are an incredibly useful technique to accomplish this.  The swale slows the flow of water by stopping it along a single point of elevation.  It spreads the water, since it is a long ditch – much like a bathtub, even though water flows in from one point, the entire tub is filled with water.  By stopping the water in one spot, it enables the water to sink into the ground.

Rainwater-Harvesting Earthworks - Swale Digging

Carving out swales for a recent project in Purcellville, VA

Permaculturists are often fond of saying that the cheapest place to store water is in the soil.  Indeed, it costs much less to dig a swale than it does to purchase and install a large-capacity water tank – plus with just a tank, you still have to deal with the problem of water runoff from the tank’s overflow.  In addition to capturing stormwater, swales serve many other important functions.  By planting the swale berm with trees and shrubs (preferably fruiting plants, but hey, we’re biased), you can increase the amount of available water in the soil to your plants.  This increased water supply boosts growth and fruit set.  Ben Falk of Whole Systems Design has discovered, over 10+ years of experimenting on his farm in Vermont, that trees and shrubs planted on swales often exhibit twice as much growth as the same species planted nearby on flat ground.  Over time, the increased amount of water infiltrated into the soil can also regenerate aquifers and revive springs downslope, creating even more of a water resource for people, plants, and wildlife.

Rainwater-Harvesting Earthworks - Swale Chickens

Even the chickens love swales.

Of course, swales are only one tool in the rainwater harvesting kit, and may not be useful for all yards or properties.  A detailed study of climate, soils, property size and other factors is the best way to determine which techniques are best for any particular situation.  Usually a combination of various techniques, appropriately sited, are the best way to go.  As seen in the pictures above, we recently installed a network of both diversion and infiltration swales as part of a permaculture landscape in Loudoun County.  We’re excited to see how these earthworks solve drainage and erosion problems and provide free irrigation to the gardens.  We’ll post more information over time as these systems develop and grow!

References:

Bane, P. (2012). The permaculture handbook: Garden farming for town and country.  Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers.

Falk, B. (2013).  The resilient farm and homestead: An innovative permaculture and whole systems design approach.  White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.

Kinkade-Levario, H. (2007). Design for water: Rainwater harvesting, stormwater catchment, and alternate water reuse.  Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers.

Lancaster, B. (2009). Rainwater harvesting for drylands and beyond, volume 1: Guiding principles to welcome rain into your life and landscape.  Tucson, AZ: Rainsource Press.

Lancaster, B. (2008). Rainwater harvesting for drylands and beyond, volume 2: Water-harvesting earthworks.  Tucson, AZ: Rainsource Press.

Fall Lawn Renovation the Organic Way

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© 2013 by Danylo Kosovych and Organic Edible Gardens LLC

Fall, in general, is the best time of the year for planting. With temperatures slowly cooling down and an increase in precipitation, newly installed plants have a good opportunity to establish themselves. When it comes to the month of September specifically, this is a good time for planting cool weather annuals, whether they are petunias or pansies or vegetables like lettuces, arugula, spinach, beets and carrots. Perennials, trees and shrubs can be planted now but there is no hurry as they can be planted as late as December as long as the ground is not frozen. There is one family of plants that have a much smaller window of opportunity; their optimum period for establishment in the month of September. I am talking about our prized and sought after turf grasses. This is what we at Organic Edible Gardens are devoting our time to right now and I will explain a little about our process.

Fall Lawn Renovation the Organic Way

As the name suggests we practice organic gardening methods. In reference to lawns, this means no herbicides or synthetic fertilizers. How do you manage weeds without selective herbicides? You might ask. We burn them, or technically put we heat-sterilize them. With a specially made tool designed for organic agriculture, we pass an extremely hot flame over the weed, heating the water inside the leaves to a degree that destroys the cell walls killing the plant tissues. Now most weeds have rhizomatous roots which store energy in case their leaves die, so multiple applications are necessary to kill weeds permanently. Following a sufficient weed suppression schedule we add any necessary nutrients and adjust the pH of the soil as advised by a simple chemical soil analysis. An organically fertile soil requires organic matter; it is the food that the microbes eat in order to produce nutrients for the plants. Most lawn soils, especially chemically treated ones have low percentages of organic matter. In order to improve this, we apply a top-dressing of well matured compost. We follow this with an aeration to improve soil porosity, work the compost into the soil and to provide a good seed bed for the grass seed. Seed selection is important as certain varieties are best adapted to our climate. We also include certain non- grass seeds in our mixes that work well in turf systems whether by fixing nitrogen or filling in niches that other weeds would otherwise fill without altering the look of the turf. With a little help from Mother Nature in the form of rain, a short time later you can have a more drought tolerant, lush green lawn for your children to play in without the health risks of synthetic pesticides or contamination of the watershed.

Danylo Kosovych
Owner
Organic Edible Gardens LLC