4 case studies of urban gardens designed and installed by A Yard & A Half Landscaping Cooperative bring permaculture lessons to bear on planning and designing small spaces. Includes sustainable technologies, edible plant lists, and resources for site assessment and planning.

1. Gardening in Small Spaces
Carolyn Edsell-Vetter, MCH, NOFA-AOLCP

2. Who’s Here?

3. Where is your “Small Space”?Remember: There are no design problems, only opportunities!
• Urban yard
• Patio or courtyard
• Deck or balcony
• Roof of house, shed, doghouse…
• Fire escape
• Window box
• Entryway
• Tree wells & crevices
• Indoors

4. Permaculture PrinciplesRemember: There are no design problems, only opportunities!
1. Observe & Interact
2. Catch & Store Energy
3. Obtain a Yield
4. Apply Self-Regulation &
Accept Feedback
5. Use & Value Renewable
Resources and Services
6. Produce No Waste
7. Design from Patterns
to Details
8. Integrate Rather Than
Segregate
9. Use Small & Slow Solutions
10. Use & Value Diversity
11. Use Edges & the Marginal
12. Creatively Use & Respond
to Change

5. Permaculture PrinciplesRemember: There are no design problems, only opportunities!
1. Observe & Interact
2. Catch & Store Energy
3. Obtain a Yield
4. Apply Self-Regulation &
Accept Feedback
5. Use & Value Renewable
Resources and Services
6. Produce No Waste
7. Design from Patterns
to Details
8. Integrate Rather Than
Segregate
9. Use Small & Slow Solutions
10. Use & Value Diversity
11. Use Edges & the Marginal
12. Creatively Use & Respond
to Change

6. Why do I need to have a plan?
A plan allows you to:
• Make the most of opportunities created by natural and man-made
aspects of a site
• Identify and solve problems
• Work with, preserve, and improve natural and human systems
(hydrology, soils, air, ecosystems, plant & animal life, natural
resources, human – individual & communal – health & well-being)
• Avoid frustration down the road (sun-loving plants in a shady area, a
flooded basement from bad grading & impervious surfaces…)
• Maximize beauty & aesthetics of the space
• Communicate with those helping you to install and/or manage the
landscape

7. The Planning Process
1. Base map
2. Site assessment & analysis
3. Schematic/Use map
4. Plan development
5. Final plan & cost estimates
6. Implementation
7. Evaluation & adjustment

8. Making a Base Map
• Plot plan
• Municipal assessor’s
database
• GIS mapping
• Survey
• Detailed field
measurements

9. 1. Hillside Driveway
All photos by Jesse or Carolyn Edsell-Vetter; landscape design
by Carolyn Edsell-Vetter & installation by A Yard & A Half
Landscaping Co-Op, unless otherwise noted.

10. Understanding Contours
130’
140’
150’

11. Calculating Grade Change
You will need:
• Stake or buddy
• Tape measure
• String
• Line level

12. Boundaries
• Structures
• Walls & fences
• Curbs, sidewalks, roads
• When in doubt, get a survey!

13. Orientation
Image courtesy of University of Oregon

14. Types of Shade
Part-shade
Dappled shade
High shade
Deep shade

15. Drainage
 Where does the
water come from?
 Where does it
end up?
 Downspouts,
gutters, overhangs,
topography, yards
of neighbors
 Erosion, pooling,
wet & dry areas
 Problems can be
more intense in
smaller yards!

16. 100% Infiltration On-Site

17. 2. The “Tree House”

18. From Base Map to Concept:
Vision & Values
How do you want
to use the space?
What do you
envision this
space becoming?
What values do you
want to guide
your plan?

19. What are your values?
1. Friends & family: entertaining, play
space
2. Self: orderly space for hobbies &
soul-fulfilling activities
3. Spirit: beauty, relaxing view,
plantings & reclaimed materials
demonstrate oneness with the
earth
4. Body/health: lead-free raised bed
to grow veggies, groundcovers to
reduce risk
5. Community: friendly fences;
wildlife value; local, low-impact
materials; installers with good
ethics around employment &
sustainability
1
2
3
4
5

20. Do you need/want…
• Lawn
• Parking
• Play structures
• Open play areas
• Paved areas
• Privacy or screening
• Protection from sun/wind
• Edible plants
• Groundcover
• Habitat for pollinators? Birds?
Bats? Frogs?
• Storage for bikes, toys,
strollers, furniture, tools…
• Utility area for fixing things,
washing the dog, hobbies…
• Space for garbage, recycling
• Compost pile/enclosure
• Dining or sitting areas
• Cooking area
• Fire
• Water

21. Site Analysis & Use Plan
• Zones of use: What will you do where?
• Circulation: Where do you need to go?
How will you get there?

22. Clear Definition

23. Subdivided Spaces
• Makes each space seem larger
• Defines different spaces for different uses
• Helps keep spaces orderly
• Changes in elevation
• Screening & suspense

24. Squeezing in Functionality
•Kinetic, creative play
•Water sounds
•Sculptural element
•Water for birds & pollinators

25. Plants Everywhere!
Planting hardscapes:
•Manages water
•Softens edges
•Adds fragrance & color
Design:ChristieDustman&Co.

26. 3. Sacred Space, Shared Space

27. Circulation

28. Views
Design:BarbaraPopolow

29. Multi-purpose Plants
• Food/medicine
• Architectural use (shade,
windbreak, focal point)
• Nectar source
• Nitrogen fixer
• Companion plant
• Critter cover or feed
• Beauty
Photo:JocelynHayes-Chilvers
Photo:wildflowerrevolution.com

30. 4. Urban Container Garden
Look,
urban soil!
I think
that’s dog
poo.

31. Raised Bed Benefits
Design&installationbytheEdsell-Vetterfamily.
•Soil safety
•Ergonomics
•If you have a paved lot…
•Warms up earlier in spring
•Lifts plants up to the sun

32. One piece, many uses
Raised Planter & Trellis
•Screening from busy
street
•Shade for dining
room window
•Support for vines
•Lead-free planting
area for food
•Seating
•Pollinator value…

33. …and secret hideout!

34. Raised Bed ROI
Size: 66 sf of planting area, 2’-3’ deep
Time: 2 weekends for family of 4, May 2015
ROI (so far): 15 trays of sundried tomatoes & zucchini, a
summer of salads, herbs, 2 pints raspberries, 4 pints
pickles, 2 batches of pesto, some kick-butt mojitos…
Intangibles: bees, butterflies, lowered blood pressure,
kids eating their veggies

35. Closing the Circle
More ideas for sustainable, small-scale gardening

36. Hanging Baskets
Hydroponic Window
Farm
Upside-down Tomato
Bucket
•Tomatoes
•Strawberries
•Bush beans
•Cucumbers
•Herbs
•Nasturtiums & edible
flowers

37. Pocket Gardening

38. Rain Gardens
Raingarden irrigating fruit
trees in suburban Chicago
front yard Urban entryway rain
garden with aqueduct

39. Rain-Water Recovery
55-gallon rain barrel Urn-fountain installed over
1,000 gallon storage
system

40. Water Gardens

41. Bioshelters
•Passive solar + thermal mass from stored water & masonry
•Warmer winter temps allow for year-round growing &
aquaculture
•When connected to a dwelling, provides supplemental heat
& humidity

42. Tiny Composting
 Sealed outdoor composter
 Bokashi (fermentation) bin
 Worm bin
 Check to see if public or private compost pick-up
is available

43. Container Gardening:
The Nitty-Gritty
 Planting mix w/ low N-P-K
 Use reputable organic potting soil (e.g. VT Compost or
Ideal) or make your own
 Coir, newsprint as alternatives to peat
 Weight of planting medium
 Fertilize w/ 4-4-2 or lower organic fertilizer (e.g. fish,
cottonseed meal, compost tea)

44. Self-Watering Containers
 Drainage
 Water reservoir
 Soil foot or wick
 Tube for adding water
 Sand if growing root veg

45. Plants for Containers
 Cold-hardy perennials &
woody plants (z3-4)
 Dwarf varieties
 Annual vegetables
 Group plants w/ similar
needs

46. Hanging Planters
 Strawberry ‘Patio
Temptation’
 Tomatoes ‘Tumbling
Tom’, ‘Robin’s Egg’,
‘Tiny Tom’
 Bush beans
 Cucumber ‘Cool Breeze’
 Herbs

47. Window Boxes
 Tomatoes from previous
 Scallions
 Radishes
 Mesclun mix
 Carrot ‘Suko’ or ‘Parmex’
 Herbs
 Strawberries

48. Coldframes
 Lettuce, mesclun
 Spinach
 Scallions
 Radishes
 Chard (prefers to be in
the ground)
 Mini carrots ‘Kinko’,
‘Nelson’, ‘Purple Haze’
 Endive

49. Large Containers
 > 20”x26”
 Corn ‘Luther Hill’
 Squash, melon
 Kale, kohlrabi
 Potatoes & leeks – start w/
container ½ full, then hill
up as they grow

50. Fruit for Small Spaces
 Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums
grown on dwarf rootstock, e.g.
‘Urban Apple’ series
 Dwarf citrus (move indoors;
humidify)
 Blueberries, Thornless
Blackberries, ‘Brazelberries’
serries
 Currants where available

51. Grow On!
Carolyn Edsell-Vetter, MCH, AOLCP
Blog/handouts: http://ayardandahalf.wordpress.com
Email: carolyn [at] ayardandahalf [dot] com
W: 781-788-8855