Diploma Portfolio : 07 Allotment Design

Summary

“Designing my Allotment” 2017-18

Context and Aim: I had had my allotment for 8 years before I did this design. Ultimately it was to try and put in a more permaculture structure and to think more longer term ie succession planning and to increase the yields. It was also a learning space to implement things I’d read about eg companion planting including the 3 sisters.
Framework: Whitefield’s Model
Tools: Base maps, Overlays, Sector anaysis, Client interview, Microclimates, SWOC (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Constraints), Stacking
Principles: Mollison and Slay
Key successes: My allotment had structure! Designing rotation for the plants and having a piece of paper to say where each bed was really helped when planting up in the second year. Whilst implementing I carried the design in an A4 folder with overlays, this was really helpful and avoided the lethargy that had previously set in when I’d arrive at the allotment of not knowing which bit to start on first.
Key challenges and how they were overcome: Being patient enough to wait for the right times to implement – helped by having a very clear plan.
Evaluation: Using this as a design for my diploma meant it had to be properly thought through using a permaculture framework / tools / ethics and principles. Because of this the level of thinking and planning for the plot exceeded anything I’d done before and had some additional planning for future years. It also made it much more connected to it’s surrounding. 
Reflection: The basemap with bluetacked pieces of paper on was a brilliant method of laying out the plants and gave it real flexibility to rearrange them. It was also all done on A4 paper and carried in a folder to the plot and back each time, which meant that it was a really hands-on, useful resource that I could change on site if I wanted to.