Food Forest on Marina Place in Benicia

Here are some photos of a 700 sq ft Permaculture Food Forest that a group of volunteers installed in Benicia last weekend.
This is the site on Saturday morning.

BEFORE

This is the almost complete scene at the end of the day.

AFTER

The address is 489 Marina Place in Benicia. It is off 5th Street one block from Military. Being a front yard anyone can visit the site. I'm sure that you will have the courtesy not to trespass or disturb the generous community minded residents that live here.



Me with a load of plants trying not to be anxious about the day ahead

Project leader Elena introducing the plan for the day

This project is one of 4 Food Forest installations planned this spring by Benicia Community Gardens. There is a little on their website now and hopefully more is coming soon.

Time-lapse Video

Here is the whole 7 hours captured in a Time-lapse Video produced by Stephen Dale.

 

The grey bin is for construction waste. We found 43 cents!

There is a certain irony that this actually a front yard 

The first task was to mark and dig 2 on-contour swales which cross the site for water catchment. These will slow, spread (across its on-contour length ~30') and sink surface water not only from rainfall but from a land drain porting water from the back of the house. This drain feeds water to the left end of the top swale. A relief spillway adjacent to the driveway on the right eases surplus water to the lower swale. We used some on site river rocks for this purpose and they are perhaps best seen in the video and the AFTER photo above.

 

Flour was used to mark the swales as determined by an "A" frame.

 After digging the two swales we filled them with tree chips.

 

In total we would need 6 - 8 cu yds of tree chips for the swales and then a mulch covering.

I was able to bring 4 yds in the trailer.

I also delivered 1 cu yd of planting mix from Contra Costa Topsoil ($45.00)

 

Then it was lunch time.

I believe we had 15 volunteers. They all Brought unique and valuable talents.

Artists at work painting signs

After lunch we began the planting. The first tree planted in the Benicia Sustainable Backyard project was a Hass Avocado.

Planting 2 Southern High Bush Blueberries on the berm

Coffee grounds and soil acidifier were added for the Blueberries

Nick said this Improved Meyer Lemon was the first tree he had planted in his adult life.
Kristen and Nick are receiving a Food Forest at their Benicia home in May.

The face of success

 



We will be installing another Food Forest in Benicia on March 14 2015. Details will follow.
 I'd better start planning!

May you be inspired and in-joy,

David

925 286 7225