Designing an edible garden part 3: zones

So, now that we have the main topology of our plot in paper, and we added the water flow, we can think on what to put where to serve our needs. We are ready to introduce the human element.

This in permaculture is called zones.

Here is the idea behind it: we are going to organize our garden in terms of the time we need to spend on it, and specially how often we need to go there. Parts of the garden that need more tending are going to be closer/more accessible, and those parts that don't need tending will be the furthest.

Middle size plot

So lets go back to this concept of a middle size plot we talked about previously. If we look at the page with the design, we still need to establish accessibility of the different areas.

Zone 0

Zone 0 (zero) is the home place in the plot. If there is a house, that is Z0. If there is no constructions yet, it's the place where we plan to put it, or the parking space.

Zone 1

Our kitchen garden will be Zone 1, that is where we go every day to collect veggies and herbs for cooking.

Zone 2

Zone 2 is about places that we need to tend every day but we don't want necessarily to see from our kitchen window. Elements in Z2 can be a greenhouse, a worm bin, a chicken coop, rabbits or any small animal that need regular tending.

Now these have their own particular needs for growing healthy and happy, so we need to find places in our plot that are close enough and have the proper conditions of water, soil, wind protection and light. We need to make sure they are close enough (preferable at a walking distance) and have an easy path joining them with Z0.

Zone 3

Zone 3 is where our food forest is located. A food forest is similar to an orchard, but it maximizes the space for growing food using the five levels of the forest: ground cover, bushes, small trees, big trees and vines. Ideally Zone 3 doesn't require much work after established, and for the most part we go there to harvest. It requires seasonal work to control and amend.

In Zone 3 we will also have a composting area (a general one, not specifically a worm bin), and maybe a shed for tools and storing wood. If we have chickens we could do a mixed system having them free range in some areas, so the chicken coup could be located in the transition between Z2 and Z3.

Zone 4

Zone 1-3 are in general for personal use. In Zone 4, we have pastures for bigger animals or it can also be a cash crop area. We can also have a semi managed forest for lumber, wildlife and for harvesting wild mushrooms.

Zone 5

Zone 5 is an untouched area that will be the reservoir of healthy undisturbed soil ecology that we can harvest for our compost piles. It's also the place where we learn about the way nature resolves situations and issues in our area. It's a powerful school.

We need easy access to all the spaces, and in some cases we will need roads and bridges. make sure all that is in the design. It will save a lot of pain down the road.

Small plots

If are in an urban area and have a house with a garden, we still can zone it. Everything that we will need daily has to be the close to the kitchen door and the trees forming our fruit forest will be further to the back or the sides of the property. We could leave an area for the birds so they don't attack our fruits and veggies.

Zone 5 will possibly be outside the property.

Son now that we understand our zones, we can go back to our drawing and select what area will be what. We need to make sure each area will have all their needs met. It's an interesting puzzle and very rewarding when we manage to put the pieces together.

Now we are ready to start selecting the species for our plot, and get the hands dirty.

Above all... remember this is a cocreation process where we learn on the go. We do all this to reduce mistakes, but mistakes are unavoidable, so don't let doubt stop you at this point.

Happy gardening!

Thanks for reading.

All comments are highly appreciated.

Images: stock photos from Canva.