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Mapped
in the late 1800’s as the “swamp” it bears a rich, black soil
floodplain. To this day, our Hamilton Avenue neighborhood still
bears that nickname, though now it refers more to the low life not
the low land. Our urban acreage is the lowest point of the Near
Eastside. It is a natural watershed for our community harboring a ¾
acre forest farm and certified wildlife habitat ( & biosphere as
some call it) in the form of diverse, mature hardwood and
meadow-like landscapes showcasing many varieties of fruits, nuts,
assorted wacky wild edibles, native plants and installation art. The
seasonal changes are wondrous too. U-pick, by appointment only, are
offered when our Black Raspberries & Tart Cherries are in season.
These 5 contiguous city lots which date back to a 1912 Victorian
cottage (built by a wooden barrel maker named Philip Dorn) have been
cultivated & preserved, utilizing only the best chemical free
processes the whole way. Kay has worked the land the last 17 years
transforming it from growing gardens of heirloom vegetables to a
beyond organic, permaculture fruit acreage . Sue is our bee-keeper.
The bees play a vital role in the production of our fruit & native
plantings. DNR has told us our habitat can support 5 hives. That’s
our goal. Each hive produces approx 100 lbs of honey, imbued with
golden hues of our fruit juices.
We are not only growers of antique fruits but foragers that comb the
neighborhoods for fruits & wild edibles that date back to the 19th
century. The acreage that surrounds us pre-date the hybridiza-tion
age & are rich with diverse, old time fruits.
We welcome your visits to the
‘Hood’ |
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Permaculture is
an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems
that mimic the relationships found in natural ecol-ogies.
Permaculture is sustainable land use design. This is based on
ecological and biological principles, often using patterns that
occur in nature to maxi-mize effect and minimize work. Permaculture
aims to create stable, productive systems that provide for human
needs, harmoniously inte-grating the land with its inhabitants. The
ecological processes of plants, animals, their nutrient cycles,
climatic factors and weather cycles are all part of the picture.
Inhabitants’ needs are provided for using proven technologies for
food, energy, shelter and infrastructure. Elements in a system are
viewed in relationship to other elements, where the outputs of one
element become the inputs of another. Within a Permaculture system,
work is minimized, “wastes” become resources, productivity and
yields increase, and environments are restored. Permaculture
principles can be applied to any environment, at any scale from
dense urban settlements to individual homes, from farms to entire
regions.
Ecosystems Agro ecology
This approach is based in the hypotheses that the natural systems,
with its stability and resilience, provide the best model to mimic
if sustainability is the goal. Ecosystems Agro ecology is based on
the belief that large-scale agriculture is inappropriate. |
