permaculture

[Steve Diver <steved@ipa.net>]

Here's a practical excersize: 

How many biointensive beds can you fit into a 
quarter acre, based on the following guidelines.

Maintain a 4-foot wide perimeter on all four sides
to function as a border between garden and turf, 
which can be sheet mulched for weed control, 
walking around, and sanitation.

Use 2-foot borders between beds, or calculate 
another width such as 1.5-feet or 3-feet.

Use 4-foot or 5-foot wide raised beds.

Put a 7-foot pathway through the middle of the
garden or some other design that promotes the
ability to have a tractor drive down to deliver
volumes of compost and such, or to create a 
medicine wheel or fountain, etc.

How many beds, how much square feet of growing area.

Alternatively, calculate how many 100' rows of
sweet corn, bush beans, okra, potatoes, and other
crops can you fit inside a quarter acre, again
with a 4' perimeter. 

Have fun,
Steve Diver