19.0 Big Field overall
I've noticed that when there is snow, the area under the trees is apparently a bit warmer. In the summer heat, the area under the two junipers is markedly cooler.
What kind of grass is appropriate within a permaculture framework? It currently is an open grassy area infrequently used for bonfires and dancing or sport type activities of humans and sometimes the deer. Lots of insects live there, as well as moles and voles.
The rain that falls near the cedars in the SW corner flows to the north, east and west. The highest point on the property is somewhere in the area of the barn, shed, and these two cedars.
To provide appropriate capture of this free water, I need to come down a few feet below the crest and build some contour line swales that will become the locations of the various circle and spiral plant guilds. But I think those will be at the very edge, defining a new big field for human use.
In 2006 the east woods and east field were kept more or less as mowed as the big field. The row of leafless black locust in the back is the east border woods, including the small eastern red cedar to the right. In front of the split cedar in the middle is a spruce that bushed out very nicely, but didn't make it much bigger than this and died a few years later.
In 2006 the east woods and east field were kept more or less as mowed as the big field. The row of leafless black locust in the back is the east border woods, including the small eastern red cedar to the right. In front of the split cedar in the middle is a spruce that bushed out very nicely, but didn't make it much bigger than this and died a few years later.
The big field can be a performance venue
A little raking, a bit of pile organizing, almost ready. I am conflicted about having a neatly mowed field for bonfires within the permaculture context. How beneficial to the surrounding areas is a field like this?