Forest Hut, our farm, was the first property that we designed using permaculture design principles. The implementation of the design is an iterative and ongoing process.
This post offers an overview of the design and development progress of Forest Hut farm, highlighting its key elements and implementation updates.
location::velvandi valley, northern western ghats
area::4.25 acres
When we purchased the property back in 2017, it was exploited and degraded. But we loved it – its orientation and location suited our needs. Also, we wanted to take on a property that needed healing to make the journey fulfilling.
This place was destined to be our future abode. It was absolutely crucial for our family to possess clarity regarding the manner in which we would embrace this fresh chapter of our lives. Such clarity was meticulously curated through the establishment of SMART objectives.
The site analysis and assessment exercise provides data points such as contours, macro and micro climate, existing features, access, soil properties, energy (sun, water, wind) flows, views to preserve, high flood lines, forest fires, etc.
The combination of objectives, site analysis, and assessment resulted in the creation of a zone layout, which serves as a macro design.
Once we know how the energies are entering our property, we can place elements to harvest those energies to our advantage.
Post zoning, two concept design options were created. We decided to go with the following one.
The concept design had various elements. We created element-specific designs wherever appropriate. For example, we created a detailed plant map for Zone 4/5. Similarly, we had a very innovative design for our kitchen garden beds.
Implementation Updates
The first year, 2017-18, we did earthworks for terracing, secured the river bank with vetiver, and had a couple of green manure cycles with jute and legumes to build soil organic matter.
In the 2018 monsoon, we began planting native saplings. In zone 4/5, we planted saplings of over 100 native species, totaling at over 3,000 in number. I’m pleased that we started the plantation early in the game.
Post-monsoon, we started building our kitchen garden and food forest.
During the rainy season, we keep planting more trees to create a favorable environment for the growth of new ones.
Also, some plants have started fruiting and playing a key role in spreading biodiversity.
And we also introduced new elements as we felt appropriate – working on a cob oven, cob house, and a bamboo veranda has been specifically fulfilling.
Here is the most recent one.
Forest Hut farm photos
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