Design process

V-CEAP means

• Vision
• Collect site information
• Evaluate the information
• Apply permaculture principles aka design
• Plan a schedule of implementation, maintenance, evaluation and tweaking

Why I chose V-CEAP

I wanted to try and learn this seemingly simple process. I did add the V to the beginning, I hope I am forgiven! As for this design I had a pretty set goal and vision in mind when starting collecting site information, it felt right to add the V in the beginning.

Vision

Please see the Client interview.

The area is very close to the door to the house, about 5 metres from the door. It will be easy to jump out and pick some herbs for the kitchen even if it rains. The rain gutter is just next to the door, so access to rainwater is given. The rainwater catchment pot here is not very big though (about 5 litres). The bigger catchment area is at the composting toilet some 5 metres further.

The area is in front of our office window and along the path to the compost & outdoor composting toilet which are outside, on the North-East side of the house. About 3 metres from it to the East, a big oak tree resides. South of it is the main open area of the yard and southeast/southeast-east some raised beds and the Biogas shed.

On the whole premise design, the herb garden area resides in Zone 1.

You can see the first part, filmed on 26th April 2022, of the Video ”Herb spiral” (linked at the end) documenting this design showing the area in more detail, during the Apply permaculture principles phase of this design.

Rain and snow

The average precipitation in our area is about 550 mm per year, some of this rain, some snow. (Source: Ilmatieteenlaitos). We gather a lot of rain on our premises and close to the herb spiral are gutters. Some meters farther is a main rainwater harvesting system which holds 2 m³ of water.

The herb garden area is covered by an oak tree, which retains moisture in the area but of course also uses up lots of water. The area is close to the house roof edge, which means snow will pile up next to and even on it (see image below).

Soil quality and soil wetness

The area is an old perennial flowerbed, which has in the last years not been cultivated. There are some remains of bricks in the soil. There is a big stone in the middle of the area. It seems to go pretty deep and has a warming effect after sun/summer (see image below).

The soil feels like loamy soil. No real soil analysis was done though. The soil is not wet nor does it gather water in puddles.

North-south line

See Map 1 above.

Current use of area

The area is an old perennial flowerbed, which has in the last years not been cultivated. Some old tulip bulbs remain in the ground which need to be rescued. An unknown perennial green plant resides at the north end of the planning area. The area has paths on both sides of it, lawn in the front and a composting area at the back.

Materials at hand

• Bricks – around 150
• Brick pieces
• Soil – mostly sandy soil, some peaty loamy soil, some old soil from potted plants
• Compostables, oak leaves
• Labor
• Tools: wheelbarrow, spades, small garden spades

Evaluate the information

This is a time to ask the question – is my wish for a herb spiral viable? Are there other possibilities for an herb garden based on the site survey? The area is round already – the perennial flower bed was made round. We have raised beds close to it already.

Other ideas:

If we say growing herbs is a given, another solution might be a raised bed. Let’s see how that fares in a PMI:

Herb spiral:

Raised bed:

Based on this, I chose to stay with my dream of an herb spiral, as the PMI indicates it can be a good solution here.

Problems to consider with an herb spiral

I cannot build it too big, otherwise it could block or hinder the way to the compost & composting toilet, where we need to go with a wheelbarrow or buckets in both hands.

On winters with heavy snow, the snow from the roof can hit this area and gather there. The spiral must be sturdy enough and not be unnecessarily close to the roof edge.

The tree shadows in the middle of the day need to taken into consideration. It is not a shady place in any means, but not 100% sunny either. The oak gives it a bit of a shade from behind (for when the sun is at its highest)

To have a pond or not to have a pond?

SWOC Pond

Evaluating statements

• The oak balances the moisture levels in the area.
• There is decent sun available, suitable for partly sunny/partly shady plants especially.
• The rainwater situation around this area is strong.
• We have everything we need to build the herb spiral onsite.
• The space is practically made for an herb spiral when it comes to it’s shape and relative location!
• Pond has a lot of challenges and weaknesses compared to strengths and opportunities.

Apply permaculture principles

Attitudinal principles

The Yield is Theoretically Unlimited 

What are the yields?

• Herbs for
  • humans
    • food
    • medicine
  • pollinators
• Beauty
• Teaching subject / permaculture demonstration object
• ”Conversation piece” and a discussion starter
• Microclimate for plants outside the spiral
• Learning object for the designer

These answers also apply to Each element performs multiple functions.

Problem is the Solution

• Build it the ”right size” and not too close to the roof edge ← snow, pathway. The limits of material and location will keep the size right.
• The shading tree is helping to balance heat and moisture in midsummer.

Work with Nature, Not Against

• The area is sunny and dry-ish – it’s suitable for herbs

Least Change for the Greatest Effect

• Use existing materials like the recycled bricks instead of buying new ones

Mollison & Slay principles

Relative location

• The location to the door, house, tree and other beds is good. The other perennial bed is still to be designed.
• Placement to north-south: the lowest part of the herb spiral should be to the north in the northern hemisphere to get the most of the sun
• the herb spiral, it built clockwise, will offer the most brick space to meet the sun and gather warmth. Plus it will give the composting area path and the snowfall more space to have the bricks on the other side

Small-scale intensive systems

• The herb spiral is the epitome of this!

Holmgren principles

Observe and Interact

• see what happens throughout the season and respond to it

Catch and Store Energy

• How to use the heat from the side?
• Use also the sides for plants
• Make good plant choices

Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services and Produce no Waste

• Use the materials I have
• Do not purchase any non-renewable materials

Use Small and Slow Solutions

• see what herbs you can grow from seeds
• what do you have already
• start with what you have

Use and Value Diversity

• Plant a variety of herbs and flowers to make people and insects happy!

Design

How big a spiral? 

This comes down to the limits of the space and to how many bricks I have. I have around 150 bricks and I can get some more if I need. The space is 1.90 m wide and a bit longer (if the existing bush is removed). The snowfall (and the gardeners humble stature :D) suggests a sturdy, not too high structure.

The herb spiral shall be about 1,50 m in diameter. The planting area should be around 20 cm throughout.

To use cement/mortar or not?

I do not have cement or mortar at hand, so I decide not to use it.

Pond

I decided against a pond, as in my opinion the weaknesses and challenges are bigger than the strengths and opportunities.

What to plant?

When deciding what to plant, I will look at

• what we like and use a lot
• what I have at hand
• what I have access to
• and what I’d like to try.

Herbs we eat/use a lot

(Names in English, Latin and Finnish)

• Chives (Allium schoenoprasum, ruohosipuli)
• Basil (Ocimum basilicum, basilika)
• Oregano (Origanum vulgare), mäkimeirami)
• Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus, rosmariini)
• Thyme (Thymus vulgaris, timjami)
• Sage (Salvia officinalis, salvia)
• Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis, sitruunamelissa)
• Mints (Mentha x, minttu)
• Parsley (Petroselinum crispum, persilja)
• Dill (Anethum graveolens, tilli)
• Coriander (Coriandrum sativum, korianteri)
• Chamomille (Matricaria chamomilla, kamomillasaunio)

Of these there are some we usually only harvest in the fall for winter, so they don’t really need to be adjacent to the house.

What we want to try:

• Caraway (Carum carvi, kumina)
• Sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata, saksankirveli)

Of these are non perennials

• Basil
• Oregano
• Rosemary
• Dill (might sow itself)
• Chamomille (might sow itself)
• Coriander (might sow itself)
• Cumin (might sow itself)
   

Pollinator plants 

• Oregano
• Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis, iisoppi)
• Blue giant hyssop (Agastache foeniculum, yrtti-iiso)
• Mints
• Sage
• Basil
• Chives
• Thyme

(Some sources I used in Finnish: 

• martat.fi 
• yhteishyva.fi
• yle.fi
• kotiliesi.fi)

We have ample amounts of chives and oregano.

These herbs I have in some places, but depending on winter they have trouble surviving, so I prefer having them in different microclimates:

• Sage
• Thyme

What I’d like more of:

• mints
• parsley (bi-annual, spaces for it to sow itself)

At the end I decided for rosemary, thyme, sage, basils, wine sorrel and lemon balm because these were ones we use a lot and because they were available to me. I also decided to leave space for species that might seek a home in the herb spiral later in summer.

What mulch to use?

Observe and decide based on what the plants like.

Implementation and maintenance

Implementation and maintenance plan

Course of events of the actual build

After a few tulip removing and weeding sessions by me and my Mum, I built the herb spiral on 29th May 2022.

The spiral used about 100 bricks which I had on the premises. It additionally used a good amount of brick crumble and bits I had no other use for, which was great. It took about two wheelbarrow-fulls of soil (by local upcycling company Humuspehtoori – sand, forest industry by-product tree fibre and composted chicken manure) which we also had on the premises, obtained for other uses originally. I also put in some peat-based black soil we had around (Biolan Musta Multa) towards the “tail” of the spiral to get a richer soil there.

I started by drawing the spiral on the ground with flour. I then began laying the first layer of bricks and designing also on the go – which brick goes where, making sure bigger bricks are lower and that the layers are stable. I didn’t use any mortar so this step was important. It took a good while, as the bricks were all recycled and of different sizes and thicknesses. Some had old mortar in them and some were broken in halves, so it did take many tries and errors to get it right.

The herb spiral ended up being 120 cm wide, 150 long to the ”tail” and 60 cm high, with the planting area being 15-35 cm wide, mostly around 20-25 cm.

Once I was happy with the result, I started filling the spiral from the top. On the ground in the middle I put a lot of brick bits first and then started with the soil. In the middle of filling I also added more brick bits for better drainage, to create that typical dry soil for the top. Moving downwards I put less and less brick bits, and in the ”tail” I added the black soil for extra richness. I didn’t add any extra soil to the ground, as the soil there is good on its own.

See photos from the day below!

Planting

I didn’t plant the herb spiral on the building day but over the next days and weeks. During the summer some other plants were looking for a place there too. The final planting looks like this:

Top to bottom & plant requirements:

• Rosemary – dry/well drained, warm, sunny
• Thyme – dry/well drained, warm, sunny
• Sage - dry/well drained, warm, sunny
• Lemon basil – richer soil, warm, mostly sunny
• Basil, red and green – richer soil, warm, mostly sunny
• Wine sorrel (Rumex sanguineus, viinisuolaheinä) – deep, nutritious soil, sun or shade ok
• Lemon balm – fertile, moist soil, partial shade
• Peppermint (Mentha × piperita, piparminttu) – moist soil, partial shade
• Spearmint (Mentha spicata, viherminttu) – moist soil, partial shade

On the ground & plant requirements:

• Alpine strawberries (Fragaria vesca var. Semperflorens, kuukausimansikka) – rich, moist soil, sunny
• Marigolds (Tagetes, samettikukka) – richer soil, full sun
• Celery (Apium graveolens var. Graveolens, varsiselleri) – rich soil, partly sunny
•  Busy Lizzie (Impatiens walleriana, ahkeraliisa) – well drained soil, partly sunny
• Austrian speedwell (Veronica austriaca subsp. teucrium ´Crater Lake Blue´, loistotädyke) -well drained soil, full to partly sunny
• Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris, lehtoakileija) – well drained, partial shade
• Lovage (Levisticum officinale, lipstikka) - well drained soil, full to partly sunny

Budget

The plants were 0-5 euros a piece. I calculate I spent about 40 euros on them (not counting the gifted ones).

Other

At the end I didn’t mulch the soil, as the dry-wet balance seemed good with open soil. Plus as the herbs grew, they covered most of the soil anyway. This also solved the cat-using-the-spiral-as-bathroom concern very soon, as there was hardly any open soil after planting.

Tweaks after one growing season

I originally planned to remove the green plant that already lived on the north end of the plot. I decided against it as it started growing nicely. I did end up chopping it down a few times during the summer.

I kept forgetting the name and finally asked my mother. She named the plant as Polygonum aviculare or common knotgrass. However, once we started looking into it, it became clear it cannot be that, as this one is perennial but also does not spread. After some research we’ve now come to a conclusion it’s some kind of Aconogonon or Koenigia, but as the plant has died for winter when writing this, we can’t really confirm it until next summer. As for now, it can stay there.

I originally placed newspaper as sheet mulch on the east side of the herb spiral. I was planning to limit the grass growth from the side. Pretty soon I noticed the sheet mulch was not needed, and planted alpine strawberries that were looking for a home there instead. I am hoping they will cover the soil in the coming years. This year I had no problems with grass growth.

I have lots of chives and parsley in the main garden, but I would have liked those closer to the house. I plan to plant those next year in the herb spiral.

Maintenance

I chose some plants that are not perennial in Finland, like rosemary and basil. They will perish during the winter and will need either to be replaced with something else or bought again. I personally love both, so most likely I will get new plants. A rosemary costs about 4 euros at the local garden business, as do basils. Basils I am able to grow from seed also. Sowing indoors can start in April, planting will happen in June.

In case something else perishes, they must be bought again. If something looks like it’s not enjoying it’s location at all, I will also change it to something else.

If there is again very much snow and it falls with force from the roof, there might be some need to repair the herb spiral. As it is built without mortar, this is a possibility. However the deep soil will support the structure, also. The winters will tell if this is a real issue or not. I will know after the snow has melted, around April, when the possible repairs will also take place.

Video of the herb spiral

Reflection after one growing season

Reflection on the ethics

I feel the ethics have been considered as described in the beginning. A new habitat has been created and niches for new species have been introduced. I saw many butterflies on the herb spiral this year.

As for people, at least 20 people have seen and been interested in the herb spiral this year. It might even appear in a garden magazine next spring! It has inspired some more and some less. I have enjoyed talking about it and what it represents.

The fair share aspect is also appreciated, I feel. Not just sharing about it and its yields, but building it we have not taken more than our fair share of the Earth’s resources.

Reflecting on the design through the principles

Creatively Use and Respond to Change

My alpine strawberries were not happy where they were as the grass was overpowering them in the previous location, so I rescued them and planted them on the soil next to the herb spiral. Here I have more chances to take care of them and they have more room to grow.

I received or obtained a selection of plants that needed a home, so I used the space in and around the herb spiral, even though the plants were not the ones originally thought for the space.

The Yield is Theoretically Unlimited 

The yields were manifold. The harvest of rosemary, wine sorrel, lemon balm and basil were very good, and we got some of the others also, even though I didn’t harvest them too much to give them power to grow. The herb spiral was a good conversation piece at our PDC course as well as with other guests, too. The pollinators really loved the thyme and marigolds especially. I learned a lot about CEAP, writing up a design and different herbs.

Problem is the Solution

The problem was the solution. The space constraints made the herb spiral just the right size. The tree gave not too much shade, and we didn’t have trouble with watering either. Working with nature, I would say.

The relative location to the house and the surroundings has been good. It’s been easy to get herbs for cooking and it’s been easy to check how the plants are doing while visiting the compost area.

Observe and Interact

I feel it’s important not to design anything ”full”, as life will always happen. It was good to have spaces for plants that needed a home during the growing season.

Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services and Produce no Waste.

Dominiks wish to use 90% recycled materials happened. 100% if you leave out the plants and count as existing, bought materials as recycled or reused – in any case not bought for this project.

Use Small and Slow Solutions

I did end up buying many herbs from my local garden business, Nokkonen garden. They had such lovely plants I couldn’t resist. I only grew basil from seed. I also could have divided my existing sage and not buy a new one, but as the winter had really harmed my sage, I decided against it.

I’m really proud of myself for only using recycled materials and materials we had at hand for the build. Given, the soils were bought for other purposes, but for this project they were surplus. Only purchases were the plants.

Work with Nature, Not Against

As predicted, there was no trouble with water. I watered the herb spiral with a few litres of rainwater often during the dry spell in June, and a few times in July and August, but after that it has very much taken care of itself.

Reflection on design

This was the first design I submitted to my tutor, so please read it with kind eyes. It was really scary and exciting at the same time to be putting my design work ”out there”.

It would have been fun and more of a people and fair share take on the project to create the herb spiral as a permablitz or with friends. I was happy to work on my own, though. I feel if I had tried to ”check off more boxes” the project might not be finished to this day.

Generally I am very happy to not have aspired for ”perfection”, whatever that is even, but chose action. The herb spiral is ethical, functional and beautiful. I am very happy with it, and I am glad I got this design journey written down. A herb spiral is certainly not a unique permaculture design, but I am glad I could learn with it.

Reflection on process and next steps

I feel I used the CEAP or V-CEAP mindfully enough. Such a loose design process can be a bit difficult to ”keep at bay”, as the large steps could mean anything if you start to think about it too much. It might have been wiser to use a more controlled process for the first design, like SADIMET, but here we are! I did like the freedom of movement the CEAP gave me, though.

I used tools that are familiar to me in this design. In the next ones I will try new ones as often as I can. I feel like my map making is still very beginner standard and I plan to learn more about it.

Generally I really noticed throughout the design how new a permaculture designer I still am. I am really in that amazing second phase of learning ”knowing that you know nothing”!

Using the principles throughout the design felt really good. What I will take with for the next designs from CEAP is definitely the A.

I did find it difficult to keep my mind open for ideas while collecting site information and not start designing right away in my mind.

As for the process, I asked my tutor if they’d read this first design as a tutorial first, and give me feedback before we move to the actual assessment. As this first design has been not only about learning permaculture design but learning how to create diploma-worthy documentation about the designs, I've tried to answer the Individual Design Assessment Form questions while designing, but I felt before I start/continue writing any other designs it would be great to have feedback if I am on track on what I'm supposed to deliver at all. We did this and it was very helpful!

Thanks

Special thanks to Dominik Jais, my husband and marvellous designer that walked this Diploma path before me. Thanks for letting me create the herb spiral on a top spot on our premises. And thank you for sharing your maps and knowledge! Thanks to my Mum Sirpa, who helped me prep the soil for the herb spiral and generally supports me in whatever I do in the garden. Thanks to my tutor Katie who helped me improve the clarity of this design and its documentation. Thanks to everyone who got excited about the herb spiral and complimented it this summer. It made me happy.