This spring I was asked to develop a conceptual design for Catherine Zanev and Adjmal Dulloo for a fantastic piece of land on the north side of the Balkan mountains. My goal was to analyse the site and identify the potential of the land for future regenerative development.
I've been working with Catherine and Adjmal since 2013 on various sites across Bulgaria, and last year we completed the design of a 5 ha polyculture orchard (Suhi Dol) that is now coming to life with the help of project manager Petar Mateev and the team.
Catherine and Adjmal, along with other pioneer land owners within the regenerative movement, are working towards taking land management to the next level, producing nutritious affordable food, dignified jobs and enhanced biodiversity.
Bostan Bair - A view from one of the three hills on the site. An 80 ha neglected plum orchard
How the conceptual design was developed
We started by ordering a digital terrain model (DTM) of the Bostan Bair site, supplied by Geodetect BG. I sent the DTM to Georgi Pavlov who extracted slope, aspect, elevation, water flow and topography data and exported these to layers onto google earth. This gave us a great visual overview of the land.
This provided us with a landscape divided into a number of separate plots and each plot was further analysed and identified to be suitable for various cultivation practices.
The land was further divided into broad zones based on geographical features as illustrated below.
Broad site zones and potential design solutions within those zones
Wetland/Semi Wetland
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Biomass Production
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Fowl
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Crops
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Beneficial Habitat
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Wildzone
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Aquatic grasses grown for mulch in the market gardens
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Geese and Ducks
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e.g Willow and Cornus for basketry, Watercress - Rice
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Habitat for pest predators , cover for nesting birds
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Portion of land left to naturally succeed
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The wetland/semi wetland zones are areas on the site where water naturally accumulates and are prone to periodical flooding. These areas are well suited to growing biomass for use in the market gardens and orchards, rearing fowl and growing wetland tree crops such as Salix spp. and Cornus sanguinea for basketry material, and growing semi-aquatic crops such as rice and watercress. The lowest points can be easily converted into wildlife ponds and can provide excellent beneficial habitat to support other cultures around the site.
Lowland
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Market Garden
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Grain and Fodder/Forage
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Poultry
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Propagation facilities
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Forest Garden
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Ponds
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Vegetable production, raised beds, intensive polyculture vegetable production.
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Paddocks of cereals and fodder crops on rotation cycles that can be used to grow animal foods or as forage paddocks.
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Chicken in mobile pens preparing raised vegetable beds and rotating around the established beds to clear pests and fertilize.
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Nursery for market garden and forestry.
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Polycultures of soft fruits for market garden supplies.
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River fed
wildlife pond to support the market garden crops
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The area has good access to the main road, receives high levels of light, is on a mild gradient and has relatively low irrigation energy requirements. The site is suitable for raised bed vegetable and herb production, grain/ fodder/hay production, rotational grazing, soft fruit production and a plant/crop nursery.
Undulating Highland
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Alley Cropping Silvopasture
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Alley Cropping
Silvoarable
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Forestry
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Apiculture
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Tourism/Education
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Orchard Restoration
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Fruit and nut perennial polycultures planted on contour belts with animals rotated through the alleys.
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Fruit and nut perennial polycultures planted on contour belts with cereals/grasses grown in alleys.
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Drought tolerant timber/biomass/fodder trees.
Water tolerant timber/biomass/fodder trees.
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Honey production within the agroforestry
areas dedicated to bee trees, shrubs and herbs.
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Rain fed wildlife and wetland for biomass production and support species habitat.
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Restoring healthy sections of the plum orchard.
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The undulating hillsides are well suited to a range of agroforestry practices including:
- silvopasture wherein high value orchard polycultures are grown with animal grazing in between rows.
- silvoarable systems of orchard polycultures with cereals/fodder/biomass grown in between.
Steep land
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Woodland coppice
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Tourism/Education
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Wildzone
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Apiculture
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Coppice and timber production
producing site materials, nut crops, animal fodder, materials for craft.
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Coppice management demonstration center - Courses, craft work etc.
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Portion of land left to naturally succeed.
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Steep inaccessible slopes planted with bee trees, shrubs and herbs.
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This land is difficult to access and work on due to steep gradients. The steepest areas of the site can be planted with trees, shrubs and herbs that will provide a succession of nectar and pollen to bees and other pollinating invertebrates. This area is already naturally succeeding to woodland.
On the less steep hillsides a variety of coppice trees can be planted. The coppice can provide material for the market garden and for fencing material across the site.
Boundaries
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Riparian Zones
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River
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Tracks
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Maintain the diversity of the existing riparian buffer.
Cropping of existing walnuts and apples and other crops.
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Ram pump potential.
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Modify tracks to shed water and direct to ponds.
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The boundaries of the site are already well established. The riparian buffer along the river side is in good condition and should be maintained as it is. The tracks on the northern boundary require some modifications in order to shed water and avoid runnels.
We're looking forward to the future development of the site. This season the cleared areas of the site were used to grow Einkorn, an ancient form of wheat, and produced better than expected yields of this grain. This autumn we'll be sowing a winter cover of Rye and Vetch in order to build fertility and soil organic matter. Planting of an organic cherry orchard is also planned on the site this fall.
Further resources
Permaculture Design: a step by step guide
