Design process: SADI

Design brief: To bring the allotment back into good repair and to enable the local community to collaborate and grow together. 

Start date: 1st September 2021

End date: 5th January 2022

SURVEY

Client Needs and Background 

The Client is Fife Gingerbread 

Fife Gingerbread is a voluntary sector organisation that provides information, advice and support to lone parents and families in need all over Fife. The head office is based in Glenrothes and the Allotment itself was in Kelty. 

This is the sun path of the site which shows it gets good sun. 

Weeds on site 

Dominant/abundant/frequent/occasional/rare

Dominant	Creeping Buttercup Couch Grass  Other grasses Brambles Dandelion
Abundant	ComfreyDock
Frequent:	Willowherb
Occasional:	Shepherd’s purse Prickly milk thistle
Rare:	Mare’s Tale

Soil and Fertility

Looking at the indicator species and plants on site the soil is fertile. 

It is a Clay loam

Climate

The aspect is very great for all day sun and there is not a huge amount of wind thanks to the relatively sheltered position. 

Current Risks 

For parents and children. 

Hazards on site

Paving slabs sticking out

Nowhere clear & pleasant for children to play

Wood with nails sticking out

Principles 

For this design I am using Bill Mollison’s principles: 

Make the least change for the greatest possible effect.

The site is strongly sorted into spaces from when it was up and running previously. So there are pathways and beds, the shed is large and would be hard to be moved again. It seemed like the best idea on evaluating the situation to work with what was there and work and tidy up around it. 

The problem is the solution.

Half of the site is also grassy and mainly flat with some wooded edging in the ground, it was obviously raised beds that were not maintained. It could have been turned back into raised beds or something more complex added. But thinking about this principle, removing the  wood and embracing the open space gives a needed area for younger children, saves money and provides energy to make the next steps. We can also add in apple trees easily creating a space that can be developed over time. 

Everything gardens

Although I was employed as a gardener it was partially my role to include support workers and their clients in the process by leaving areas for others to experiment and learn. This means that it wasn’t about having a top down controlled process but about creating a structure that allows for divergence. 

The yield of a system is theoretically unlimited. 

As this was a therapeutic space it was giving people a chance to experiment and relax in a garden it is possible that this could lead to all sorts of changes in their lives including mindset and skills. 

As the plot is now

Clean up edges and make a direct impact. 

IMPLEMENTATION

• Get the grassy areas strimmed.
• Fix hazards pictured below: Uneven paving stones, exposed nails.
• Clear brambles. 
• Strim grass and mulch beds
• Fix up the shed roof.
• Take away junk, clear out polytunnel
• Get a planter box for the back of the allotment measured up and priced.  This will tidy up this area and remove rust risk. 
• Make contact with local resources such as wood chip suppliers and local nurseries.
• We have been given around 7 fruit trees that need a bit of TLC from Hedgehogs nursery in Glenrothes and we can plant them once the area is cleared – cherry, pear and apple. 
• Start looking for volunteers
• Get some winter crops in front beds after been cleared