Windborn Farm – Self Reliance Demonstration Site

Design Team: Jennifer Sharrock, John Sharrock, Jason Heilig and Theresa Finch

Windborn Farm –  Alaskans import approximately ninety-five percent of all of our food; making Alaska a food desert. Our goal is to provide Alaskans access to Permaculture techniques at little to no cost. We have secured land through Alaska Farmland Trust to continue providing hands-on classes in plant propagation, seed saving, hugelkultur gardening, high tunnel design, season extending, swale creation, guilds, composting, beekeeping, rotational grazing, perennial/annual food sourcing, rain catchment, animal husbandry, soil building, food preservation, Permaculture Design Course and disaster preparedness.

The land is a 16 acre parcel located on Lazy Mountain (4301 Slumber Drive, Palmer, AK 6138.035N 149 03.811 W). The land owners have formed a collaborative agreement and have decided to share roughly 2-4 acres of their land at zero monetary cost. The land is currently an open field which is bordered by existing forested areas, large tracts of private residential land and a dirt roadway.

Design Narrative- Windborn Farm

Submitted by: Jennifer Sharrock, John Sharrock, Jason Heilig and Theresa Finch

Alaskans import approximately ninety-five percent of all of our food; making Alaska a food desert. Our goal is to provide Alaskans access to Permaculture techniques at little to no cost. We have secured land through Alaska Farmland Trust to continue providing hands-on classes in plant propagation, seed saving, hugelkultur gardening, high tunnel design, season extending, swale creation, guilds, composting, beekeeping, rotational grazing, perennial/annual food sourcing, rain catchment, animal husbandry, soil building, food preservation, Permaculture Design Course and disaster preparedness.

The land is a 16 acre parcel located on Lazy Mountain (4301 Slumber Drive, Palmer, AK 6138.035N
149 03.811 W). The land owners have formed a collaborative agreement and have decided to share roughly 2-4 acres of their land at zero monetary cost. The land is currently an open field which is bordered by existing forested areas, large tracts of private residential land and a dirt roadway.

A flowering hedgerow will provide privacy screening, a noise barrier from the roadway and a wind/snow break while providing food for pollinators. Propagating perennial flowering shrubs will also enhance the aesthetics of the land from the roadway.

The driveway and parking region will require road material to ensure frost/thaw events will not disturb access to the land.

A small forested area near the game trail will be enhanced with native flora to form the naturally occurring birch tree guild. With the addition of bird feeders, bird houses and bat boxes, a wildlife habitat will be created which will also assist with integrative pest management.

A high tunnel will provide season extension, allow for the isolation distance for seed saving, an indoor teaching space during inclement weather and water catchment. Using rain barrels on each corner of the high tunnel will provide water for the perennial, annual and high tunnel growing spaces.

A restroom will be built with reclaimed materials and will include either a composting or incinerating toilet. The rain catchment from the restroom will provide gravity fed water for hand rinsing.

The establishment of hugelkultur beds will provide not only additional growing space but will also enhance the soil quality and retain water on the sloped portion of the land.

We will use fish scale swales for the creation of the Apple Tree Guilds. Bee hives will be placed throughout the micro orchard for pollination.

Two growing areas will provide teaching space for many of our planned courses. We will be able to provide classes in children’s gardening, dryland farming, straw burial, sheet mulching, keyhole beds design, square foot, biodynamic and biointensive gardening practices. The grains, crops, seeds, cover crops, nitrogen fixers and compost will also be used as both domestic/wild animal feed.

The areas of the land that require additional soil building will be rotational grazing spaces where the land can lay fallow. There is a fence that will require mending and additional fencing will need to be installed for the perimeter to the grazing areas and the large growing spaces due to the existing game trails.

Winning the design contest would be an amazing start for this opportunity. The land is mostly a blank slate, and yet we are in need of many basics from hand tools to fencing supplies, a restroom, sheds and a high tunnel. Local farmers have offered to keep cows, horses and bees on the land.

The budget of $5,000 consists of four main phases: Improvement of existing infrastructure, dirt work, installment of a high tunnel, water catchment, restroom and the addition of perennial fruiting trees, perennial flowering shrubs and the wildlife habitat. This project will be completed primarily by volunteer hand labor and will be constructed over the course of one growing season according to our class schedule. We will begin the first phase once the ground has thawed (Approximately May 1) and continue through the end of May. We will allot approximately $1,000 to mending the existing fence and installing paddocks for rotational grazing. Our long term goal is to construct a pole barn to provide protection for the animals from the elements.

The second phase will begin once the weight limit road restrictions have been lifted (approximately May 15th). A local contractor has offered the use of their skid steer at a nominal rental cost of $250 for 3 days to complete the creation of the swales, moving material for the hugel beds, and the foundation for the high tunnel. Ten yards of D1 will be required to establish the drive and parking area. The cost of $500 has been included for this portion. The second phase is expected to be completed by June 15, 2019.

The third phase is the purchase and installation of a high tunnel, rain catchment, restroom and walk through tool shed. We have located gently used high tunnels that are cost effective due to the labor of deconstruction/construction being factored into the cost. We have allocated $1500 to the purchase, movement and installation of the high tunnel. We currently have four 55 gallon rain barrels for the installment of the catchment system. Our long term goal is the placement of an enclosed composting restroom. We have determined that leasing a composting toilet for the first season is more cost effective. We have allocated $300 to the restroom rental. Using recycled materials, a walk through tool shed will be constructed with an expected budget of $500. The third phase should be concluded by August 1, 2019.

The final phase for the season is the addition of flora to the land and the creation of the growing spaces. We will need hand tools including shovels, spades, broad forks and rakes. Approximately $500 will be used in the purchase of hand recycled hand tools. The remaining $450 will be used to support local nurseries by purchasing grafts, perennial plants, perennial shrubs, bird houses, bird feeders and bat boxes. The final phase is expected to be completed by September 1, 2019.

Thank you for your consideration and helping our dreams come true! Jennifer, John, Jason and Theresa

Jennifer Sharrock

Jennifer Sharrock holds a Masters Degree in Environmental Policy from the University of Denver. Jennifer pursued her passion for gardening by becoming a Master Gardener in Alaska, as well as volunteering throughout South Central assisting in agriculture projects.

Jennifer completed the Permaculture Design Certification in 2015 and continued on to obtain the Advanced Teaching Certification in Permaculture in 2017.

Jennifer is the founder of Seeds and Soil-Organics based out of Palmer. Seeds and Soil provides Permaculture based gardening courses, Permaculture design, garden coaching and new for 2019-market growing.

When she is not busy with everything Permaculture, Jennifer can be found working on a 2 acre homestead for which she shares with her husband and young daughter.

Jennifer has a passion for the environment and empowering individuals to be self sufficient by growing their own nutrient dense food using Permaculture theory.

 

The Design Team includes Jennifer Sharrock, John Sharrock, Jason Heilig and Theresa Finch

This is our website: Seeds and Soils Farm.

Here we are on TV (we are the second story in the new report) 

Here we are on the radio: Ag Matters.

Here we are featured in the CS Monitor. Farmers grow the food, but who’s helping new farmers put down roots?

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