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Witcraft Farm
Witcraft Farm
Details
Commenced:
01/06/2015
Submitted:
30/08/2015
Last updated:
07/10/2015
Location:
401 Oak Rd., Hammonton, NJ, US
Phone:
609-226-9188
Website:
www.natures-wisdom.com
Climate zone:
Cool Temperate





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Witcraft Farm

Witcraft Farm

Hammonton, US


Followers
Adam Witcraft Brandon Curtis Dominic Bruzzese Mark Haviland Sara Elbohy Sean Walsh

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Witcraft Farm Permaculture Design

Project: Witcraft Farm

Posted by Greg Vizzi over 8 years ago

Sector Map, Solstice Map, Contour Map; Design Maps

Permaculture Design Exercise for Geoff Lawton’s 2015 online PDC Course

Designer: Greg Vizzi
2690 McCormick Ave. Sweetwater, NJ 08037
[email protected] www.natures-wisdom.com

Project: The Witcraft Farm
Located at 401 Oak Avenue in Hammonton, New Jersey 08037 USA

Climate
Southern New Jersey is in the temperate Mid-Atlantic region, north of the equator in the Eastern Time zone. The Witcraft farm is located 30 miles west of the Atlantic Ocean at latitude 39°40’ 21.74” N, longitude at 74° 47’ 59.87” W and subject to the maritime effect of the warm Gulf Stream current. Winds are generally from the west to northwest, with an occasional Northeaster or tropical storm. The Koppen Climate Classification places the area in the Cfa zone: C (Temperate) f (fully humid) a (hot summer).

USDA Hardiness Zone: Zone 6b: -5F to 0F
PlantMaps Days Where Temp Exceeds 86°F: 31 - 45 days
Ecoregion: 84b - Pine Barrens
Freeze Data: Average First Frost October 11 - 20
Average Last Frost: April 11 - 20
Current Drought Data 5/28/15 :Drought Conditions: Moderately Moist
Palmer Drought Index: 2.80

Local Climate Data (average)
Precip In. Min F Max F Total Annual (Average)
43 65 45.3

Source: http://www.plantmaps.com/

The Witcraft farm is 13 acres of farm with 5 acres of forest and stream running through the south corner of the property. There is an additional 40 acres of forest about a quarter of a mile away which can be linked to this property for farm forestry and perhaps grazing or finishing animal stock such as pigs, as there are oak trees on location.

History
The farm has been in the family since nineteen fifteen, purchased by the Macri family, Mrs. Witcraft’s parents and uncles. In the past, the farm produced apples, pears, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, currents, elderberry, chickens, eggs, goats, pigs, ducks, rabbits as well as garden crops such as tomatoes and peppers. They took their produce to market at the Italian market in nearby Philadelphia, and to markets in Trenton, Vineland, and Hammonton, NJ.

Mrs. Witcraft does some gardening when she has time, but the farm has been mostly dormant for about ten years since Mrs. Witcraft’s Grandfather Fedga passed away.


Map

The Landscape
Since farming was discontinued, some sizeable areas have been evolving back into forest. The Great Swamp Branch stream is a major feature of the landscape which borders lush vegetation including swamp maples, wild rose, chokecherry, sumac, sassafras, Virginia creeper, honeysuckle, reed grass, and a multitude of weeds, ferns, herbs and wetland varieties. The stream and surrounding forests are populated with wood ducks, mallards, Muscovy ducks, geese, wild turkeys, rabbits, fox, deer, groundhog, beaver, squirrel, chipmunks, perching birds, and occasionally coyotes. This corridor provides a large edge ecotone, which provides stability to the farm overall. The stream supports many fish species, but safety as a food source is questionable, since conventional, chemical based farms surround the properties along the creek. Water from the stream will not be used for irrigation for the same reasons. Some field locations reveal remnants of apple orchard, blackberry, elderberry, blueberry, currants and grapevines. On the western corner a grove of sugar maples was planted by Mr. Witcraft about 25 years ago as can be seen in the satellite photo and photos below.

Close to the house is a small grouping of old apple, cherry and pear trees. Last spring, Mrs. Witcraft’s son, Adam, planted two raised rows of organic seedless blackberries and in the fall planted a couple acres of winter wheat as a cover crop.

Soil report
Sample ID: Back Left Section
Results and Interpretations
pH: 4.96 Strongly acidic

Macronutrients (pounds per acre)
Phosphorus: 510 (Above Optimum) P
Potassium: 111 (Below Optimum) K
Magnesium: 107 (Below Optimum) Mg
Calcium: 657 (Below Optimum) Ca
Above Below Optimum Optimum Opt.
Very Very Low Medium High Low High
by Mehlich 3 extraction

Micronutrients (parts per million)
Zinc(Zn) Copper(Cu) Manganese(Mn) Boron(B) Iron(Fe)
3.25 (Adequate) 1.73 (Adequate) 3.30 (Adequate) 0.19 (Low) 228.70 (High)

Adam has taken an interest in bringing the farm back to life using organic methods and has provided me with a brief listing his goals as follows:

Client brief
1. Sustainability
2. Education; Student groups
3. Cover crops: Wheat, buckwheat, clover, Amaranth, organic soybean (for deer),
4. Berry crops: Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, honey berries.
5. Fruit trees: Apple, cherry, peach, pears
6. Nut trees
7. Cash crops: Blackberries, honeyberries, goji berries, Organic Corn
8. U-pick program
9. Garden: Tomatoes, lettuce, peppers
10. Tunnels (short plants)
11. Wildlife support: Deer, ducks, turkey, fox & coyote (for trapping)
12. Domestic animals: Chickens, pigs, cattle, ducks
14. Power: Wind and Solar

Permaculture Themes and Approach
To address the needs of the Witcraft family, as set out by Adam, I did a sector analysis of the energy moving on and through the property, and based on that, as well as looking at the overall layout of the land and contours, came up with a themed permaculture design. The major themes in this design are:

1. Intensive zone 1 productivity, including energy saving retrofit for the home.
2. Three focused zone 2 themes.
Zone 2a: Large crop garden: Corn, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, squash, pumpkin, watermelon, asparagus, blueberries, Amaranth etc. A chinampa canal at groundwater level: also fed by a cattail bed from road runoff. Suggested crops: crayfish, wild rice, cranberries & water plants for mulch.
Zone 2b: A small cultivation orchard with a tree nursery and poly tunnels. Chicken yard.
Zone 2c: A U-pick area for the public and/or leased community garden or CSA area.
3. Zone three themes of swale orchards with rotational cell grazing in between.
4. Contour ponds for aquaculture and water supply.
5. A ring pond, or water tank with a traditional wind turbine for pumping water for overall farm irrigation utilizing the abundant wind resources on the property.
6. Forest edge. Berry production; wild fruits and nuts such as pau pau, cold climate kiwi, persimmons, soybeans for deer, wildflowers for bees and butterflies; habitat for cottontails.

Wcf sector map Wcf solstice map Wcf base map b   w contours Wcf overall design layour Wcf design w red contour overly Wcf base w contours   color overly Wcf color coded zone map Wcf z1 2 satellitejpg Wcf z 1 2a cu Wcf z1 b   w cu Wcf z 2a b   w cu Wcf z 2b b   w cu Dsc 7276   version 2 Wcf chicken   animal yrd Dsc 7276

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