Zone 2

Until the end of October 2018, we are living on an ecologic farm in Vorarlberg/Austria.

Farm profile:

• 700 m above sea level
• ecological and permacultural approach
• 10 ha of meadow and 15 ha of wood
• three generations of the family live on the farm (eight persons)
  (wife: garden and market; husband: cows, woodland, carpenter)

What they do:
1. Big permaculture garden => selling various products on the market
2. There is a Community-Supported Agriculture with 13 participants.
3. Selling firewood.
4. They have mother cows (5) and raise calves until they are one year. Then they sell the meat.

Our role and possibilities:

• We sometimes work in exchange for help or material.
• We have a small vegetable garden and the plan was to extend it in the future.

We had the idea to implement our own garden project on the farm. That was the reason why we tried to clearly define our idea and vision.

We wanted to start am land-based permaculture project on the farm. Therefore we had the aim to clearly define our future project  with these criteria and framework:

• healing the world
• self-directed
• fulfilling our dreams, potential, and imagination
• make a living
• build a network (socially active)
• sustainable in the three areas (economic, ecologic, social)
• healthy environment

The main Inspiration was the course "blooming landscape".
To read more about the course please move to Zone 3 in this OP.

I have been doing a lot of research on "Blooming Landscapes" and found a permaculture concept designed by Markus Gastl based on three zones. He used this concept to design his private garden "Hortus Insectorum" near Bamberg, Germany. We want to use this concept as a foundation for the design of our land and add our personal visions, ideas, and wishes.

The Hortus Insectorum in Detail
With the help of permaculture design, Markus Gastl developed his garden to strongly support native insects. At the same time, the garden provides vegetables and fruit. He designed the concept so it is possible to apply and adapt it to every size of the property and to personal needs.
The three zones of the concept are:

Zone 1: Yield Zone (intensive vegetables and fruit production)

Zone 2: Hot-Spot Zone (designed to support native insects, contains Insect-friendly native plants)

Zone 3: Buffer Zone (protects the garden with a hedgerow of native shrubs and bushes)

As an orientation for planning, he states that the Hot-Spot Zone should be around two to three times larger than the Yield Zone. Like this, the hay produced in Zone 2 is sufficient to mulch the vegetable beds in Zone 1.

The motivation of Markus Gastl
On a long bike trip around the world, he experienced the beauty and the grief of nature. Reaching his destination, he promised Mother Nature to give something back for all the learning and experiences. He promised to design a garden for insects.
A few years later the "Hortus Insectorum" was well on the way and a far-reaching network developed in Germany.  

Here are the links to his website, the Hortus network, and the book "Three-zone-garden" (in German) by Markus Gastl.

The Past
One year ago, when we were looking for an appropriate place to be, we contacted a lot of farms, private persons, and more. We contacted the farm, where we are living right now, via email. We asked if they can provide a place with the following criteria:
1. A site for our Tiny House.
2. A piece of land (0.3-1 hectare) that we can design self-directed on a long-term base.
3. There is a job nearby.

They answered that they can fulfill criteria 1 and 2. That was enough for us because they have the highest priority. So we decided to move to the farm. Very soon my partner found a job on a nearby farm.

Our stay on the farm
As time passed, we got excited about our land project and presented our concept to the owners. The women on the farm were excited too, whereas the men were reserved. We asked for at least 2.000 sqm of land, which was less than we asked for in the beginning. The men did not want to turn part of a meadow rich in nutrients into an area poor in nutrients for insects. They wanted to take some time to think it through.
But subconsciously we already decided that it is not the right place for our project. We realized that we always depend on the families decision because it's their land and we do not have long-term planning certainty.

Click here to have a look at our take-aways from out time at the organic farm in Austria (written in German).

Our Process
With that in mind, a new thought process and a phase of change started. The highest priority was to find a piece of land where we can realize our concept without compromises and dependencies. Therefore we decided that we needed land that either we or somebody from our family owned. And we had two realistic possibilities:
1. The property of my grandfather.
2. Buying a property ourselves.

Option 1
First, we decided to put energy into option 1, because we wanted to apply the permaculture principle "Use what is there". But in the end the option failed for several reasons:

• strict regulations, especially concerning building on agricultural land → therefor only little chance to build any kind of house
• not connected to electricity, water, and sewage
• view onto a densely populated valley with a huge power station and chimneys

Ideas for the property of my grandfather (optional)
Creating an insect-friendly garden and an education center. There are a lot of small properties in the area and we would have liked to buy as many of them as possible. We could have created several gardens with a specific thematic focus (e.g. dry-wet, shady-sunny, alkaline-acidic).
→ many potential partners and customers (small allotment gardeners)
→ additional income through helping with garden maintenance

Option 2
After all, we decided to move on to option 2.

• We contacted different associations and departments and asked for information under which conditions a farmer is allowed to build a house on external undeveloped land. It is very important for us that we can live directly on our land.
• Types of property that we looked for: (old) farm properties, properties to keep horses, leisure property, building land with big garden, farmland, grassland
• The most important criteria:
  1. At least 2.000 sqm of land.
  2. Old (to tear off) or new (to rent out) house is located on the property or an approval for building a house is included.
  3. Located in the state of Baden-Württemberg or within a radius of 100 kilometers of our hometowns.
  4. Not in a totally remote location, village and/or bus stop nearby.
  5. Rudolf Steiner School nearby.
  6. Natural and beautiful environment and if possible an own spring.
  7. Partners for cooperation nearby: schools, organic businesses, municipalities

After a lot of research, we found an appropriate property that fulfills most requirements.
I briefly introduce the property on the "Result" page of this OP.