End of Week Update (5/11/2012)

So the chicken coop took a bit longer than expected. The amount of hardware and roofing that we had to fasten to the coop prevented its completion last week. But by Thursday (5/10/2012), the chickens had a finished home and spent their first night there.

Allie and I threw down cardboard to create paths and mark out future beds. We went for a very aesthetic look with natural curves, and even a little keyhole area for some chairs and a table in the back for people to enjoy the view of the garden.

I began to draw up new sketches for the garden as I eased into my focus for the project. I am currently reading several books on permaculture, which is the concept to create a garden that mimics the biodiversity of nature to yield more robust crops. The ultimate goal is to take what I have learned about permaculture to create a low-matainence, high-yield garden for Hawken.

To keep track of all of my research, I have been experimenting with a new type of notetaking called mind-mapping. When you create a mind-map, you start off with the central idea and literally draw lines that branch off from the central idea and provide detail. Mind maps allow you to make connections that conventional notetaking generally lacks due to the graphic nature of these alternative notes.

Example of mind-mapping

From these notes, I can now easily create Prezi presentations that will be used to teach permaculture to future students and farmhands.