Hawlemont School Educational Farm Design

Hawlemont, Agriculture, and You!

A Design for an Educational Farm at the Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA Student Designer Rachel Lindsay The Conway School Fall 2014

Index

This plan was created over the course of the fall 2014 term at the Conway School of Landscape Design. Hawlemont School teachers, staff, students, and Charlemont community members contributed to the materials used.

Above: designer Rachel Lindsay leads a workshop in topography with the sixth grade class. Below: the sixth grade class observing the site survey.

1 Background 2 Context 3 Existing Conditions 4 Existing Conditions-2 5 Soils, Slopes, and Flooding 6 On-Site Drainage 7 Access and Circulation 8 Microclimates 9 Vegetation 10 Summary Analysis 11 Design Directives 12 Design Alternative 1: A School Food Forest 13 Design Alternative 2: Traditional New England Farm 14 Design Alternative 3: A Future Farm Nucleus 15 The HAYFIELD 16 The Final Design: The HAYFIELD 17-19 Final Design Details 20 Grading Details 21 Garden Management 22 Soil Management and Composting 23 Materials and Design Elements 24 Precedents

The Hawlemont Regional School envisions a vibrant educational farm on the school grounds to serve as a productive outdoor classroom for the Hawlemont, Agriculture and You! curriculum and engage the local community with the school. The goals for this farm design are to site:

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

The Hawlemont, Agriculture, and You! (HAY) program integrates agriculture into the core curriculum requirements for Massachusetts, using agricultural production and food processing to teach math, science, and nutrition concepts. The students have chosen the name “5R Farm” for their new line of school farm products, expanding the traditional 3 “R”s into Responsibility, Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and the Arts and embracing the holistic nature of the curriculum.

The main contacts for this project are Jean Bruffee, HAY program coordinator, Travis Yagodowski the school principal, and Michael Buoconti, the district superintendent.

The new HAY program has been met with enthusiasm from the Charlemont community, and in February 2013 the school was awarded a $130,000 Community Innovation Grant from the State of Massachusetts to launch the school farm. The grant funding covers salaries and materials, a newly remodeled agricultural classroom and student kitchen, and the construction of a greenhouse, a barn, and a mobile chicken coop. Ten chicks arrived in the spring of 2014, and local farmers have agreed to lend the school livestock during the school year and donate feed, relieving the school of the summer maintenance and responsibility.

A bird’s-eye view of the Hawlemont School campus

Bing image

• At least 1/2 acre of pasture for 8 livestock and 10 chickens. ·· The animals’ nutritional needs will be met by donated feed and they will graze on their home farms during the summer. One-half acre of pasture is necessary for their health and well-being.

• Gardens for each one of the six classes of approximately 18 students to work in a 45-minute period class once a week to grow produce for consumption in the school cafeteria, processing, and donation. ·· The gardens should introduce to the students to a diversity of crops for consumption and processing that provide a variety of nutritional benefits and can harvested during the school year.

• A composting facility for animal and garden waste.

• Renewable energy technologies for teaching purposes, including two 5´ x 3´ photovoltaic solar panels, mounted three feet above the ground.

In the spring of 2015 the flock of chickens will be joined by two miniature Dexter cows, two Irish Sheep, two French Alpine goats, and two Guinea hogs. The student gardens produced tomatoes and pumpkins, and to help kick-start the program, local farmers donated produce for the students to pickle and can in their food processing class. The students have a 45-minute agriculture class every week and participate in morning and afternoon chores. Classroom teachers integrate relevant farming activities into their math and science lesson plans.

Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

A vision for the School Farm

Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

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“The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.” ― Masanobu Fukuoka, The One-Straw Revolution

An Educational Farm Design

In the fall of 2014, the Hawlemont Regional School in Charlemont, Massachusetts, became the first school in the Commonwealth to launch an agricultural based curriculum for K-6 students. They approached the Conway School for advice on how to transform their 8.5-acre school property into a productive educational farm for eight animals, a small flock of chickens, annual and perennial gardens, composting, and solar energy.

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Background

A Design for an Educational Farm

332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

HAY: Hawlemont, Agriculture, and You!

North 2 Miniature Dexter Cows

2 Irish Sheep

2 French Alpine Goats

2 Guinea Hogs

Learning Gardens

5R Farm Products

Farm Data

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18 miles to Greenfield, MA

Charlemont rests in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, halfway between North Adams and Greenfield along the Deerfield River.

Hawlemont School

The Deerfie

ld River

Google Earth image

School Choice Enrollment at the Hawlemont Regional School

graph from publicschoolreview.com

Hawlemont

Map circa 1895 Images courtesy of the Charlemont Historical Society

In the fall of 2014, the first year of the HAY program, Hawlemont School’s enrollment increased slightly, with five new School Choice out-of-district students enrolled and a waiting list for the pre-K class. Parents, local farmers, former parents who have not been involved in the school for many years, administrators, and teachers have all come together to make the program possible. The school received initial funding to implement the program from a Massachusetts Community Innovations Grant, and the program has been featured in local media outlets. The initial success and attention the HAY program has received are good indicators for the potential for Hawlemont to manage a sustainable and productive farm on the school grounds.

Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

In Massachusetts, residents have the freedom to send their children to an out-of-district school through the “school choice” program. The Hawlemont School’s enrollment has been dropping over the last 25 years, partially because increasing numbers of families have chosen to send their children to larger schools in the neighboring districts. Charlemont residents hope that the HAY program at Hawlemont will set their school apart from other public schools, attracting both district and out-of-district students.

Number of Students

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

The land chosen by the town for their three-story brick schoolhouse was part of the original 2,000 acres purchased from Native Americans by Moses Rice in 1765.

The low plain along the Deerfield River was given to the town in the 1800s for a park and in 1907 the town chose to consolidate several one-room schoolhouses into a new school in the center of the village.

Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

Rte. 2

An Educational Farm Design

Downtown Charlemont, MA

19 miles to North Adams, MA

Context

The rural town of Charlemont, Massachusetts, has approximately the same population today as it did in 1890, and rural tourism and agriculture still drive the town’s economy. The school’s decision to adopt an agricultural curriculum embodies Charlemont’s rural agricultural identity in an effort to revitalize a rural school through community support.

332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

A Historic School in Charlemont, MA

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Gardens

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Utilities

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School Cafeteria and Kitchen HAY Classroom and Kitchen Main Entrance

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The doors to the original school building have been blocked, and the side of the building that faces the street now functions as the rear of the school, with the main arrival area behind it.

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Kindergarten and Pre-K

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Greenhouse

SCHOOLYARD CENTER

Playground

 Play Hill

SPORTS FIELDS

The main entrance is tucked into the corner behind the original school building. The paved driveway and parking have mowed lawn around the edges and some perennials and shrubs on the sloped lawn south and west of the original school.

An overgrown trail leads down to the Deerfield River. Classes use the Riverfront Area for science study.

trails

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

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Main Entrance

200´ Protected Resource Area

trails

RIVERFRONT AREA

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The schoolyard center lies south of the new wing of the school. The paved path is only three feet wide, but the broader opening in the fence allows occasional vehicles to pass through.

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A 200-foot riparian strip along the Deerfield River on the southern edge of the property totals 2.75 acres and overlaps with the mowed edge of the sports fields. This strip is protected as a Riverfront Resource Area under the Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act, which restricts any development or changes in land use. Clearing or planting trees and installing fencing may require a permit from the Charlemont Town Conservation Commission. Riverfront Areas provide important wildlife habitat and the vegetation along them protects the river bank from eroding. This wooded strip includes a berm that rises 5 feet from the sports fields and then drops 12 feet down to the edge of the Deerfield River. There are two trails that lead into the wooded area that have not been maintained since Tropical Storm Irene.

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Barn

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The children participate in an exercise program that awards them for each lap walked or run around the perimeter of the fields, offering an opportunity for them to observe food being produced along the edges of the field.

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The Deerfield River has 10 dams along its 76 miles.

Because of this, the water level of the river fluctuates widely and quickly, changing the form of the river edge and occasionally flooding the school property.

332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

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Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

Two baseball diamonds and a soccer field cover three acres of open ground in the center of the school property. Although the entire school property belongs to the town, the sports fields fall under a different town jurisdiction and at the moment the school has permission to use the bordering land for agricultural activities but does not have permission to graze, or garden on the sports fields themselves.

Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

ENT R A N

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The north side of the school is a utilitarian area. Gas tanks, dumpsters and storage are mostly screened from sight by arbor vitae. An established garden will continue to be maintained by the third grade classroom teacher in addition to her class participating in the HAY program. This area is not part of the focus of this project.

An Educational Farm Design

The entrance to the school slopes down sharply from Route 2 onto School Street. The front of the original school is no longer used as a main entrance and overgrown rhododendrons, dogwoods, and hydrangea cover the old doorways. All of the school parking is along the northern and western sides of the building. A circular drive for buses and drop-offs loops around the southwest side of the original school building. There are long views from the loop across the sports fields toward the Deerfield River and the mountains beyond, but the view into the schoolyard center is blocked by the kindergarten wing and a low chain link fence.

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The Hawlemont Regional School sits low in the floodplain between Route 2 and the Deerfield River. Paved parking and buildings dominate the northern third of the property, open sports fields and play areas fill the central third, and a wooded berm runs along the riverbank to the south.

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Existing Conditions

Existing Conditions

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Existing Conditions-2

HAY Classroom and Kitchen

Greenhouse

The new barn, where eight livestock will live. There are double doors on the western and eastern sides that can be opened to create a passageway. The second-story loading door for hay faces the basketball courts and greenhouse and requires vehicle access.

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Sports Equipment Shed

“Pizza” Garden

Circular Garden

The view from the southern edge of the open fields toward the play hill, sports equipment shed, playground and schoolyard. The hill is a popular destination for students and in the winter it is used as a sledding hill, although it can be icy and hazardous for small children.

Circular Garden

Play Hill

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SPORTS FIELDS

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Play Hill

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The southern edge of the soccer field is a 30-foot strip of mowed lawn that is predominantly shaded by the woods along the riverbank. There are two entrances to trails that lead from the edges into the woods and down to the riverbank.

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Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

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Playground

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Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

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“Pizza” Garden

Reading Garden

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Greenhouse

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Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

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Deck

A view from the hill looking toward the school. A circular butterfly garden and eight triangular raised beds arranged in a circle to form a “pizza” garden lie between the playground and the play hill.

SCHOOLYARD CENTER

An Educational Farm Design

Basketball Courts

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An open deck on the west side of the kindergarten wing faces the new greenhouse, a storage shed, and the basketball courts.

There is no roof or shade on the deck, deterring it from being a usable space for classes.

Barn

Deck

Existing Conditions-2

Kindergarten and Pre-K

The school has permission to use the play areas and open land along the sports field edges for gardens and pasture. These strips of open land dominated by mowed lawn total roughly an acre and are currently used for play and exercise. The playground equipment, a shed for storing sports equipment, a play hill constructed out of fill, and a few class gardens border the sports fields to the east. The southern edge is heavily shaded by the wooded riparian strip. The eastern edge is a 30foot strip of mowed lawn that opens into a managed hay field.

Tool Shed

Storage Shed

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Students come from four different exits to the schoolyard center, where they play on the basketball courts, use the wall of the school for handball, access the playground, or pass through to the sports fields. The diagonal paved path cuts from the drop-off loop across to the eastern end of the school. This area is a high traffic zone, both with foot traffic from children playing and classes getting supplies from the storage and tool sheds, and vehicles entering for errands or to deliver feed and hay to the animals in the barn. A greenhouse and barn are under construction, increasing the number of buildings clustered in this congested space.

332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

School Cafeteria and Kitchen

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Soils, Slopes, and Flooding

Occum Fine Sandy Loam

Hawlemont School

House lot for sale

The Deerfield River 350 ft Google Earth image

View of the school entrance during TS Irene, 2011

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

The fragility of this soil is demonstrated in the field to the east of the school, where the Rice Brook has carved a 50’ wide section out of neighbor Raymond Willis’s hayfield. The Rice Brook flooded in tropical storm Irene and has since displaced approximately 72,000 cubic feet of soil, leaving a 4-foot drop off at the edge of the field. The cut began where the hayfield borders the Rice Brook and there is no wooded buffer. It is possible that larger vegetation with more established roots could have better protected the bank.

Rice Brook

Mill Brook A

Rte. 2 Hawlemont School

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Slopes Implications The majority of the site is a less than 3% slope. There are 25% or greater slopes along the side of Rte. 2 and the original school building at the entrance, around the play hill, and along the wooded berm in the Riverfront Area. The flat area is ideal for gardening although it does present some drainage issues, outlined on the following page.

flood of the

The Deerfield River

waters

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Google Earth history image Aug 2011

Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

Soil Implications

Raymond Willis’s Hayfield

332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

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Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

Mill Brook

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Pootatuck Very Fine Sandy Loam

Roughly 85% of the property has Pootatuck Fine Sandy Loam, characteristic of flat floodplains and moderately well drained. Soil tests show that the soil is leached and very low in both macro- and micronutrients, and has very low levels of organic matter. The organic matter levels and nutrients can be built up through the application of organic composts, mulches, and the use of green manures or cover crops. Permanent root systems of perennial crops will also help to stabilize the soils and prevent them from being eroded by floodwaters.

Rte. 2

An Educational Farm Design

Rice Brook

The entire school property falls within the Bordering Lands Subject to Flooding zone and development in this area is restricted by the Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act. The FDA prohibits the consumption of any food crop touched by floodwaters, which means that in years of flooding the school may lose all of their harvest with the exception of some tree crops that may be exempt if the fruit stays above the flood waters.

During Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011 the Deerfield River flooded up to the first floor elevation of the school. The water covered the sports fields and entrance loop entirely. The waters receded after four days, leaving behind a layer of sand and silt. The image below illustrates the path the Deerfield River cut across the neighboring fields. The overflowing Mill Brook River slowed the flow, causing the water to release the sediment onto the school property. The sand and silt was plowed in.

Photo by Mary Boehmer

Soils, Slopes, and Flooding

The Hawlemont School lies in a flat, low floodplain between two brooks. The soils in the floodplain are subject to flooding and erosion, and are stabilized by vegetation.

Flooding Implications

Level of the floodwater in Tropical Storm Irene

Rte. 2

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Town Property

Parking

Hawlemont School

Dry Wells

Sports Fields 100 Year Flood Plain

200 ft Riverfront Area

Deerfield River

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332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

ROUTE

The 25,000-square feet of roof and paved entrance and parking lots primarily shed water to the south, where it floods the sports fields.

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Main Downspouts The school building has downspouts that collect rainwater from the roof. Some downspouts do not work while others drop large amounts of water onto the ground, creating channeled rivers of stormwater across areas of the school grounds.

Main Entrance sd

Entrance

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s Dry Well

Channeled Flow High amounts of water from downspouts run across pavement or grass in a channeled flow. These are high velocity and could damage young vegetation and erode soil.

Pooling on the sports fields in a low area with compacted soils, the day after a three-inch rainfall.

HAY Classroom and Kitchen

Kindergarten and Pre-K

Greenhouse

Barn

Paved Surfaces

Schoolyard Center

Dry Wells

Impervious surfaces cover ~30% of the property, reducing the amount of area available to infiltrate stormwater.

Playground

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Sports Fields

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

Pooling

Storm Drains The parking and entrance loop have seven storm drains that connect in a system to drain the runoff on the paved surface to the dry wells south of the entrance loop. These collect the water and pollutants from the paved surfaces and channel them to dry wells.

Water pools in low areas with compacted soil. These areas retain water, sometimes days after a storm depending on the amount of rainfall. This standing water can stunt or kill vegetation that cannot tolerate highly saturated soils.

Dry Wells Six-foot deep pits filled with gravel absorb stormwater. These dry wells filter the polluted water but do not have an outlet for major storm events.

Riverfront Area

Storm Drains

Parking

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Pavement

Hawlemont School

Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

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Rainwater flows south downhill, off of Route 2 and away from the buildings onto the paved surfaces and sports fields. This water is of moderate flow and does not provide a threat of erosion.

An Educational Farm Design

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On-Site Drainage

Sheet Flow

Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

On-Site Drainage

Dry Well

Northern Field Edge

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School Building Entrances and Exits

Compost

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School Cafeteria and Kitchen

Gardens

HAY Classroom and Kitchen

Main Entrance Entrance

School Gardening Activities

Tool Shed

Kindergarten and Pre-K

Greenhouse Schoolyard Center

The current gardens are scattered around the schoolyard, near the kindergarten wing and south of the playground. The gardens along the south wall of the school are managed by the HAY program and the other gardens are managed by classroom teachers. Tools are brought to the gardens from a tool shed near the barn, and the harvest is processed in the student kitchen or delivered to the cafeteria. There is a compost bin near the door of the cafeteria that handles the daily 1.5 - 2 gallons of food scraps generated by the school lunch and separated out by the students.

Barn

Reading Garden

Playground

Parking School faculty and staff park along the northern side of School Street and visitors park along the western edge of the property.

Gardens

Sports Fields

Play Hill

Children’s play routes

Vehicles pass through the schoolyard center in emergencies or to deliver animals and feed to the barn. There is also an access route along the eastern edge of the property for emergencies or to deliver supplies to the school or farm. Future pasture and garden space cannot obstruct these access routes.

There are few obstacles to the students freedom of movement beyond the schoolyard center. The wide open space of the sports fields, substantial playground, and eastern edge offers them ample space for exercise. The play hill is a popular destination in all seasons, although in the winter it becomes very icy and teachers consider it a safety hazard. An exercise program awards students for how many miles they walk during recess, calculated in laps around the sports fields. This exercise program is popular with the students. The lap they walk around the sports fields could be enhanced with edible or visually interesting vegetation to add interest along the path. Students use the trails leading into the woods and down to the Deerfield River during classes with adult supervision. These paths facilitate the connection between the students and the river and should be maintained.

Field Edges

trails

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

Occasional Vehicle Traffic

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Riverfront Area

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Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

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Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

All staff, faculty, students and visitors enter the building through the main entrance in the morning. There are twelve other doors used for emergency exits and to leave and enter the school for recess or outdoor class work. Three of the these doors open onto the schoolyard center, including a door that connects the HAY classroom and student kitchen to the schoolyard. The school cafeteria and main kitchen are on the north side of the school and have their own entrance.

Heavy Vehicle Traffic Cars enter the school driveway turning south from Route 2, a state highway that crosses northern Massachusetts. The driveway is shared with residents living in houses along Route 2. Buses use the looped entrance to drop off and pick up students. The heaviest times for traffic are weekdays during the school year between 8 and 9 am, and between 3 and 4 pm.

332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

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An Educational Farm Design

Vehicle access and parking are primarily constrained to the paved northern and western edges of the property, although emergency and occasional vehicles need access through the schoolyard center. There is one main entrance to the school building but many exits where classes leave to tend the gardens and play on the playground and sports fields.

ROUTE

Access and Circulation

Access and Circulation

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Microclimates

Warm

Cool , Shaded, and Moist

Warm

Warm and Sunny Gardens and solar photovoltaic panels should receive a minimum of six hours of full sun a day.

In the entrance, there is full sun year round on the eastern bank behind the original school building and along the western edge. In the schoolyard center, sun during the growing season heats up the southern wall of the building where the HAY classroom entrance is. The paved basketball courts south of the greenhouse receive full sun, and the playground has very little shade. The play hill receives full sun on the southern side. The northern half of the sports fields also receives full sun.

Taking advantage of these warm spots for gardens will help to extend the growing season and increase yields.

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

Cool and Shaded

Moist Warm and paved Warm and Moist

Warm

Warm and Moist

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Warm Southern Exposure

Rte. 2

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Town Property

Parking

Shaded areas with north-facing walls or north of tree lines will frost early and thaw late, holding the cool air for more of the year. The shading is based on daily shade during the equinoxes and shows areas that receive the most shade during the growing season. The northern edge of the school, north side of the barn, and the southern half of the sports fields up to the treeline are cool and shaded areas that would be less productive for growing food and are not suitable for solar energy production.

New vegetation in these areas should be shade tolerant species. Although these areas are not suitable for productive annual vegetable crops, they could be used for increasing native habitat, pollinator plants, and ornamentals.

Warm

Hawlemont School

Dry Wells

Moist Areas

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332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

Cool and Shaded

100ft

Cool Air Sinking

Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

Areas where the soil is poorly drained and hold water after rainfall (see drainage analysis on sheet 6) will benefit from vegetation with deeper roots that increase infiltration and soak up moisture. These areas are south of the kindergarten wing, the north side of the new barn running down to the playground, the center of the sports field, and the southern edge of the sports field.

Planting appropriate vegetation that can withstand highly saturated soils above these areas could help to capture water before it reaches the lowest spots and increase the infiltration. Rain gardens that are structurally designed to be placed in areas with high levels of stormwater runoff, are outlined on the Materials and Design Elements sheet 23.

An Educational Farm Design

Moist

Microclimates

The sun, buildings, and vegetation on the site interact in different ways to create dry, warm, moist, and cool areas that form microclimates. The unique conditions of each microclimate inform what uses and types of vegetation are most appropriate there.

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North Sports Fields

200 ft Riverfront Area

Deerfield River

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The dominant vegetation in the schoolyard center is mowed lawn with scattered trees around the buildings and play areas. Two sugar maples, hemlocks, and crabapples cluster around the barn and greenhouse in the schoolyard center. A white pine partially shades the bleachers north of the baseball diamond. Two annual garden beds are tucked against the south-facing wall near the HAY entrance. Besides these gardens, there are no small shrubs or understory in this area.

Entrance A Maintaining the mowed lawn on the school propA perennial garden with hostas, junipers, daylilies and bulbs erty requires an average of eight hours a week covers the western bank along the side of the original school of mowing. Reducing the amount of mowing by building. Four recently planted apple and peach trees sit half- replacing lawn with pasture, perennial beds, and way down the bank on the south side of the school building. gardens will reduce labor and fuel costs for the The western edge is open to the hayfield with one large sugar school. maple that provides shade for 3 of the parked cars. The center of the entrance loop is mowed lawn with two sugar maples.

Although the edges of the entrance loop provide limited space, the visibility of this area makes them potentially valuable production space for the HAY program.

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

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Neighboring property for sale

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Hayfield

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The sports fields, and edges around the play equipment, and play hill are mowed regularly. The playground has a wood chip surface contained and has no vegetation shading it except for a bradford pear on the south eastern corner. Three red cedars cluster near third base behind the baseball diamond. A fourth red cedar partially shades a weedy circular butterfly garden with minarda, daisies, and other perennial flowers. A raised “pizza garden” is arranged representing slices of a pizza and planted with tomatoes and herbs. The eastern edge of the property is lined with a wire fence in poor condition that is covered with sumac, wild grape, and goldenrod. This border widens south of the playhill and blends into the wooded riverfront area. Many of the species in the unmanaged edges attract pollinators that will benefit fruit and vegetable production.

Common Name

Latin Name

Distinctive Traits

Habitat

Notes

Plantain

Plantago spp.

low broadleaf, single seedhead

varied, likes compacted soils

Medicinal as a diuretic, antiseptic, antiinflammatory, among others

Common Sunflower

Helianthus annuus

yellow flower, long stem

disturbed fields and edges

Cultivar used for sunflower oil, attracts pollinators

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Curled Leaf Dock

Rumex crispus

curled leaf edges, clustered smooth seeds (not velcro-like)

disturbed soils, field and forest edges

Various medicinal uses.

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Japanese Knotweed

Fallopia japonica

hollow stem, papery seeds

temperate riparian ecosystems, highly tolerant of a wide variety of soil types, acity, and temperatures.

Invasive, loves disturbance.

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Deer Tongue Grass

Dichanthelium clandestinum

wide leaves, very hairy leaf sheath

wetlands, stream edges, fields

Native grass, habitat for birds but not good forage for livestock.

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Sensitive Fern

Onoclea sensibilus

wide leafed fern

wetlands, stream edges

Name refers to sensitivity to frost.

5

Raspberries

Rubus spp.

bramble with red edible fruits

fields, meadows, streams and wetland edges

Edible fruit for humans, birds, and black bears, flowers

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Tansy

Tanecetum vulgare

compound lacey leaves, yellow disk flowers, distinctive smell

field edges, stream banks, meadows.

Medicinal, used against viruses. Highly diluted, can ruin your kidneys. Iroquois used it in mission seeking. Colonial herb used for embalming.

Flowers attract pollinators

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St. John’s Wort

Hypericum perforatum

yellow flowers with dark red dots on edges of petals, simple opposite entire leaves with ‘perforated’ dots

fields, disturbed areas

Medicinal use as an antidepressant, attractive flowers

Blue Joint Grass

Calamagrostis canadensis

smooth sheath

very varied: wetlands, ridges, alpine, fields, stream and river banks

Used by the Cree Native Americans to line potato-storage pits

Cottonwood

Populus deltoides

tall (up to 100 feet), cottony seeds cover ground in June. Fast growing

wetlands and floodplains

Strong root structure, used to stabilize banks and floodplains. Wood warps easily.

Riverfront Area

The Riverfront Area is an unmanaged wooded strip that runs along the Deerfield River. This is a diverse area with an overstory of mixed deciduous trees including oak, sugar maple, black willow, ash, beech, and birch. A dense understory of Japanese knotweed covers the southern bank toward the river. The treeline along the mowed edge of the sports field stretches across width of the property and is filled with a dense understory of wild meadow plants. Although there are some established species that are considered invasives, such as Japanese knotweed, winged euonymus, and autumn olive, they have not prevented many other wetland and native species from establishing. The following table is a sample of plants identified in this area.

A

Sports fields and Edges

332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

C

Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

Schoolyard Center

Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

B

An Educational Farm Design

Mowed lawn covers the majority of the school campus, with scattered trees and gardens around the property. The Riverfront Area and scattered patches of wild vegetation are highly diverse and provide wildlife habitat while stabilizing the floodplain soils.

Vegetation

Vegetation

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The Heart

The Public Face of Hawlemont The Active Field Edges

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

The Sports Fields The overlapping soccer and baseball fields fill the center of the school property. This land is compacted and poorly graded. Water pools in the center of the fields after rainstorms.

This area could benefit from more diverse vegetation with deeper roots that would help with stormwater infiltration, but at the moment the school does not have permission to garden, graze, or move the sports fields from their current location.

The school has permission from the town to use these areas for agricultural activities as long as the current recreational uses are maintained. These field edges receive adequate sun for gardening and are currently filled with structured and unstructured play areas.

These areas provide an opportunity to combine production, pasture, learning and play.

Active Edges

The Sports Fields

Conservation Edges These edges are predominantly shady and cool, and encompass the state-protected Riverfront Area. This area should be maintained and protected. Agricultural uses are legal, however installing permanent fencing within the 200-foot buffer would require a permit from the town Conservation Commission. Pasturing animals here could damage the existing vegetation and create erosion if it were not managed properly. Appropriate uses include increasing plantings that would further stabilize the soils.

This area provides an opportunity to enhance wildlife habitat, strengthen the ecosystem services and protection the wooded berm provides, and further develop an educational site for studying river ecology.

Conservation Edges

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Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

The Heart

Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

The schoolyard center is the pulsing heart of the property.

This is a complex area with clustered buildings and both foot traffic and occasional vehicles passing through. The new barn and greenhouse bring agricultural activities into this area but the high traffic and amount of pavement create a challenge to placing gardens here. Stormwater is directed forcefully across the space toward the sports fields, threatening to erode soil or swamp young plants.

This area has the potential to be a center of agricultural activities. Managing stormwater issues and creating cohesion among the clustered buildings could transform this area into a place to be, rather than a place to cut through.

The Public Face of Hawlemont The original school building is set back, but still visible from Route 2. The original front of the school building has become the functional rear of the school, with no working building entrances. For visitors to the school who park along the northern or western edges and enter the school through the main entrance, this may be all of the school grounds that they see. Although this area is primarily paved, there are some green edges along the buildings that receive sun and are adequate for gardens.

Because of its visibility to the public, this area provides an opportunity to showcase Hawlemont’s unique approach to education.

332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

2

An Educational Farm Design

Distinct characteristics of each area drive different design directions to integrate the school’s goals of siting agricultural activities on the school grounds.

ROUTE

Summary Analysis

Summary Analysis

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332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

Design Directives

What principles guide the process of placing agricultural activities into this unique site?

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

SITES: Sustainable Sites Initiative SITES is a rating system developed by a collaboration of organizations, including the American Society of Landscape Architects, to define sustainable sites, measure their performance, and ultimately elevate the ecological and societal value of landscapes. This new certification system is based on the understanding that land is a crucial component of the built environment and can be planned, designed, developed, and maintained to protect and enhance the benefits we derive from healthy functioning landscapes. The system is still being developed, but working within the guidelines set out by SITES could help the Hawlemont School find future funding and attract publicity with a certified sustainable campus. Some suggestions for longer term ways to address the overall sustainability of the school that would count toward the SITES certification system are included in the final design and on sheets 21-23. The SITES system grants points for elements of a landscape design that address sustainable solutions to issues such as: • Water - managing stormwater on site and decreasing outdoor water use.

• Soil and Vegetation - creating and following a soil management plan, using native plants, and using vegetation to minimize building energy use.

• Materials Selection - using regionally sourced and recycled materials for new construction.

• Human Health and Well-Being - supporting on-site food production, local economy, physical activities and mental restoration.

• Operations and Maintenance - recycling organic matter, minimizing pesticide and fertilizer use, using renewable energy sources for electricity needs.

• Education and Performance Monitoring - promoting sustainability awareness in the community, educating, monitoring and reporting on site performance.

Community Food Security Food security refers to the state of having reliable sources of sufficient and nutritious food available within the community. By focusing on production, the schoolyard could become part of the local food movement, with the opportunity to promote to local community healthy locally produced foods that are: • appropriate to Charlemont’s climate and growing conditions, • fit within the culturally accepted diet, • produced and consumed in Charlemont.

Educating the next generation about food production and nutrition is one possible function for a school farm. The relationship of the school farm with the surrounding farmers strengthens and supports the food security of the town by increasing awareness around food production. By hosting public events the school can also provide local farmers with opportunities to engage with the public, strengthening connections between the wider community that impact the local economy. As this program grows, the Hawlemont School can deepen its participation in creating a healthy, food secure Charlemont by continuing to engage the community in school farm work days, establishing public programing during the summer months to increase overall production and financial sustainability, and purchasing school cafeteria food and farm supplies from local farmers.

Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339 Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

Ecological Design is a process that applies an intimate understanding of the environmental characteristics of a “Passion is lifted from the earth itself by the muddy hands of the young; it travels along particular piece of land to find solutions that incorporate the benefits of a healthy and well functioning natural grass-stained sleeves to the heart. If we are going to save environmentalism and the envienvironment, and the local culture. Some examples of ecological design principles from Travis Beck’s Principles of ronment, we must also save an endangered indicator species: the child in nature.”

Ecological Landscape Design that have been applied in the following design alternatives and should be applied to ― Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder the continued maintenance of the site are: • Design landscapes to provide ecosystem services. The vegetation along the wooded bank of the DeerThe integration of nature into playscapes has been shown to provide many benefits for field River helps to protect the sports fields and schoolyard from eroding during a flood. Specific varieties of plants have been selected for the design alternatives that provide additional functions such as absorbing and child development. The Nature & Children Network brings together the work of educators, infiltrating stormwater and fixing nitrogen to improve soil quality. individuals, researchers, and organizations to publish studies that indicate that incorporating nature into school grounds can increase the physical and mental health of children. The • Take advantage of microclimates in the built environment. The microclimates outlined on sheet 8 have varying degrees of heat, shade, and moisture that impact the use of the space and the selection of different design alternatives in this project support the decision of the Hawlemont School to adopt varieties of plants. the HAY curriculum by integrating increased plant diversity and opportunities for nature studies into the play spaces on the school grounds. Studies suggest that • Choose plants that are adapted to the local environment. Varieties of plants should be selected that are disease resistant and correspond to the conditions of the area where they are being some benefits of playing in natural settings include: planted to increase the plant’s chance of survival and minimize maintenance challenges such as • Contact with nature can boost immune systems, and children disease prevention, pest control, and irrigation. who play with natural materials such as mud, plants, and insects • Meet fertility needs through nutrient cycling. The selection of plants that build soil are sick less often. outlined on sheet 22 provide services that will benefit the production on the school farm.

• Children who spend more time outdoors are more physically Healthy landscapes integrate The guidelines for managing a composting system on sheet 22 illustrate how to efficiently active and less likely to struggle with obesity the needs and functions of cycle nutrients on the farm.

• Children who play outdoors play in more imaginative ways and the environment with the • Invite natural enemies to control pest populations. Although some pests can be show improved communication and language skills. expected and mitigated through planning, these solutions can be investigated as pests needs and functions of the • Natural, irregular, and challenging spaces helps children learn to appear. For example, aster and carrot family plants are hosts for parasitoid wasps that people and community that assess risks and build confidence and competence. control bean beetle populations. A kestrel box located at the edge of the field could atinhabit them. tract birds of prey to help control rodents.

An Educational Farm Design

Natural Play

Design Directives

Ecological Design Principles

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HAY Classroom and Kitchen A Tool Shed

Main Entrance Greenhouse

Kindergarten and Pre-K

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

Fruit trees form a permeable flood barrier along the western edge of the property, slowing the flow of water from the Deerfield in the event of a large flood and creating an alleé for the students walking around the sports fields for exercise.

Visitors entering the schoolyard center pass a large edible rain garden that follows the path and captures stormwater before it enters the sports fields.

Barn

Schoolyard Center

Pasture

Compost

The playground is surrounded with gardens and fenced pasture, allowing the children to interact with a variety of plants and animals during recess. Tall shrubs screen the playground from the composting system.

Playground

Rain garden

Gardens

A row of annual garden beds provide ample growing space for agricultural classes and are visible across the fields from the entrance.

Food Forest

Fruit Trees

A food forest extends the wooded edge of the river bank north to the playground, providing shade for students to play in and fruit and nuts for processing.

Outdoor Classroom

An outdoor classroom space, centrally located in the shade of the food forest and near the entrance to the trails to the river, provides an additional teaching space for gardening, farming, or river ecology lessons.

A´

Berries

Clumps of fall bearing berries and native shrubs provide snacks, interest and engagement with nature for the students as they walk along the southern edge of the sports fields.

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Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

Terraced gardens

Solar panels

Sports Fields

Children greet the animals grazing in the entrance loop on their way into school in the morning. Visitors get a taste for Hawlemont’s unique approach to education as they walk past terraced gardens and solar panels along the south side of the original school building on their way toward the main entrance.

A raised bed herb garden with a 2´ wide wall provides a place to sit and watch the sports games while taking advantage of the full sun south of the greenhouse. The deck west of the greenhouse is shaded with solar panels for outdoor classroom use.

Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

Gardens flourish in the warm pocket tucked against the south facing wall of the building.

An Educational Farm Design

Grapes are trained along a repaired fence.

Alternative 1

This design provides ample annual growing space for the HAY program and maximizes the overall food production through the establishment of a food forest where students can harvest many types of fruits and nuts.

Pros: • There is minimal impact to existing infrastructure, making this alternative affordable and possible without crossing bureaucratic red tape.

• Once established, the areas of perennials will increase yields while requiring less maintenance than annual gardens.

• The play area is populated with a higher diversity of plants for students to engage with while playing.

Cons: • This alternative doesn’t meet the criteria for animal pasture.

• The annual garden beds along the eastern edge of the sports fields are far from the tool shed and greenhouse, and may need to be fenced to protect them from deer and rodents.

The food forest that extends from the woodland edge and over the play hill increas- A´ es the nature experiences for children while producing food.

A

Edible perennials stabilize erosion prone soils and expose students to wide variety of crops. Rain gardens absorb stormwater.

332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

Design Alternative 1: A School Food Forest

North View from the playground looking toward the hill and the gardens.

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Pasture extends around the play and sports areas. Garden space in the entrance showcases the unique approach to learning.

Removing a section of pavement south of the greenhouse maintains vehicle accessibility while taking advantage of the full sun for terraced perennial beds. Covered arbors with fruit-bearing vines over the deck and western side of the greenhouse provide shade for outdoor classes.

Main Entrance Maples

Strawberries Greenhouse

Kindergarten and Pre-K

Barn

Pole-mounted solar panels double as fence posts for a strip of pasture along the path to the schoolyard.

Playground

Pasture

Pasture runs along the edge of the playground, maximizing the interaction between students and animals during recess.

A small orchard south of the playground provides shade for the students and baseball fans.

Orchard

Sports Fields

Compost

A berry patch takes advantage of the sun south of the hill. The paths between rows allow students and teachers access to the trails to the river.

Tall Grasses and Berries Bushes Berry Patch

A´

Pasture

Fenced pasture along the shady southern edge of the sports fields provides additional grazing for animals.

Gates allow students and teachers access to the trails to the river.

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The arbored deck provides shade for classes or bringing activities from the greenhouse outside.

Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

HAY Classroom and Kitchen A

An Educational Farm Design

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Alternative 2

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

A rainwater collection system reduces stormwater runoff and provides water for irrigating the greenhouse gardens.

Maple trees shade the visitors parking and are tapped by the students in the spring. Fall bearing strawberries and espaliered fruit trees line the edges of the buildings in the entrance.

Tall grasses and berry bushes line the western edge of the sports field, bearing fruit for processing and providing organic material for the composting system.

A´

Maple trees shade the building and provide sap for maple syruping and leaves for the compost.

Espaliered Trees

This alternative evokes the feeling of a traditional New England Farm with fenced pasture, maple trees for tapping in the spring, and a covered arbor that provides shade for classes using the deck.

Pros: • This alternative creates a 3/4-acre of pasture for the cows, sheep, pigs and goats.

• Removing some paved surface in the center schoolyard helps absorb stormwater runoff.

• Removes 3/4 acre of land from mowing regimen, reducing maintenance time and fuel costs.

Cons: • This alternative eliminates the outdoor basketball court and restricts the students’ outdoor space with extensive permanent pasture fencing.

• The pasture and the solar panels are in close proximity to flying balls from the sports fields.

• Animals are grazing inside the Riverfront Area, which is a risk for the ecological health and erosion of this area, and installing fencing here will require permission from the town conservation commission.

• Extensive amounts of fencing and gates will be costly.

The pasture extends along the edge of the property and across the hill. Animals would need to be walked from one pasture to the other.

Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

A

332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

Design Alternative 2: Traditional New England Farm

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Gardens

Playground

Food Forest

The extensive garden south of the barn and the new location of the playground integrated with the hill create a logical order to the space.

A´

S

HAY Classroom and Kitchen A

Removing the hemlock from along the diagonal path opens up the courtyard and visually connects the barn, greenhouse, and gardens to create an agricultural center.

Main Entrance Fruit trees

Greenhouse

Kindergarten and Pre-K

Barn Solar Farm courtyard Panels

Teaching solar panels south of the barn frame the edge of the extensive annual garden.

Compost Kindergarten playground

Gardens

The play equipment is moved along the north side of the play hill, incorporating natural materials and the form of the land into the play environment.

Orchard

Sports Fields

Pasture extends along the gardens and onto the property next door. A centrally located composting system is convenient to both the barn and the garden.

Playground Pasture

A food forest is planted along the edge of the woods, providing additional fruits and berries for processing.

Fruit trees grace the entrance of the school. A covered entrance and sign welcome visitors to the HAY school farm.

Food Forest

A signed trail open to the public draws visitors through an orchard that also serves to absorb stormwater before it reaches the soccer field.

A´

Fruiting shrubs and semi-dwarf fruit trees shelter a small playground for the kindergarten and Pre-k students.

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Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

An herb rain garden south of the with dry stone bed paths absorb stormwater and provide pools for playing after rainstorms, and raised beds replace the railings around the deck for added growing space.

ST. CHOOL

An Educational Farm Design

The maples shade picnic tables for outdoor class activities and events in the farm courtyard.

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Annual gardens fill the open space south of the barn, creating a farm center for the school.

Alternative 3

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

Barn

332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

Repurposes the sunny, accessible land south of the barn for school gardens, creating a farm center with gathering space for the community.

This design alternative opens up the center of the schoolyard and concentrates agricultural activities together to create a farm courtyard. The alternative assumes that the school has been granted permission to use the northwestern corner of the sports field for an orchard, improving the drainage on the field by intercepting stormwater.

The alternative also assumes that the town has purchased or leased the neighboring property to provide the farm animals with adequate pasture without removing play area from the school grounds.

Pros: • This design alternative meets the criteria for amount of gardens and pasture.

• An expanded wooded riverfront area increases native habitat Cons: • Eliminates the basketball court.

• Requires support and permission from the town to use or purchase the neighboring property and repurposes the western baseball field.

• Remodeling the playground is an expensive undertaking.

Pasture

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Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

Design Alternative 3: A Future Farm Nucleus

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Fruit and Berries

North

Pasture Strawberries

acedle Terre ab Veg st Bed

Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

Arbor

Flowers, Herbs and Vegetables

Orchard

Farm Courtyard

Nuts

Barn

Tools

Berries

Compost

Pasture

Temporary Pasture

30

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332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

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Field Crops

Vegetables

Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

Vegetable beds

Greenhouse

Rainwater Harvesting

Chicken Pasture

HAY Classroom and Kitchen

An Educational Farm Design

Meadow Nature Walk

Sports Fields

The HAYFIELD

The farm plan applies ecological design principles that incorporate the benefits of a healthy and well functioning natural environment into living and growing spaces. The riparian woodlands, open fields, and gardens are integrated in an educational farm that celebrates Charlemont’s natural resources and agricultural heritage.

Flowering Trees

An educational farm enhances the school grounds of the Hawlemont Regional School with visually pleasing and productive vegetation. This design could be phased in over three years, transforming the grounds into an ecologically sustainable and diverse environment for learning.

Farm Integrated Environmental Learning and Development

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

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3 Detailed on Sheet 18

Detailed on Sheet 19

YEAR ONE

1

2

A 20´ strip of lawn is left to become meadow, allowing native plants to establish and the woodland edge to extend. A mowed path invites children to explore the meadow as they walk laps for exercise.

YEAR TWO

2

Native fruit and nut shrubs form an edible permeable flood barrier along the western edge of the property.

YEAR THREE

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Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

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A green roof is established on the flat roof of the school, reducing stormwater runoff and the overall energy costs of the school.

Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

Detailed on Sheet 17

Year One: The priority for the first year is to establish visibility for the program, a main annual production space, and pasture.

Year Two: Focus is on expanding perennial gardens and fruit trees.

Year Three: Increasing overall production including an expansion of the annual garden space into the center of the farm courtyard and increasing the sustainability of the school grounds with rainwater caption and a green roof.

• For design and phasing details of the entrance area, see sheet 17.

• For design and phasing details of the schoolyard, see sheet 18.

• For design and phasing details of the play area, see sheet 19.

• Other areas below:

An Educational Farm Design

The final design focuses on enhancing the school grounds with visually pleasing and food-bearing vegetation. It can be implemented in three years on the current school campus. Mixed annual and perennial gardens meet the goals for producing food for the school cafeteria, and processing or donating in the community. While the full amount of desired pasture is not met, it may be possible to arrange additional pasture space with the owners of the neighboring property. If the HAY program is successful and Hawlemont’s enrollment continues to grow, the school may be able to garner town support to purchase or lease the bordering land, enabling the school to more fully support a sustainable farm.

The following design details are divided into suggested year one, two and three for phasing in planting and budgeting establishment costs and labor. Ongoing evaluations of the program will help the school determine directions for the further development of the educational farm.

IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

Final Design

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

Productive gardens and pasture in the entrance showcase Hawlemont’s unique approach to education. A farm courtyard creates a hub for farming activities and a gathering for place for public fairs and events. The gardens and productive vegetation integrated into the play spaces enrich the educational experiences of the students at Hawlemont Regional School.

332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

The Final Design: The HAYFIELD

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332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

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Final Design Detail-1 An Eye-Catching Entrance

As

1

Trees with striking spring flowers and bright fall foliage catch the visitor’s eye, and the gardens and pasture leave a lasting impression of the school’s commitment to agricultural-based education.

Ac Aa

Perennial Bed

Ac Aa

4

Cc

Terraced Annual Gardens

2

Terraced Annual Gardens

As

5

Aa

Code Common Name

Botanical Name

Characteristics

Height

Spacing Needs

As

Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum

Native, sap for syrup and sugar, leaves good for compost

75-100’

50-75’

sun partial

Ac

Serviceberry

Amelanchier canadensis

Tree with early flowers, edible fruit, and bright fall foliage

up to 25’

20-30’

sun partial

Aa

Saskatoon

Amelanchier alnifolia

Early flowers and gorgeous fall color, forage for birds, edible fruit

5-15’

5-15’

moist soil, sun

Cc

Redbud

Cercis canadensis

Flowering tree, pollinator

20-30’

30’

sun partial

Cs

Red-Osier Dogwood

Cornus sericea

Shrub with red stems

6-9’

5-10’

sun partial

Md

Semi-dwarf Apple

Malus domestica

Arkansas, Goldrush and Liberty varieties have good disease resistance

5 - 12’

5 - 12’

sun

Mi

Crabapple

Malus spp.

Edible, wildlife habitat

20-35’

20’

sun

Annual Garden

Maples, redbuds, and serviceberry are established to shade the parking lot in the summer.

As

3

Cc

4

Cs

Md

Md

Aa

Mi Mi

A´

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

Perennial Bed Cs

YEAR TWO

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Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

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In early spring the front of the original school house catches the attention of passersby with spring flowering trees and well-tended perennial beds under limbed-up rhododendrons and along the western lawn of the original school.

Terraced beds against the west-facing wall of the kindergarten wing showcase Hawlemont’s commitment to growing food.

The pasture in the center of the entrance loop requires a permanent fence for the animals’ safety and teachers’ supervision during pick-up and drop-off hours for the students’ safety.

Apple trees (moved from the sloped lawn of the original school) frame the entrance to the schoolyard, and climbing vines hide the chain link fence.

Final Design Detail-1

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An Educational Farm Design

YEAR ONE

North Parking

A

Perennial Bed

Original School

Terraced Gardens

Driveway

Pasture

Driveway

Sports Field Edge

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The center of the schoolyard is an agricultural hub of activity, lush with gardens, pasture and a small orchard.

4

5 6

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

7

Rain Garden

Arbor

9 10

12

12

3

1 Reading Garden

Dv

“Pizza” Garden

Pm Pm Pm

Pasture extends from behind the tool shed to the front of the barn, integrating the animals into the center of the schoolyard. The crabapple is protected from the goats.

Photovoltaic solar panels are installed 3´ from the ground south of the barn for teaching purposes.

Permanent perennial vegetable and pollinator beds are dug, planted, and mulched, linking the reading and “pizza” gardens and helping to create a verdant entranceway. The beds help to increase the absorption of stormwater.

An arbor over the deck shades the students for class activities or relaxing.

A small orchard of semi-dwarf fruit trees are clustered along the path and behind the baseball fence, providing fruit and shade over the bleachers.

A rainwater catchment system along the back side of the shed helps to meet the irrigation needs of the greenhouse. Rainwater barrels east of the HAY entrance collect water for nearby gardens and cleaning the livestock equipment.

Pavement south of the greenhouse is removed to add additional raised beds but maintains the vehicle access to the barn.

Pc

Herbs

Pc

Raised Garden Beds

Pasture Solar Panels

Pb

Dv

7

6

Dv

YEAR THREE

11

Raised Beds in the Greenhouse

Rain Garden

9

YEAR TWO

8

Vc

Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

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Crabapple

4

Pb Pb

10

Dv

Dv

Orchard

8 Mixed Perennial and Annual Beds

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Code

Common Name

Botanical Name

Notes

Height

Spacing

Am

Yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Rain garden perennial

2-3’

spreading

Aa

Hardy kiwifruit

Actinidia arguta

Fast growing vine with small, smooth-skinned kiwifruit. Requires intensive pruning. May escape cultivation. Has been known to be an aggressive spreader and is considered by some as “invasive.”

trellis

20’

Ag

Big bluestem

Andropogon gerardii

Rain garden perennial

2-4’

spreads

Ar

Horseradish

Armoracia rusticana

Spicy root, hardy, spreads quickly and aggressively

3’

2’, spreads

Dv

American persimmon

Diospyros virginiana

Native, edible fruit, nutritious and abundant cultivars

15-35’

35’

Ep

Purple coneflower

Echinacea purpurea

Rain garden perennial

3-4’

18-24”

La

Lavender

Lavendula angustifolia

Rain garden perennial and herb

20-24”

2’

Pm

Beach plum

Prunus maritima

Medium-height fruiting shrub

8’

8’

Pb

Asian pear

Pyrus bretschneideris

Edible fruit, delicious, very disease resistant. Semi-dwarf

8-15’

10-15’

Pc

European pear, dwarf

Pyrus communis

Grafted varieties that are vigorous and resistant to fireblight include Southworth and Tyson. Semi-dwarf

8-15’

10-15’

Rh

Black-eyed Susan

Rudbeckia hirta

Rain garden perennial, attracts pollinators

18-24”

8 - 10’

Vc

Highbush blueberry

Vaccinium corymbosum

Fresh fruit, jams, jellies

4 - 6’

6-8’

Ao

Asparagus

Asparagus officinalis

Early spring harvest

4-5’

12-14”

Rr

Rhubarb

Rheum rhabarbarum

Early spring harvest

2’

24-48”

Final Design Detail-2

1

Perennial Bed

5

11

Rainwater Harvesting System

YEAR ONE

The beach plums (Pm) are moved to frame the reading garden and the pizza garden is recreated here.

Rain gardens west of the greenhouse capture and filter stormwater runoff.

An 15˝ x 2´ retaining wall holds soil for an herb bed along the south side of the greenhouse and becomes a feature for students to sit on.

The lawn north of the greenhouse is seeded with a mixture of clover and forage grasses, and the chickens feed on a different section within this area each week to avoid damaging the pasture. A hedge of blueberries (Vc) frames the chicken pasture, which is an open space for play or outdoor lessons.

Trellises in the 65´ long bed along the south-facing wall capture the sun for early spring peas and late summer tomatoes.

Two pear trees (Pc) and perennial beds frame the entrance to the barn. A swale between the barn and the tool shed directs stormwater and snowmelt away from the schoolyard. A 6˝ swale that runs along the walkway and a culvert under the graveled entrance to the barn prevents erosion from stormwater.

332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

Bed with Trellises

Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

Final Design Detail-2 A School Farmyard

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Compost

5 0

Ha Co

4

The intrigue of winding steps bordered with berry bushes draws children through the gardens to climb the hill.

15

332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

Final Design Detail-3 Production and Play

30ft

Ht

1

Ha

YEAR ONE

YEAR TWO

4 5

Nut trees shade the playground and provide a harvest in the fall.

Perennial beds extend south of the butterfly garden, framing the path to the hill.

6

Spring- and fall-bearing strawberries and fall-bearing raspberries wrap around the western and southern sides of the hill.

Tr

3

Vca

Rs

YEAR THREE

7

6

Ri

An additional flexible annual growing space is added for lower maintenance field crops such as corn, potatoes, and squash.

Field Crops

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

7 Code Common Name

Botanical Name

Notes

Height

Spacing

Needs

Fv

Fall- and spring-bearing strawberry

Fragaria virginiana

Look for early spring and late fall varieties.

12-15”

12”

sun

Rs

Red and white currant

Ribes spp.

Used for jams, jellies

3 - 5’

3 - 5’

sun partial

Vca

Half-high blueberry

Vaccinium corymbosum x V. angustifolium

Fresh fruit

4’

3-5’

sun

Co

Hickory, shagbark

Carya ovata

Native, edible nuts, delicious, leaves good for compost

up to 70’

30-50’

sun

Ha

American hazelnut

Corylus americana

Edible nut

6-12’

6-20’

sun

Ht

Jerusalem artichoke (sunchoke)

Helianthus tuberosus

Tall sunflowers with edible roots

3-5’

spreads

sun

Ri

Fall-bearing raspberry

Rubus spp.

Varieties such as Autumn Bliss and Redwing

4 - 6’

4 - 6’

sun

Ro

Purple flowering raspberry

Rubus spp.

Native raspberry with ornamental purple flowers, edible fruit, and no thorns

up to 9’

6-8’

partial shade

Tr

White clover

Trifolium repens

Clumping, pollinator, N fixing

4 - 10”

scatter

sun partial

Temporary Pasture

Ro

Vca

Fv

Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

Vegetable Garden

Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

3

2

An Educational Farm Design

2

5

Compost bins are located outside the fenced pasture but accessible to the barn for daily chores. 5´ vegetation screens the compost bins from the playground.

1,200 square feet of enclosed annual garden space provide a flexible space to rotate crops and green manures.

A 4´ wide path with steps and lined with half-high blueberries wraps around the back of the hill, creating an alternative route up the hill and providing a safe way down in snowy conditions.

Final Design Detail-3

1

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332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

Grading Details Illustrations of grading details for the hill

A´

The steps begin on the north side of the hill. Approaching from the playground, the steps wrap around to the left, leaving the western side of the hill open for sledding.

5

54

6

54

7

54

8

54

B

9

54

A

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

A´

The vegetation on the hill does not exceed 4’ and is planted to not obstruct the views from the top of the hill.

C 3 0

6

Six inch contours

B

12ft

C´

Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

C´

Grading Details

C

0

55

B´

Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

A

An Educational Farm Design

B´

Steps are cut into the hill and constructed of 6”x 6” timber staked at each step. The slopes are stabilized with white clover and blueberries.

The sunny south side of the hill is a productive berry patch, with paths on contour for harvesting.

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CROP ROTATION

Jan Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

seed in ground

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

harvest

seed

harvest

harvest

harvest in GH

harvest in GH

harvest

seed

harvest

harvest

harvest

harvest in GH

School year Livestock at the school Chickens at the school

Annual Vegetables Lettuce

seed in GH

Greens

seed in GH

seed

Tomatoes

seed

stake

Cucumbers Popcorn

seed in ground

Dry beans

seed in ground

Winter squash

harvest

harvest

harvest

seed

seed

harvest

harvest harvest

harvest

seed in ground

harvest

Perennials Hardy kiwifruit

prune

harvest

Currents

In annual vegetable production, crop rotation helps to control insects, disease and weeds; lowers the risk of depleting soils; preserves and improves soil structure; and increases yields.

There are many elements involved in establishing a good crop rotation. Crop rotation orders take into account different plants needs and functions in order to maximize production without depleting soil nutrients. The order of rotation is site specific to the crop selection and area. Some guidelines for establishing a good crop rotation are • not growing the same crop or a closely related crop in the same place in successive years • seeding green manures on 1/3 of the total annual production area every year will build organic matter, fight weed pressure, and help control disease • moving crops that are particularly sensitive to diseases every year will help prevent the diseases from becoming established • incorporating grazing animals into crop rotations to fertilize the land and control weeds.

Chickens can also contribute to pest control by consuming grubs and insects.

Jul

Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

Varieties of plants can vary greatly and can make a big difference in the success of the crop for the program. Many fruit crops have later fall-bearing varieties that are a better fit with the school year calendar, and disease-resistant varieties of particularly susceptible fruit trees and vegetables can raise yields over the long term. Trials of annual crops will determine which varieties are most suitable for the soils at the Hawlemont School. The academic goals of the program may play a role in determining the most appropriate variety of certain crops; for example although hybrids may have higher yields, they cannot be used for seed saving.

Crop

harvest

Elderberry

harvest

harvest flowers

Horseradish

harvest berries

harvest

harvest

Blueberries

harvest

harvest

Fruit and Nut Trees Asian pear

prune

prune

harvest

Hickory nut

harvest

Paw paw

harvest

harvest

harvest

harvest

Apple Sugar maple

prune tap

tap

leaves for compost

Soil Builders Red clover Winter rye

seed incorporate

seed

incorporate

Comfrey Sweet vetch Lupines

seed

seed

seed

cut for mulch

cut for mulch

harvest

Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

VARIETALS

Charting crop requirements by month is a strategy for identifying crops that are most suitable to the academic calendar.

An Educational Farm Design

In the northeast U.S., the summer school vacation corresponds with the most productive time of year for growing food. The absence of student labor and staff during the summer months creates one of the greatest challenges for school farms. In the future the program may expand to include organized summer camps or labor to close the gap. During the early years of the program, one strategy for overcoming this challenge is identifying early spring and late fall annual and perennial crops that meet the goals of the academic program.

Although traditional staple garden crops such as tomatoes and cucumbers may be difficult to grow in large quantities due to their high maintenance and maturation length, the school could draw on the community engagement aspects of the HAY program to source certain crops from local farmers, relieving summer maintenance pressure and strengthening ties

CROP CALENDAR

Garden Management

A good garden plan coordinates planting and harvest with the school year calendar to reduce the pressure for the summer maintenance and maximize student participation in agricultural activities.

332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

Garden Management

seed flower

flower

flower

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Amending the pH of soils should be based on the crops intended to be grown. Blueberries may do well on soil with a pH of 5.5, but applications of lime, compost, and mulch will help the health of mixed vegetables. A crop rotation plan makes it possible to anticipate the nutrient needs of a certain crop in advance and apply amendments in certain areas on a timely basis.

Composting Macronutrients can be increased with compost, mulches, and green manures, as well as a wide variety of organic amendments such as fish emulsion and bone meal. There are also locally available organic composts from processing facilities in Franklin Country.

The animal waste from the chickens and livestock contain valuable macro- and micronutrients that this soil is lacking. A good composting system for animal manures and gardening materials: • is easily accessible to the barn and gardens • maintains an adequate balance of dry carbon-rich material and fresh nitrogen-rich material (2:1) • composts for at least one year before using in garden beds

rwlindsay@gmail.com 516-270-6703

Results

332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

Soil Test Reports from UMass Extension Center For Agriculture

1 acres 10/20/2014 10/27/2014

Sample taken from the Schoolyard Value Optimum Range Found

Analysis Soil pH (1:1, H2O) Modified Morgan extractable, ppm Macronutrients Phosphorus (P) Potassium (K) Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) Sulfur (S) Micronutrients * Boron Manganese (Mn) Zinc (Zn) Copper (Cu) Iron (Fe) Aluminum (Al) Lead (Pb)

5.5

0.6 4-14 21 100-160 233 1000-1500 36 50-120 3.4 >10 0.1 2.7 1.0 0.4 10.8 36 0.5

Value Optimum Range Found

Analysis Cation Exch. Capacity, meq/100g Exch. Acidity, meq/100g Base Saturation, % Calcium Base Saturation Magnesium Base Saturation Potassium Base Saturation Scoop Density, g/cc

5.6 4.0 21 5 1 1.17

50-80 10-30 2.0-7.0

0.1-0.5 1.1-6.3 1.0-7.6 0.3-0.6 2.7-9.4 <75 <22

* Micronutrient deficiencies rarely occur in New England soils; therefore, an Optimum Range has never been defined. Values provided represent the normal range found in soils and are for reference only.

Soil Test Interpretation Nutrient

Very Low

Low

Optimum

Above Optimum

Phosphorus (P): Potassium (K): Calcium (Ca):

Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

The fine sandy loam soil on the school grounds is low in nutrients and organic matter. Good soil management is vital for sustainable food production and to prevent soils from eroding. A well managed composting system for food scraps and animal manures offers a valuable source of organic material and nutrients as well as educational opportunities.

Area Sampled: Received: Reported:

An Educational Farm Design

Soil Management and Composting

332 South Deerfield Rd Conway, MA 01341-0179

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

1 of 4

Sample ID: HS2

Cover crops protect otherwise bare soil against erosion and improve soil fertility by adding organic matter to the soil when it is incorporated. Cover crops can be incorporated into crop rotation by “resting” a portion of the garden each year to cover crops, and by planting cover crops after the harvest. For late season crops such as winter squash and cabbage, cover crops such as clovers can be “undersown,” or scatter Examples of Cover Crops and Their Benefits seeded beneath partially mature crops. The cover crop will act as a mulch and mature after the crop has been Common Name Botanical Name Notes harvested.

Yarrow Achillea millefolium Accumulates K,P,Cu; Ornamental and medicinal The benefits of growing cover crops are numerous: Sweet vetch Hedysarum boreale N fixing • Reducing the impact of wind and water passing over bare soils can reduce erosion.

Lupine Lupinus perennis Accumulates P, N fixer, ornamental • Adding organic matter to soil improves its physical Alfalfa Medicago sativa N fixing condition and structure.

Watercress Nasturtium officinale Accumulates K,P,Ca,S,Fe,Mg,Na; Edible herbaceous plant • Suppressing weed germination.

Sorrel Rumex acetosella Accumulates K,P,Ca,Fe,Na; Edible herbaceous plant • Adding “free” nitrogen to the farming system by Winter rye Secale cereale Grain, sow after harvest until first frost and turn in the spring planting legumes.

Comfrey Symphytum spp.

Accumulates K,P,Ca,Cu,Fe,Mg; clumping herb, medicinal; good for mulch • Providing cropping system diversity may create habitats for beneficial insects.

Red clover Trifolium pratense Clumping plant, pollinator, nitrogen fixing White clover

Trifolium repens

Clumping, pollinator, N fixing

Lab Number S141020-306

Height

Spacing Needs

2 - 3’

spreads

sun

10-24”

clumping

sun

1-2’

1-2’

sun

1-3”

clumping

sun

6 - 12”

spreads

sun partial

1’

1-2’

sun partial

2’

scatter

sun

3 - 5’

3 - 5’

sun partial

6 - 12”

scatter

sun

4 - 10”

scatter

sun partial

Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

Sample taken from the Field Edges

Green Manures and Cover Crops

Soil Management and Composting

Magnesium (Mg):

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332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

Materials and Design Elements

Examples of materials and design elements that can enhance the outdoor educational experience of the students at the Hawlemont School while improving the ecological resiliency of the school grounds.

Timber steps for the hill

Terraced beds

Cistern or Tank First Flush Diverter

Overflow Pipe

Outlet

Split rail and wire fencing

Sitting wall

Rainwater harvesting is a technique used for collecting, storing, and re-using rainwater for landscape irrigation and other on-site uses rather than allowing it to run off. The above diagram shows an aboveground collection of rain water. Several tanks or cisterns could be connected to create a system that covers the majority of the irrigation needs for the Hawlemont School grounds.

Rain Gardens

Green Roofs

A rain garden is a living water treatment system that collects channeled water from a downspout or sheet flow down a slope and retains and infiltrates the water into the ground. The garden is strategically placed to filter the water and reduce flooding.

Charlemont, MA, receives an average of 4.3 inches of rainfall a month, which means the 19,000 square feet of flat roof at the Hawlemont School collects over 50,000 gallons of water a month. Modular green roofing absorbs and evaporates stormwater, reducing runoff and cooling the building. The flats also can double the life of a roof, reducing long-term maintenance costs.

Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

A food forest is an area of inter-cropped edible plants that mimics an established forest with plants and trees of varying sizes. A food forest consists of perennial plants that protect erodible soils and provide food with minimal management once they are established. This diagram shows the integration of plants that serve different functions and have different needs into an edible ecosystem. Image from wikimedia.org

Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

Downspout

Gutter

An Educational Farm Design

Rainwater Harvesting

Materials

Materials And Design Elements

Food Forests

This diagram shows the basic structure of a rain garden.

The slight indentation retains water flow, while the loose soil and root systems infiltrate the water.

An example of a rain garden next to a parking lot at a school in Portland, OR. Image from wikipedia.org This 1300 square foot green roof in downtown Hartford, CT, was constructed out of pre-established flats of plants with absorbent soil substrate.

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This project started as a small community garden founded by a community member in 2002. Granny’s Garden School is now a non-profit that works with the Loveland Primary and Elementary School to maintain 100 vegetable and flower beds, a small apple orchard, outdoor classrooms, and a three-quarter mile nature trail with an outdoor classroom. Every class in the school maintains its own garden and members of the local community, high school, and boys scouts groups volunteer on a regular basis. Produce goes into the school cafeteria, and the students donate flower bouquets to meals-on-wheels. This school provides an example of creative and productive uses for small areas and community engagement.

332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179 Conway, MA 01341 413-369-4044 www.csld.edu

Common Ground is the nation’s longest-running environmental charter school. The high school offers a hands-on learning environment through a working organic farm that includes production and educational gardens, a variety of animals, and an environmental education center. The Urban Farm at the school provides food for the school cafeteria as well as for sale at farmers markets and donations to the community. The greenhouse also produces plants for sale in the community and to other schools. High school student interns provide summer labor and the farm is open for community work days every Saturday during the growing season. The Urban Farm also runs a School Garden Resource Center that supports schools across the county looking to establish school gardening programs.

New Haven, CT

Loveland, OH

Precedents

Not for construction. Part of a student project and not based on a legal survey.

The Hartsbrook Waldorf School integrates a land stewardship program into every year of their K - 12 curriculum. Each class participates in an active farm and garden environment that combines the many varied components of working with the soil, plants, and animals. The school recently established a “Forest Classroom” outdoor Kindergarten program. The farm integrates sheep, chickens, pigs and dairy cows and hay production over a 40-acre campus. The farm is maintained in the summer through a summer Farm Camp open to children from the wider community. The produce is used for school meals. There is one paid staff member for the land stewardship program who manages the farm and teaches classes.

Granny’s Garden School

Hawlemont Regional School 10 School Street, Charlemont, MA 01339

Hadley, MA

Common Ground

Google Earth image

Images courtesy of the Hartsbrook School Facebook page

Google Earth image

Images courtesy of the Common Ground Facebook page

Google Earth image

Images courtesy of the Granny’s Garden Facebook page

Prepared By: Rachel Lindsay January 7, 2015

The Hartsbrook School

with children and agriculture. These examples provide some insight for managing and maintaining a school farm. Examples of design elements below show variations of elements within a school farm.

An Educational Farm Design

Precedents

When schools incorporate gardens and animals into their school grounds and curriculum, the management strategies, curriculum design and implementation, and types of agricultural spaces differ, showing the boundless versatility and creativity of working

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