Task: excavation to create a 640 meter long and 2m high embankmnet

Timing:  April 2009

Areial photo of the on-going excavation of the forest garden taken by Gunnar Britse

Figure: The horseshoe-formed embankments with placement and measurements

The assignment is to create 7 joined horseshoe-formed mounds on crop and pasture lands at Suderbyn. The embankments will form a chain diagonally across the property from Northeast to Southwest. The embankments should be 2m high (+/- 5%) create 7 ”horseshoes”, roughly 40-50m in diameter. The embankment's inner side needs to be covered with 30cm of black top soil. The angle of the inner side (30º) of the horseshoe should be less than the outer side (45º). The placement of the embankments will be staked out before the heavy equipment arrives on the scene.

figure: Cross-section of an embankment with measuremetns and proportions of top soil and clay filler

The embankments will be created from soil from two different areas of the property. These two places will become the site of 4 ponds. The location of the ponds will be staked out as well. The ponds are to be irregular in shape with a maximum length of shore line (permaculture's "edge effect")

figure: Cross-section of the pond

The excavation entrepreneur will need to keep black top soil and clay filler materials separated during the work. The black top soil must always be removed from a digging area before digging deeper. Extra black top soil not used can be left in piles on site.

There are historic  ruins on the property, near to where the excavation will be carried out. It is possible to pass the ruins carefully with machinery. The entrepreneur is obliged to take care near ruins.

Figure: Excavation sites for soil, as well the site of the 4 ponds