The design used in the garden follows the permaculture principles developed by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the 1970s. Permaculture is based on a sustainable, ecological agricultural system that creates a beneficial assembly of plants and animals in relation to human settlements. The aim is to work with rather than against nature, to re-use and recycle as much as possible, and to minimize the use of precious resources such as water and energy. The catchment of the rain water and the creation of round 30-foot keyhole bed exemplify this approach.
CCG currently has three types of gardens:
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The Keyhole Garden
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Independence Garden
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Individual garden plots
In addition to the large keyhole bed, other individual beds we've created to grow strawberries, herbs, watermelons, and other vegetables for educational and communal use (a portion of the harvest is shared between volunteers and charity organizations in Windsor and Essex County). Eighteen 5x12-foot allotments were also created and are maintained and harvested by individual plot holders. Ten percent of the harvest from the allotments is donated to the greater Windsor community.
About one-quarter of the CCG lot located in the North-East corner, along with the back alley (East side) and along California Avenue (West side) is used for non-agricultural purposes such as beautification, meeting area, and storage. Since the North-East corner is not suitable for food production, a green house has been constructed.