Sector analysis
A sector analysis maps the forces that flow onto a site from the wider landscape - energy, water, wildlife, and human activity - so the design can welcome the beneficial ones and deflect the costly ones. Unlike zones (which are about how often you visit a place), sectors are about what arrives from off-site. The arrows on the map point inward to show the direction each influence comes from.
Hover or tab to a numbered arrow to see what arrives from that direction.
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1 Sun opportunity
Garden Way is the south edge of the lot, so the front yard (Zones A-E) is the sunniest ground. At this latitude (~39 degrees N) the summer noon sun climbs about 74 degrees high while the winter noon sun stays near 27 degrees, so the low winter sun reaches deep under the house to the north side.
Response: Concentrate the most sun- and heat-hungry fruiting (peach, fig, grape, kiwi, Asian pear) on the south front and the west driveway edge. The north backyard and pool area (Zones F and H) still receive strong summer sun; put the fig against a warm wall so the house mass carries it through winter.
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2 Shade neutral
With the house in the middle of the lot, its north side - the pool and backyard (Zones F, G, H) - is in the building's shadow for the low-sun months. The profile already assumes the two large backyard trees are removed, which opens this side up considerably.
Response: Keep shade-tolerant or late-season crops in the deepest shade pockets and keep the fruiting trees on the sunny south and west. Removing the two backyard trees, as assumed, is the single biggest gain in usable sun on this side.
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3 Wind opportunity
Kentucky's prevailing winds arrive from the southwest in summer (warm and humid) and swing to the northwest in winter, when they carry the coldest air of the year.
Response: Leave the southwest open so summer breezes ventilate the site, and build a hardy windbreak of tough fruit, nut, and evergreen plants along the northwest edge (the north side of Zone H) to blunt the winter wind before it reaches the backyard and pool. A windbreak also cuts heating loss on that wall.
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4 Wildfire neutral
This is a well-watered, wooded, suburban neighborhood rather than a fire-prone wildland, so the baseline risk is low. The realistic local fire fuels are dry late-summer grass, piled mulch and leaves, and any resinous shrub held against the foundation.
Response: Keep mulch, leaf litter, and dead material out of the foundation strip and away from the pool equipment, and avoid planting a solid band of resinous evergreens tight to the house. The pool is a reliable on-site water source if it is ever needed.
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5 View opportunity
Garden Way runs along the south edge, so Zones A-C are on public display from the street and from neighbors across the road. The backyard behind the house is screened and largely hidden.
Response: Keep the street-facing edges of Zones A-C ornamental, as the owner already asks, and let the more utilitarian food production sit behind them and toward the house. Use taller plantings on the east and west edges to screen the neighboring sightlines.
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6 Pollution caution
Garden Way to the south carries vehicle exhaust, dust, and winter road salt, and the driveway on the west delivers salt-laden meltwater toward the beds. Treated lawns next door can send chemical runoff across the boundary.
Response: Run a planted buffer of tough, deer-resistant shrubs and groundcover along the street and driveway edges to intercept runoff before it reaches the beds. Keep leaf and root crops out of the direct splash zone of the street and driveway, and site the edible beds upslope of those strips.
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7 Water & drainage caution
Fort Thomas sits on the hills above the Ohio River, with slopes and valleys running through the neighborhoods, and the area receives roughly 45 inches of rain a year, much of it in heavy storms. On a sloped lot, water arrives from the uphill (north) side and leaves toward the low street edge.
Response: Use swales, berms, and rain gardens to slow and infiltrate the uphill runoff before it reaches the pool deck and house foundation, and keep the downhill side open so storm flow can leave the site. Capture roof water for first-year establishment watering.
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8 Wildlife corridor caution
The owner already assumes steady deer pressure and holds Zones A-E to high deer resistance. Deer typically enter a lot like this from the wooded rear (north) and move through gaps along the street and driveway.
Response: Put the temporary establishing fence on the most likely entry side - the wooded north/back edge - and reinforce the driveway and street gaps. Let the deer-resistant border in Zones A-E shelter the more palatable fruit trees behind it, and keep a second, higher-value layer of protection around young fruit until it is above browse height.
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9 Landform & slope neutral
The lot is part of Fort Thomas's hilly terrain, so it drains rather than floods, but cold air slides downhill after dark and settles in the lowest, most enclosed spot, and sun exposure varies with the grade.
Response: Avoid siting early-blooming, frost-tender fruit (peach, apricot, Asian pear) in the cold-air pocket, and put the fig on the warmest, most sheltered wall. Lay out beds on the contour so they slow water and hold soil instead of shedding it.
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10 Traffic & noise caution
Garden Way is a residential street running along the south boundary, so headlights, road noise, and summer dust all arrive from that side, strongest where the driveway meets the street.
Response: Keep a dense, low, deer-resistant screen along the street edge of Zones A-C to soften noise and block headlights, with taller screening where the driveway opens to the street.
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11 Utilities & access neutral
The driveway on the west is the working access route for deliveries, compost, and equipment, and overhead or buried utility lines, meters, downspouts, and the air-conditioning condenser constrain where trees can go.
Response: Keep fruit and nut trees clear of overhead lines and the driveway sightline, and cluster the working functions - compost, tool storage, water collection - near the driveway so heavy loads never cross the beds. Confirm service locations before digging.
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12 Security & safety neutral
The south front yard is visible from the street and the road, while the north backyard is screened and private - good for privacy, but it also means the pool area is out of sight from the road and needs its own attention.
Response: Keep clear sightlines from the house to both the street and the pool, light the paths, and let the deer fence double as a privacy and boundary screen. Treat the pool edge as a safety zone when placing plants and paths.
Framework and regional conditions: Permalogica - Permaculture Design by Sectors · Oregon State University - Sectors (Introduction to Permaculture) · WeatherSTEM - Kentucky Climate: Geography & prevailing winds · WeatherSpark - Average weather in Fort Thomas, Kentucky · Kentucky Geological Survey - Groundwater resources / topography of Campbell County · National Weather Service - Natural hazard risk assessment (Ohio Valley severe weather).