From High Desert to Oasis | How to make your land hold water

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  • Опубліковано 28 січ 2025
  • Today, my 4500 gallon pond filled in under an hour. If you live in the high desert or a similar climate. This is how to make your land hold water.
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    #frugaloffgrid #rainwater #permaculture #offgridliving #deserthomestead

КОМЕНТАРІ • 138

  • @FrugalOffGrid
    @FrugalOffGrid  7 місяців тому +21

    Check out my cabin build ua-cam.com/video/2CeHVjV7P58/v-deo.htmlsi=y-IrHkIzsMGe4kBI

    • @VinceBadovinatz88
      @VinceBadovinatz88 7 місяців тому +1

      Your book is going to be worth so much you have done this all by yourself the most amazing adventure ever that I've heard of. Everybody else has other people helping them. You have done this all by yourself it's just absolutely unbelievably amazing.

    • @chrxmeface
      @chrxmeface 9 днів тому

      Where is this AZ? and how often u get rains?

  • @Seadogmerchants
    @Seadogmerchants 7 місяців тому +102

    Talk about seeing a well laid out plan come to life, bet you are PUMPED!!! So exciting to see all that hard work pay off!!!

    • @FrugalOffGrid
      @FrugalOffGrid  7 місяців тому +17

      Thanks! Yes!!! It gets very dry for a long time. I'm always grateful for rain.

    • @VinceBadovinatz88
      @VinceBadovinatz88 7 місяців тому +1

      I know it's so amazing

    • @deecooper1567
      @deecooper1567 Місяць тому

      Right? It pays to watch your land & where to put what. Amazing 🤩👵🏻❣️

    • @deecooper1567
      @deecooper1567 Місяць тому

      @@FrugalOffGrid
      Wish we had more rain in upper Nevada… just cold 🥶 & wind 💨 lol. 👵🏻❣️

  • @danste411
    @danste411 7 місяців тому +66

    I have 40 acres off grid near lake Alamo. Every dollar I make I save so we can off grid live. Keep up the good videos.

  • @DirtyDan-zx3dk
    @DirtyDan-zx3dk Місяць тому +3

    You can temporarily put the pigs where you want any ponds, to seal them up. Instead of using plastic. That’s how my grandparents did it.

  • @bubbaredneck75
    @bubbaredneck75 7 місяців тому +25

    people need to also understand out here off grid on a unmaintained road that u need to watch the weather and go to town to get any basic stuff u may need cause you may not be able to get out for a few days and even then you will mess up your driveway and road the sooner you wanna get somewhere.patience and foresight are key here to saving yourself alot of extra work

  • @williammeek7218
    @williammeek7218 7 місяців тому +7

    Your friends are sticking close to you. Two beautiful friends. We had four of them a long time ago. Used to ride the fence line at a friends farm where we stabled them. The place is gone now and a freaking fed. Prison is sitting there.

  • @tazmomentumtrader3612
    @tazmomentumtrader3612 7 місяців тому +21

    Great job, will this lift your water table eventually? Appears you may through time be able to transform the desert into a permaculture oasis. Cool

  • @bcope8501
    @bcope8501 6 місяців тому +11

    It brings to mind the effect of Beavers on the landscape. Can you imagine how decimation of them altered the Mountain West.
    Great job, I very much appreciate your vision.

  • @SomeSnowboarder
    @SomeSnowboarder 7 місяців тому +27

    Made an offer on 5 Acres in Sun Valley Az today... Should be out there in October. I really love your trash to treasure attitude lately... liquid gold there man, good job, must be a real charge seeing all your efforts come together. congrats on all that water. Ill be hauling water 15 miles... planning to copy your style and collect as much as I can.

    • @michaelburbank2276
      @michaelburbank2276 7 місяців тому +5

      I just got a 5 acres 14 miles south of Winslow. Heading out in a few weeks.! I know sun Valley! Congrats on your land

    • @SomeSnowboarder
      @SomeSnowboarder 7 місяців тому

      @@michaelburbank2276 thank you and congrats on your land too.

  • @owloutsideurbanfarm
    @owloutsideurbanfarm 9 днів тому

    Haven't seen you pop up in my algorithm for a while. So glad to hear how happy you sound with your current successes. Stay safe brother!

  • @nomada503
    @nomada503 7 місяців тому +13

    I love the rain videos!

    • @FrugalOffGrid
      @FrugalOffGrid  7 місяців тому +4

      I agree. It's pretty great to see what a little rain can do!

  • @AwakenedMind963
    @AwakenedMind963 6 днів тому

    Fabulous job. We need more people like you.

  • @TheTunnel
    @TheTunnel 5 місяців тому +3

    I think you are the most relatable homesteader I found. I like your videos and your inspiring

  • @dudeleboski2692
    @dudeleboski2692 7 місяців тому +11

    Would it be too expensive to cement that catchment pound? Does the plastic eventually leak with how powerful the Sun is? Do you know your Latitude? Were at 27 N, off the coast of the Western Sahara.(One of the driest places on the Planet) We call our rain water Harvesting platform a ÄLJIBË. The water is stored in a cellar away from the Sun & Wind , underneath the flat,yet angled ¨Roof¨. The Camels here are getting ill with our desalinated water.

  • @DoctoredGinst
    @DoctoredGinst 7 місяців тому +7

    Dude, your videos are mesmerizing! Damn hard-working man we’re watching here!

  • @luisjdavis
    @luisjdavis 7 місяців тому +5

    AZ Rain storms are No Joke . Great Content,
    AGAIN !

  • @WaterholeExchange
    @WaterholeExchange 7 місяців тому +4

    Awesome. Love the sound of that rain.

  • @cryptowolf-zf3fs
    @cryptowolf-zf3fs 7 місяців тому +11

    I really miss the desert monsoons.

  • @saberprobarmejorar-kf7su
    @saberprobarmejorar-kf7su 7 місяців тому +6

    Hi John! You really have an enormous well thinking method to collect water 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
    Oh I love your beautiful horses !!!

  • @wendyshick6689
    @wendyshick6689 7 місяців тому +6

    Wow that's a lot of water do you put a lot of hard work into it that was good exercising shoveling all that😊

  • @Lochlee
    @Lochlee 7 місяців тому +4

    Dude! Epic. Those are working out great! Congrats!

  • @brushbum7508
    @brushbum7508 7 місяців тому +6

    Man, that's great ! TAKE CARE..

  • @Joan-o6i
    @Joan-o6i 2 місяці тому +1

    Love the way you think of water for wildlife too.

  • @Gardenthrives
    @Gardenthrives 7 місяців тому +3

    We're making an offer on 6 off grid acres in CO soon, and your videos are so inspiring!!

  • @capaeo5532
    @capaeo5532 7 місяців тому +2

    Looking to buy property in the white mountains of Arizona and this is exactly the information needed thank you!

  • @skippyjl1
    @skippyjl1 7 місяців тому +2

    You’re doing excellent with that water collection👊🏻

  • @Joan-o6i
    @Joan-o6i 2 місяці тому

    I think your podcast is great and its one of the best you have made ponds channels dug out channel's etc everywhere and are collecting all the water you can .its like digging for water.well done.

  • @LesDeplorables
    @LesDeplorables 7 місяців тому +2

    I'm amazed and jealous at the same time at what you have pulled off! I commend you on your success of doing what I knew was possible but I never did! The difference between the two of us is that you actually went out and did it. Action speaks louder than words

    • @LesDeplorables
      @LesDeplorables 7 місяців тому

      The original settlers knew they could do what you did. But you did it better later. Some of the tribes talk about the wise people that come later

    • @LesDeplorables
      @LesDeplorables 7 місяців тому

      My place was always a backup Insurance in case I had to go do what you have already proven can be done

  • @OffgridApartment
    @OffgridApartment 7 місяців тому +2

    You could dig some rolling dips on the road to divert water into the swales you dug.

  • @headswillroll89
    @headswillroll89 7 місяців тому +1

    Very exciting. Try using some waterfowl that do well in your area. The poop works well as an initial sealant for ponds in your type of soil.

    • @capaeo5532
      @capaeo5532 7 місяців тому

      @headswillroll89
      Hi! Have you had success with that? Been watching lots of videos, but you never know when it's true. Thanks!

    • @lizhoxie7202
      @lizhoxie7202 7 місяців тому

      ​@@capaeo5532my husband dug a pond in the goat/goose pen for the geese, then ditch irrigation down the slope for overflow. We rented, so irrigation water was provided. He redug it every year and it didn't hold water overnight until late summer. A pair of geese and their brood (approximately 6 young) usually provided several inches of manure a year.

  • @kfwilliams5773
    @kfwilliams5773 7 місяців тому +5

    Wow, how awesome for you to get blessed with so much water! Wish some rain would come my way...*fingers crossed*

  • @eelfood
    @eelfood 7 місяців тому +1

    Holly Molly man!!! This is so amazing!!!! 🤩

  • @StingerSecSol
    @StingerSecSol 5 місяців тому

    Every tour of your progress makes me consider improvements to our homestead in Oklahoma. Thanks for the great videos!

  • @glentomkins8044
    @glentomkins8044 3 місяці тому

    That is true in a desert environment. It never rains but it pours! If you can store water there is always enough for your needs.

    • @billyd7628
      @billyd7628 2 місяці тому

      the sonoran destert gets enough rain that it technically isnt a desert. but the soil doesn't absorb the water through. it mostly runs off to other places for deserts slowing down water enough to soak in can be the difference between being desert and being a savannah. and then once the soil has been converted enough water will soak through and eventually you wont have to do too much more.

  • @mypoostank775
    @mypoostank775 7 місяців тому +1

    Love seeing it! Thanks for the video

  • @NikClinton
    @NikClinton 7 місяців тому +9

    Dude, John this is awesome to see. Great job so far in your collection, you’ve done a lot with it. Have you considered planting perennial plants and maybe trees around the demi-lunes along the driveway? wouldn’t now be the best time to take advantage since the ground is charged with moisture? You obviously know your land better than my uninvited advice. Keep up the great work man. 🤙🏻

    • @FrugalOffGrid
      @FrugalOffGrid  7 місяців тому +6

      Thanks! That's what they're there for! 🤠

  • @LiLBitsDK
    @LiLBitsDK 7 місяців тому

    thats a lot of lovely lifegiving water :D good job... love the horses :D

  • @BobertSubtle
    @BobertSubtle 7 місяців тому +5

    Great video. I was wondering when you were going to do something like this. You can hear the excitement in your voice.

    • @FrugalOffGrid
      @FrugalOffGrid  7 місяців тому +5

      Thanks! A lot of this was in place, year one. I just keep expanding and improving on it. One shovel at a time.

  • @clevanwilsoniii7573
    @clevanwilsoniii7573 4 місяці тому

    It's very impressive work, and I can see your vision of an oasis with several ponds.

  • @m.skehen4093
    @m.skehen4093 7 місяців тому

    Overwhelmingly awesome
    Love the vision

  • @jimoray3
    @jimoray3 7 місяців тому

    Your hard work is paying off

  • @tatiana_phoenix
    @tatiana_phoenix 5 місяців тому

    Thanks for the tour!

  • @svenboi3965
    @svenboi3965 6 місяців тому

    Seeing all these videos of clever water management schemes going on basically everywhere gives me very high hopes for the future. A large area downstream of you will have a more reliable water supply too.

  • @claudiogonzalez9330
    @claudiogonzalez9330 6 місяців тому

    Great place to plant trees.

  • @TwitchRadio
    @TwitchRadio 7 місяців тому +2

    Earned my subscription for sure... Thanks for the inspiration of ideas you've given me 😎👍💯

  • @NeilRoberts-g3o
    @NeilRoberts-g3o 5 місяців тому

    Gotta love the rain

  • @PankajDoharey
    @PankajDoharey 4 місяці тому

    This is some neat stretagy, build a desert fruit forest.

  • @Hope-Lenders
    @Hope-Lenders 7 місяців тому

    Wow! That’s a great way to keep water! Great job!

  • @throughthesebrowneyes5485
    @throughthesebrowneyes5485 7 місяців тому

    We sure got some heavy downpours! Thanks for the inspiration, hopefully I'll have mine done by today!

  • @norsekracken
    @norsekracken 7 місяців тому

    That’s awesome man. Nice work setting that up. You doing it!

  • @koicaine1230
    @koicaine1230 7 місяців тому

    Everything is looking fabulous!!

  • @carlosmacmartin4205
    @carlosmacmartin4205 7 місяців тому +1

    Ah, don't worry if people "believe it or not". Let them remain in denial. Keep doing what you have to do to create your paradise.

  • @robinharland9216
    @robinharland9216 7 місяців тому +3

    If you get some plastic mesh like shade cloth stretch it between to poles. This will catch the morning dew and fog and give you fresh clean water. If this doesn't make sense please contact me and I will explain further. 😊

  • @FinnBearOfficial
    @FinnBearOfficial 7 місяців тому

    I'm gonna have to go through your videos so I know what to complain about! This one lacked faults, huge disapointment.😂 well done Sir. Looks awesome.

  • @debratakagawa4764
    @debratakagawa4764 7 місяців тому

    You have done so well with your different water harvesting methods. I watch another channel not off grid called Heron there. He’s done some similar water conservation on his property. I guess next is getting some plant growth on the property.

  • @vanwhalen3719
    @vanwhalen3719 7 місяців тому +1

    Looks like you got it going on!

  • @alostpilgrimsjourney5953
    @alostpilgrimsjourney5953 7 місяців тому

    I like to deep rip soils 18" to 24" every 6' to 8' on grade (same elevation) with allowance for tree roots (avoid damaging roots). Achieve incredible water infiltration rates for years in dry climates. A small tractor can pull the ripper even if it takes a couple of passes.

  • @estyria777
    @estyria777 7 місяців тому

    So many beautiful thousands of gallons of water. Desert dwellers understand the beauty of it. :) You thought about putting an Indian well next to your recharge pit? I'm toying with the idea. It's a lot of digging, everything out here in west Texas is a lot of digging, but it'll be worth it.

  • @Vanfools
    @Vanfools 3 місяці тому

    My dream and what I work for is to own my own land that way I can grow and live without fear of losing everything due to job cuts

  • @earlinemcgahen3931
    @earlinemcgahen3931 6 місяців тому

    lavender grows super well in very poor soil, it can provide mulch for yor soil ,and could even be a cash crop. it can shelter and shade other plants

  • @maxinerowe2925
    @maxinerowe2925 7 місяців тому

    Love the water

  • @ethanhood204
    @ethanhood204 7 місяців тому

    Incredible!

  • @joannabowers1358
    @joannabowers1358 7 місяців тому +3

    Were you able to fill your water tanks with the rain?

    • @FrugalOffGrid
      @FrugalOffGrid  7 місяців тому +6

      I have created such a huge collection surface for the pond, using a large chunk of my land to fill it, that it fills very fast. It trained very hard but only a few hours. When it rains lighter, but all night long, my tanks will fill. Today, I harvested about 600 gallons in my tanks.

  • @A_Learner123
    @A_Learner123 5 місяців тому

    Can you make a video talking about off grid living and water? How you water crops and animals? Shower, Cook, etc

  • @SeshbyStephSymbolicJewelery
    @SeshbyStephSymbolicJewelery 7 місяців тому +1

    That's awesome!💧 💦 💧 💙

  • @joannadrawe6654
    @joannadrawe6654 7 місяців тому +1

    Amazing!!!

  • @earlinemcgahen3931
    @earlinemcgahen3931 6 місяців тому

    chech out tiny shiny home and what they planted on their swells

  • @WhatIsSheDoingNow
    @WhatIsSheDoingNow 7 місяців тому +1

    Did you get rain today? I only got massive winds. So jealous. Great job on your catchments.

  • @Alkaline.lifestyle777
    @Alkaline.lifestyle777 4 місяці тому

    Hey man keep it up👍🏽

  • @bubbaredneck75
    @bubbaredneck75 7 місяців тому +5

    we dont play out here.when we say it rains IT RAINS. people die in the washes from flash floods every year. its fast and furious in a matter of minutes

  • @Chris-ut6eq
    @Chris-ut6eq 7 місяців тому

    Very nice! Curious how things dry out on the surface. Any idea about the water table or how the underground drainage flows?

  • @CryptovsMetals
    @CryptovsMetals 7 місяців тому +1

    Time to get some seeds in the ground!

  • @jsmart6430
    @jsmart6430 6 місяців тому

    So really new to the steading concept, and this caught my eye as my dads got some property out in the desert, and I was wondering if this water can be converted into a well for plumbing as well as for plant life? Maybe thats what all this is already for and I’m a dingus but thought I’d ask.

  • @lanehoggatt2416
    @lanehoggatt2416 7 місяців тому +1

    great job. that is too cool. if you only had a tractor for a day or two.

  • @340wbymag
    @340wbymag 13 днів тому

    Awesome work! It is a shame that the local municipality doesn't pay folks to capture rainwater to restore groundwater and to create wetlands.

  • @PankajDoharey
    @PankajDoharey 4 місяці тому

    Awesome.

  • @marshajamison7463
    @marshajamison7463 14 днів тому

    What types of plants do you plant in your demilunes?

  • @CharlesCurran-m9p
    @CharlesCurran-m9p 3 місяці тому

    That lined pond will silt up very fast. Do you pump the water out to some other containment?

  • @davidstakston1950
    @davidstakston1950 4 місяці тому

    What grass do your horses have to eat?

  • @danmorgan3685
    @danmorgan3685 7 місяців тому

    What prevents the water from seeping into the ground or rapidly evaporating?

  • @StephanieBacks
    @StephanieBacks 2 місяці тому

    Is you soil sandy? Would lining ypur recharge pit with clay help? Ive heard good things about pigs helpign to create more permanent ponds and tou have pigs. Or is the evaporation rate just too high where you are?
    Im in Ontario, so much water here. The desert is such a foreign concept to me. But its getting drier and more unpredictable and weird. I'm upping my water storage game.

  • @laniyoung3868
    @laniyoung3868 7 місяців тому

    Do you use this water on plants? Or drinking water, what kind of filtering do you have to do to clean all the contaminates out?

  • @lewispaine4589
    @lewispaine4589 7 місяців тому +2

    You should introduce yourself to Brent at Ghost Town Living, if you don't know him, he is living in and reviving an old ghost town in the desert mountains near Death Valley, he has ongoing water problems there and could sure use some expertise from someone like yourself.

  • @unitedstatesdale
    @unitedstatesdale 7 місяців тому +10

    I sent some treats for the boys :)

    • @FrugalOffGrid
      @FrugalOffGrid  7 місяців тому +3

      YOU'RE THE MAN DALE! I'll put it in a video. Thank you.

  • @railmeat
    @railmeat 4 місяці тому

    How much rain did you get? Do you have rain gauges on your property?

  • @OutWestHomestead
    @OutWestHomestead 7 місяців тому +1

    Hope we'll get some monsoon soon.

  • @ThePresentMoment23
    @ThePresentMoment23 5 місяців тому

    How long will ponds last throughout the year?

  • @dimitri1946
    @dimitri1946 3 місяці тому

    Playing in the mud return to childhood.

  • @jacobs.9696
    @jacobs.9696 6 місяців тому +1

    Where is this?
    AZ, New Mexico, S. California?

  • @mr.shannon6137
    @mr.shannon6137 7 місяців тому

    Nice setup! Have you ever considered using french drains?

    • @FrugalOffGrid
      @FrugalOffGrid  7 місяців тому

      Thanks! That's how I get my shower water across the driveway, underground. It dumps into a swale for graywater.

  • @jjyan2877
    @jjyan2877 2 місяці тому

    Any issues with mice falling in/ bugs/pests?

  • @thigasVlog07
    @thigasVlog07 6 місяців тому

    Assistindo aqui do 🇧🇷

  • @offgridmangogrower
    @offgridmangogrower 2 місяці тому

    What are you growing?

  • @kylemaclachlan9209
    @kylemaclachlan9209 Місяць тому

    Hey new to your channel. Awesome to know! I want to incorporate a large pond when I get my property. Are you in AZ? Does it monsoon annually?

  • @Avocado740
    @Avocado740 6 місяців тому

    No need to use plastic liner in your water catchment basins. You do want the water to seep in to the ground and replinish the underground aquifer.

  • @downtoearth1950
    @downtoearth1950 7 місяців тому

    1vCollection 2 storage 3 use it 4 reduce evaporation as much as humanly possible.

  • @aam259
    @aam259 7 місяців тому +1

    I think Brad Lancaster would be proud...

  • @amandajones661
    @amandajones661 7 місяців тому

    What state is this?

  • @bigzclipz5104
    @bigzclipz5104 5 місяців тому

    Are those wild horse roaming on your property

  • @abschmit
    @abschmit 4 місяці тому

    1/4" of rain on an acre of land is over 27,000 gallons.