If you'd like me to pull up your property on GPS and offer input or if you simply have questions, let's book a video call. frugaloffgrid.com/products/thirty-minute-video-consultation
Your doing an amazing job! Your homestead is a beautiful oasis and is becoming well established. Your permaculture design is superb and shows how well connected you are to your land. Seeing your horses and dogs running around happy shows you’re really thriving there. Everyone should strive to live more like you, you are a legend!!
This is exciting! People always wonder how Natives survived in the desert, and that's the point...while they inhabited it, they thrived, when their time on this planet was up, the land was returned to its original state...no city connections, power lines, to litter the desert. You are making the ancestors proud 🙏 My property is in a rain forest, so water isn't a problem, its fighting off large community developments around me, that's the biggest challenge. There's a strong group of people, farmers, homesteaders who continuously advocate against clear cutting... hand cutting only. Same primary goal of being a good steward of the land, but in a completely different eco system. 😊 Btw...I got the solar panels for the power box, I'll initially be living on a very conservative amount of solar generated power, but that combined with other natural energy sources, should suffice my tiny house, garden, farm well. Sorry, I'm rambling, but Im so excited about finally being on my property..and its where i never dreamed it could be 😁 You helped motivate me!! I was so burned out on "homesteading... ish channels, most of them had a nice stash $ to start out with...then I found your channel...and the rest is history! I feel like one of the 7 dwarfs singing hi-ho 😉 🙏🙏🙏 Grateful!
Many homestead channels start out with way more than they need. Their attempt is often to bring the big city to their homestead. Big screen TV, household appliances, atvs, running in electricity etc. There's a huge difference between bringing the city to nature and living in nature.
I’ve watched you off and on since your first videos but today I was lost watching your horses run!!! I’m constantly amazed at what you succeed in doing there in the desert but the horses drowned out whatever you said! Thanks for sharing them!
You're doing a really good job I also feed my wild birds chicken scratch with their wild bird seed and last year I had a bunch of sunflowers growing just for me throwing seeds around 😊 👍🐕🐺🐎
John!!! This is so awesome. I haven’t been this excited for you since you dug the geothermal greenhouse. This will take your property to the next level. No reason why you can’t have a food forest in five more years with this new water system and following permaculture principles.
Wow. It's really impressive what you have accomplished there at your homestead. We've had our place for 3 years now, and your place is definitely inspiration for us. Thanks for sharing your journey.
some tough species for the food forest trees: netleaf hackberry, chokecherry, mesquite(nitrogen fixer), elderberry, american persimmon, date palm( if your in zone 8, utah serviceberry, smooth sumac, desert hackberry, rose locust shrubs and vines: pale wolfberry, three leaf sumac, sand plum, muscadine grape, american raspberry, delicious raspberry, prickly pear cactuses grasses and flowers: blue grama, indian rice grass, black grama, streamside wheatgrass, sunflower, sunchoke, sorghum, dent corn, desert zinnia, hedgehog cactus, california poppy, hopi blanketflower, field milkvetch, sand clover, mexican hat, desert dandelion, desert globe mallow, arizona milkweed
Have you thought of building a above the ground metal roof catchment for your own drinking water...that would run into a water storage bin...where it's not getting the dirt in it...not sure if your gonna use the pond for your drinking water...just for the animals and the garden...been watching since u first started out...its coming along nicely...
I've done the same thing, by hand, and with a cheap electric tiller. For my soil if I wait until just the right time after it has rained... it's easy to work. (Clay) I'm in a similar climate in Colorado. I crowned the driveway , both so that it stays drier and direct water into the side gutters.. then I direct that water to catchment areas and or will plant some trees there. It's mostly Cholla cactus,rabiitbrush,prickly pear and some grass. Few trees except in roadside ditches ..Siberian Elm and Russian Olive. I have no municipal water, I collect about 12000 gallons a year from roof surfaces and solar panels. I am also going to build ponds/cisterns . Now and later miy overflow goes into a swale network wich is very quick and cheap to dig with a rented trencher... You will be able to dig all the trenches you need in less than 4 hours if you plan ahead of time. Trencher is also a good way to get a head start on pits. The trencher loosens the soil via succesive rows, then it's much easier to do the manual work after you return the trencher. Wind breaks are another good way to conserve water (less evaporation), Mulch is the hero for water saving.
I'm near Prescott Valley and we got 2 inches of rain in the past week. I'm curious if this pond filled up? I look forward to the next video. I think you're pretty smart harvesting all the water you can.
Look down (to what you can't see, mostly) to fungi. Mycelium break down useless stuff into useful stuff and efficiently transport it between groups of plants, feeding them. Fungi love wood. Add wood, leaves, beaches, logs, cardboard, paper, etc. In spots, feed the fungi. They will reach out and connect.
How do you manage pests? I mean the feed must attract rats/mice. I have that problem. Everyone keeps telling me to get a cat, but I don't want to risk the birds I have around....
i asked Chat GBT what it might suggest for your dessert food forest , here is the answer what types of trees, shrubs bushes vines grasses and other plants would grow in a dessert food forest? ChatGPT Creating a food forest in a desert environment can be challenging due to limited water availability and extreme temperatures, but it's not impossible. Here are some types of trees, shrubs, bushes, vines, grasses, and other plants that could potentially thrive in a desert food forest: Trees: Mesquite (Prosopis spp.): Drought-tolerant trees that fix nitrogen in the soil and provide edible pods. Palo Verde (Parkinsonia spp.): Another nitrogen-fixing tree with green bark and small leaves that provide shade. Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera): A quintessential desert tree that produces sweet, nutritious fruit. Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis): Drought-resistant evergreen tree that produces jojoba oil from its seeds. Argan (Argania spinosa): Resilient tree producing argan oil and edible fruits. Shrubs and Bushes: Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia spp.): Edible pads (nopales) and fruits (tunas), plus it helps prevent soil erosion. Desert Sage (Salvia dorrii): Aromatic shrub with medicinal properties and drought tolerance. Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata): Resilient shrub with small, waxy leaves and yellow flowers. Chilopsis (Chilopsis linearis): Ornamental shrub/tree with beautiful trumpet-shaped flowers. Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens): Uniquely shaped shrub with tall, spiny stems and red flowers. Vines: Grapes (Vitis spp.): Certain grape varieties can withstand desert conditions with proper care and irrigation. Hops (Humulus lupulus): Climbing vine used in brewing, can be cultivated in desert regions with water management. Passionflower (Passiflora spp.): Some species can tolerate dry conditions and produce edible fruit. Grasses and Groundcovers: Buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides): Drought-tolerant grass used for lawns and ground cover. Blue Grama Grass (Bouteloua gracilis): Native grass with attractive seed heads and drought resistance. Sedges (Carex spp.): Some species are adapted to arid environments and can serve as ground cover. Dwarf Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides): Ornamental grass that can tolerate dry conditions. Other Plants: Agave (Agave spp.): Succulent plants with edible flowers and sweet sap, used for making agave syrup and tequila. Yucca (Yucca spp.): Drought-resistant plants with edible flowers and fruits. Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis): Succulent plant with medicinal properties, grows well in arid environments. When creating a desert food forest, it's crucial to consider water conservation techniques such as mulching, drip irrigation, and planting in swales to capture and retain water runoff. Additionally, selecting native and drought-tolerant species will help ensure the success and sustainability of the food forest in a desert environment. hope this is helpful;)
If you'd like me to pull up your property on GPS and offer input or if you simply have questions, let's book a video call.
frugaloffgrid.com/products/thirty-minute-video-consultation
Your doing an amazing job! Your homestead is a beautiful oasis and is becoming well established. Your permaculture design is superb and shows how well connected you are to your land. Seeing your horses and dogs running around happy shows you’re really thriving there. Everyone should strive to live more like you, you are a legend!!
Loved the video, cant wait to see all the greenery that will cover your land. God bless.
This is exciting! People always wonder how Natives survived in the desert, and that's the point...while they inhabited it, they thrived, when their time on this planet was up, the land was returned to its original state...no city connections, power lines, to litter the desert. You are making the ancestors proud 🙏
My property is in a rain forest, so water isn't a problem, its fighting off large community developments around me, that's the biggest challenge. There's a strong group of people, farmers, homesteaders who continuously advocate against clear cutting... hand cutting only.
Same primary goal of being a good steward of the land, but in a completely different eco system. 😊
Btw...I got the solar panels for the power box, I'll initially be living on a very conservative amount of solar generated power, but that combined with other natural energy sources, should suffice my tiny house, garden, farm well.
Sorry, I'm rambling, but Im so excited about finally being on my property..and its where i never dreamed it could be 😁
You helped motivate me!!
I was so burned out on "homesteading...
ish channels, most of them had a nice stash $ to start out with...then I found your channel...and the rest is history! I feel like one of the 7 dwarfs singing hi-ho 😉
🙏🙏🙏 Grateful!
Many homestead channels start out with way more than they need. Their attempt is often to bring the big city to their homestead. Big screen TV, household appliances, atvs, running in electricity etc. There's a huge difference between bringing the city to nature and living in nature.
I’ve watched you off and on since your first videos but today I was lost watching your horses run!!! I’m constantly amazed at what you succeed in doing there in the desert but the horses drowned out whatever you said! Thanks for sharing them!
Great job. I'm looking at land in Arizona presently.
The horses sure look happy running around.
LIVING THE DREAM!!!
good call on the half moon idea, it's perfect for your environment!
UA-cam. Asked me my opinion of this video. And I gave it a very good, love You guy.❤
I really like the preen acupuncture stuff
Love what you've done with your property and what a great gym membership you've developed as well, lol.
world class content
You have done a great job creating your homestead. 👍👍👍
You're doing a really good job I also feed my wild birds chicken scratch with their wild bird seed and last year I had a bunch of sunflowers growing just for me throwing seeds around 😊 👍🐕🐺🐎
John!!! This is so awesome. I haven’t been this excited for you since you dug the geothermal greenhouse. This will take your property to the next level. No reason why you can’t have a food forest in five more years with this new water system and following permaculture principles.
I named one of your horses Trigger 😊
And he or she runs like the wind !!!
Wow. It's really impressive what you have accomplished there at your homestead. We've had our place for 3 years now, and your place is definitely inspiration for us. Thanks for sharing your journey.
some tough species for the food forest
trees: netleaf hackberry, chokecherry, mesquite(nitrogen fixer), elderberry, american persimmon, date palm( if your in zone 8, utah serviceberry, smooth sumac, desert hackberry, rose locust
shrubs and vines: pale wolfberry, three leaf sumac, sand plum, muscadine grape, american raspberry, delicious raspberry, prickly pear cactuses
grasses and flowers: blue grama, indian rice grass, black grama, streamside wheatgrass, sunflower, sunchoke, sorghum, dent corn, desert zinnia, hedgehog cactus, california poppy, hopi blanketflower, field milkvetch, sand clover, mexican hat, desert dandelion, desert globe mallow, arizona milkweed
Pretty cool
I live in the Sonoran desert near Tucson, so am in a slightly different growing zone, but have had some luck growing Mulberry trees and grapes
Very clever
Have you thought of building a above the ground metal roof catchment for your own drinking water...that would run into a water storage bin...where it's not getting the dirt in it...not sure if your gonna use the pond for your drinking water...just for the animals and the garden...been watching since u first started out...its coming along nicely...
Awesome work!!!
I've done the same thing, by hand, and with a cheap electric tiller. For my soil if I wait until just the right time after it has rained... it's easy to work. (Clay) I'm in a similar climate in Colorado. I crowned the driveway , both so that it stays drier and direct water into the side gutters.. then I direct that water to catchment areas and or will plant some trees there. It's mostly Cholla cactus,rabiitbrush,prickly pear and some grass. Few trees except in roadside ditches ..Siberian Elm and Russian Olive. I have no municipal water, I collect about 12000 gallons a year from roof surfaces and solar panels. I am also going to build ponds/cisterns . Now and later miy overflow goes into a swale network wich is very quick and cheap to dig with a rented trencher... You will be able to dig all the trenches you need in less than 4 hours if you plan ahead of time. Trencher is also a good way to get a head start on pits. The trencher loosens the soil via succesive rows, then it's much easier to do the manual work after you return the trencher. Wind breaks are another good way to conserve water (less evaporation), Mulch is the hero for water saving.
Love it
I'm near Prescott Valley and we got 2 inches of rain in the past week. I'm curious if this pond filled up? I look forward to the next video. I think you're pretty smart harvesting all the water you can.
I've been hearing that we are going to have drought conditions this year. Hope you can store up enough water.
Plant willows. Great shade tree and yearly animal fodder. Grows fast too
water hogs
Look down (to what you can't see, mostly) to fungi. Mycelium break down useless stuff into useful stuff and efficiently transport it between groups of plants, feeding them. Fungi love wood. Add wood, leaves, beaches, logs, cardboard, paper, etc. In spots, feed the fungi. They will reach out and connect.
I love your videos & all the good information you provide! Where did you buy the pond liner from?
Are there rocks in the area you can place at the edge around the pond? I did that with my pond and it helped keep the dirt from falling in.
Man thats going to be your own oasis before you know it .
love this great video,how long have you been developing so far❤
She is beautiful 😁👍
how are those trees doing that you planted?
What are your thoughts on growing hemp? CBD is great when used as topicals, oils and tinctures
Awesome works. What state do you live in? Just asking because I like that soil. Love those horses 🐴 🐴Must be Arizona.
Hey bro, great content.
How do you get Amazon and ups shipments out there?
Where do you get you liners?
How do you manage pests? I mean the feed must attract rats/mice. I have that problem. Everyone keeps telling me to get a cat, but I don't want to risk the birds I have around....
He has cats. You can try dogs? Though they mighr kill the birds
You sure you aren't at sea with all these swells
If your ideas happen , most likely wildlife from all around will end up on your land
AI doesnt know that ecosystem. Higher elevation. Some of those trees will grow down here at 4,000 ft elev. Zone 8b.
i asked Chat GBT what it might suggest for your dessert food forest , here is the answer
what types of trees, shrubs bushes vines grasses and other plants would grow in a dessert food forest?
ChatGPT
Creating a food forest in a desert environment can be challenging due to limited water availability and extreme temperatures, but it's not impossible. Here are some types of trees, shrubs, bushes, vines, grasses, and other plants that could potentially thrive in a desert food forest:
Trees:
Mesquite (Prosopis spp.): Drought-tolerant trees that fix nitrogen in the soil and provide edible pods.
Palo Verde (Parkinsonia spp.): Another nitrogen-fixing tree with green bark and small leaves that provide shade.
Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera): A quintessential desert tree that produces sweet, nutritious fruit.
Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis): Drought-resistant evergreen tree that produces jojoba oil from its seeds.
Argan (Argania spinosa): Resilient tree producing argan oil and edible fruits.
Shrubs and Bushes:
Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia spp.): Edible pads (nopales) and fruits (tunas), plus it helps prevent soil erosion.
Desert Sage (Salvia dorrii): Aromatic shrub with medicinal properties and drought tolerance.
Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata): Resilient shrub with small, waxy leaves and yellow flowers.
Chilopsis (Chilopsis linearis): Ornamental shrub/tree with beautiful trumpet-shaped flowers.
Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens): Uniquely shaped shrub with tall, spiny stems and red flowers.
Vines:
Grapes (Vitis spp.): Certain grape varieties can withstand desert conditions with proper care and irrigation.
Hops (Humulus lupulus): Climbing vine used in brewing, can be cultivated in desert regions with water management.
Passionflower (Passiflora spp.): Some species can tolerate dry conditions and produce edible fruit.
Grasses and Groundcovers:
Buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides): Drought-tolerant grass used for lawns and ground cover.
Blue Grama Grass (Bouteloua gracilis): Native grass with attractive seed heads and drought resistance.
Sedges (Carex spp.): Some species are adapted to arid environments and can serve as ground cover.
Dwarf Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides): Ornamental grass that can tolerate dry conditions.
Other Plants:
Agave (Agave spp.): Succulent plants with edible flowers and sweet sap, used for making agave syrup and tequila.
Yucca (Yucca spp.): Drought-resistant plants with edible flowers and fruits.
Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis): Succulent plant with medicinal properties, grows well in arid environments.
When creating a desert food forest, it's crucial to consider water conservation techniques such as mulching, drip irrigation, and planting in swales to capture and retain water runoff. Additionally, selecting native and drought-tolerant species will help ensure the success and sustainability of the food forest in a desert environment.
hope this is helpful;)