Permaculture attempt in high desert of California

any update on this post?   im in los angeles but would like to move to high desert or establish some sort of part time base to experiment with permaculture ideas.  socal deserts are rough - hard if you're not there all the time to prevent squatters and thieves grabbing your stuff.  anyone else have experience in this regard?  im somewhat new to the forum but maybe this has been discussed elsewhere.

Madeline Breeze wrote:any update on this post?   im in los angeles but would like to move to high desert or establish some sort of part time base to experiment with permaculture ideas.  socal deserts are rough - hard if you're not there all the time to prevent squatters and thieves grabbing your stuff.  anyone else have experience in this regard?  im somewhat new to the forum but maybe this has been discussed elsewhere.

The Adobe Mountain ⛰ Foothills-Permaculture Experiment Experience (AMF-PEE) continues...! 💕🙏👑🎉

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=2297744297162786&ref=content_filter

is that in Lancaster, CA?  your stove looks pretty cool, did it work well through our long winter?  hard to tell from your photos how much planting you have done but i see some trees and strawberries!  what has been your greatest success and challenge so far?  thanks for sharing!

Madeline Breeze wrote: is that in Lancaster, CA?  your stove looks pretty cool, did it work well through our long winter?  hard to tell from your photos how much planting you have done but i see some trees and strawberries!  what has been your greatest success and challenge so far?  thanks for sharing!

Yes, the AMFPEE Land is located on unincorporated Los Angeles County, Butte Valley, (Lancaster), California Repermies.

“Lil Frankenstein” (AMFPEE’s new mini-rocket-mass-heater/stove) was only just completed following the completion of this last Winter Season.

Greatest challenge, from my perspective, is creating shade which will withstand OUR strong prevailing winds and the unpredictable other tan prevailing winds.
Perceived “...greatest success...” would be the fact that i have been able to grow food-bearing  plants successfully through to harvest while keeping the plethora of desert reptiles and mammals from eating them before i DO! 💕🙏👑🎉

Super sad to hear how this ended. I am sure you inspired and sobered many. We were all hoping you would flourish there and what took an evening to read took years for you. I don't live in the USA yet but My wife and I have been considering something similar in Llano Ca. This thread makes me wonder how to build a guild of like minded people. I have been so caught up thinking about the land, Fukuoka, Mollison, keyline principles etc. But in the end community is really key. Caring not only for the earth but also helping each other be our best and sharing with our neighbors.

Hi! I live in Twentynine Palms; your neighbor!! We have similar climates. I want to hear an update on the project! And see pics!

Hi! I am doing the same thing in high desert in south eastern Arizona, in the Sonora desert.  The climate and wind issues seem similar to barstow.  I also plan to use bamboo! It came to that conclusion the other day,  they grow so fast and can provide shade. Our problem is the cows that roam here destroy everything.  Also the native animals are so desperate for foods and water they go to extreme lengths and often eat plants that are unpalatable for them. Squrriels, rats, mice, rattlesnakes, birds, cows, deer.... anything around here will eat my garden.

Trees are mostly mesquite and only reach like 6 feet tall if not in a wash. Soil is very high clay and rock, extremely erosive,  high wind is an issue. Very little shade.

Here is the good stuff: 5000 ft elevation, lots of sunshine,  two riverheads coming off big mountain,  good well water, sky island effect, nice hiking trails, so much potential for recovery.

The ecosystem is collapsed from overgrazing for 150 years and was probably delicate anyway. The sky island effect is obviously caused by cows because they can't eat oaks on rocky hilltops so it is a different biome there. I like cows but they have decimated the landscape. Trapping all the beavers in Arizona to extinction also played a part.....

I would love to buy some desert land in California and try this , smart irrigation and planting trees and other plants that hold water to bring in wildlife., Maybe even shade structures over water holes as well to maintain the water?

Ranch Seekers wrote: Our problem is the cows that roam here destroy everything.  Also the native animals are so desperate for foods and water they go to extreme lengths and often eat plants that are unpalatable for them. Squrriels, rats, mice, rattlesnakes, birds, cows, deer.... anything around here will eat my garden....

yep, this is a problem.

If you think you are going to plant stuff in the ground (I don't care what it is) gophers, rabbits, bugs, etc will eat it instantly.

I don't think people put enough into protection.

Also, if you plan to leave the property for a spell .... well, look what happened to the OP in this thread.

Thank you for sharing this challenge! It sounds like many people here are trying to figure out similar situations. I'm also trying a permaculture approach near Santa Clara, which is super dry in the summer. I don't have any advice to offer except to say that I've come to love my clay soil. It retains water really well once you get a thick mulch on top (I used woodchips from Chip Drop), and in the winter during the rainy season you can propagate cuttings by literally sticking them in the clay. All my plants & trees seem to bust through it just fine if it's reasonably moist. The key is never letting it hardpan, so... more mulch! Best of luck in the future!!

Izzy Cali wrote:Thank you for sharing this challenge! It sounds like many people here are trying to figure out similar situations. I'm also trying a permaculture approach near Santa Clara, which is super dry in the summer. I don't have any advice to offer except to say that I've come to love my clay soil. It retains water really well once you get a thick mulch on top (I used woodchips from Chip Drop), and in the winter during the rainy season you can propagate cuttings by literally sticking them in the clay. All my plants & trees seem to bust through it just fine if it's reasonably moist. The key is never letting it hardpan, so... more mulch! Best of luck in the future!!

great advice but hard to do at scale

Caileen Brandt wrote:Hi! I live in Twentynine Palms; your neighbor!! We have similar climates. I want to hear an update on the project! And see pics!

Hello, I also have a property near Twentynine palms CA
https://youtu.be/zlaiN5oXYA0
This is my latest update on that project.

I'm so excited to stumble upon this feed from a pintrest link (!), I have 10 acres in wonder valley I took over from an illegal grow op, there's a giant pit in the back where they were putting greenhouses and they scraped half the land when grading to dig the pit. I'm slowly repopulating with creosote, cholla and prickly pear and as I get my water situation more stable I will be planting a ton of Palo Verde, mesquite and ocotillo.  Coming from the east the idea of bamboo makes me nervous bc it is very invasive over here and in some areas illegal to plant, do you find with the harsh conditions it stays relatively put where you plant it? I've even thought about putting it in stock tanks as part of my gray water system.  The pit I think will become part of a planting basin with swale steps as I regrade the land to drain away from the house but always looking for other ideas and fellow permaculture geeks in the area!