Marie Durante

Jeremy Baker wrote:As far as renting is concerned I’m not sure what to suggest. I surfed the satellite view on Google of that area and see some residences out there with a few trees. And the usual scattered junk in the desert. I also saw a party spot in the desert up by Barstow with a bunch of bizarre people. One issue I’d be concerned with is people coming in and messing it up. Ive had this happen to me before on the Big Island when I was away for 8 months. I’m not sure you could charge someone anything if they are improving the land actively. How deep are wells around there? If you drilled an expensive well you could charge I think.

Unfortunately the cost for a water well have gone way way up do the the grows in the area driving up prices.  At one point it would cost probably 20k, now it looks like 40K or more. Based on the information I have investigated it looks like a well would be at a depth of 230 feet. I would like to live part time on one of the pieces of the property in a tiny home.  And while doing this work on building hedges and getting some trees planted and a small garden to experiment with. There is one neighbor close to that property that has a small family and seem to really watch over the area.  They seem to be living the off grid lifestyle.  And I worry less about vandalism here.  

The 20 acre piece is elevated a bit and has a lot of contours in the land.  There are a lot of washes, and is very scenic.  This property is very close to the underground mohave river, but is elevated, so am not sure about the well here.  But from what I have investigated it is possible.  There appears to be mines and some old wells in the area.  This land is isolated without neighbors but surprisingly close to a main road. I think because it is a little bit harder to get to there is less squatters and vandals.  But still it is a worry.  I work so can't realistically be there at all times.

Hi I have 2 parcels of raw land that I am looking to rent out to someone who is interested in permaculture, or hobby gardening.  One is 20 acres on higher elevation accessible by truck, and another is 10 acres.  Both are less than 10 min from route 66 via a dirt road in the Helendale CA area. Both are mostly isolated and with no noticeable neighbors.  There is currently not water or electricity on the land.  I had wanted to put in a well but the costs are really outrageous right now.  

I also posted this in the real estate forum section as well. I was thinking rent would be about $300 or so.  Please email me here if you are interested.  

Hi I have 2 parcels of raw land that I am looking to rent out to someone who is interested in homesteading and/or permaculture.  One is 20 acres on higher elevation accessible by truck, and another is 10 acres.  Both are less than 10 min from route 66 via a dirt road in the Helendale CA area. Both are mostly isolated and with no noticeable neighbors.  There is currently not water or electricity on the land.  I had wanted to put in a well but the costs are really outrageous right now.
I was thinking rent would be about $300 or so. Has anyone here had experiences in renting their raw land in the CA area?  Do you think the rent is reasonable?  Please give me some advise or feedback this is all new to me.  I don't really want to sell the land as I would like to use it one day.  But what can I do in the meantime with it?

LBM, I always leave any gilled white mushrooms alone.  You never know.

I would like to rent out my raw land to possible people interested in permaculture.  Has anyone done this? Is this reasonable.  I have two parcels that are accessible.  One needs a little trimming to get to it easier.  There is no water or electric on the land.  And both parcels are in the Helendale CA area, off grid but accessible to a main road in 10 minutes. I considered selling one of the parcels, but would rather hold on to it.  
Any advise on this would be great.  Where would I post this, what should I look for. Can I post this here on this forum?

Jonathan D Davis wrote:We're in a similar boat in Riverside County - just next door. We CAN build on our lot but code enforcement is on our backs about every little detail and now we have to build a house and quickly. We received a polite little notice in March of this year telling us that we can't live or build on our property until we have a "house". We've lived here three years, growing vegetables and honey for market, in a travel trailer with an outdoor shower and independent composting toilet.

The one great choice that I made was hiring a consultant. I asked around our local community and found someone who can really defend against the county government. His fee was a paltry $500 to keep the county off of our backs - and the fee is a flat rate regardless of how long it draws on. All county complaints come through his office and he just fends them off. I would google "code mitigation" for SB county and see what pops. It's the best $500 we've ever spent! If you want to PM me I can send you my consultant's contact info but I'm not certain that he would work in San Bernardino. I think that relationships with county officials are the grease that keeps the wheels moving.

With knowledgable representation you can go to council meetings, private meetings, or (preferably not) to court and not have to worry about filing the wrong paperwork. California is great but does it ever love it's bureaucracy (and the fees!). You can do all of this on your own but I feel more confident with someone who know the building and environmental codes in and out.  

Hold tight! There's a way out of this. You just need to find it and I'm sure you will.

Great advise! PM sent

Eric Hanson wrote:I wish I could help you on codes—I barely understand the codes by me.  I still don’t know what RL and RC land is, nor how that affects what you plant.  I wish I could help there.

Are the land parcels contiguous or are they completely separate?

Good that you can get a well on the land.  I have used drip irrigation with good success before I discovered wood chips.  In your environment, drip irrigation might be advisable, at least at first.  Maybe wood chips can be made to work for you but getting them is likely more difficult than mine—mine simply grow along a fence line.  If you do use a drip line, my suggestion would be to bury it.

I can probably think of a few other ideas, but I would need your feedback first.

Eric

3 separate parcels. 20 AC, 10, and 6.  Resource Conservation has open uses for recreation, single residence on large lots, and some agriculture.  Rural Land is similar. First in order is to see about a well and a fence. I already have a local witcher friend who wants tell me the best place for a well.  I didn't see too many deals on materials and I hear the cost of materials is high.  
I am thinking about utilizing the 6 acre parcel first because although the other two are not that far off the dirt road- they are miles from anyone else.  The 6 acre Helendale CA property has a few families stretched out (about 6-20 acres apart and very dispersed) that use the place for recreation.  Another young couple seem to be trying to homestead would be my neighbors.  They seem to be concerned and knowledgable about what is going on and want to keep shooting and trouble with the grow farms away. I would like to initially use the property for "recreation" so I can have a camper there and plant desert plants and grow a variety of fruit trees that I enjoy. Possibly raise a few chickens or a turkey. I saw the turkey chicks at the feed store and I resisted.

As far as the well- in a fairly squarish lot is there any section that is better fitted for a well and pump if given the choice?

For shade I was thinking of cementing some 8-12 foot poles in the ground and using pipe or 4 inch treated wood with some type of sail shade in some areas.  But the wind out here can be something fierce.

I also want to get some type of all-around versatile tractor/bobcat/crawler that could aid in the moving of dirt, rocks, lifting and moving of various things that can have attachments such as a an auger. This is all new to me- but I want to know what I should be looking for in case I come across it.  

Yes I was thinking of the drip irrigation and initially doing this by filling up very large barrels for water and having a very slow drip system working. From my experience in gardening in the past- wood chips seemed to not help plants grow but offered some protection when plants and trees became a little mature.  Maybe I was using treated mulch- I don't know.  The is composed of loose sand.  I am going to need to start reading how to get soil to take.  

I had wanted to attend something like this closer or in CA.  Been on my list for a while.

Eric Hanson wrote:Ok, so I just looked up Barstow on Google Earth and found the general area to familiarize myself a bit.  I guess the first concern I would have is the water situation.  The area looks pretty dry and has little vegetation.  Is there any access to water?  What plants will grow in your climate zone?  I know the drought makes water a thorny issue at the moment, but maybe you can find some water efficient cover crops to start building soil.

I like the idea of grapes and maybe even some trees for food and shade, but personally I would have to weigh this against the availability of water.

At any rate, I am still interested in your more detailed description of your land.

Eric

The zones are respectively 8.  I plan on starting off with growing food and crops I enjoy.  I do like grapes and that was on my list.  Out of the 3 parcels I am confident 2 will be able to have a well. I would like to grow plants and trees for shade and that limit erosion of soil.  I was thinking about grapes, mesquite, figs, pomegranates, jujube, and possibly persimmons to start.  I like your idea of cover crops.  I was also reading up on a method to plant trees that involves an above ground large planter to keep the critters away.  But might think about the digging a ring around and using the desert containers to utilize the water in the air.   The biggest issue is the zoning.  It seems like unless there is a residential structure on the land- nothing can be used.  The code pertains to accessory uses- but only as an accessory to an existing residential structure.   Just didn't know if anyone had any advice or short cuts around the zoning because it seems like I can't do anything at this point.

I have been reading and researching everything I can in this forum and others concerning developing and farming some vacant land. I have recently acquired 20 acres of RC land, and almost 10 acres of RL land in San Bernardino county in the Barstow CA area and am hoping I can turn this raw land into something deemed appropriate for my personal interests.

My plan is to develop the land to grow suitable trees and crops and use is recreationally with a trailer at times. With long term goals of Agritourism enterprises aimed at education and sustainability with possibly a produce stand of some sort or variety.

As it looks the RC land is not large enough to do anything with because the
Agricultural and Resource Management Land Use Zoning District Minimum Lot Size states the minimum for RC land is 40 acres.

But the Allowed Land Uses and Permit Requirements for Agricultural and Resource Management Land Use Zoning District states that Crop production, horticulture, orchard, vineyard is an Allowed use without a permit.

I have tried to contact the county for help and advice but have not been able to reach them by phone and eventually my calls, assuming hold time, were disconnected.

Does anyone have similar experiences with the RC designation? If so what are your experiences and/or recommendations? I also looked into the CAL earth bags and it doesn't seem to be county approved anymore.