Ben Brownell

I am experimenting with 'top dress' charcoal or (if i'm diligent) biochar, a light half inch or so at a time so that it works into the surface in/around existing sparse grass cover. Theory or hope is that it helps create a much sturdier, chunkier turf mat over time that is easily walkable if not drivable.

I'd go visit this place near Rumney and see what you can learn:

https://www.streetermountainfarm.com

Used to be a more active permaculture farm community ("D acres"), seems to have shifted a bit but should still have some useful knowledge and demo's on site from around 20 years' effort.

I'm interested in coordinating an adventurous off-grid cooperative development project in the county. Very encouraged by yesterday's Supervisors decision to allow tiny houses on wheels as a permitted primary dwelling on rural property there. Happy to discuss in more detail with anyone curious or wanting to support such an effort!

I don't live there currently, but have some connections and a draw to spend more time soon.

I sense ever-growing room and need for action + innovation along these lines! Nice to read into others' ideas and experience. I am especially interested right now in the potential to coordinate investment from a field of (relatively) sympathetic peers to provide alternative 'mortgages' to help launch permaculture informed development efforts, filling the crucial gap that banks won't cover here and providing some ethical ROI for people with savings that want to allocate to better purposes (IRA accounts can be self-directed investments retaining the same tax advantages).

I think a lot more people would be able to jump in if true land value - and the occupant's thoughtful improvements to it - were closer to 'liquid' in the way that conventional real estate is!

I'll just throw in that clay subsoil on a slope (which appears to be the case here) is often not totally consistent and evenly distributed like you would find in flat catchment basins, so it may be worth prospecting a ways across the slope in either direction with some deeper test holes or maybe just a rebar probe to see if you find a thinner area with different soil or bedrock below that's easier to reach for an infiltration 'drain' point.

I'll chime in on this as I think it's increasingly urgent and relevant in a state with a multifaceted housing crisis on top of lots of poorly stewarded open private lands! One very encouraging recent development is two counties in Sierra foothills (Placer and Nevada) that are going to allow tiny homes on wheels (potentially RV/trailers with appropriate mods) as PRIMARY permitted dwellings on rural property, in conjunction with the usual sewer/water/electric requirements. Including the possibility of so-called cluster development, with multiple units nearby around shared utilities. Here's a recent article with discussion of the regulations which are I believe set to be confirmed by county supes next week:

https://www.theunion.com/news/tiny-homes-ordinance-a-well-intentioned-step-but-too-expensive-for-people-on-the-brink/article_db7a4ff6-9316-11ef-a0d8-ab6f7d0ebc52.html

John I haven't searched through earlier threads of yours but just for clarity here, are you using crushed and "charged" (compost/nutrient saturated) char or just raw chunks of it?

Interesting. Do you have a render of the gabion/berm wall arrangement? If it's just caged loose stone, I might worry about inward frost heave over time. Also wondering about the wisdom of what looks like an attached garage there blocking your winter morning sun, in a space that probably wants all it can get of that. Maybe attached greenhouse instead?

There's a growing range of eco-community developments in MX, I'm not watching too close but saw this one recently near San Miguel with nice looking homes for sale in a semi-off-grid setting with well thought out modern co-housing design (but not much agriculture): https://www.hapori.com.mx

This program/institute may be of interest, based in KY inspired by Wendell Berry:

https://www.berrycenterfarmandforest.org

Also Sterling college VT https://www.sterlingcollege.edu/work-college