Your wisdom wanted, dry climate permaculture

So iam fairly new to permaculture and am iam learning a lot here, thank you.(kind of ironically I learned of permaculture while driving a tractor and listening to audiobooks on a 3,000 conventional row crop farm:) so iam 20 and live at home. And I want to start a permaculture farmstead. Looking at land prices makes you consider selling a kidney or bank robbery. Since bank robbery is illegal if you get Caught I've had to look for cheaper land. Then I found the southwest. $500 an acre all day long. Then I looked at what permaculture has done in these dry almost barren Environments. And iam amazed! The work of Allen Savory, Geoff Lawton and others. So now I ask for your wisdom. Those of you who practice permaculture in dry environments, those of you who have used Allen Savory's methods with results. And just anyone with valuable wisdom that I could possibly benefit from! And any good books to read on dry climate permaculture/regenerative agriculture. Thanks
To clarify I have no experience in a dry climate. I live in Mississippi, it's hot, wet, and humid here. Pictures of the kind of land iam looking at.

There was a time I wanted to live only in lush circumstances. More and more tho I have found myself wishing to be able to rehab property in such formidable circumstances. I will be watching this thread.

I'm in the early stages of a permaculture project in the high desert of NM (small, urban).  Yes, it's doable, but just know that the land you choose will have unique challenges.  One of the things I find is that you can't get stuff that other people get... like I can't just order a load of wood chips unless I want to pay a fortune to have them brought in.  You have to be creative with your resources.  You also need to think about the climate you choose and let it dictate what your permaculture site is going to look like.  Bill Mollison said in one of his videos that a desert-based system has the potential to be the most fruitful of all systems.... But you might need to adjust your expectations of what it is you're going to grow.  For example, where I live, cactus could be a great food crop.  Prickly pears already grow everywhere, but not many people actually eat them.  That doesn't mean you can't work to create a food forest (I am), but I'm also leaving a space for what's native and already wants to be here, and maximizing that to its fullest potential.  If I make all my soil too rich, my cactus will die.

Where my mom lives, her biggest problem is voles (at least that's what we think they are).  She lives in a place that is basically sand dunes and scrub, and these critters tunnel under anything she plants.  Even after having fruit trees established there for over ten years, everything started dying off because the voles tunnel under everything and disrupt the roots.  My mom battled them for years and has mostly given up.  My theory is that they want the coolness and moisture of the soil near the plants, but so far we haven't found a way to redirect them.  When you try to water a plant, the soil will just start collapsing to reveal new tunnels, and the water gets sucked down and away, and I'm not sure that it ever gets to the plant.

Another thing is that the sun is killer here.  So when people tell you that a plant is "sun-loving", that doesn't mean it will thrive.  Almost everything needs shade, especially from the western sun.  You may find yourself in need of shade structures just to get going, unless you put in some incredibly tough pioneer plants and give them time to develop and create shade before trying to plant anything less tough.

Also, think really hard about the water situation.  Anything short of a cactus will likely need to be watered the first year to establish.  Swales, etc, help a lot, but with the LONG, hot periods between precipitation, you need access to a water source.  You could probably manage without access to irrigation, but it would be a much longer process, I think.  So when you are looking for property, you want something with a well that has plenty of water in it.  Drilling your own well is dicier.  You don't know how far you're going to need to drill to get to water.  Another option could be water catchment, but you would need a very large storage tank (or tanks) because we tend to get all our rain in a short time.

All that said, I've lived in different places across the country, and maybe I'm biased, but nothing else has the rugged beauty of the Southwest.  I highly recommend finding a place near some mountains; if you've never lived near the mountains, you've been missing out.  We definitely need more folks restoring this land, so if you're up for a challenge, then I say go for it.  Whatever location you choose, just make sure you do thorough research before buying your land.  Talk to the locals and find out what kinds of problems they have before you commit.  I wouldn't want to face off against those voles, for example.  :)

Trish Doherty wrote:I'm in the early stages of a permaculture project in the high desert of NM (small, urban).  Yes, it's doable, but just know that the land you choose will have unique challenges.  One of the things I find is that you can't get stuff that other people get... like I can't just order a load of wood chips unless I want to pay a fortune to have them brought in.  You have to be creative with your resources.  You also need to think about the climate you choose and let it dictate what your permaculture site is going to look like.  Bill Mollison said in one of his videos that a desert-based system has the potential to be the most fruitful of all systems.... But you might need to adjust your expectations of what it is you're going to grow.  For example, where I live, cactus could be a great food crop.  Prickly pears already grow everywhere, but not many people actually eat them.  That doesn't mean you can't work to create a food forest (I am), but I'm also leaving a space for what's native and already wants to be here, and maximizing that to its fullest potential.  If I make all my soil too rich, my cactus will die.

Where my mom lives, her biggest problem is voles (at least that's what we think they are).  She lives in a place that is basically sand dunes and scrub, and these critters tunnel under anything she plants.  Even after having fruit trees established there for over ten years, everything started dying off because the voles tunnel under everything and disrupt the roots.  My mom battled them for years and has mostly given up.  My theory is that they want the coolness and moisture of the soil near the plants, but so far we haven't found a way to redirect them.  When you try to water a plant, the soil will just start collapsing to reveal new tunnels, and the water gets sucked down and away, and I'm not sure that it ever gets to the plant.

Another thing is that the sun is killer here.  So when people tell you that a plant is "sun-loving", that doesn't mean it will thrive.  Almost everything needs shade, especially from the western sun.  You may find yourself in need of shade structures just to get going, unless you put in some incredibly tough pioneer plants and give them time to develop and create shade before trying to plant anything less tough.

Also, think really hard about the water situation.  Anything short of a cactus will likely need to be watered the first year to establish.  Swales, etc, help a lot, but with the LONG, hot periods between precipitation, you need access to a water source.  You could probably manage without access to irrigation, but it would be a much longer process, I think.  So when you are looking for property, you want something with a well that has plenty of water in it.  Drilling your own well is dicier.  You don't know how far you're going to need to drill to get to water.  Another option could be water catchment, but you would need a very large storage tank (or tanks) because we tend to get all our rain in a short time.

All that said, I've lived in different places across the country, and maybe I'm biased, but nothing else has the rugged beauty of the Southwest.  I highly recommend finding a place near some mountains; if you've never lived near the mountains, you've been missing out.  We definitely need more folks restoring this land, so if you're up for a challenge, then I say go for it.  Whatever location you choose, just make sure you do thorough research before buying your land.  Talk to the locals and find out what kinds of problems they have before you commit.  I wouldn't want to face off against those voles, for example.  :)

Thank you so much for the advice!!! And no I have never lived near a mountain. It's dead flat here and living near a mountains sound amazing!!

A helpful bit of research when looking at the accomplishments of experts in desert transformations is to look at the history of the land that they transformed. What was the land like before it became a desert?  Some places are deserts because humans have degraded once fertile land and destroyed watersheds and topsoil. Those can be rehabilitated to their original splendor. Other places are deserts because of long-time temperature extremes and longstanding arid climates. You will find that high desert daytime highs and nighttime lows are drastic and unchangeable. These are places where humans cannot impose their will upon the land and grow crops suited to other conditions.
I find it helpful, when choosing what to plant here in New Mexico's high desert, to look around the globe at places with similar altitude and latitude. For me, the places most similar to my land are in the high deserts of China and Afghanistan. These remote and unfamiliar regions grow plants that also thrive where I live: garlic, chiles, and Afghan pine. Do you like the plants that grow at the ~9000'+ and ~5000'+ high desert altitudes that you noted in your original post? These are harsh climates and you may not feel at home with the plants and animals that thrive in the places where land is inexpensive.
On the other hand, you may fall in love with the harsh terrain and become notorious with your novel approach to making a life in the wild Southwest. There is a saying in New Mexico that if you come here and try to impose your will upon the land, it will chew you up and spit you out in two years. If you fall in love, this land will take you in and you can never leave.
Maybe it is time for you to take a road trip to the National Parks of the American Southwest and learn the remarkable history of how people found their way in this rugged landscape. You will be amazed.

Amy Gardener wrote:A helpful bit of research when looking at the accomplishments of experts in desert transformations is to look at the history of the land that they transformed. What was the land like before it became a desert?  Some places are deserts because humans have degraded once fertile land and destroyed watersheds and topsoil. Those can be rehabilitated to their original splendor. Other places are deserts because of long-time temperature extremes and longstanding arid climates. You will find that high desert daytime highs and nighttime lows are drastic and unchangeable. These are places where humans cannot impose their will upon the land and grow crops suited to other conditions.
I find it helpful, when choosing what to plant here in New Mexico's high desert, to look around the globe at places with similar altitude and latitude. For me, the places most similar to my land are in the high deserts of China and Afghanistan. These remote and unfamiliar regions grow plants that also thrive where I live: garlic, chiles, and Afghan pine. Do you like the plants that grow at the ~9000'+ and ~5000'+ high desert altitudes that you noted in your original post? These are harsh climates and you may not feel at home with the plants and animals that thrive in the places where land is inexpensive.
On the other hand, you may fall in love with the harsh terrain and become notorious with your novel approach to making a life in the wild Southwest. There is a saying in New Mexico that if you come here and try to impose your will upon the land, it will chew you up and spit you out in two years. If you fall in love, this land will take you in and you can never leave.
Maybe it is time for you to take a road trip to the National Parks of the American Southwest and learn the remarkable history of how people found their way in this rugged landscape. You will be amazed.

thanks!! I believe a road trip will be in order here before long!!

Don't forget about New Mexico, good land prices and mountains to.

P.S. About those voles (and other burrowers), you might try the voracious bull snake. Also called a gopher snake, this is a nonvenomous friend to gardeners. This beautiful snake appears near homes in early spring trying to find warmth. Animal control officers are called to pick up the snakes at homes where terrified homeowners want them out. If you call Animal Control in your area, they will deliver the snake to your rodent tunnel system. Everyone is happy.

That's an amazing idea! I didn't know I could get bull snakes as easily as pizza, lol.  I have some that visit my yard, but I'm not about to remove them. My mom has only ever had rattlers in her yard as far as I know.

Honestly, I can't stand killing living things, so had it been my yard, it would likely have been a vole hotel by now. They'd be sitting on the porch with me kicking back in the evenings and stuff. They'd all have names.

I'll tell my mom to try this. It would be awesome if this works. Thank you!

I hope it works for your mom, Trish. Be sure and tell her that bull snakes mimic rattlesnakes when threatened. They put their tail under dry brush, leaves or even paper and make a rattle noise but have no rattle of their own. They coil and lung when provoked but they are harmless and want to get away. Animal Control here has a tool to grab the snake without injuring it and place it in a bucket for special delivery to happy gardeners. I place a piece of PVC pipe near the snake and it enters the safe space to hide. Then I pick up the pipe and put it on the berm (hugelkultur) that has a number of unspecified critter holes. The snake is always gone when I check the pipe again in a few hours. Judging from the healthy garden, my rodent population is in healthy balance thanks to hungry predators.

Hi Silas,

Great post and I am rooting for you.

I have to share some of my experiences with you about "cheap land" in the US Southwest however. I went through a phase of buying several uber-cheap properties in the Texas Chihuahuan Desert and I actually have a laundry list of caveats for you, and I apologize if you are already aware of these pitfalls. My experiences were overwhelmingly not good and the short list is:

(1) Inaccurate and confusing boundary surveys (often the reason for the sale of the property and if you look at the chain of ownership you will see numerous previous owners for property, which is a real red flag.
(2) No surveyor would touch it (all on retainer with the regional oil and gas companies ) none will touch that boundary survey and I dont know about AZ but in Texas you're not buying mineral rights (and therefore have no legal recourse if
(3) somebody wants to drill, pump, frack, etc) but also IF your boundary survey is not right, none of those surveyors will do it for any amount of money it because it would cause litigation between the oil companies which own the mineral rights.
(4) If you are from MS and used to 40 inches of rain annually, then you are going to get really sick of buying water, or unprofitably drilling 198 feet if your well is a near miss.
(5) Corporate agriculture is sucking the water out of the region so that your water table today may not be what it will be four years from now.
(6) If you can pump it, its often brackish water in the US Southwest.
(7) Coyotes are lined up waiting for your chickens and sheep.
( Your plants may have to drill themselves through compacted calcium "caliche" that you have to hack through in that part of the country, ( if you've done your homework you could possibly avoid that).
(9) A very intrusive, rude and prying INS, DEA presence on the constant lookout for undocumented persons and contraband (you may get tired of being pulled over a couple times of month for no particular reason)
(10) Unless you have a team to work with, be advised that people will come on your property when you are away and steal every tool, animal, dog, tractor, bail of wire and dig your plants out of the ground in your absence,
(11) Creosote bush, if you have them you know what a pain they are
(12) Fracking, and you may want to do research on that, but if somebody is pumping pink jellified gunk into the ground 1500 feet from my Permaculture project, I would be one very unhappy camper.
(13) Finally, infrastructure issues, adobe requires water, but if you need wood you may have to truck in every stick of it.  

I apologize for all of the above, I share it with the best of intentions. That being said, you would be a hero if you could make a go of a greening-the-desert type program in that area, because its much needed, but I think you are in for a multi-tiered challenge, which exists on a political and economic arena on one end and the other which is an agricultural challenge with water and infrastructure issues.  

I would add that I thought of using African Acacias in that part of the world. to create shade and humus, the local Mesquites being prolific but rather spindly in profile as compared to their more robust African cousins. (Umbrella acacia) came to mind but alas I never even got that far. Best, M

Michael Littlejohn wrote:Hi Silas,

Great post and I am rooting for you.

I have to share some of my experiences with you about "cheap land" in the US Southwest however. I went through a phase of buying several uber-cheap properties in the Texas Chihuahuan Desert and I actually have a laundry list of caveats for you, and I apologize if you are already aware of these pitfalls. My experiences were overwhelmingly not good and the short list is:

(1) Inaccurate and confusing boundary surveys (often the reason for the sale of the property and if you look at the chain of ownership you will see numerous previous owners for property, which is a real red flag.
(2) No surveyor would touch it (all on retainer with the regional oil and gas companies ) none will touch that boundary survey and I dont know about AZ but in Texas you're not buying mineral rights (and therefore have no legal recourse if
(3) somebody wants to drill, pump, frack, etc) but also IF your boundary survey is not right, none of those surveyors will do it for any amount of money it because it would cause litigation between the oil companies which own the mineral rights.
(4) If you are from MS and used to 40 inches of rain annually, then you are going to get really sick of buying water, or unprofitably drilling 198 feet if your well is a near miss.
(5) Corporate agriculture is sucking the water out of the region so that your water table today may not be what it will be four years from now.
(6) If you can pump it, its often brackish water in the US Southwest.
(7) Coyotes are lined up waiting for your chickens and sheep.
( Your plants may have to drill themselves through compacted calcium "caliche" that you have to hack through in that part of the country, ( if you've done your homework you could possibly avoid that).
(9) A very intrusive, rude and prying INS, DEA presence on the constant lookout for undocumented persons and contraband (you may get tired of being pulled over a couple times of month for no particular reason)
(10) Unless you have a team to work with, be advised that people will come on your property when you are away and steal every tool, animal, dog, tractor, bail of wire and dig your plants out of the ground in your absence,
(11) Creosote bush, if you have them you know what a pain they are
(12) Fracking, and you may want to do research on that, but if somebody is pumping pink jellified gunk into the ground 1500 feet from my Permaculture project, I would be one very unhappy camper.
(13) Finally, infrastructure issues, adobe requires water, but if you need wood you may have to truck in every stick of it.  

I apologize for all of the above, I share it with the best of intentions. That being said, you would be a hero if you could make a go of a greening-the-desert type program in that area, because its much needed, but I think you are in for a multi-tiered challenge, which exists on a political and economic arena on one end and the other which is an agricultural challenge with water and infrastructure issues.  

I would add that I thought of using African Acacias in that part of the world. to create shade and humus, the local Mesquites being prolific but rather spindly in profile as compared to their more robust African cousins. (Umbrella acacia) came to mind but alas I never even got that far. Best, M

Thank you so much for this upfront reality!! I really appreciate your honesty and straight up forwardness!! That's given me more to consider. Iam still a long way from trying to do anything yet in the south west but knowing what to expect is helping keep my dreams in reality

Silas Rempel wrote:So iam fairly new to permaculture and am iam learning a lot here, thank you.(kind of ironically I learned of permaculture while driving a tractor and listening to audiobooks on a 3,000 conventional row crop farm:) so iam 20 and live at home. And I want to start a permaculture farmstead. Looking at land prices makes you consider selling a kidney or bank robbery. Since bank robbery is illegal if you get Caught I've had to look for cheaper land. Then I found the southwest. $500 an acre all day long. Then I looked at what permaculture has done in these dry almost barren Environments. And iam amazed! The work of Allen Savory, Geoff Lawton and others. So now I ask for your wisdom. Those of you who practice permaculture in dry environments, those of you who have used Allen Savory's methods with results. And just anyone with valuable wisdom that I could possibly benefit from! And any good books to read on dry climate permaculture/regenerative agriculture. Thanks
To clarify I have no experience in a dry climate. I live in Mississippi, it's hot, wet, and humid here. Pictures of the kind of land iam looking at.

Hi, I am currently in Apache County Arizona. Saint Johns to be exact. It’s beautiful, hot but without the humidity and very dry.

Please beware of buying property sight unseen and be aware that you may be an hour (sometimes more) from the nearest store or fire department/emergency services so plan accordingly. I would highly suggest contacting the Apache County and getting more info on the area and requirements for wells and irrigation. Also be sure to do due diligence and be mindful of any HOAs and their restrictions. Some properties only allow for a single family on 30-40ac and some only allow certain animals.

I am from WV and love it here. My only true complaint is cost of food/goods in town. Things are more expensive because the nearest Walmart, etc is a solid hour away. (So is the ER.) I may go back to WV to visit but it won’t be anytime soon.

Best wishes for you on your endeavors.

https://www.apachecountyaz.gov/

http://fortrockfarms.com/45-simple-living-the-final-step/

Fort Rock farms is in Arizona and an interesting website. You might try to network with them. Link above. Best...M

Paula Frazier wrote:

Silas Rempel wrote:So iam fairly new to permaculture and am iam learning a lot here, thank you.(kind of ironically I learned of permaculture while driving a tractor and listening to audiobooks on a 3,000 conventional row crop farm:) so iam 20 and live at home. And I want to start a permaculture farmstead. Looking at land prices makes you consider selling a kidney or bank robbery. Since bank robbery is illegal if you get Caught I've had to look for cheaper land. Then I found the southwest. $500 an acre all day long. Then I looked at what permaculture has done in these dry almost barren Environments. And iam amazed! The work of Allen Savory, Geoff Lawton and others. So now I ask for your wisdom. Those of you who practice permaculture in dry environments, those of you who have used Allen Savory's methods with results. And just anyone with valuable wisdom that I could possibly benefit from! And any good books to read on dry climate permaculture/regenerative agriculture. Thanks
To clarify I have no experience in a dry climate. I live in Mississippi, it's hot, wet, and humid here. Pictures of the kind of land iam looking at.

Hi, I am currently in Apache County Arizona. Saint Johns to be exact. It’s beautiful, hot but without the humidity and very dry.

Please beware of buying property sight unseen and be aware that you may be an hour (sometimes more) from the nearest store or fire department/emergency services so plan accordingly. I would highly suggest contacting the Apache County and getting more info on the area and requirements for wells and irrigation. Also be sure to do due diligence and be mindful of any HOAs and their restrictions. Some properties only allow for a single family on 30-40ac and some only allow certain animals.

I am from WV and love it here. My only true complaint is cost of food/goods in town. Things are more expensive because the nearest Walmart, etc is a solid hour away. (So is the ER.) I may go back to WV to visit but it won’t be anytime soon.

Best wishes for you on your endeavors.

https://www.apachecountyaz.gov/

Thanks!!!

Michael Littlejohn wrote:http://fortrockfarms.com/45-simple-living-the-final-step/

Fort Rock farms is in Arizona and an interesting website. You might try to network with them. Link above. Best...M

Thanks for the link!! from the little I have read it's quite interesting

Hey!
All right, this is mostly personal experience from a non-expert. I grew up in high desert in New Mexico, and then eventually moved to southern AZ for a lower, very different type of desert. Even living in two different environments, I'd have some thoughts on this.

First - if you are planning to move to the southwest, you do not want to rely on current data on rainfall, etc... for the region. We are going through what many experts believe is a mega drought and things are changing. Rainfall is going down, water table is going down (some wells are drying up), temp is going up, so I highly recommend taking a look at some of the climate projections for the southwest, to really get a good feel for what the area you choose is going to be like in 5-10 years, you know?

Second, if you are thinking of dry climate permaculture for an area, it's also really good to look at rainfall per month (not yearly average), average monthly temps (plus highs and lows), and average humidity. The second desert I was in is MUCH harder to grow plants in, but it actually had higher rainfall averages than the desert I grew up in. But it had much lower humidity, and much higher temperatures, and so overall, the plants struggled a lot more with water needs.

This is actually a problem I see with a lot of dry climate or desert permaculture. I have had so many great desert permaculture ideas that did not work well at ALL where I live, for various reasons particular to my climate. Like, for example, mulch.

Mulch is so-so where I'm at, for example. Rainfall is so low that if you have a 'lot' of mulch, it ends up absorbing the rainfall, without letting it get to the ground, and then it literally evaporates back into the open air (low humidity) without reaching the ground at all. The plant gets LESS water because of the mulch. It's fine if I'm irrigating the plants and can get water UNDER the mulch, but for any plants that I'm not irrigating, anything above a very light mulch has been problematic.

Third, I would go check out water usage rights in the southwest. They are different than in other areas of the country, and can involve things like some limitation with what you can do with any free running water or dry arroyos on your property, so that is good to know before you make any decisions, you know?

Fourth, a lot of areas have some water restrictions now on things like creating wells, depending on where you are at, so also something to pay attention to.

Fifth, for some great plant ideas for your area, I highly recommend tracking down some good edible plant or medicinal plant books for your area. Many of these can be great ideas for something to grow that is native, adapted to the environment, and also very useful and good to grow (and it also may bring in local wildlife that you WANT (like birds, that may eat insects that are trying to eat any food plants you grow).  I like the little pamphlets from Charles Kane, like his 'Wild edible plants of New Mexico,' He has one for Texas and Arizona too, i believe. I have used his to find some great native edible plants that already existed on my property and some I could easily get and plant there, and I haven't had to water them after they were established either.

Just referencing the above - creosote. I'm the opposite in how I view it, LOL. That stuff is absolutely amazing, what it can do. i use it for all sorts of stuff, herbally. (heck, one example study on it and skin cancer - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3138708/  ). Smells great - I make sun tea out of it and use it to wipe down the floors or the counters (and rinse off afterweard) for a great, clean smell.

sixth, and this is just once you GET some property. . You will often hear advice that if you are watering, to do so early morning or late in the evening to conserve water. This is good advice to conserve water. This is also BAD advice if you wanna make a food forest. If there is one thing that critters in dry environments will try to get to, above all else, it is WATER. And as it's often hot, they more often come out in early morning or late evening. Which means that if you water during that time, it basically is like a bell luring all the critters to your plants that you just watered - not uncommon for them to start digging to try and get to the 'source' of the water.

One thing we did was set up small areas with water for the critters, that was close to the plants, but with the plants visually hidden (I set up some fencing and either let a lot of high, native weeds grow around them, or put up dried, dead native plants around the fencing, so it looks 'normal'), and quite frequently, the critters will just go for the water and the plants are much less hassled.

Just on the photos and all the "risks" posted here should make alarm bells ringing and you should do a lot of research before falling in love with it.

THEN:  What is if the land is "just barren" and the price is what it is really worth it?

Well, then you face another challenge:

First of all is building a rainwater catchment with swales and dams everywhere, in that area it looks that you only have enough water when a chicken needs a rubber boat to walk around. Swales and many little ponds (shaded and blocked from winds) that keeps every drip of rain on your new property.

2nd you need mulch, but not to feed it to the erosion.
Check "Chicken tractors on steroids" that will build up healthy soil patch by patch for first perennial veggies.

3rd Keep the erosion in control.
Good solution is using Vetiver Grass to hold the swales in shape, secures your new created fertile patches and it will build up soil that otherwise floats away with the rain.
Vetiver Grass will root down as far it can and builds natural barriers, has some food properties and produces mulch, lots of it.
It also will take control of any poison in the ground, stores it in its roots only and recovers fertilizer in deeper spots brings it back to the surface...

4th get pioneer trees that can stand the draught and build shade asap..

I could list more but this above takes you at least 5-10 years...  

And if neighbors follow up then there might be a truth coming through: The Rain follows the Forest not the Forest the rain! But that needs a couple of acres more.

In Thailand there are some areas like this, plain, deforested, eroded and barren desert.
I have seen a farm who did this above and it is looking surreal when on wind less days there is a little white cloud building up just above it.
But it proves that one single permie can have a major impact on nature and if just a few more follow it could make the first thunder growling since decades.

good luck, would be sure a challenge for me but with 58 years I need already pioneer trees ready to go, that's why I want to convert a rubber plantage.
Still my main goal is to plant a Mangosteen tree which fruits I never will taste myself. (Can take 35 years till it bears fruit)

Thanks for your post!! I wouldn't mind if you listed more!! If I decide to do this, I plan on sticking for the long haul!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwYemzOKgqw

I dont know if its helpful but the above link is a youtube on a fellow using a gas powered auger to drill through caliche if you are interested (Arizona desert.) I do not see any follow ups to his project however.

How about a new tactic?  What about developing a solar power station both photovoltaic and wind (broad canvassed covered wind catchers.) Power is good to have anyway, develop your agriculture in the shade of the power station.   Or just tarp it.

Enhancement:  Dig down, 30 x 30 feet x say 8 feet, cover with your panels and make that your new microclimate,  try to keep some quail, rabbits or other small livestock down there.  Plant Pigeon Peas and lop them off when they get too high. Just let them fall where they may. Try to grow some Kudzu and grass in the rabbit manure.  Keep your experiment confined, doable.  Maybe your project is complete when you've entirely filled in that 8 feet with living organic matter.  Perhaps you can also create a shelf, semi protected to nurse something like Jujube and Acacias around the perimeter. Schematic below:

I recently moved to central New Mexico, with a .75 acre property on the edge of a small canyon, and am finding this information useful.

It's very windy, which makes some strategies rather difficult -- if I try some kind of chop and drop strategy (which I like in theory), I'm pretty sure the organic matter will just blow away. The house provides a windbreak for a couple of feet out, where there are currently large rosebushes. I would like more windbreaks, but am not sure about budget friendly ways to go about this.

Another thing that's a bit mysterious is the acequias ditch irrigation system. As soon as our neighbors do their part, we're supposed to have flood irrigation for about 3 hours every 2-3 weeks April - October. Drought years it's every 3 weeks, other years every 2. I've seen this before, mostly with Bermuda grass and oleander hedges. The water association asks that people use this water for their yards rather than the tap water, but it seems difficult to store. I can't afford to install a tank. I think I could easily grow things like native grasses, wildflowers, sunflowers, and the kinds of bushes that grow along the sides of roads, and have seen quite a few yards like that. Neighbors have successfully grown cottonwood trees on this schedule. I also want things like a three sisters (corn, squash, beans) garden and green chiles, which I'm very sure grow here. But I'm less sure about what watering strategy to use for them. I think I'll need sunken beds to hold the water?

There's a small retaining wall with lots of wild yucca, juniper, and a couple cacti, I think built up to allow a desert garden that would remain un-flooded. I would like to clean this up a bit and introduce larger cacti, agave, and taller yucca at some point.

Dryland / desert growing requires a bit of work and infrastructure. I've had good results with drip irrigation. While poo-poo'd by some, rainwater catchment with a drip system and good mulch seems to be doing quite well. But all of that gear: the catchment, the pipes, the tanks, the plumbing, the trenching for said plumbing, is a lot of work. The mountains are always trying to kill you (joke around here), so you need to build strong systems that can handle the wind, heat, and uv.

The good news is that monsoons seem to be on the uptick because of global warming. Will tricky, they dump a lot of rain very quickly which is perfect for catchment systems. In the drylands you may find yourself doing things that seem misguided to our wetter neighbors. My friend bought a bunch of older solar panels and build a carport and catchment system from them. It's function-stacked, and the roofing (panels) cost him less than if he had gone with corrugated steel. And it's another ~800 gallons annually in the tank.

I feel like living out here is a big chess game, but it's fine, and I'm happy to play it.