Newbie in Palm Springs zone 9b.

Hello everyone,

I’m in Palm Springs with a backyard and front yard I would like to apply permaculture. I’m looking for connections in the area or any local resources.

Thanks in advance

Hi Prema and welcome to Permies!
I've moved your post to California forum, hopefully it will get more relevant attention there for you.
If you have specific questions then tell us more about your plot and what your hopes are. It's always hard knowing where to start, but having a view of where you want to end up will help!

Attached picture is the house with front yard and back yard. As I’m planning for kids , I’m planning more for being able to have permaculture to thrive . Im not sure where to start. So far I got some fruit trees in the from yard and backyard . But I would like to learn and work with  others to convert this into my first permaculture project.

Well, I'm not the best person to advise you, since my environment is completely different! However the starting point is the same where ever you are in the world:
Observation - what is growing well near you, what areas get more sun, rain, wind, what creatures visit (good and 'bad'). If you can, watch what happens over a full year or more unless you already know the property well. You can be surprised by what is hidden under the soil or appears only under certain conditions.
What are your resources? what plants are already growing? Even 'weeds' can be useful resources, many are edible or medicinal, they can tell you the properties of the soil you have. At the very least they help soil organisms (which are good) and add organic matter (which is good).
I would then look at zoning: zone 1 being the area that gets the most attention - usually the house and the area that you would pass many times a day, and zone 5 being completely left to nature. and plan out how you want to lay out the plot.
My suspicion is that water management will be your biggest challenge (in terms of successful growing for food in a small area and reducing inputs) so you may want to take a closer look at the 'greening the desert' forums here.
Hope this helps.

HI,
I live south east of San Diego. Our zone is the same, so I will tell you what we have done. The advise you already got, was a good one. It’s good to observe the yard for a year. For us, it’s also to find out where it’s the hottest. For some areas, you might have mix in trees to get the temperature down. Look at what trees do well for your neighbors. We have a wide variety of trees. You might also want to look into getting a grey water system installed before you add your garden. It happens regularly that we are told, that we are not allowed to water, or we get penalties for too much water use. We also put in plants what are native to the environment, like Prickly pears. You would have to teach the kids to stay away from those, since the thorns are small and nasty.
Dividing your yard into zones, was also a super great advice. We got that when we started out and I am so happy we did. We are using 1 zone for an orchard, 3 zones for different livestock, and other zones for herbs, berries etc. it makes things better organized, and you can place things into the zone that works. My banana trees are placed where they get the most heat and sun, but my rhubarb and herbs are in the coldest zone.
Anyway, good luck with the project. We started this 6 years ago, and haven’t regretted making the change.

Hi Prema,
Have you been in touch with anyone locally yet to help with your design?
I did a quick search for permie gardens or groups when I visited your area last fall. I didn't have much luck. It seems like permaculture is more popular in the nearby high desert areas like Joshua Tree.
For example, these folks did a good job of documenting their work
https://damianlester.wordpress.com/

and this guy has been at it for a long time
https://youtu.be/L2vrbzyR18A

This other guy isn't local but his climate is similar and the urban back yard context might be relatable for you.

I haven't watched his videos in a long time but I remember he stressed the value of his pond in creating a micro climate.

Good luck,
Nick

Hi, Prema!
I have been an avid gardener / permaculture enthusiast for years, mainly in Minnesota’s zone 4. I’ve been living in Palm Springs for a few years and have been wanting to connect with more like-minded green thumbs. My husband and I live in a condo, so no desert food forest yet in our horizon, but if you’d like to connect, feel free to reach out to me!
Vanda

My recommendation would be to:
plant fruiting trees/shrub/vines against the property line every 10ft
plant some root crops in some imported soil/compost/woodchip/etc
plant some herbs and vegetables
rear some egg laying chickens in a chicken coop
rear two beehives, get the chinese knockoff of the flow hive, but don't tell anyone that you are, because then they will freak out, maybe after two years if they find out you can admit to it and say listen you didn't even know until bob told you so that tells you how safe they are, yes remember when I gave you some honey at the christmas thing, yeah that was from the garden. They are totally safe, I got those extra calm and passive breed of honey called xyz.