First let me introduce myself. I am John.
For the last few years, I have been learning all that I can about
Permaculture without spending money I do not have, and not having the ability to implement anything as I was living in an apartment without so much as a balcony to grow anything on.
More and more it has become a bit of an obsession for me.
However, I am at a point where I am ready to actually put what I have learned into practice, and learn what I am ignorant of.
I have done a good bit of
gardening in the past (even using many
permaculture techniques without even knowing the word "Permaculture"), but I have only done so in the Northern Illinois area, where the soil is so good that to grow plants is exceedingly easy (When I owned a house with a big
yard, I could dig 2 feet deep and see nothing but fine black topsoil filled with worms.)
I am about to embark on an adventure that is far more difficult.
Tomorrow, I am planning to start off to Colorado to spend a week looking at plots of
land, one of which I will purchase ASAP. Most of the larger and less expensive land that I have found online is in Park and San Juan counties. I
should be able to get 5-10 acres of land there, and have
enough money left to get supplies, materials,
solar panels, etc right away. The goal is to, by the end of this summer, have swales dug, some planting done (seed balls spread), and at least plan for construction of an abode and greenhouses, to make this land inhabitable, in a
sustainable and self-sufficient manner for a small group of people (right now, I have only one other person planning to live there with me, so there would be space to add more people as compatible people are found.) For buildings, I have been mainly interested in earthen construction (
cob, earthships, earthbag, etc) as well as hempcrete. For growing food, I would use a combination of
permaculture methods, greenhouses (mainly
compost heated, such as Growing Power uses), and also incorporating
biochar to the greatest extent possible (it seems like the best way to get
carbon into the soil and keep it there.) I have been
vegetarian for over 20 years, so would probably only have a small amount of poultry for eggs, and a couple goats or sheep for
milk.
As I do this, I intend on documenting all that I do along the way, to pave the way for others to follow suit (and making this documentation available free online). As I also am a painter and electronic musician, I intend on dedicating all future profits from my work helping others follow the path of sustainability, as well as seeking crowdfunding for future projects. (I too have grand plans, not for
world domination, but world liberation. They are far too complex to go into in this post, however.)
I am posting this not only for sake of introduction, but also an open solicitation for help, advice, seeds, networking, and any other assistance that anyone here would wish to contribute. I have some familiarity with Colorado, but am admittedly very limited in my knowledge of the State. Part of the concept of what I am wanting to do is to pick one of the hardest places to grow things, and begin the process fully acknowledging my ignorance (perhaps even overstating it), for the simple reason of showing "If I can do it here, anyone can do it anywhere." I have been reading this forum on and off for a couple years now, but only now am I at a point where I decided to become active here, as until now, this has only been a theoretical thing for me. Very shortly it will be much more than mere theory.
I know I am probably diving into figurative waters way above my head here, which is why I greatly appreciate any assistance that anyone would care to give. Thanks in advance!
Open source ftw
