Chris George

Hi Shawn,

So, per your instructions I paid an additional $5 through Paypal today (5.14) for the additional shipping.  So I've paid $30 total now, see below my VISA credit card charge from May 10th.

May 10, 2019
KICKSTARTER.COM
Shopping $25.00 See details about this transaction

Thanks again!!  I assume I will be asked at a later date how many physical books and how many e-books I want.

Chris George

I received an email from Shawn Klassen-Koop saying my pledge was weird.  I signed up at the 'new' $25 level which is as follows:

Pledge $25 or more
more books
INCLUDES:
2 Physical Books, or 6 eBook Gift Codes, or a mix of each!
+ Everything in CANDY
+ Everything in THANKS
ESTIMATED DELIVERY
Oct 2019
SHIPS TO
Anywhere in the world

(I was previously at the $20 level)

Thanks!
Chris George

I'm in!! Just ordered my manual, it will arrive in a couple of days....holiday gift to myself I'll try to catch up as fast as possible.

I live in the Sonoran Desert on an urban property (3rdAcreFarm) in Scottsdale, AZ. I do aquaponics and have been considering building a greenhouse using the Chinese design model (Thick wall at the North, partial angled roof and then an arc down to the soil on the South side). It seems to me that this design captures the maximum amount of sun...positioning of the fish tanks inside up against the North wall act as the heat sink in the winter time. For summer use, it would be completely covered with shade cloth and cooled with a solar powered water wall. I am debating this Chinese design against a Geodesic dome design. Do you have an opinion on either of these greenhouse designs?

Thank you Mr. Falk!! Great suggestions and all very do-able! I have one question from your suggestions..."make it so you can release shade trees which are maintained as coppice/pollard normally until it gets too hot -that could be over multiple years more than in a single year." I'm not familiar with the terms 'coppice/pollard'...please explain further. Thanks!

Chris George
3rdAcreFarm / Scottsdale, AZ

Thanks again Tyler! The Phoenix Permaculture site is Valley Permaculture Alliance, the group facilitating the Permaculture Design Course I am enrolled in. Thank you for the other link as well, I will check it out. Appreciate your time...

Chris George
3rdAcreFarm / Scottsdale, AZ

Resilience "I mean the ability deal effectively with disturbance, to bounce back and be adaptive in the face of change." Ben Falk.

I live in the Sonoran Desert and have an urban farm on 1/3 acre, though not technically a homestead...it is 'my' homesite. Climate change has already brought higher heat in the summer, weird weather (warm winter, then abnormally freezing temperatures), continued drought conditions....etc., here in the desert Southwest.

What might be some strategies for the future?

Here are some of the ideas I have pondered, would love your input Mr. Falk:

I have been thinking that it might be wise to plant more of the lowest chill hour deciduous trees to hopefully have them producing even though the chill hours have dropped super low. And, planting many more varieties so flowering irregularities will still work for pollination.

Utilizing more and different varieties of aquaponics systems to have a 'back-up' food production system if the 'in-ground' system can't survive the climatic changes, or doesn't produce as expected one or more seasons.

Continual planting of new fruit trees with the assumption that the lifetime of existing fruit trees may be shortened or drought conditions may cause some to suffer an early death.

All I can think of off the top of my head. Look forward to your comments....

Chris George
3rdAcreFarm / Scottsdale, AZ

Thanks Tyler! Both of those sources are great resources, but both are based in Tucson, AZ, 1000 ft. higher than I am here in the Phoenix Metro area. I've attended talks by Brad Lancaster and he will be one of the presenters at my PDC course (as well as Toby Hemenway/Gaia's Garden author). We get extreme heat here in the 'Valley of the Sun'...and low chill hours for fruit (150-250 hrs on average), odd rainfall pattern of calm rain in the winter months (not much in the way of inches), and wild crazy monsoon storms in late summer (dropping up to 3+ inches in a matter of hours). My goal is to produce a balanced nutrient, edible harvest/production year round using what water we have here as wisely as possible. Might be I'm one of the ones developing 'best practices' for my location.....was hoping Mark Shepard would have some good ideas. We are similar in climate to the Middle East and some other areas, haven't done all of my research as of yet.

I would appreciate any resource information regarding perennial and forest gardens for the desert Southwest, Sonoran desert.

I have an urban farm in Scottsdale, a suburb of Phoenix, AZ. I am currently a PDC student. I have canopy Aleppo pine, Willow acacia, elm, african sumac, palo verde, tamarisk, over & beside deciduous stone fruit, pom fruit, almonds & fig trees....perennial grapes, blackberries, asparagus, artichokes, herbs, peppers, eggplant. Those are in "N40" (approx. 40'x40'), my first section installed at the farm. As I have nurtured the deciduous trees the canopy has almost overcome my incoming sunshine, yet provides protection from the cruel summer temperatures.

I am installing the greywater fed section next and searching for any/all additional information of forest garden successes (& failures) here in my immediate region.

I'd also very much appreciate more information about your involvement with Organic Valley Co-op, how the co-op model works for a farmer, how it might work for an urban (small) farmer, any thoughts along those lines. I am part of a group trying to create something similar here in our area.

Chris George / 3rdAcreFarm / Scottsdale, AZ

Hi Aranya, I just ordered your book a couple of days ago, so it's due to arrive any minute....looking forward to having you here to answer questions, what a treat!

Chris George
3rdAcreFarm / Scottsdale, AZ