Patrick David

Why not have the clover grow up through the woodchips/mulch?  

You could always sprinkle the mulch back over the clover and gently shake the clover for the mulch to fall under the clover.  Then just water or wait for rain to get any remainging mulch (sitting on leaves) under the clover (even if just an inch of mulch). Most plants will just grow a little taller as long as they are not smushed.

Even adding back in an inch or two or chips/mulch will probably help the trees/soil hold more moisture in the summertime.

Best. wishes!

Good points, Lorinne! I agree - it seems some sort of person(s) caretaking the space would needed with some exceptions.  Renting the place out could really work out with the right people, too.

Thanks S Bengi and Anne!

Lots of good ideas! I hadn't thought of the more snowbird approach to 2 places, but they would seem to have a lot of overlap.

It remind of a market gardener who travels between Maine and Florida:


 

Thanks, CK! Lots of words of wisdom and inspiration!  

Agreed - it makes sense to plan, create, grow, and seek advice for the project so that it will benefit the community, too - and tailor the design to specific locations, too.  Also, in general, for something to succeed long-term, there probably will almost always need to be boots on the ground working towards beneficial goals and insuring the well-being of the area.

I hadn't thought about buffalo, nor the beaches of the Jamaica but will keep those in mind :)

Hey everyone!

I was wondering what people thought about creating/managing multiple permaculture/food forest locations in different/locations zones? I'm not sure what sub-forum to post this in, but I hope homesteading will be ok!

What are some ways to make this happen? I realize this may be very challenging and/or unrealistic.

Are multi-locations realistic/possible? And if so, what might be the best solutions/practices to do so?

Finding managers, collaborations, letting some of the land grow on its own for most of the year?

I'm just daydreaming/brain storming ...

For example, zone 5-7 in the midwest/east US in a humid climate 6-9 months. Then zone 10-12+ for 3-6 months in Latin America. Also maybe a zone 6-10 in a dry location, like somewhere in the western US or Mexico.

Potential Multi-location Challenges & Benefits

Live in a beautiful northern location for most of the spring/summer/fall, and then go somewhere warm for the winter.

Also, for people interested in Greening the Desert, but also interested in living in other locations - how could one do this? Is it even a good idea?

Part of permaculture and soil creation relies on animals, which means someone would need to take care of the animals every day. Or you'd have to create a system without domesticated animals.

Especially with greening the desert ideas, getting a dry climate location with only a few heavier rains per year might take years to really create a serious change in soil, plants, water, etc. So it might be a good idea to work on other projects while this site develops?

Also, (dry lands) protecting against wildfires, etc could be an issue with brush growth, etc.

Not spending too much time traveling between locations. In other words, not ferrying back in forth multiple times per year between locations. Rather visiting each location 1-2x/year for 3-6 months for the most part.

You could start certain projects that take 2+ years to see results on, for example, fruit trees, timber, converting wood chips to compost, etc, and work on other sites/projects while "waiting".

Beside experiencing different parts of the world, you might be able to create/cross-polinate different ideas about permaculture, etc.

Possible solutions

Have one place, and then visit/live at other people's places for part of the year. Basically, have one location and then set up solid exchange/collaboration with another location(s).

Creating permaculture locations that produce enough abundance (food, water, money, community, etc) to be attractive to sustain a well-paid manager for each location.

Set up some sort of small community in each location.

Be involved in several different communities, but not be running your own place.

Spend a lot more money than most. Dedicating more time, energy and resources in creative ways to help facilitate more good outcomes. In other words, since there's multiple locations, you might have to spend more money to get things going, plus expect to dedicate more time and energy to make them sustainable, etc.

Learn to fly an airplane or build a cool bus that would be very comfortable to drive around the country/world:)

Just live in cool weather place and construct a massive tropical greenhouse for the wintertime :)

Find a location with several different microclimates nearby, and reduce travel distances. For example, Southern Cali or near Granada (beach, mountains). Basically anywhere warmer near water but also near mountains.

Thanks and all the best! (multiple edits for clarity + extra ideas)

Thanks bery much Anne and Ralph! Going to pick some now will watch out for worms and stems!

Hello - was wondering if anyone would be willing to identify these - they seem like mulberries.  They taste slightly sweet and a bit crunchy and meally.  They're all over the western suburbs of Chicago right now.  Some trees are 20'+ tall with 1000s of berries.  

No one (humans or otherwise) seem to be eating them - or at least can keep up with eating them, which I find puzzling?  When we had pear and peach trees, there were always bees, etc eating them all day.

I don't know exactly where to look online to identify completely, though I just used the Bing auto identifier and it said Mora aka Mulberry.

Thanks and best wishes!

What an amazing thread! I live in wetter climates, but I do like to daydream about creating a forest in drier climes!

In terms of the Green Wall, folks here might like to see this: https://trees.org/post/aerial-survey-report/ .  It shows how farmers using agroforestry/permaculture methods can transform their own land.  If you go to the link with the full study there's plenty of drone photos before and 1 year later (https://trees.canto.com/s/K9P29)

All the best!