My first design plan on paper 

This is the front of the property ....

And the back 40......

Just wanted to share with y'all !

 

Project up-date 

A quick post of a few "permi" projects 

  A DIY "on the cheap" indoor grow light for the city urban project...

Nothing more than a piece of duct work, threaded rod, nuts and a light fixture (Habitat re-stores are a great place to shop) 

These are the vertical grow tube that will be going in the city urban Aquaponics set up..
The "tubes" are post protectors that get buried around fence poles.... (the terracotta color will look nice in a living room) The "foam" in the one on the left is "gutter guard" (all from the re-store) just two plant pods cut and formed so far.

This is the start of the Rocket Mass Heater thats going to heat the "hoophouse"

The layout

After the mortar ...

Fitting the top... This is a recycled 40 gallon water heater...

After the chimney hole was cut ... Started the run that will be the "mass" of the heater ... The chimney will be covered in "cob" a mix of clay, sand and straw. It will run around two walls of the hoophouse and will be behind the Aquaponics tank. This will keep everything nice and warm in the winter months. The Rocket-Mass heaters are designed to burn "stick fuel" not what ya would put into a wood stove ... So picking up the yard (or harvesting prunings) will supply the fuel !

Now that is Permaculture !



 

 

Permaculture in pictures 

Some folks would ask..... Why are Y'all mulching the yard like that ??

And some did ... With an added ... Did ya spray weed killer before ya put the mulch down (so the grass won't grow through) Sheet mulch... 6+ inches will do a fine job ! That's ZONE 1 folks !

And I have heard .... I can't do "stuff" like that ... I live in the city Jungle ....

Now that's PERMACULTURE !!!

The Aquaponics project.....

 
In the spring summer I got around to cutting up a perfectly good IBC ......

To make an aquaponics system for my small (10x10) hoophouse

Just a few cuts to put the top upside down into the bottom of the pallet (sounds complicated but not so much) Once it was set in the house .... We added some minnows to start ....

Next was the plumbing and gravel that the plants will be growing in .....

After a  few days to a week ... It took a few weeks for the water levels pH, ammonia, nitrite, and phosphate levels to equal out .... Once they all did it was and is still so worth the wait !

And the fish are growing well and will taste good with some fresh greens !

I am now working on a small "urban" set up for a very good friend to have in her apartment .... Fish and greens without going to the supermarket ..... That's PERMACULTURE !!!

MY START

 Where do I start .... I have for many years been able to see that something was wrong in this country and getting worse. Everything from the political way down to the "food" that we are consuming (the F.D.A. actually calls some if it "food"). Over a lot of years listening to the "news" and then the talking head type A.M. radio crowd, I was just fed up ! I went looking for something different, that's where I found this guy screaming into a handheld recorder in traffic on his daily commute. This man spoke a tune that struck a cord with me ..... "A better way to do this " is what Jack Spirko's podcast was all about  http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/ 

Listening to Jack over the years I was introduced to a thing called "Permaculture" .... I was listening... That is where I heard the name Geoff Lawton ..... And from there I was interested HOOKED .... With the help of a VERY DEAR PERSON, I was off to an online P.D.C. with the man himself.... 

I have taken his advice and started this site ...... Won't ya have a small tour of what this thing we call Permaculture can do for the world and all living in it !!! 

Old Ford Tractors-Do it right!

By Martin

1952 Ford 9N
Purchased from a good friend!
-Rest in Peace Leo

Martin promotes a self-sustainable lifestyle and encourages others to do the same through emergency preparedness instruction and most recently, permaculture design consulting.