Permaculture Homestead Design To Enhance Rainwater Harvesting

[@Blue1Sapphire]

A drone capturing areal videos of your property as u refer to is as south and north side would greatly enhance your videos by giving viewers a greater understanding of the properties layout, thereby increasing viewer mumbers.

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Thanks! Saving up for one currently!✌🏾

[@wijn1008]

man if you could get a woodchipper there... you could use all the deadwood / excess branches as woodchip mulch.

[@stolearovigor281]

100%

[@a_fellow_homesteader]

Definitely on our list! ☺️✌🏾💜

[@mahalaburton1055]

That’s what I think share one within the small group of other landowners. Cleaning up the trees of all the dead stuff will allow the trees beauty to emerge, cut fire risk and mulch all the swales and berms the evaporation rate is great in desert climate mulch slows it allows slower percolation more water in the saturation zone.

[@thegiggler2]

I literally scrolled down to make the same comment. Funny....a commercial level chipper would create a lot faster breakdown and soil remediation and a nice absorbent matrix for the rains.

[@hirokawiti4932]

Yes please someone local help us put pls

[@maha333g5]

Wow... all of your hard work is starting to take shape!!! Amazing!!

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Thank you so much!✌🏾

[@bonanzatransport]

The transformation is there, the tractor really helps. Thanks for posting, Brandon..

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Yes it does! And thank you!✌🏾

[@rm6857]

The transformation is there, shaving made him look 10years younger lol.

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

@@rm6857 instant transformation!✌🏾😅

[@AlanW]

The flow vs angled trech diagram very much helped with understanding the design of the earthworks!

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Nice I'm glad!✌🏾

[@Mariano.Bernacki]

Great new look, you look younger & more professional. Great content as well.

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Thank you so much 🤗😅✌🏾

[@mahalaburton1055]

Thanks!

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Very much appreciated! Thanks for supporting the project!✌🏾

[@stephaniewilson3955]

When you are cutting off the bigger branches it will pay you to cut at the bottom before cutting down. A little wedge removed will also remove the risk of the bark tearing below the branch.

[@ziggybender9125]

Yeah I don't think they do a lot of research but what you're referring to is a relief cut. They also probably haven't done much research into cold joints in concrete either but they tend to like learning the hard way so what can ya do.

[@a_fellow_homesteader]

@@ziggybender9125we do research all the time 😄 tho always learning and appreciate new insight knowledge and tips. We have learned plenty about concrete and cold joints in our 8 years of EarthShip building. Luckily the main gabion wall has no concrete and I am building the middle walls the way I am with the mix I use to deal with and mitigate any cold joints ✌🏾💜

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Thank you appreciate that. I forget on occasion, but I do do that!✌🏾😅

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

That's why the concrete work has been done in stages, we obviously couldn't get all this done in one day, so the cold joints, that's why the open V shape in the divider wall, the V will be filled and be another "block" almost. Just gotta look...

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

You make it sound like we've had all these problems because we chose to do things different than what's conventionally done and we're having to come back to correct mistakes....?

[@UlrikCeljski]

good work Brandon, keep it up

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Appreciate it! Thank you!✌🏾

[@garryhancock3394]

Progress is progress no matter where it's taking place. Always good to see your smile. Just a request, when talking about an area, would it be possible to show it on your map? Just helps me to imerse myself a bit more in your journey.

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Thank you. I definitely can incorporate the map a bit more for reference!✌🏾

[@garryhancock3394]

​@@GrowTreeOrganicsmany thanks, that would be a great help to many I think. Keep up the great work.❤

[@allonesame6467]

Awesome!

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Thank you! Cheers!✌🏾

[@cptcosmo]

Connect your Zuni bowls and catch basins with planted swales that drain at 1/8" to 1/4" per foot, that would help distribute water across your topology. You could also start planning on water harvesting off the roof of the gabion wallapini... collect the rainwater leaders in to a cistern whch you could make from multiple surplus IBC totes and PVC/ABS plumbing, and route the over flow in to your swale system. BTW, I'm an Architect in northern CA. Love your hybrid construction of gabion and rammed earth. Are you adding any portland cement to your rammed earth mix, or just local clays?

[@a_fellow_homesteader]

We will be planting come winter. Part of the point of our swales is not to drain or flow. They will instead have an overflow that do exactly what you describe, all the earthworks are interconnected. We definitely already have lots of plans for harvesting water from the roof. The rammed earth is just dirt from our land. The mud mixes I make for the walls and posts have various ratios of Portland, depending on what I am mudding.

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

The rammed earth ends up drying just as hard as cement! Glad to hear from an architect! Appreciate the ideas!✌🏾

[@cptcosmo]

@@GrowTreeOrganics I've done some studies on Cobb Construction when I was in Architecture school in Oregon at the UofO, which isn't much different from your system, and that stuff is like concrete as long as it stays dry. Your Rock Gabion/Rammed Earth should have a higher thermal mass with the stone, and rammed earth is going to be denser than Cobb, making the interior a very stable environment depending on how you do the roof. Is this going the Wallapini going to be a greenhouse or an Earthship?

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

@@cptcosmo that's cool to know about your studies with Cobb Construction. But totally understand what you're saying. I'll be excited to show temperature, humidity, and the overall performance of the Earthship..... it will be an Earthship!😅✌🏾

[@yas4435]

Good planning Brandon!! Looking forward to next developments! ❤❤

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Thank you, things are gonna be picking up soon!✌🏾

[@nilesdelta8636]

Your explanation made perfect sense

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

I'm glad it did! Thank you!😁✌🏾

[@BorderlandHomesteadAZ]

I hope you guys can get some good aerial shots now and then over the years so everyone can see the progress and greening from a birds eye view. Great work as always. I really enjoy your videos.

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

We definitely will! Appreciate your support!✌🏾

[@hirokawiti4932]

Nice 🎉chop n drop😮House is looking solid also glad you got your tractor moving. Got lot done this week, also I'm glad to hear you will be fencing off your property. Also another exciting addition

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

So much still to be done and to show!😅✌🏾

[@flyoverurbangarden4315]

Excellent planning and progress.

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Thank you very much!✌🏾

[@farmerjhemp]

Thanks for the update 🎉🎉🎉!

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

You bet!✌🏾

[@lazerblade2]

Got any videos on wall-building with the cement? Keep going, guys! Can't wait to see the house finished.

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

I think Neka will have a video on that on her channel, but I have a few videos of her working on the wall. Not a full episode on it though! In the same boat can't wait to get this more finished✌🏾

[@a_fellow_homesteader]

Yes! I am currently working on a bit of a mud/cement series on my mixes and doing some of the wall ✌🏾💜

[@leefox1358]

Thanks

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Thank you thank you! Appreciate the support✌🏾

[@leefox1358]

Thanks Guys keep up the good work

[@cptcosmo]

Have you ever thought of building yourselves a Zeer Pot style natural food cooler that work off evaporation? A large sized unit would be like a chest deep freezer in function and cold retention when opening the zeer pot. unglazed and glazed clay bricks could be used to build this with a sand filling that you dampen. You could easily make a 4' x 8" cooler with bricks and a foam insulated plywood cover, and put a shade roof over it (which can add you your rainfall harvesting area for a potable water cistern system).

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

I have looked into those, they're pretty cool. We may possibly experiment with that concept, but for now we'll stick with 21st century tech!😅✌🏾

[@cptcosmo]

@@GrowTreeOrganics LOL I don't blame you one bit. Hard to beat those modern conveniences!

[@OfftoShambala]

I plan to try something like that… after a bunch of other projects get done… I like to be prepared for the loss of tech.

[@HydroMaester]

Have you thought about putting in a few shallow groundwater monitoring wells (a bit manpower intensive, depending on the type chosen, but possible for a couple of people to do) to quantify the water infiltration? From what I am seeing in the videos it appears that you have been very successful in capturing the runoff, It would be interesting to see how much is infiltrating vs evaporating. Keep up the great work!

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Hmm would be interesting to look into that!✌🏾

[@hirokawiti4932]

If there is it's a free water supply through the dryspells

[@robertlemoine3500]

Thankyou for sharing your thoughts and plan .😊

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

No problem thank you for listening!✌🏾

[@abrighterday508]

Hi mate, another great inspiring video. If you trim the bigger branches finishing upwards, the branches won't run down the tree. Be safe big G 🌲🌲🌲🌴🌴🌴🌴🌲🌲

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Thank you, but indeed, we'll be trimming trees this winter!✌🏾

[@abrighterday508]

@GrowTreeOrganics Woohoo..20 years ago as a young man, I'd be 6 metres up a gum tree in the forestry, pruning..I am probably the only guy who genuinely gets excited about someone trimming trees 🌳 🌳 🌲 🌴 🌳

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Too funny!😅✌🏾

[@jeffreyc9183]

Awesome

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Thank you!✌🏾

[@WildMountianCats]

Nicca has a channel too I found! Great to see the both of you! Amazing work 😄

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Nice glad you found it!✌🏾

[@lazerblade2]

"how is it we're achieving so much by only focusing on one thing?" My adhd brain: There's other ways to do it?

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Too funny!😅☺️✌🏾

[@isaacchristensen659]

Looks great!

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Thanks!✌🏾

[@mahalaburton1055]

Nice face without hair and with but it must be cooler. You and Mika are applauded on your own sweat for achieving so much in a short time always with smiles and suffering insults with dignity. Keep educating .

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Really appreciate it! The positive comments definitely outweigh the negative. Thanks for your support!✌🏾

[@a_fellow_homesteader]

@@mahalaburton1055 I love his face without hair, but also miss his fuzz 😂😅✌🏾💜 thank you for your comment and support 🥰

[@mahalaburton1055]

@@a_fellow_homesteader did I spell your name correctly ? Hard to differentiate the m from n . Someone wrote Nikka .on another comment I wrote Mika .

[@a_fellow_homesteader]

@@mahalaburton1055 it’s Neka 😅 no worries! 💜💜 i got one of those names

[@dirttdude]

could maybe screen the rock out of your ponds and or holes, keep the rock for your house and McCloud the soil down to assist in water retention and armor it with the small rock that's left over

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Definitely could thanks!✌🏾

[@smckay6438]

Remember if you take out the rocks in the soil next to house , it will expand more if you add water ! (Subsidence) Same with the dirt under you ! So be prepared for movement up and down in the ground soil ! And the soil next to house will expand causing stress on rock walls ! Should not be a big problem, just going to have to patch cracks! (just pointing out possible reasons) This will also show your picking an easily repairable structure correct, cement would not be compatible !😊

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

It's good then that we didn't remove many rocks in the direct area of the greenhouse then!😁✌🏾

[@smckay6438]

@@GrowTreeOrganics i dont think it will be a major problem, more like bi seasonal repairing! The biggest worry, i think will be movement transfering up to roof and causing water leakage during a storm or right after ! I actually did subsidence contracting in so California, driveways and foundations! The best part about the way you guys are doing it, is its so simple and natural its easy to repair or rework ! Modern is not always the best way !its waist full and causes pollution and i literally hate that, that and waisted effort! Good luck and looking forward to next vid !😊

[@richavic4520]

I'm kinda late to the game. You mentioned energy. That is the entailment of the whole erosion/deposition cycle. My compliments to the chef!

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Thank you!✌🏾

[@medcherif1124]

bravo , bon courage ❤

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Thank you very much!✌🏾

[@HyrimBot]

that made sense.

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Nice im glad!😁✌🏾

[@ninemoonplanet]

What local species are you planning for the overstructure canopy? It might pay off to attempt trying to start either cuttings or seeds so you can n use them in a year or two. Chop and drop is better than chipping because the wood breaks down slow enough to absorb and release moisture over time. You could "bury" them half way to increase the moisture content.

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

I had shown a little bit of the little tree saplings we have, some Desert willow, gamble Oak, mesquite, black walnuts, sugarberry hackberry, but definitely lots of planting coming in winter! I'll definitely break down the branches for more surface area. Little steps at a time!✌🏾

[@stolearovigor281]

Consider the entire ecosystem. The birds, animals... some will eat fruits from fruit trees and bushes and will spread it around. Some permaculture things. Update: I have watched the video. Great job! Great views!

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Great point! Thank you!✌🏾

[@DavidBuzz]

Try to debark the bits of your wood, especially bits that are in contact with the dirt. Beetles/insects/fungi will destroy the wood much faster with "bark on".

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Definitely had finished the last couple that needed the exposed part de barked after that video, thanks. ✌🏾

[@AllSpeed]

i read the junipers can use 6000 gallons a year. if thats the case theres no wonder the grass is struggling.

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Yep and there's thousands more trees that suck up more water than that! Including pine trees, desert willows, among the many, but grasslands are still abundant around those trees and ecosystems...?🤔 I'm curious what you read?✌🏾

[@AllSpeed]

@@GrowTreeOrganics it might not be specifically the amount, but the National Parks Service describes them as having besides the taproot, a mat of fibrous roots closer to the soil’s surface to capture rain water. these mats can go out 100ft from the tree.

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

@@AllSpeed yea that's right. Adaptations in a dry environment would be similar with all the vegetation here. If you can find pictures take a look at the Prescott national forest, all juniper for the most part, but you'll find an abundant Grassland under the canopy and around the canopy of trees. It's very well filled in with grasses and a diversity of other plants. The juniper theory could essentially be thrown out by simply observing the national forests here in our area. It's hard to show on camera what I'm seeing personally, which are other variables playing into why there's no grass on certain parts of the property!✌🏾

[@MosaicHomestead]

Tell your wife I saw you using a Electric chainsaw 😂...This is a very interesting build, I have seen earth bag and tire construction, but this is different, I'm familiar with what you're saying about slowing down water with basins, I took the KZbin online Oregon State university permaculture course.

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Yea Andrew Millison definitely explains and covers a lot!✌🏾

[@rasyio]

Yes it made sense lol

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

I'm glad!😅✌🏾

[@goodwaterhikes]

😎☮

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

✌🏾💚

[@chadleach6009]

Why do you continually specify what kind of walapini it is? Do you have other walapinis there so this is how you differentiate them?

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Possibly... there are plans for other gabion structures! So that's where my thoughts were!😅✌🏾

[@farmerjhemp]

I think this gabion walapini is the 1st of it's kind. I've never seen anyone on KZbin build anything quite so unique.

[@user-vo3st8kx7s]

Hello How do you finance yourself Brandon?

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Hello! That comes from KZbin ad revenue but also from supporters like yourself. We had sold our previous property, so that was the start up capitol!✌🏾

[@risacademics]

Another channel speaks about pulling junipers because they take a lot of water from other plants and they are invasive to the desert. Are you planning on pulling some junipers? 🐺

[@a_fellow_homesteader]

We have a different view of the junipers. They play a pivotal role in the existing ecosystem here. Shade, bio mass, as well as under and around them is where much of our vegetation grows. Also, pine trees, fruit trees ect ect suck up way more water than the junipers. But we have and will cut down junipers slowly overtime ✌🏾💜🌳

[@JackHawkinswrites]

From personal experience in Ash Fork, AZ. Leaving the junipers in the ground is an error, if you want to create a agricultural homestead. Fruit trees are economically productive, cedars are not. They are an invasive species and should be removed and composted if the desire is to utilize the ground productively.

[@risacademics]

@@a_fellow_homesteader that makes sense. The other channel was doing it overtime as well. Think he was also working on building pastureland. Shade a big deal as well for you guys. They look beautiful. Can see the environment, taking shape 🐺

[@a_fellow_homesteader]

@@JackHawkinswriteswe come from Montana with the same pine juniper type of forest. Insanely similar to here. It is not an error in our opinions. There are well over 400 year old trees here. We are not going to chop them all down. But will work to create biodiversity with other trees over time as well as prune some junipers out.

[@a_fellow_homesteader]

@@risacademicsyes 😄just a slow process as not to “destroy” the existing ecosystem, but further the biodiversity. We sure need all the shade we can get!😅✌🏾💜🌳

[@hirokawiti4932]

Hope this Storm hasn't affected you guys adversly✌️

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Nope it's been hot and dry here! Thanks for looking out!😅✌🏾

[@hirokawiti4932]

@@GrowTreeOrganics 🤣great news bro glad to hear it

[@UlrikCeljski]

Think also about this tehniques, which made really success in India. CCTs - continued contour trenches - look at some of Andrew Millison footage ...kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2nRoqGFmNR_p6c

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

I've watched a lot or most of Andrew millisons work and KZbin and yes I have heard of the cct's 😅✌🏾

[@mahalaburton1055]

I like him too.

[@bestpoker]

An architecture blueprint(home and landscaping) would help you prioritize and execute. Kudo's for trying to do permaculture. The homestead looks like a mess tho.

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

There is one, thank you for your statement and we're practicing Permaculture, not trying. What was your channel called? Id Love to see your expertise and how you've employed it on your property.

[@a_fellow_homesteader]

@@bestpoker we are living in a tent… while building up. We definitely have our priorities and are executing them as best we can. Things are not gonna be all neat and tidy to everyones standards until things get finished up a bit ✌🏾💜

[@mahalaburton1055]

The homestead is a work in progress two people only creating everything from scratch it’s not a mess it’s projects being created and materials sourced and animals cared for in triple degree heat .

[@a_fellow_homesteader]

@@mahalaburton1055 💜💜

[@chriswiedeman490]

keep shaving! you look more believable! The beard makes ya look like a sketchy hippy.

[@chriswiedeman490]

now you look like a regular happy hippy!

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Ahh I see. I usually feel pretty regular and happy, but gotta shave every once in a while too!😅✌🏾

[@suchoi61]

Too much talking all ways the same!

[@GrowTreeOrganics]

Thanks! The mute button is one click away so you don't have to hear my video I made with me talking in it.✌🏾

[@mahalaburton1055]

Just read the transcript if talking bugs you .