Growing vegetation on the desert has many challenges. One challenge is that hard, dry ground makes it difficult for anything to take root. We’ve been working on developing good soil, but regular watering is required. Rainwater-harvesting earthworks are designed to help, but that by itself would take quite a few seasons to transform desert into […]
Irrigation Changes Everything! Read More »
Gravel and urbanite, stormwater and topsoil: all inadvertent gifts from neighbors near and far. Some people may look at these things as problems rather than gifts, but we turn problems into solutions and put them all to good use! Years before we bought this property I’m guessing one or more contractors delivered quite a bit
Generous Neighbors Read More »
Last year our big infrastructure project was running a waterline from the well – located three properties away – down to the ranch (four properties share one well). That project was a lot of work and full of surprises. Over the last year we’ve been doing rainwater-harvesting earthworks and building soil for Gardens, Gardens, and
We have a lot to be thankful for this year! Hacking an existence out of the desert is no easy task, so it makes us appreciate all the more the little wins along the way that add up to something significant. I want to highlight some of the simple things that are paying dividends.
Now that I raise chickens I hear this all the time: “Chickens are little dinosaurs!” Really? It never ceases to amaze me how many tall tales evolutionists invent and propagate. But because they captured government schools and other influential institutions so long ago, they are able to get away with it. Most Americans were taught
Was T.Rex Just a Big Chicken? Read More »
After acquiring eight acres in the middle of the San Pedro River Valley, we arrived to start building Sabbatical Ranch one year ago today. It has been an incredible adventure! A cynic could have told us, “You’re just a bunch of starry-eyed dreamers about to get slapped in the face with reality!” Someone did tell
Happy 1st Birthday, Sabbatical Ranch! Read More »
We have all kinds of learning opportunities to share with you! There are local and online classes (a free webinar next week on 7 Steps to a Healing Garden) and we have a variety of ranch projects that are a great opportunity if you’d like to volunteer to learn. I explain some of our progress
Volunteer to Learn Read More »
The idea of using animals to grow abundant plants is a bit counter-intuitive because almost everyone has probably witnessed the effects of overgrazing. Imagine any kind of fenced-in animals and it doesn’t take very long for the ground to become barren of vegetation and start looking like a desert. There has also been a lot
Building Productive Soil With Animals Read More »
That sounds like a ridiculous question. But rumors abound. Hmmm. Let’s get to the bottom of this. Our alpha hen, Java, goes around crowing like a rooster, but gets all the privileges of being a hen. For example, I mentioned in a previous post how I had thrown a big grub to Old Whitey and
Can a Hen Turn into a Rooster? Read More »
We’re looking forward to restarting our Superadobe building projects, but the winter break has allowed us to get a lot of other stuff done. One of the most important is installing many water-harvesting earthworks that will help stop erosion of our topsoil and will help build living soil which will enable abundant food production. Rainwater
Plant the Rain, Grow the Soil, Reap the Harvest Read More »
