permaculture

[Rain Tenaqiya <raincascadia@yahoo.com>]

I had a friend who was an apprentice of John Jeavons that was growing all his 
own food for him and his small son on 4000 square feet, in northern 
California.  I recounted this tale a couple years ago, but as I recall it was 
about a half-time job.
 
A student at UCSC also tried growing all his own food using the Biointensive 
method on 4500 square feet, including paths, propagaton area, and compost 
piles (only 2500 of this was actually beds.  You can read about this in the 
Winter 1997 issue of The Cultivar.
 
As I understand it, neither of these projects fully utilized the potential of 
our Meditteranean climate to grow grains and legumes during the Winter.  I've 
recently realized that I could grow most of my food without irrigation if I 
wanted to do it all with annuals (which I don't).  Annual gardening is hard 
work, and my plans are to minimize it.
 
What hasn't been tried, to my knowledge, is to grow all of one's food by 
maximizing the area covered by food forests.  These use practically all the 
sunlight, resulting in greater efficiency and less weeding.  They also 
require much less work and inputs and fulfill more functions.
 
These studies aren't purely academic.  It is useful to know how much land 
needs to be devoted to growing food, whether you live in a small household, a 
community, or a town.  Growing food without fossil fuels will require labor 
intensive methods and minimal transport.  This means that we will need to 
assess the ability of our local land to provide for its inhabitants.
 
I agree that sustainable living is best done in community, but I grew tired 
of looking for a viable community a long time ago.  We each need to do what 
we are capable of doing now.  Until fossil fuels become too expensive to 
allow us to avoid being dependent on our neighbors, community organizing is 
going to be very difficult.  Make the least change for the greatest effect 
and start growing some food.
 
Rain



>From keithdj@mindspring.com  Wed May 12 14:46:29 2010
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Like Rain we have done the same here in Indiana with a 10,000 gallon above 
ground rain catchment tank plumbed to six freeze proof hydrants, entirely fed 
by gravity, which enable me irrigate the entire landscape, even through an 8 
week drought. 8 inches of rain on our 2000 square feet of roof will fill the 
tank. So far I have not dropped the water level in the tank more than a 
couple feet (the tank is 16 ft diam X 7 ft high, water level 6 ft.)See 
http://picasaweb.google.com/KeithDJPcA/FerrocementTankPix02


-----Original Message-----
>From: Rain Tenaqiya <raincascadia@yahoo.com>
>Sent: May 12, 2010 1:47 PM
>To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
>Subject: [permaculture] Low pressure water solutions
>
>I have learned how to adequately supply water to my house and drip 
>irrigation systems from tanks only about ten feet above my house, with one 
>system running right out of the tank to plants next to it.  If anyone is 
>interested in details, just let me know.
>Â 
>Rain
>
>
>      
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