permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflj@bellsouth.net>]

On 11/22/2010 11:05 AM, sals3 wrote:
> I got Bills book years ago PERMACULTURE A Designers' Manual and it really was 
> a great read.  I learn so much but it was
> so many years ago. I started to go to all the permaculture web sites. I 
> already had my trees in and knew fruit trees
> were the way to go. plant when your young and set it up doing the work when 
> you strong and be natural like the forest.
> My trees are big now and old and doing great. I read about water harvesting 
> and seen the picture in the book where He
> digs a hole above the tree line and fill it with mulch as I remember it. I 
> never did that but now water is so costly I'm
> thinking about it. am I too late? I know I can't get a key line plow in here 
> or even a cat to move earth like when you
> start setting up your place. I have not done the layer planting so there is 
> still lots to do but was wondering is it to
> late to set up a water harvest the tree plantings are mostly over 20 years 
> in. I'm in Santa Barbara Ca. it rains in
> winter and dry in summer. we usually get over 10 inches rain a year in 
> winter., weather subtropical , banana belt can't
> grow coconut and every thing like mangoes and bananas and pineapple take much 
> longer to bear and grow real slow. I would
> like to think more about water harvest now if it is not too late. I live on a 
> hill side facing south and when I see how
> water spreads out going downhill underground it makes my mouth water. any 
> ideas ? I don't get any water run off now and
> capture all that rain on the land but no system was put in. I water with a 
> well I had dug years ago but electric has
> gone up and up .
Fascinating, Sal. My suggestion would be to big deep trenches/swales, interconnected as necessary to distribute water 
flow, uphill from the trees and long enough to catch enough flow from the watershed to be worthwhile. Fill the berms 
with mulch. No, it is not too late. Do you have pictures online of your farm showing your fruit tree plantings?

LL