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Permaculture in Nicaragua
I’m going to go out on a limb and declare: the future of humanity depends on the widespread development of food forests. For many reasons. First of all, we need more and more trees of all kinds to sequester carbon and cool the planet (as well as a host of other benefits.) Secondly, we need to develop soil health and stop erosion, and trees are the answer to that too. And if you want trees, why not fruit and nut trees, and trees that produce other useful products, like cinnamon, or the miracle tree Moringa.
One of the great things about food forests is their sustainability. If done utilizing permaculture principles, a food forest can exist for decades or more after being established. Besides the trees, hundreds of varieties of bushes, vines and other perennials can live in the understory of the forest. And with a some regular maintenance, humans can grow annual vegetables as well as raise livestock which are beneficial to the sustainability of the forest.
If you’re interested in developing a food forest, I welcome you to subscribe to the following YouTube channel as we document our creation of such at Centro Educativo Suelo Sano in Nicaragua.
Posted in homesteading, sustainability
Tagged central america, food forest, homestead, homesteading, nicaragua, permaculture, save the planet, sustainability
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Another Mud House
This is a very good project, very instructive for those who want to build with cob.
Posted in homesteading, sustainability
Tagged adobe, bioconstruction, clay, cob, construction, diy, homestead, straw bale, sustainability, tiny house
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Carbon Sequestering and Growing Food
This method, as with composting, requires a consistent supply of water. The desert landscape may not have as good results. Then again, soil with wood should retain water better when it does rain.
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Whitewashing to protect my Adobe Walls
After two or three huge rainstorms I realized how important it was to protect my adobe walls. I lost a lot of “mud”, especially the plaster that was applied directly to wood planks. So I’ve been spending my time “whitewashing” with lime. Its an easy process, but because it is toxic, one has to wear gloves, goggles, and cover all exposed areas. And in this heat…
Most of the storms came out of the mountains from the South and East, but even this North side lost some plaster, still I was able to whitewash it before too much sloughed off.
Most of the whitewashing is done now, which makes my little abode look much more Mediterranean!
Posted in homesteading, tiny houses
Tagged adobe, alternative building materials, arizona, brick-making, bricks, clay, cob, construction, desert, homestead, homesteading, permaculture, Rastra, small house, sonoran, straw bale, sustainability, tiny house, tucson, water collection
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Catching Water in the Desert
Its the rainy season in the Sonoran Desert, the “Monsoons” have arrived right on schedule. This is a greatly anticipated event, and yet I have found myself somewhat unprepared for the volumes of water pouring down, usually all within a half hour period.
This is around 150 gallons of rainwater harvested from just three short showers. We just had two big storms blow through and it is now full.
Lately I have been applying lime whitewash to protect the walls from so much rain. You can see here some patches of plaster I had to add because the wet mud had just sloughed off.
This is a great example of how a swale works. This is a classic technique of permaculture to capture water by storing it in the soil. Ideally I should plant a nice tree to take advantage of the increased soil moisture.
So far all the water is being diverted around the building. These puddles will soon soak completely into the ground.
To the left of the rocks is my compost pile, getting a good dose of water. Once I have it full I plan to convert it into my first small garden plot. I will have to build a cage first to protect the plants from all the critters.
Posted in homesteading, sustainability
Tagged adobe, alternative building materials, arizona, clay, cob, construction, desert, graywater harvesting, green, greywater, homestead, homesteading, permaculture, rainwater collection, sonoran, straw bale, sustainability, tiny house, tucson, water, water collection
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Progress here and there
This is the bath area where I shower and shave, at least its out of the wind, usually.
Finished plastering another corner and applied a layer of aliz “paint”
This is my front and only door, almost finished plastering the outside now. Next will come a layer of lime whitewash to waterproof it.
Posted in homesteading, tiny houses
Tagged adobe, alternative building materials, arizona, clay, cob, construction, desert, green, homestead, homesteading, permaculture, Rastra, small house, straw bale, sustainability, tiny house, tucson
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One wall finished, Another Corner
After much plastering and a final layer of alis (clay paint) I have finally finished the interior of one half of my one-room dwelling.
This is a shot from several months ago to give you an idea how far along its come, and why it has taken so long.
Et Voila!!
The aluminum flex tubing is the vent for my rocket-mass heater that I never really got the bugs worked out of before the heat came on.
This is all the solar cooking I need at the moment.
Posted in homesteading, tiny houses
Tagged adobe, alis, aliz, alternative building materials, arizona, clay, cob, construction, desert, do-it-yourself, green, home design, homestead, homesteading, permaculture, plaster, Rastra, rocket mass heater, small house, solar cooking, straw bale, sustainability, tiny house, tucson, walls
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One Corner at a Time
I finally have one corner completely airtight and ready for plaster and “paint”, but first I will install a couple of shelves so I can empty some of the boxes I have on the floor.
Instead of paint I am using Alis, which is a thin clay slurry with some fine sand and flour paste added to help it stick together. There are various other binder ingredients one could use, but this seems to work fine so far.
I’m so happy to have a place to hang my pots and pans and store my edibles. I will soon have these shelves full for sure.
Posted in homesteading, tiny houses
Tagged adobe, alternative building materials, arizona, clay, cob, construction, desert, do-it-yourself, downsizing, eco-friendly, green, home design, homestead, homesteading, permaculture, Rastra, small house, straw bale, sustainability, tiny house, tucson
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Desert Wilderness Community 