ant village

It depends on your plot.  

If you have a structure on your plot, with heat, then you would probably live there and continue to work on winter projects through the winter.  

Is a plot available with a structure?  I was wondering about bringing temporary heat until a rmh could be built.

More specifically, I want to bring my cat :.)  I have not yet spoken with Ernie and Erica about building a rmh/s.  However, if there is a plot with a structure that can be heated, I would like to do that.  If you would rather I develop another area, I could switch plots to where you prefer when weather is warmer.  In the meantime I could gather wood for fencing and make some tools.

Catherine Windrose wrote:Is a plot available with a structure?  I was wondering about bringing temporary heat until a rmh could be built.

You are coming as a boot, so we will have a warm bunk for you.  

There is a structure or two available.   Is that what you want?  Are you saying that you would rather be an ant than a boot?

Not to complicate matters, is it possible to do both?  I know I need to get the hang of how things function best, so being a boot seems the best way to do that.  However, I also want to start preparing for spring when I can build fencing as quickly as possible.  Is there a middle?  I can pay the ant rent.  If I do, will I still be able to learn as a boot until spring?

If you want to think it over before deciding, there's no rush.  Maybe I should too :=)  I do know I want to bring my cat and get an early start on spring with fencing.  I hope to have a structure you approve of built before next winter, which means I need to plan and time work that has to be done.

I just talked to bella.   She's gonna talk to you tomorrow afternoon.

Are there any Ants living in Ant Village now? Where do I find their stories (with photos / videos) here on Permies?
Do Boots who earned a plot by working hard count as Ants too? I do follow their threads on Permies.

Jeremy:  https://permies.com/t/86694/permaculture-projects/Jeremy-Ant-Village-Adventures



When a person has been in the bootcamp for a month, they can select a plot as a playspace as long as they are a boot.  Growing stuff and building stuff - whatever sounds like fun.

Dave is a boot that has selected his plot on ant village, and has huge thread:

https://permies.com/t/102/119676/permaculture-projects/Dave-Burton-Boot-Adventures-Wheaton




Ron is taking on a leadership role for the bootcamp and has selected an ant village plot:




Jaqi picked an ant plot, but has left for the winter





And, of course, Fred.   Fred has selected a very large plot in ant village.  He now has deep roots.  And as part of my arrangement with him for leading the bootcamp, the boots will sometimes go and do work on fred's plot.




Allerton Abbey is sorta in the middle of ant village.  Jennifer, Josiah and Bella are staying there now.








So there you go.  Ant village right now.  Shannon has an ant village plot right now too, but she isn't here right now.  

The bootcamp also includes Austin, and he is allowed to select a plot, but I don't think he has yet.  

I sure hope I'm not forgetting anybody.  

Does this answer your question?

Thank you Paul! This is exactly the answer to my question.
So I found out there is a man I did not yet know of: Ron, and another I read the name of but didn't know anything more: Austin. And I understand some people were there, but left for winter.

You can see more of ron in this video:



And austin is with the group in this one:

Hi I’m curious if the ant program is still going and if there’s any plots available. Also did you guys manage to get a water source closer to the village.

As far as I know, there are open plots available, and they're actively looking for better places to drill another well.

Also from what I was reading livestock can be run on other parts of the acreage so if someone was an ant but had some goats and an ass or a milching cow there is pasture the don’t have to be raised on just your ant acre?

Yup!  We have ant plots!

Yes, if you are raising cattle (or other critters) you can do paddock shift on the larger acreage.

Have you listened to at least 200 podcasts?  Have you read the thorns book?

I’m only 16 I have two October’s to go till I am 18 so I am considering my options and this is pretty high on my list. What stuff do I do in prep 200 hours of podcasts and is there books I should read. Little in sight on me I live on the Montana North Dakota border I live on a ranch and love pigs and chickens. I love permaculture because it is about sustainably and lots of human scale agriculture.

Hank, you might be interested in Permaculture Bootcamp. You can earn your plot through Bootcamp, and gain a lot experience and knowledge in the process. If you're wanting to snag a plot now, maybe do Shallow Roots for two years rent, and then work two years in Bootcamp to have lifetime rent, and gain a lot of the skills you might want for building your own place, etc.

Step 1:   learn if I am fucking awesome or an evil tyrant - by your standards.  That is what the podcasts are for.  

Is the method mentioned above the cheapest or is other ways aswell

Paul as far as I can tell you are pretty awesome maybe a little crazy but I’m considered crazy in many circles so I’ve decided that’s a good thing.

I love to work with livestock I don’t mind breaking horses. I have been learning to run machinery for a good while although it’s not my favorite. I would love to get a donkey, mule or ox to work at the lab. I love a hard days work but also like inventing. Been working out a freezer wofati in my head.
Sustainability is my thing I believe step back from large scale ag and giveing more people work/land food security would be achieved.

I also love pigs they are great animals and delicious

Hank Waltner wrote:Is the method mentioned above the cheapest or is other ways aswell

Bootcamp is the cheapest way, I believe. It costs $100 to join, and you do work hard for 2 years. But then you have your own acre of land. During Bootcamp, you'll also learn a ton, and get a good feel for what kind of person Paul is. And if it doesn't work out, you'll still have learned a lot of useful homesteading and permaculture skills.

Ok I’ll keep it as a major consideration in my future

Also do SKIP and PEP badges count towards anything at the lab

Hank Waltner wrote:Also do SKIP and PEP badges count towards anything at the lab

Yes.  

For example, you are not allowed to attend the upcoming BB20 event unless you have 22 BBs.

Theory? If one was a boot for two years and then earned deep Roots. Then with the deep Roots picked an ant plot. Worked the ant plot and achieved all the original ANT requirements do you earn a second acre plot?🙃

Hank Waltner wrote:Theory? If one was a boot for two years and then earned deep Roots. Then with the deep Roots picked an ant plot. Worked the ant plot and achieved all the original ANT requirements do you earn a second acre plot?🙃

Pretty sure you can only earn one Ant Village plot through Bootcamp. There's no other way to earn a plot other than through Bootcamp. You can claim the plot after working there two months, and have it after working 2 years. Maybe you could then work an additional 2 years in Bootcamp for a second acre, but there's no guarantee that the acre will be adjacent to your first plot. You could probably buy a second Deep Roots plot. But, honestly, 1 acre is usually quite enough for the intensive gardening most people want to do. More acreage is usually needed for ranging livestock, but Paul already allows for that on the rest of the property.

Ok the reason I was looking for opportunities fo extra was that experimental livestock usage is a passion. I love the Sepp Holzer quote if your plan doesn’t involve pigs you need a new plan.(paraphrased of course).

I slow rolled my truck through Ant Village today... Visited with Orin. Saw Nine's car.

Special offer for the next 4 ants: now through December of 2022 $1200 + deposit. Or 3 acres for $2400 + deposit.

Paul is helping me out recruiting for Ant Village!!!

Awesome!!!

All of you who are on the fence, this is a nice little decider for you.

You should plan to arrive late April and definitely before May 15th.

If you have enough cash here's what you'll need:

-tool skills and analytical thinking skills;
-if you are fit upon arrival, you'll get more done instead of staggering around while your body gets fit like I did;
-I recommend a long sleeve coveralls like some mechanics have, this way you won't need to wash a set of clothes for every day;
-both a wool skull hat for spring and a straw hat for the heat of summer;
-bring two sets of nice clothes for Taco Tuesday and outings to Missoula;
-bring a really warm bed roll, work gloves, and a durable warm coat;
-an green works 40watt chainsaw and four 4Ah batteries;
-atleast 400watts of 24 Volt solar panel, 100 to 200Ah LiFePO4 batteries, a 30 or 60 amp mppt charger, a 30 or 60amp 2000W true sign inverter; usb outlets and 120v outlets if not included with the inverter;
-a dewalt 20v battery drill, sawsall, circular saw set with a minimum of two 3 or 4Ah batteries;
-forstner 3" bit for round wood, a 5/8 drill bid to drive rebar through logs, some T25 drivers (dont bother will flat or phillips), a 3" round cut out drill bit, and a flat blade 5/8 drill bit; and some assorted multi material drill bits in the less than 1/2 sizes;
-an ax, a debarker, and a large iron tap/pry bar;
-a three pound hammer and a wood chisel set from 2" down to 1/2";
-a 4' level, a 8" level, a line level, a speed square and a 2' square;
-a large dumping gorrilla cart;
-a minimum of two 5 gallon pottable water containers;
-a minimum of four 5gal non-pottable water containers;
-a luggable loo;
-fire starter;
-pots to cook in.


....so? if you can, what are you waiting for???

How has the 750 watt per ant site worked out for existing ants? Laptop use, chest freezers, refrigerators, movies (I'd like to have a TV and not just watch on a laptop), lights at night, possibly a small water pump. How is all this stuff handled or am I having grander ideas than is practical? I can go for an alternative to anything but power for the laptops.  Also, why the limit? I imagine it's more about the amount of space the panels take up than the actual power they provide? Granted that was from a post that I think was 6 years ago... Finally, how's the water situation now? Anything reliable? Having water is another huge concern. Has anyone stayed the winter yet?

I just noticed that the first page needed an update, so i set the terms to

Special offer for the next 4 ants:   $1600 + deposit to rent a plot from now through the end of 2023.  Or 3 acres for $3200 + deposit.  The deposit is $1500.  Rent is $1600 per year after that (although there are some discounts available).

Of course, four months in the bootcamp would get that $1600 + deposit waived.

Max Falcon wrote:How has the 750 watt per ant site worked out for existing ants?

I don't think any of them came close to 750 watts.

Also, why the limit?

To answer this question, let me ask you a question:  have you listened to 200 of my podcasts?  

how's the water situation now? Anything reliable?

A well is on the lab now.  Plumbing is in place.  The pump and solar panels will be put in this spring.

Has anyone stayed the winter yet?

Many.

I know it is mentioned in this thread, but I added a bit of summary in the first post:

This offer was originally for "pod people" (the people that have kept up with all of my podcasts).  Later we expanded that to include people that have spent at least four months in the permaculture bootcamp.  There has been some talk of some alternatives, but nothing solid yet.  There has even been talk that we should change things to be only for people that make it through the bootcamp.  The key is that this community is limited to the people that share our values.

Thanks Paul. The podcasts just finished downloading last night and I've finished hour four. Only 196 left! Is it reasonable to expect to build a small heated Wofati in 6 months (~250 sqft) April-October?

Cooper cabin was built to the point of being habitable in four weeks.  Although it technically still isn't done.  I think there were about six to eight people working on it for that four weeks.

Along those lines ....   the chateau de poo was built in three months, being worked on constantly, while willow bank (a nearly identical structure) was built in two days.  The moral of this story is "it really depends on the builder."