Rojer Wisner

Thank you @Trish and @Steve.
A neighbor of mine once tried planting a few trees but they all died. I will need to get more specific details of their experience. Trish, thank you for the tree types you mentioned. I’ll look into their information. I think my closest nurseries are in Santa Fe. I have yet to visit them as I’d be tempted to spend money I don’t yet have.
That should change soon.

I’m thinking that a tube of chicken wire around newly planted trees, filled with an abundance of straw might help with both minimizing damage from cattle, cold and deer. That is, once I am able to acquire the trees.

Yes, not NV but NM - the original Las Vegas USA. Much smaller and less exciting. I’m in the Sangre De Cristo Mts ~ the southern end of the Rockies. I’m sitting at 6,800’. I have evergreens all over the place and no deciduous trees. I want a food forest and I want to make the most of the small amount of funds I currently have available. Last year it got down to -17F. So I think I’ll wait until late winter.

Thanks everyone for your input.

I realize that we often need to use the phrase - “it depends”. But generally speaking, there may be a wide envelope of time to plant bare root trees. Does it depend on the species more so than the climate zone? Can planting be done in late fall versus late winter?

Greetings Alan.
Thank you for this opportunity.
You time, efforts and knowledge are appreciated.
May you walk in beauty.

I purchased this book during the summit (book launching) and have read through the whole thing.
Now comes the hard part - putting it into practice.
It's a well written book, easy to understand and comprehensive enough to get the job done - once the elbow grease has been properly applied.

Thank you to VergePermaculture for helping me to apply what I had learned from the PDC I took with Nicholas Burtner's School of Permaculture.  

What a task it is to get started.
But Thank You.

@Ashley Cottonwood, @Rebecca Blake, and @Claude Marceau

I had the opportunity to watch all three days worth of the Summit and during that time frame I also purchased the bundle, which included the book and a mini-course that was recorded as the book was being finalized and a few other perks.
I have read most of the book and watched and read through all of the first mini-course.
I have to go back now and rewatch everything and actually do the "homework" which they call practices, starting at Step 0.

I may need to get an accountability partner, perhaps from here on permies.com - I live rural - hardly see my neighbors - we have to go out of our way to keep in touch.

I thought I was in a BSk zone, but after using some of the BYPP templates I see that I'm in a Cfb climate, hardiness zone 6A at 6,800 ft. in New Mexico, near the Sangre De Cristo Mts.

I am very grateful for a PROCESS, a set of generalized steps that I can customize to suit my context.
I still have to hone what my context is, but I've got a good start on that.

The quality of this book is excellent, well built, sturdy, great paper and print quality and the material it covers is very well done.

My only criticism of the Building Your Permaculture Property material is that the one thought that kept coming back to me was Paul Wheaton's idea that "Thou Shalt Not Should On Others."
Aside from that - this is the materials I was looking for.

I recently completed the PDC (without certification) from Nicholas Burtner's School of Permaculture - which was/is something I very much needed.
I say "completed" but my own "final" design is still a work in progress as I go back and rewatch stuff within the course and improve upon the plans for my own property.

I've posted small snippets about my property here in the permies forums and I've recently started uploading a few videos to my YT channel, "rojer".
I may start focussing on my implementation of what and how I am applying the BYPP material at my home, it's NahTah Homestead.

I've been lurking and learning permaculture since about 2009 or so and only now am I beginning to start serious work towards a regenerative lifestyle.
So if there is a thread added to the permies forum about accountability partners - I am interested.

@Claude Marceau - Claud, Hopefully you will soon receive the email with the link to start using the student dashboard and begin watching the mini-course material.
It follows along with the book very well. The book does have some additional material - but not so much as to be a show-stopper.
The "toolkit" that should show on the dashboard has a zip file with most if not all of the templates and printables.
You can start that right away.
It's all good stuff!
Good Luck in your learning and doing processes.


#mypermacultureproperty (not that I have met any of the criteria - but hey - it's a start)

Lisa Sampson wrote:There is a guy in the UK who uses his junk mail to make fireplace logs for his wood stove.  Its a pretty simple process.  Shred the paper, soak in it water over night, strain out the water and shape it into something like a bread loaf.  Using his mail and his neighbors he managed to heat his house all winter with that,  He said he gets about 2 hours of burn time per log and that they burn really clean.  Maybe something like that will work for you.  

I still have a few of those paper logs left - I made some a few years ago. Some of them got wet and lost their shape. I split a 6' PVC pipe and used clamps to keep that shut tight while packing - squished as much water out of them and let them dry a day or three and then loosened the clamps and pushed paper logs out. They don't last too awfully long, they don't seem to get too awfully hot, but they are clean burning. I haven't tried adding any wax to them, but that might help to make them hotter and last longer - IDK. Being newly rural - I don't get much, if any, junk mail nor advertisements - so my excess paper has dwindled. I get a lot more cardboard from store purchases - but intend on using that for mulch.

Thanks for the info. ;-)  

@Marjorie Vogel - Thank you. I appreciate the discussion.

The current chimney was shortened because of frequent very high winds and gusts. It had been taller with guy wires - but was blown off along with the solar modules during sustained 80+ mph winds + gusts.
BUT - willing to try my hand at a taller one - eventually.
I have burned those chimney creosote "logs" to help clean out any current buildup.
Currently, I don't have much real wood, I am using two brands of fake logs, the Duraflame and the Ecology Log.
It seems like I have to burn one of each each time, especially when it is very cold but isn't windy out (the wind helps to really pull the air).
This stove has an electric fan to help extract as much heat as possible which also seems to cool the chimney too.

Yes - I'd like to reduce my pollution index.
I have an estimate for an external propane tank at about $600 - $800 to install and plumb. I am going to request a 120 gal. tank lease tomorrow, for my stove, two wall mounted heaters and an (needs to be fixed) on-demand water heater.
I REALLY need some hot water.

This specific house won't accommodate a RMH. It has poor foundations and seems to also suffer from soil shifting as well.
Not to mention that there really isn't enough space for a RMH.
I would if I could.

I will be looking into solar modules as well so that I can power my stove's fan, internet and computers so that I can burn less fuel except for when I need to run various power tools.

I will look into obtaining seasoned wood - probably once it reaches its peak price. )-;

Small Update:

I've been living here in my little hippy house for over a month now. I still haven't retrieved all of my belongings from the PODS container warehouse. They don't deliver this far away from Albuquerque so I have to drive my truck and trailer there and back. It will take four trips to get the rest of my stuff.
In the meantime I have survived the first snow of the season here. Perhaps only barely.

My heat has (up until very recently) come from a wood burning stove that seems to have too short of an exhaust pipe. I say that because when the stove isn't hot enough or it isn't windy enough I get a backdraft and lots of smoke in the house. I have a CO monitor and it has gone off a few times. Then I have to open windows and let the cold in and the heat out. Not ideal. And I can still have smoke without much CO and that is still unhealthy. I now have a gasoline electrical inverter generator and  a small portable tower heater. The house has two wall mounted propane heaters - close to the top of the wall. One works the other doesn't. I only recently took the time to test them. They are powered by the 20lbs (?) tanks outside. One hose and regulator seems to be clogged. The propane stove works. Each require their own tank. Including the non-working propane water heater. The water heater needs a few parts. I have an appointment scheduled for a large propane tank survey. They are going to inspect all my propane needs and make suggestions and provide an estimate of time frame and costs.

I knew that this house was a project house. But some of my efforts have been delayed by this covid crud or other priorities. That's okay - that's canyon living.
I'm still loving it.

Winter is coming!
This makes me concerned about the timelines to warmth - air and water. It is difficult to wash one's hair with 35 degree water. I do not have a solar shower system yet and I'm not sure how well that would work once the snow starts to accumulate and cold, cold, cloudy days.

I'm not whining - just updating.
Thank you for your interest (if any).  

Good morning Thomas.

The house has a small wood burning stove.
No refrigerator.
I'm not sure how soon I will have that.
I do have propane tanks and there are some janky propane lines into the house.
I will need to inspect and repair prior to using them.

So - I'm willing to purchase a propane camp stove either before I leave here or shortly after I arrive there.
I'm also bringing a small charcoal BBQ and a small propane BBQ.
I am brining a small Harbor Freight solar array, converter and battery along with but it won't be there for about a week or three (PODS doesn't serve my new location, I'll have to go to Albuquerque to unload everything into my truck and trailer).

I am aware of Rocket Stoves and Rocket Mass Heaters, and much of the wonderful work of the E. & E. Wisner's and others.

I am definitely going to buy a small generator - Predator maybe, Honda preferably.
Do you have any suggestions for brand of pure sine wave inverters? Most are stepped square wave.
I intend on adding a good sized "real" solar PV array and battery bank - eventually and could potentially bring in utility power from about a quarter mile away - eventually.  

I don't currently have any appliances that I can bring along except a microwave.

Curious as to why not buy marine/RV appliances and avoid dc/ac conversion losses.  

And (hopefully) here is the little house on the hillside: