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Summary
part 1 of a 2 part podcast
Paul does a consultation with Janelle about her property which she's owned for about 10 years. It's around 5 acres in Southern California about 70 miles inland from LA. There's a creek flowing across it, maybe 24ft below the house. Temperature can be anything from below 30°F in winter to 110°F in summer. They get about 12" of rain per year, and at times it can be quite windy. The soil isn't much good: degraded granite and clay.
The creek attracts wildlife: hawks, coyotes, bobcats and squirrels which eat the fruit
trees. The wildlife was bad for eating
chickens, so they currently don't have any.
Paul has several initial ideas:
Ponds can capture and hold
water, if you make smallish ponds you're less likely to have problems with the authorities and it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. Could chain small ponds together and have stuff growing in them to help purify the water, and goldfish to eat the inevitable mosquito larvae. Janelle says there's a natural low area which might be used for that. Paul comments that the authorities are getting more supportive of making ponds for water management but thinks it's unlikely you could get away with extracting water from the creek, or altering it.
Berms up to 15ft tall could be built around parts of the property to give
shelter from the wind. By sheltering areas from the wind, you can extend the range of things you can grow, and they also help avoid nosy neighbors creating problems by reporting stuff you do which the neighbors don't like.
The wildlife predating on
chickens could be solved with a guardian dog. Janelle already has 4 indoor fluffy dogs, but a livestock guardian would live outdoors and not take too much attention. It would need a good
fence though, to keep the dog on the property.
Relevant Threads
Paul Wheaton's Permaculture Consultation with Janelle Quint - Recorded Livestream
Earthworks forum
Ponds forum
California regional forum
Dogs and Cats forum
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This podcast was made possible thanks to:
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