Current Status

Current permanent residents

Edwin Basye and Michael Grainge.

Living Accomodations

Four pickup-style campers, an 18-ft camper-trailer (Michael's), and a 24-ft motorhome (Edwin's). One camper is currently available for visitors or a new participant, and two others can be made available when needed. We are currently constructing an adobe dome for Michael (see newsletters).

Composting Toilet

The toilet is a Sun-Mar Excel NE (non-electric). This was a recent acquisition and is working well.  It been enclosed in a small building made from recycled and new materials. We also have a lesser-quality composting toilet in reserve, which would be suitable for 1-2 people.

Solar Systems

A solar system has been installed in the motorhome, consisting of three 120W panels, a charge controller, a Xantrax inverter and six 6V golf car batteries.. Twelve-volt wiring has been run from the motorhome where the batteries are stored to the campers, the solar shower, and the composting toilet house for lighting and to run the solar shower pump. Power is almost sufficient for our current needs but we plan to add one more panel soon.

Michael purchased his own solar system with two larger panels, 200W each.

There is a solar system with 3 medium-sized panels, that operates the solar pump for the well.

Water

We now have running water! Well #1 was drilled in December 2004 and a pump installed. The pump failed and the well output was marginal and partially collapsed due to improper wellpipe installation by the well driller. Well #2 has been drilled with a very successful result of at least 15gpm in March 2007. At first the water was sulphurous and highly mineralized, but as we continue to pump the water, the sulfur is almost unnoticeable now and the water "sweeter" with less minerals. We have installed a solar pump and set up a gravity  tank system consisting of  eight 50-gal plastic barrels, connected with a self-syphoning manifold. 

Annual Garden 

A small  garden circle has be created and soil has now been built up somewhat with organic and permaculture methods. The garden space is an 18ft circular keyhole garden with a central herb spiral. The annual garden will be expanded as needed as participants join the community. Already Michael has cleared more space to grow some winter squash and watermelons.

Successful harvests of watermelons, kale, Chinese cabbage, red peppers, squash, green beans, and broccoli have been obtained. Some lessons have been learned concerning specific conditions here and the garden will continue to be much improved and expanded. One such lesson is that the sun here at this latitude and elevation is extremely intense in late spring and early summer, which can shut down photosynthesis on sum plants. The north side of the circle garden is covered with shade cloth which will protect crops such as lettuce from withering sun. As the sun dips southward and is less intense, the angle of the sun will allow the sunlight to penetrate the entire garden. Another lesson is that we need to control the grasshoppes (organic controls are available), which in the fall of 2008 ate every green leaf in sight, even the poisonous oleanders! We will be trying biological control from Arbico this year.

We will be putting a larger garden in the late winter  or early spring of 2010.

Perennials

Experimental plantings of various fruit trees have been completed. See the Food Plant List and the Forest Plant List for more information on what has been planted and what is planned. Apricots, almonds, pomegranates do very well here but are still young. Grapes have yet to fully thrive but have potential. Figs are marginal because of the cold winters but should do well in a south-facing sheltered area. Mission olives should also do well but have not yet been planted.