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Water Conservation
Water is catched from the cabin roof in 9,850 gallons worth
of tanks. There are also buckets catching water from the
big trailer. Water is used conservatively but not stingily. We are also using a composting toilet.
Organic Gardening
Successfully grown produce so far include zuccini, spagetti
squash, kale, many varieties of lettuce, green beans, anasazi
beans, melons, tomatoes and corn. The soil is alkaline and
clay-like. It gets very hard when dry. There has been a
lot of horse and cow manure ammendments, though it's still
possible that the soil needs more nutrients. Another issue
is the extreme of temperatures and relatively short growing
season.
Solar Power
The ranch is solar-powered with a gasoline generator backup. There is plenty of
electricity to run power equipment, vacuums, even toaster
ovens, air compressor's and a small welder. During cloudy times, we can either be extra conservative or go ahead and run the generator.
Potentials
There are a number of things that could be done to make
the ranch more sustainable. The cabin roof faces south and
could easily hold a hot water heater. Also the land is shaped
like a cone so a water retention pond and/or burms, etc.
could be made to retain more water, along with gutters on
the rest of the trailers. We have found red clay, so adobe
structures could be built. Also for food, some of the native
foods are pinion pine nuts, agave plants and prickly pear
cactus. If started and nurtured in the beginning, these
plants could eventually grow without needing to be manually
watered. Local people have successfully grown many other
foods, including fruit trees.
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