Liam grafting avocado tree
Sierra School class
I hosted a 2 hour class with the Sierra School of Todos Santos. The principle outcomes of this were activating myself as a teacher for the next generation, giving the first permaculture class on my land (although I have taught many adults informally with tours many times), a curriculum for a full day workshop at my land and a blog post written by the Sierra School.
Liam ground layering Rosemary
Outcomes as Related to Goals
In general, I accomplished and exceeded all of my stated goals except attending Bill McDorman's Seed school and doing a slideshow on water. Some of the specific concrete tasks that I thought I would do to achieve these goals were renegotiated. However, I stayed true to my goals and I feel very happy with all the work that I did and both the garden/nursery and documentation/educational material that was produced.
Specifically,
I created 3 of the 4 educational slideshow: Soil, Seeds and Plant PRopagation. I did not invest significant time or energy into Water this cycle.
I created a curriculum for a full day workshop on my land in Baja
(I gave a 2 hour class to a group of 11 students which was not in my goals but was a happy intervention.)
I planted more than I could possibly imagine around the fenceline. PEople are amazed by the property now and I see it with the eyes of what it will look like in a year or two (since many of my plantings are barely 6 inches high)
I dug swales and trenches at the primary points where water was rushing quickly during the hurricane. There was 1 weak point of entry from our neighbors yard and 2 weak points of exit relating to the driveway and the annual garden.
I actively experimented with so much propagation that indeed I am now considering starting a nursery since I love it and am very good at it.
I could not fit Bill's workshop into my timing this year; I remain hopeful for 2017.
I documented all of the soil management techniques that we are employing here and included in my slideshow on Soil.
Liam composting
Liam talking greywater and mulch basin
Nursery at 3 months in January
Any Next Steps, New Goals
1. I intend to take dozens more cuttings now and see how well they grow starting them in April as opposed to October and December.
2. I am getting a better sense of the yearly cycle here.
3. I am actively pursuing starting a corporation or attaining permanent residency so I can charge for permaculture workshops. Gain residency in Mexico. Start an exotic nursery business.
4. Continue to master propagation techniques (especially grafting and air layering
5. Play with hybridizing seeds
6. Play with succulent and palm propagation.
Introduction
This page highlights the many diverse project outcomes, and includes links to many videos showcasing the project. In addition, I reflect upon my outcomes as related to my design methodology and the goals I intended; and, in addition my outcomes as related to the 5 P's of Personal, Professional, Planetary, Pathway and Patrix.
Key Outcomes
EDUCATIONAL
- 3 slideshows that would inform the basis for PDC classes on Propagation, Seeds, and Soil.
- Many youtube movies that can showcase my skill and awareness at land stewardship
- Curriculum for a 1 day workshop at Fin d'arco iris
COURSES
- Sierra School 2 hour class
- Coconut frond basket weaving course
PROFESSIONAL
- Starting a business in Mexico so I can sell from my "exotic" nursery and host retreats at my Garden oasis sanctuary: Fin d' arco iris.
- Tim Garden Design
PERSONAL
- Huge learnings (research and experimentation) with propagation.
- Eating off the land
- Healthy body from 4+ hours each day in the garden
- Loads of experimentation and fun with bouquets (utilizing our resources)
LAND
- Rock pathways
- Privacy through increased living fence
- Nursery
- Beauty through flower propagation
- Diversity of fruits through grafting and trading
- Earthworks to shift water during hurricane time
- Active compost pile (rather than burying in the past)
- Water strategies employed
- Loads of free plants
MOVIES
- PROPAGATION
- Deadheading and propagating roses
- Avocado Grafting
- Planting with Fitz
- SOIL
- Compost in Baja
- Hugelkulture in Baja
- Mulch Basins for Graywater
SOCIAL
- Many gifts for friends, neighbors and "new friends"
Liam making soil with Organic Matter
5 P's:Patrix, Professional, Personal, Planetary, Pathway
Patrix
Living an off the grid lifestyle of self sufficiency in a foreign country has many subversive elements from the dominant US paradigm. I wish I could say I was more of an activist during the Bernie campaign that ran concurrent with this project. Anti-establishment politics and lifestyle are becoming more mainstream. Simultaneously, however, people are indebted to the power structure that is and much force is needed to catalyze the imposing Patrix.
Professional
Ever greater clarity that my professional pathway needs to be what I am most passionate about now. Recognizing that I am a good manager and that I quite enjoy having employees. I am excited to start a business or perhaps several in Mexico. I see myself being recognized in this community as the guy with an incredible garden. I truly love being seen as a gardener. And I think it fits very well into me as a chef (farm to table is all the rage) and me as a healer (our little sanctuary will be a wonderful retreat center).
Personal
Recognizing with deeper and deeper awareness that I truly love doing things (I also love not doing and simply being) but I do love doing things.
Attempting to find the courage to trust that there will always be abundance of wanting to do
Discovering that I learn loads through actively experimenting and framing how I would teach others.
Planetary
My worldview is significantly aligned with many others in the permaculture movement. For me, emphasis on self sufficiency and relocalizing our food and medicine production is also in alignment with this "Pueblo Magico" of Todos Santos. I believe I have significant opportunity for growth here in the Baja. This project inspired me to engage with local nurserymen, local florist, local farmers, both on a social and a professional level. I am becoming more integrated into this community that feels in alignment with many of my values. Projects such as Geoff Lawton "Greening the desert," have huge interest to me and I see that I have the wisdom to effect change to a large degree on the greater ecosystem around me. Doing earthworks in the higher mountains could radically shift the desert ecosystem that we have. We have been receiving more and more water in the past years and hurricanes are also becoming more likely to roll through. We are at a wonderful point to apply design in this area to slow and spread the water to mitigate the disastrous effects of the arroyos flooding and in addition create more sustainable projects in the mountains and ranches above Todos Santos.
Pathway
Regarding my Gaia pathway, this OP represents significant achievement of the goals set out when I entered GaiaU. In addition, I feel I have incorporated the unanticipated growth from GaiaU involving design, documentation, digital literacy and recognizing that I have an audience to whom I am speaking. I am very appreciative of the growth that I have made during this Master's Program and finishing with this as my final project OP feels perfect.
Soil Keynote Presentation
This is the dropbox link to my keynote presentation on Soil
Propagation Keynote Presentation
Nursery at 6 months in April
REFLECTION on my Design Methodology
SEED -- Setting Intentions/Goal Articulation--
“The yield of this design is theoretically unlimited.”
For me, seeds are incredibly magical and hold vast amounts of potential energy. Seeds embody much of what good design attempts. Before the project begins, hopefully we have coded good information about necessary steps for our system to grow and thrive, with some sense of what we hope to receive from this system. The planting is an internal time that I often do on a new moon, similar to settings intentions for the month or the year. This dark time allows clarity for how I want this to unravel. See Goals Articulations for clarity that emerged during this “Seed” stage.
SHOOT -- Actionalbe Items / Implementation
“Catch and store energy.”
Vegetative growth is the summertime of the plant’s life. Implementation of the necessary steps to achieve our goals is happening. Expansion thriving on the sun’s energy fuels play and learning. Here is when I will Actively Experiment with many propagation techniques and soil and water management techniques. See “Actionable Items” for a list of tasks I hope to accomplish during the “Shoot” stage.
FRUIT -- Outcomes
“Obtain a Yield”
Harvesting my work will be both figurative and literal with this OP on Land Stewardship. There are many yields that are both physically tasty and beautiful in addition to gaining much knowledge to share. Beyond the literal fruits and plants that I am planting and sharing with neighbors, I have created many wonderful resources including slideshows
ROOT -- Evaluation / Gaia Commentary / Reflections
“Observe and Interact”
The nutrients of perennials in temperate climates can get stored in the Roots through the winter. For me, this is a reminder to reflect upon what I have learned and shared. This is a good time to ask myself “What are the next available steps for me?”, “Are there any interventions in terms of how I thought this would be applied now that I actually see the fruit?”