How would you like to install a rainwater harvesting system on your property that costs significantly less than storage tanks (sometimes nothing!) requires little or no maintenance and will capture massive amounts of rainwater? You can! In this workshop, sponsored by Partners with Fish & Wildlife, local permaculture experts will teach you how to harvest thousands of gallons of rainwater on your property using simple systems that are often low cost or free, create wildlife habitat and food forests to provide food in your backyard.
Earthworks sculpture the land to divert water to where you want it to go. They create living sponges of organic matter, healthy soil and diverse vegetation that quickly infiltrate water and pump it back out in the form of fruit, shade, fertility, erosion control, wood, beauty and wildlife. In a 12 inch rain year, 326,000 gallons of rainwater fall on a one acre piece of land compared to the 13,000 gallons that fall on a 2,000 square foot house.
It doesn't matter whether you have a small urban lot or thousands of acres, the techniques you will learn can be applied on any scale.
In a mixture of class room and practical hands-on sessions, you will learn:
* How to the read the land and design a rainwater harvesting system
* Different types of earthworks, why we use them and how to make them
* How to design and construct swales (ditches on contour) and use survey equipment
* Which plants to choose to create productive systems in our climate zone, with an emphasis on drought tolerant fruit trees, shrubs and vines
* How to create wildlife habitat using native plants
As a bonus, we will be using an excavator for those who are interested in larger projects.
Location: The workshop will take place at Sky Mountain Permaculture in Escondido, one of the largest rainwater harvesting demonstration sites in San Diego County. There will be a guided tour of the extensive earthwork system that was partly designed by Permaculture guru, Paul Wheaton.
As a local non-profit we are offering this educational experience for just $100 for both days, or come for a day for $60. You will come away with the confidence to design and implement your own passive rainwater harvesting system to catch the winter rains and create a verdant landscape in your backyard.
RSVP permaculture@skymountain.org or phone (760) 975 6523 for more information. Peter Ash is a certified permaculture designer, master composter, and organic farmer. He teaches and consults internationally on soil fertility, waste management, and permaculture design. He has ongoing projects in India, Zanzibar, and Madagascar. Ben Kotnik is a former Chairman of California Rare Fruit Growers-San Diego and local community college instructor, teaching Edible Landscaping, Soils, Fruit Trees, and Permaculture. Alden is garden manager and instructor at Sky Mountain Institute; a non-profit organization in Escondido which offers workshops teaching people how to live more sustainably. Alden is a graduate of the internationally renowned Center for Agro-ecology and Sustainable Food Systems program at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
|