Forging a permaculture home in Sunnyvale, CaliforniaWe bought our house the summer of 2009, in Sunnyvale California. We were a family of three, Zoë was just 7 months old. Jennifer had moved into the house with her family when she was 11 years old. We purchased the house from her father. The house was built in 1954 in the Eichler style. It sits on one of the largest lots in the neighborhood at 7,800 sq ft. For two-weeks before we moved in, we had the help of the talented Uncle Earl lead a good-looking crew of friends and family in a miracle make-over for the house. New siding, insulation, new windows, added a shower, new bathroom, painting, bamboo floors. Not long after we got settled in, the housing market fell apart.
We are still here, making improvements on the house and land, and growing our family with the addition of Willow in 2010, and the twins Stella and Sparrow at the end of 2011. We have had a couple really successful vegetable gardens. Three chickens were added for eggs in 2011, Louise, Princess, and Flower. 2011 was also the year I got introduced to permaculture design, started getting an MBA at Dominican University, and began shaping the plan to build a local family farm. 2012 is about to begin, and the first phase of our family farm is beginning at home. Literally in our front and back yard. Using our land and immediate resources, we will begin producing food at the highest possible yield. Our goal this year, is to produce the majority of our family's produce, with an excess we can share with friends and family. We will be using a variety of methods to produce vegetables, herbs, eggs, and even grow some eatable fish. To start we will utilize two methods: Small Plot INtensive farming (SPIN) for growing in the dirt, and aquaponics for a soil-less method that also introduces fish. This website will document the adventure. I will update with pictures, blog entries, design methods and principles, and resources if you want to try some of this as well. As we learn what works well, we will be planning our next phase of larger production. Our goal for 2013 is acquire a location to build food systems with enough production to enter the local farmers market, provide home delivery, and potentially supply local schools and restaurants. |
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