Megadrought! Building a food forest in the middle of the worst drought in history! Is it possible?

Its coming eventually. And even if we fill up our reservoirs, we still should think water wise. Thats how we all got here in the first place! Join my facebook group Phoenix Fruit Growers, and get involved in your own food security!

Пікірлер: 73

  • @randbasic
    @randbasic Жыл бұрын

    Jeff Lawton and Bill Mollison! Permaculture! Garden with nature! Thanks for sharing.

  • @everyone8043
    @everyone8043 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you. Growing here in Coolidge. Still have the big river toads hopping around. They've shut off a lot of the farm irrigation water here (including ours). Everything coming out of a hose. I think the uv index has been extreme, resulting in strange scorching of some of my plants this year vs previous years. We have some big mesquites for shade. Most of my tropicals are in pots for now under those trees. I'm worries about water limits coming. More watering and drip irrigation videos would be appreciated.

  • @ArizonaFruitTrees

    @ArizonaFruitTrees

    Жыл бұрын

    Will do!

  • @OfftoShambala
    @OfftoShambala Жыл бұрын

    Arizona is a tropical desert filled with life.

  • @o_mar_ci_to8256
    @o_mar_ci_to8256 Жыл бұрын

    Hey Jay. I too am in Phoenix and I have also recently discovered Geoff Lawton. Because I realized how desolate it really is here, I really wanted to start creating shade in my backyard. This desire then became an excitement of creating a food forest. I hope to start it soon. Thank you for your videos, they really inspire me!!

  • @SuburbicultureAZ

    @SuburbicultureAZ

    Жыл бұрын

    Good luck in your projects. I am about 1.5 years into creating our food forest and it has been an interesting and educational endeavor. My advise is to get your larger fast growing tress in ASAP (Mulberry, Moringa, perhaps Jamaican Cherry). These trees are easy to grow while also being beautiful and beneficial. Use a well made planting soil to ammend with when you plant your trees, and mulch as much as possible.

  • @morrissevada2402
    @morrissevada2402 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for this! This is something that I needed to see. I caught some flack after posting a picture of my first tree that I planted in my backyard. They were saying that I shouldn't be planting trees because we are in an extreme drought. Really made me second guess myself, and that really got to me. Thanks again man :)

  • @ArizonaFruitTrees

    @ArizonaFruitTrees

    Жыл бұрын

    No problem! Most people just are ignorant of the situation. Information and example is the key to changing the rhetoric.

  • @AmzBackyardOrchardandVineyard

    @AmzBackyardOrchardandVineyard

    Жыл бұрын

    planting trees is the answer! its not the problem!

  • @gardencraver7918

    @gardencraver7918

    Жыл бұрын

    Especially planting trees that are native edibles or drought hardy

  • @gardencraver7918

    @gardencraver7918

    Жыл бұрын

    If you want to do a food forest I had an idea where you start by growing a canopy layer of morringa and use them as much and because they are a nitrogen fixer they better the coil from there u plant your less hardy trees or your understory layer

  • @SuerteDelMolinoFarm
    @SuerteDelMolinoFarm Жыл бұрын

    Greetings from the LooseNatural farm in Andalusia Spain where we currently live through a drought and we appreciate your sharing.

  • @shelbywalker9699
    @shelbywalker9699 Жыл бұрын

    Hey Jay! Good video... It would be nice if people like you were influencing city councils & planners. Maybe you could approach them about water harvesting, planting trees and Permaculture for future growth? Who better than a master gardener to teach them? Your yard is the perfect example. Take care...

  • @HFTLMate

    @HFTLMate

    Жыл бұрын

    People like Jay (and you and I) need to all try and influence more people with these ideas. Council planners and stuff are typically not interested in this but the more people we can Inspire the easier it will be

  • @humanbeign
    @humanbeign Жыл бұрын

    Thank you very much for sharing, it's a very inspiring food forest in the desert. Looking forward to your in depth video about how you live without an air conditioner in the valley!

  • @reginaldhorkyiiregorreggie1559
    @reginaldhorkyiiregorreggie1559 Жыл бұрын

    so true! thanks for mentioning that. It's been a long time since I heard those frogs at night.

  • @AmzBackyardOrchardandVineyard

    @AmzBackyardOrchardandVineyard

    Жыл бұрын

    its been about 8 years since ive seen a frog in our yard

  • @AmzBackyardOrchardandVineyard
    @AmzBackyardOrchardandVineyard Жыл бұрын

    Hi from surprise! Long time fan of you and totally inspired from our other valley plant grower KZreadrs as well. we are on our way with our food forest. over the past 6 years, we have over 40 fruit trees, grape vines, garden variety vegetables and berries. we also collect over 400 gallons of rainwater and reuse it all for our pond fish and plants in our front and back yard. ALL of that while still living in an HOA! yes its possible for absolutely anyone living here in the desert to grow their own food forest. cheers!

  • @ArizonaFruitTrees

    @ArizonaFruitTrees

    Жыл бұрын

    Keep it up! Sounds like you are doing your part!

  • @MsFishingdog
    @MsFishingdog Жыл бұрын

    You are right on this subject. I'm in florida and have a one acre food forest . I keep trac of the rain here. And the past 3 years I have not been getting the rain I use to get. It's gotten a lot dryer. No rain.

  • @mrd5963
    @mrd5963 Жыл бұрын

    Keep the long vids coming Jay, and yes let's get a vid on water and swamp vs ac units👍

  • @MrJapethharrison
    @MrJapethharrison Жыл бұрын

    Beautiful magnificent garden you have created !!!

  • @zacharystapleton932
    @zacharystapleton932 Жыл бұрын

    That 105 feeling when the swamp cooler is off when it’s really only 85 describes Florida dead on

  • @adrianneporta8032
    @adrianneporta8032 Жыл бұрын

    I'm in Wellton AZ and we have just under 2 acres that's just dirt, I really want to do a food forest. So overwhelmed with were to start. So I'm really looking forward to your video's on what to do per year!

  • @ArizonaFruitTrees

    @ArizonaFruitTrees

    Жыл бұрын

    come by the nursery and i could help!

  • @adrianneporta8032

    @adrianneporta8032

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ArizonaFruitTrees I'd love to! The next time I'm in the Phoenix area we'll definitely stop by

  • @juanarcos38
    @juanarcos38 Жыл бұрын

    Update on guamuchil and moringas

  • @austinmesta9862
    @austinmesta9862 Жыл бұрын

    Awesome. Your soil is beautiful 👍

  • @loriwestern9103
    @loriwestern9103 Жыл бұрын

    Been watering early morning, will try switching to 4PM and see if my trees love me more.

  • @bade3k
    @bade3k Жыл бұрын

    Hi, I am inspired by your videos. I am gonna give it a shot. I live in Phoenix so ill keep watching your great videos, soaking up that knowledge. I had no idea fruit trees like yours grew in the valley.

  • @iwenive3390
    @iwenive3390 Жыл бұрын

    The reason I hate swamp coolers besides having to work on them is they destroy roofs and ductwork like nobody’s business. They are obviously perfect for greenhouses though

  • @jeff6899
    @jeff6899 Жыл бұрын

    Think very highly of Jay...but I might augment this with just a couple thoughts: 1) we have a serious drought period overall, but not the worst in history 2) We shouldn't be building a "rainforest" anyway. I have followed permaculture & rain harvesting since '2006...It was then I joined the now defunct Phoenix Permaculture Guide (Trees Matter is the ultimate truncated result of that, generations later) & back then, I routinely attended classes & events. Unfortunately, I had already started the design of my yard & completed the bulk of garden layout back to year 2000 to incorporate many of the systems I would like to have. But I would expand the concept of food forest to highlight & include a more inclusive native habitat forest. Very important for MANY Reasons--water conservation is just one, though it should be emphasized. There are SOOO many edible natives that we can include or incorporate that we don't. Some of those are fascinating. Our weather has changed. Though not quite that dramatically. Mostly, the lows have gradually increased (and thus the median temps as well). For nearly 2 decades, I daily tracked the weather, including highs & lows. We have more of a heat island effect--which has made it a little more difficult for heavy storms to penetrate. Having said that, the changes are less dramatic than we may think. There are several organizations that are trying to address this...that I have also been a part of---Arizona Forward is one large one. But there is not enough emphasis on mitigating the heat island, temperature & other effects here like there should be. Anywhoo, good to see Jay emphasizing water utilization more. None of us are perfect, but we can collectively do so much more. 'Cause If we don't--of our own volition--we can certainly eventually expect "more" government-imposed mandates.

  • @henrycordero8265
    @henrycordero8265 Жыл бұрын

    Great video!! Thank you!

  • @DGPHolyHandgrenade
    @DGPHolyHandgrenade3 ай бұрын

    something also to note that isnt touched on here: Megadrought is more a matter of snow pack in the mountains feeding major rivers, such as the Colorado. Phoenix area/Central AZ has been extremely wet the past several years, all of our local reservoirs are full and at capacity. We may have had mild or light monsoons, but the extremely wet winters with massive flooding has kind of made Central AZ a bit of a standout within the larger region. A great example is within the sonoran desert where we are, we get between 7-9 inches of rain per year. Since around 2019 I've seen areas, especially out by me where we've had 15-18 inches of rain for the year. Similarly that trend has largely kept up through the this past year. As our winter kind of stayed warmer and dryer, we got a closer to normal monsoon in 2023. The bigger issue is the heat that we keep seeing.

  • @dz11399
    @dz11399 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks jay. Great as always. Please keep the content coming. I watched most your videos multiple times, constantly go back to them for reference, and would watch an hour of new content everyday if you posted it.

  • @dunedainmom
    @dunedainmom Жыл бұрын

    Thank you!! Trying to turn my xeriscaped yard into something green. Planted 22 trees, killed 4. Everything is struggling except my mulberries. My citrus is sorta in stasis. You're videos give me hope! That we can make this barren city into something beautiful. I won't give up!

  • @timbo86051
    @timbo8605111 ай бұрын

    I thought for many years it would be cool to build a skyscraper swamp cooler downtown and recycle the water, and maybe it would help Bring the monsoons back closest to where it's the hottest.

  • @oscarj5544
    @oscarj5544 Жыл бұрын

    Well said ! You sir , are a Legend. Taking notes because if you can grow in the desert, you can grow anywhere else in the world 😎

  • @TheRussianMercenary
    @TheRussianMercenary Жыл бұрын

    How about a collab with Brad Lancaster?

  • @801oap

    @801oap

    Жыл бұрын

    I think he would discourage this extensive use of exotics, rather would encourage mostly native trees/shrubs and the foods they produce, "exotics" only to the extend that you can support primary with the water harvested on your property and/or gray water.

  • @chifylube
    @chifylube Жыл бұрын

    Not trees related, but I killed my grass and am now going to use all that area for corn and wheat. Grass is such a waste of water.

  • @Pamsgarden213
    @Pamsgarden213 Жыл бұрын

    I appreciate the watering tips.

  • @nativoplantas2003
    @nativoplantas2003 Жыл бұрын

    We need to call. Each other to plan to fight to save the trees rain forest in Brazil

  • @jeremiahamacher453
    @jeremiahamacher453 Жыл бұрын

    I live not too far from you, North of AJ, up next to the Tonto. Since I started planting fruit trees and mulching every tree, including the desert trees, those frogs and toads have come back. There are toads living in my munched bed around a guava that I water alot. So those animals are still in the wild places and will visit. But not the suburbs. Also if you like quail in your yard you want mulch and not quail blocks of bird feeders. Quail are like little chickens and want high quality insect protein more than bird seed. Mulch and compost for your trees means crickets, pillbugs and wood roaches that birds love. I would like a video on swamp coolers. This house I'm in used to have one, now it has two air conditioners. I am part of the problem.

  • @ArizonaFruitTrees

    @ArizonaFruitTrees

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes! I plan on a swamp video! Its been nice lately......but its so dry here

  • @nativoplantas2003
    @nativoplantas2003 Жыл бұрын

    I. Love trees

  • @WanderingWonderer808
    @WanderingWonderer808 Жыл бұрын

    You are speaking TRUTH.

  • @PO-po5de
    @PO-po5de Жыл бұрын

    How does lychee do where you are? 🙏🌱🌳🌿👍🌼

  • @ArizonaFruitTrees

    @ArizonaFruitTrees

    Жыл бұрын

    Too dry at my place

  • @tessalia87
    @tessalia87 Жыл бұрын

    In Florida zone 9b only able to grow banana and mango trees under oak trees or shade cloth. The sun heat and UV☀️ just stunts growth.

  • @nativoplantas2003
    @nativoplantas2003 Жыл бұрын

    Amen

  • @pmstff700
    @pmstff700 Жыл бұрын

    It’s called cloud seeding.

  • @user-gt5ec2ut1t
    @user-gt5ec2ut1t3 ай бұрын

    Just started following you I live in the Las Vegas area also very hot in the summer looking for Keffir lime trees , do you sell those particular ones if not do you any ideas to who carries them

  • @belindahopkins7875
    @belindahopkins787511 ай бұрын

    I want to mulch!! I am a native, i am afraid of crazy people fireworks, and fire. Mulch and fire what do you think. People do not want to do yard work, so they rock or cement.

  • @ArizonaFruitTrees

    @ArizonaFruitTrees

    11 ай бұрын

    the idea is to keep the mulch wet, which wont burn

  • @mgs721
    @mgs721 Жыл бұрын

    What's the story with the shopping cart that seems to be held in the air by the dragon fruit?!

  • @ArizonaFruitTrees

    @ArizonaFruitTrees

    Жыл бұрын

    its welded to a pole for the dragonfruit to climb

  • @jeanniesnider1721
    @jeanniesnider1721 Жыл бұрын

    What kind of shade cloth are you using?

  • @clivemossmoon3611
    @clivemossmoon3611 Жыл бұрын

    Hi Jay. You mentioned at around 19:00 that watering when the tree is awake and ready to use water will create moisture that will humidify the climate in a way that cools the trees down. But then you said it's the humidity that kills avocado trees? Did I misunderstand? I'm confused.

  • @ArizonaFruitTrees

    @ArizonaFruitTrees

    Жыл бұрын

    lack of humidity kills avacado trees here, sorry for the confusion

  • @clivemossmoon3611

    @clivemossmoon3611

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ArizonaFruitTrees Ah ha! Thank you Jay!

  • @Macbook3
    @Macbook3 Жыл бұрын

    May I ask? Is the citrus industry profitable?

  • @dustman96
    @dustman96 Жыл бұрын

    It's possible if the Colorado keeps flowing...

  • @ll3174
    @ll3174 Жыл бұрын

    I’m in San Antonio Texas I had some fruit trees 3 that have been in ground for about 5 to 7 years this past year I’ve decided to turn my dream of a fruit forest in my back yard I have 1/2 acre on my south & SW area it’s schorching hot burning your feet I’m outside every day from 7am to 9pm digging holes pulling weed removing grass from around the existing trees I got 5 yards of compose large shade cloth mycorrhiza & manure only god knows how I’m managing to do this I’ve planted,plum,lemon,apples,persimmon,loquat,avocados,bananas,papayas,basil,Barbados cherry,star fruit,comfrey,Turk cap,guavas,peanuts,lemon grass,citronella,pineapples,chiles,tomatoes,ginger,dragon fruit,strawberries,goji berries, raspberries,blueberries,grapes,mint and I’m still going but I found that the shade cloth, mulch,manure, mycorrhiza are the ones that are helping these plants and trees beating the scorching sun and heat. I also have 4 Texas oaks and 1 pecan tree that are 26 years old and are planted close together that they created a large umbrella of shade on a good 60’x40’ area but they face the N&NE which will not help with our freezes so I have to be careful where I plant my more sensitive plants. Videos like yours inspire and help with plant knowledge and ideas.

  • @drillsergeant623
    @drillsergeant623 Жыл бұрын

    At the time of this video, we were getting RECORD rainfall. What you talkin bout Willis? You mind specifying on what is wrong with the planet

  • @pamelalander6179
    @pamelalander6179 Жыл бұрын

    Glad to see you are well! I have heard that citrus trees attract scorpions. Have you found this to be true?

  • @anonymos5726

    @anonymos5726

    Жыл бұрын

    No way

  • @susanlee9532
    @susanlee9532 Жыл бұрын

    They used. To deliberately burn designated areas as a controlled burn because it was controlled and protected towns and homes.

  • @daniels4338
    @daniels4338 Жыл бұрын

    Do a swamp cooler video, I'm very interested. -from Laveen

  • @gardenx5574
    @gardenx5574 Жыл бұрын

    Short Answer: YES!

  • @iwenive3390
    @iwenive3390 Жыл бұрын

    Golf is evil