The Sovereign Homestead helps liberty-loving men and women design and create resilient homesteads that yield maximum freedom and provide for their desired Quality of Life.
…
continue reading
If you're seeing this in your podcast feed it means our first child has either arrived or is very nearly earthside! Sammy and I greatly appreciate your thoughts, prayers, and good vibes in this time. The podcast will be on an indefinite (though hopefully relatively short) break, while we welcome our first child into the world and find our feet as n…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Floating Wetland Gardens In Pantry Ponds For Resilience, Function and Yield Stacking ~Epi-079
1:01:34
1:01:34
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:01:34
Floating wetlands are a "new" old technology that is well worth looking into if you are doing aquaculture at just about any scale - from small backyard tanks a few hundred gallons in size, on up to multi-acre ponds and lakes. Floating wetlands take the essential functions provided by wetlands and concentrated them into a smaller and more mobile foo…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Opt In To Nature To Opt Out Of The System(s) ~Epi-078
1:01:50
1:01:50
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:01:50
What do we mean when we say we want to "opt out" of the system? Firstly, it's the system(s) - the means of production, transport, communication, value transmission etc that we have to interface with to acquire the things we need to live in the modern world. In general, the further the distance a product or service must travel and the more technolog…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Designing For LIGHT At Every Level - Patterns For Incorporating Natural Light Into The Built Environment ~Epi-077
53:10
53:10
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
53:10
Light is an essential human nutrient. So much of our modern built environment is built without regard to orienting and integrating natural light, and our health - physical, mental, spiritual, emotional and communal - suffers for it. The good news is that you can design your structures (or retrofit them) to bring natural light back into them and cre…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Zone 0 Pattern Language Fundamentals - Designing Your Permaculture Kitchen ~Epi-076
54:38
54:38
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
54:38
Join me today as we discuss designing functional kitchen spaces that people want to be in. Lots of people are inheriting kitchens designed more for magazine covers than for function - and where there is a lack of function there is a concommitant increase in friction, which means more stress and less joy. Kitchens are the Zone 1 of Zone 0 - Zone 0 r…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Building Freedom And Community In The REAL Private Sector - Real World Applications For Private Membership Associations with Joshua Longbrook ~Epi-075
1:14:25
1:14:25
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:14:25
Today I interview Joshua Longbrook on real world applications of Private Membership Associations for creating systems of support - i.e. the parallel society - outside the jurisdiction of the public (State dominated) sphere. We'll cover what PMAs are, what protections they do and do not offer, how they are best utilized as extensions of a larger uni…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Sovereign Water - Spring Development Basics ~Epi-074
51:26
51:26
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
51:26
Today's show is for those of you lucky enough to have a spring on your property. We will cover the basics of spring morphology and function - including the way I really think they work vs. what the textbooks say - and then we'll go over basic spring assessment criteria, and the main components of spring water collection and distribution systems. Sh…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Debt, Wealth & Counter-Economics As A Means To Create A World Worth Inheriting ~Epi-073
48:45
48:45
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
48:45
How do we create a regenerative economy and all that entails when that work is arbitrarily outlawed, suppressed or actively disincentivized by the value systems that dominate our current culture? HINT: We have to step outside of the current imposed power structure - no permission required. My presupposition for this episode is this: Mainstream, sta…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Grow Food, Fodder, Fences And Forts For Cheap With Livestaking ~Epi-072
37:43
37:43
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
37:43
Today's episode is a short primer on live staking - what it is, how it works, what its good for, what types of species you can use to do it, and how to harvest, prepare and plant your live stakes. If you have perennially moist soils in need of stabilization, or are able to irrigate certain areas to ensure adequate soil moisture for establishment, y…
…
continue reading
As within so without. If we want to see changes in our external world (i.e. regenerating landscapes and ecosystems), we have to first address our internal state. The older I get and the more I learn, the less I can say I know for sure. This, though, is one of those things that I've arrived at as being one of those "indivisible kernels of truth" - s…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Adaptive vs. Prescriptive Management For Homesteads And Lifestyle Design ~Epi-070
39:42
39:42
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
39:42
Adaptive Management: Observation-driven management for constantly increasing resilience and ecosystem function by employing planned, purposeful disruption. Prescriptive Management: Labeling your observations so that you can look up a prescription that fits that label. This is a much more myopic way of managing a landscape, as you're automatically c…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Why We Use Functions-First Design To Create Holistic Ecosystems ~Epi-069
47:36
47:36
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
47:36
When we design holistic ecosystems, we start with mapping out desired and required functions THEN search for, select and/or design elements/systems that provide those functions in a way that aligns with the site-specific context. This is contrasted with how most people "design" systems - they see an ad or read an article and like the thing or the m…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Off-Grid Soil Fertility For Sovereign Food Systems ~Epi-068
58:56
58:56
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
58:56
If you are serious about food sovereignty, you're serious about building soil. In this episode I detail 4 methods for creating your own soil fertility inputs from what you are already growing, can source on your property or very close to home, or are already in the course of putting food on your table. They are: Vermicomposting ------------------> …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Biosolids: America's Dirty Secret ~Epi-067
1:12:10
1:12:10
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:12:10
Today is an expose about one of America's dirty secrets - we're talking about the nation wide biosolids program. Supposedly its a great way to beneficially cycle a "renewable resource" to help fertilize crop fields, protect water sheds and keep people healthy. In reality, its anything but - and we know from first hand knowledge because we lived wit…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Making Landfall - Your First 60 Days On The Land ~Epi-066
52:28
52:28
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
52:28
Today's show is all about the things you have to do to get yourself onto your land quickly without shooting yourself in the foot withe improperly located or oriented structures and roads. Vehicle access is basically an absolute necessity in today's world. By their very nature, roads are a break from the inherent landform, and thus ALL ROADS CAPTURE…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
A Strong WHY Can Bear Almost Any HOW ~ Epi-065
30:27
30:27
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:27
New Year's Evolution. This show is about doing the most important work first - your own internal visioning - an rooting that vision in your heart to create a WHY strong enough to bear any HOW. If you haven't done it yet, give yourself the gift of creating your Minimum Holistic Goal. It is the ONE THING that will make everything else that comes afte…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Using Duckweed To Grow More Calories Per Square Foot ~ Epi-064
42:04
42:04
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
42:04
Duckweed is an amazingly productive floating aquatic plant that is highly palatable to a wide variety of small and large livestock (ruminants, pigs, poultry, fish etc). Duckweed is a tremendous ally for those of us looking to create independence from centralized commodity food systems. You may not want to eat duckweed (though you can) but what you …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
The 7th Generation Principle - Designing For Continuity Across Generations ~ Epi-063
1:18:15
1:18:15
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:18:15
In this episode I am sharing what I have come to call the 7th Generation Principle - a principle guide post of sorts that I've been refining for nearly 10 years now to help guide my design work (for my own life and for others) in the direction of inter-generational regeneration. Basically, it seems like throughout human history we've actually lived…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
5 Tenets Of Carnivore Homesteading ~ Epi-062
1:07:11
1:07:11
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:07:11
In today's show we discuss the idea of the Carnivore Homestead. For those of us that eat a mostly animal-based diet, we want to produce mostly animal-based calories from our homestead production systems. I got news - just because we like to eat steak doesn't mean we aren't going to grow plants - in fact, we've got to grow them in greater quantity a…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Up-Leveling Calorie Production Per Square Foot With Azolla ~Epi-061
47:42
47:42
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
47:42
Today's episode came out of a Permies.com thread on Carnivore Homesteading. The seed questions for the thread was, for those of us enjoying the benefits of a carnivore lifestyle, how can we produce more high-quality animal-based calories for our own consumption from well designed and integrated systems at the homestead scale. Basically, there are t…
…
continue reading
Just a quick update on recent events here and announcement for taking a break until Novemeber 1st to visit family and dive into some design projects here in Tennessee and North Carolina. You can also follow Sovereign Homestead Design on YouTube. We've been having massive technical issues with our webhosting and emails this past month - basically in…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Sovereign Food Systems - Pantry Ponds ~ Epi-59
1:07:06
1:07:06
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:07:06
Today we look at another Sovereign Food System - what I'm calling the Pantry Pond. Basically a homestead-scale aquaculture system designed to maximize your food sovereignty via independence from the centralized systems of supply and distribution for any of the inputs required to grow what you want to grow - fish, aquatic vegetables, crawfish, shrim…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Sovereign Food Systems - Perennial Protein From Silvopasture Meat Forests ~Epi-58
58:16
58:16
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
58:16
In today's show we are talking about creating Sovereign Food Systems. I think this will be a series, or at least a collection of episodes, each one focused on a different type of sovereign food system that can be applied at a variety of scales across a broad range of contexts. Basically, a sovereign food system is one that has eliminated any depend…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Permaculture Design Principle Deep Dive #12 - Collaborate With Succession ~ Epi-057
28:06
28:06
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
28:06
Today we discuss permaculture design principle #12 - Collaborate With Succession. The more that we can align our designs, systems and management styles with the inherent successional trends already present in our landscapes, the greater our yields will be with fewer resource inputs required. This is all about energy efficiency, and it starts with O…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Permaculture Design Principle Deep Dive #11 - Make The Least Change For The Greatest Effect ~ Epi-56
25:58
25:58
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
25:58
Today we take a deeper look at the 11th permaculture design principle: Make The Least Change For The Greatest Effect. This principle is about economy of effort. When designing a sovereign homestead, we need to make sure that our systems are providing us with not only the right types of yields, but also in sufficient quantity and at a reasonable ret…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Permaculture Design Principle Deep Dive #10 - Optimize The Edge ~ Epi-055
36:20
36:20
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
36:20
In today's episode we take a deep dive into Permaculture Design Principle #10 - Optimize The Edge. We will discuss: Edge: What is it exactly? The real-world effects of edges in your homestead landscape with regards to energy translation, species diversity and overall productivity. How to manage edge for physical environments/elements to get more of…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Permaculture Design Principle Deep Dive #9: Choose Small-Scale, Intensive Solutions ~ Epi-054
29:59
29:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
29:59
This week we look at Permaculture Design Principle #9: Choose Small-Scale, Intensive Solutions. This is all about managing intensively in a small footprint at the start - and expanding what works and changing or eliminating what does not. We'll talk about the importance of testing your systems before expanding them by conducting Safe To Fail experi…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Permaculture Design Principle Deep Dive #8 - Integrate, Don't Segregate ~ Epi-053
31:56
31:56
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
31:56
Today we take a deeper look at Permaculture Design Principle #8 - Integrate, Don't Segregate. This principle is fundamentally about 'stacking functions' - a common term we hear a lot in perma-speak - but what does that really mean and HOW do you go about doing it? We'll talk nuts and bolts of creating functionally redundant systems, including: Segr…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Permaculture Principle Deep Dive #7: Design From Patterns To Details ~Epi-52
23:26
23:26
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
23:26
Design from pattern to details. Anyone who has read a permaculture book has heard this - but how to actually DO IT? Today we talk about Natural Constants and the Yeomans Scale of Permanence as tools you can use to help you design from big, broad, largely immutable patterns down to small, granular, actionable details. This is how you can ground the …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Permaculture Design Principle Deep Dive #6 - Make No Waste ~ Epi-51
31:11
31:11
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
31:11
Today we're talking about the 6th permaculture design principle: Make No Waste. In Nature, "waste" = food. How can we design our homesteads and the various life support systems on them such that the "waste" from one becomes the food for another? How many energetic loops and connection can we create between elements, systems and organisms? We'll dis…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Permaculture Design Principle Deep Dive #5 - Use And Value Nature's Gifts ~ Epi-50
43:19
43:19
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
43:19
Today we continue our Deep Dive series on the 12 foundational principles of permaculture. In this episode we take a deeper look at Principle #5: Use And Value Nature's Gifts / Collaborate With Succession / Work With Nature, Not Against It. There are numerous different ways this principle is written, and we'll explore the nuance of all three of the …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Permaculture Design Principle Deep Dive #4 - Self Regulate And Accept Feedback ~ Epi-049
50:52
50:52
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
50:52
In today's episode we continue with our Permaculture Design Principle Deep Dive Series with Principle #4 - Self Regulate And Accept Feedback. We talk about why those two terms - 'self regulate' and 'accept feedback' come packaged together, and how each is important to create an environment that promotes rapid iteration and 'safe to fail' testing of…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Permaculture Design Principle Deep Dive #3 - Obtain A Yield ~ Epi-048
53:01
53:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
53:01
Today is the third episode in our Permaculture Design Principle Deep Dive series - Obtain A Yield. This is all about intentionally designing living systems on our homesteads that provide for our needs to live a great life. Join me as we discuss... The different types of yields you can design for: product, energy and intangible/impalpable The Defini…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Permaculture Design Principle Deep Dive #2 - Catch & Store Energy ~ Epi-047
42:00
42:00
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
42:00
Today we take a deeper look at the second of the core permaculture design principles - Catch And Store Energy. This is what designing a functional and resilient ecosystem is all about - energy in vs. energy out. Everything that is alive needs to bring in more energy than it expends in order to 1) sustain its own existence and 2) to reproduce. If we…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Permaculture Design Principle Deep Dive #1: Observe & Interact - Epi-046
52:02
52:02
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
52:02
This is the first in a series of episodes that will go into depth on how to apply and leverage each of the 12 foundational design principles used in permaculture. The first design principle is Observe and Interact. It is the keystone design principle, from which all others are held together and applied toward a functional end. Join me as we discuss…
…
continue reading
Today we are talking about homestead security. It's a topic that is left out of a lot of "mainstream" permaculture design books - and really its hardly mentioned at all as a design consideration. We live in a weird time, when for just a few short generations, and then only for a select few people, we've been able to delegate our security to "the au…
…
continue reading
In today's episode we re-cap the takeaways from the 2-day grazing school I attended at Greg Judy's Green Pastures Farm in Clark, Missouri. The school was awesome, with great instruction from Greg and his co-instructor Abram Bowerman of Still Waters Farm in Spickard, MO. Intensively managed ruminant livestock are the tool for building soil rapidly, …
…
continue reading
Today's episode is a short one about just doing the next thing. You don't have to have everything mapped out ahead of time. If you have a set of principles (permaculture) and a long-term, BIG vision (your Minimum Holistic Goal - aka your "10 Year Vision"), it becomes very easy to prioritize and act on the next most impactful thing, without having a…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
What Makes A Sovereign Homestead? SAPA Framework ~Epi-42
49:42
49:42
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
49:42
Today's show is all about getting clear on what makes a homestead sovereign vs. a modern homestead vs. just a homestead. SPOILER ALERT: It's all about CHOICE. A well-designed homestead gives you more choice - more freedom to say NO to those things that are not in alignment with your highest quality of life, so that you can say yes to the things tha…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
What Is Permaculture? [The Millennial Pioneers Podcast] ~Epi-41
1:08:47
1:08:47
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:08:47
Today's show is the interview I just did with Jen and Sammy of the Millennial Pioneers Podcast on What Is Permaculture? We talk about the basics of what permaculture is about, and tangible, simple ways to get started integrating permaculture design and mindset into designing our own lives. We are living in a time when the bills racked up over the p…
…
continue reading
Homestead Super Plant Showcase - All About Amazing Vetiver Grass If you haven't heard of vetiver grass and are homesteading in USDA zone 7b or higher, this is a must listen! Vetiver Grass - Chrysopogon zizanioides - is a perennail, tufted, clump-forming grass that grows up to 9' tall in the tropics, and typically 6' tall in Mediterranean and humid …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Design Your Life And Homestead To Yield Freedom In Time, Health, Wealth and Spirit ~Epi-039
36:16
36:16
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
36:16
How can we design our lives and our homesteads to maximize our freedom in Time, Health, Wealth and Spirit? This is a primary lifestyle design aim for anyone interested in living as a sovereign human being today. Join me today as we discuss the 4 freedoms - all of which are aspects of FREEDOM - the ability to choose / say "no" to things. Freedom in …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Why We Are Leaving California And Moving To Tennessee ~Epi-038
59:39
59:39
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
59:39
The day has finally arrived! We are leaving California and moving to Tennessee! In today's show I go into all the things that are pushing us out of California and pulling us towards the Volunteer State! We'll cover the economic and regulatory reasons why California just isn't an option for us to build a life here, and why the economic and regulator…
…
continue reading
In today's show I detail my journey into what will be a multi-year endeavor - completely de-Googling my life. For us to live as sovereign human beings this day in age, we have to consciously design our digital lives to maintain appropriate levels of privacy and security amidst the ever-rising tide of surveillance and tracking. De-Googling my phone …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Living With Fire (Part 4): Integrating Fire Into Daily Life (Again) ~Epi-036
35:17
35:17
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
35:17
What if we chose to view nature’s gift of annually-replenishing fixed carbon sources (i.e. brush, forests etc) in high-fire danger areas as an opportunity to harmonize with the annual carbon cycle instead of as a nuisance to be combated? Could we improve home safety in the urban-wildland edge and take steps towards living within our annual solar en…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Living With Fire (Part 3): Home Construction & Retrofitting For Fire Survivability ~Epi-035
32:19
32:19
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
32:19
In today's show we continued with the Living With Fire series in Part 3 - all about fire-proof or at least fire-wise home construction and home refit suggestions to increase fire survivability. Its all simple - some steps are easy and cheap, some are not. We will cover... Fire Proof Building Materials - stone, compressed/rammed earth (super adobe),…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Living With Fire (Part 2): Regenerative Firescaping - Protect Your Home With Fire-Resistant Landscape Design ~Epi-034
41:53
41:53
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
41:53
Today we dive into the nitty gritty of regenerative firescaping following Living With Fire - Part 1 in Episode 33. We will cover: Using Zones & Sectors to plan out the landscape around your house with regards to fire resilience. Regenerative Fire Resistant Landscaping Principles - the basic do's an don'ts to apply when designing a fire resilient la…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Living With Fire (Part 1): Basic Fire Science, Home Site Selection and Personal Responsibility ~Epi-033
44:34
44:34
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
44:34
Today’s show is the first episode in a series of shows that I'll be putting out on designing, building and managing a homestead in a high-fire risk climate. So much energy in the form of human labor, tax dollars, and lost ecological integrity is expended each and every year for the purpose of reducing fire risk - and yet many of these interventions…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
The Consequences Of Ignoring Reality ~Epi-032
49:04
49:04
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
49:04
Today's show is inspired by the Ayn Rand quote “We can ignore reality, but we cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.” We (the larger collective of society, government etc) have been living in ignorance of reality for quite a while. Right now, a multitude of the consequences of this multi-generational ignorance are coming home to roost.…
…
continue reading
Join me for a discussion of 5 Rules For Happy Homesteading from my own lived experience. Be crystal clear on your BIG Why - why are you doing your life the way you are doing it? Finish What You Start - obtain a yield and liberate your time BEFORE adding more projects, systems or things to take care of! Build in Management for every system you add -…
…
continue reading