Available Now - Low Tech Erosion Control Online Self Paced Course
Designing Ecological & Effective Landscapes
Helping urban and rural homesteaders create water retentive edible and medicinal ecosystems
In consultation, I engage both the client and landscape to brainstorm design solutions to existing problems.
I begin with an interactive remote assessment to understand goals, opportunities and constraints then outline multiple pathways to abundance. While we discuss site features and design ideas during our call, I draw initial design ideas on your site map to stimulate discussion and further options.
Experienced in many climates, I specialize in Homestead development, Drip irrigation, Edible and medicinal landscapes, Horticulture, Water harvesting, Erosion control, Topsoil generation, Weed management plans, Agroforestry planning and Crop diversification.
Using an evolving toolkit for Watershed Regeneration I strive to rehydrate landscapes and livelihoods. Specializing in:
Urban and Rural Homesteads
&
Watershed Restoration
My design approach begins with a conceptual pattern of land use for a site based on the integration of client goals and landscape potential. I then generate details and materials lists incrementally on a project by project basis. This allows the site and client to generate feedback based on the results of implementation. We use this feedback to guide the next steps in design and application.
I offer several online courses that run annually. These include:
&
Upon request, I also conduct
Hands-on Workshops, One-on One Coaching and Multimedia presentations to expand the application of Ecological Homesteading and Regenerative Land Stewardship.
I empower attendees with tools they can apply from home to watershed scale.
"Neil's consultation exceeded the (already high) expectations I had. Our few hours together, and his follow-up reports and maps, taught me permaculture lessons that will last a lifetime. Neil's expert input during the design phase of my permaculture property saved countless hours (month? years?) of work down the road. And gave me a plan that I am stoked (and confident) to be implementing."
-Garrett M., Reno, NV
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Steppe One Farm and Nursery operations are integrated into my family's 1.3 acre Permaculture homestead. All our practices work to cultivate a thriving living soil and biodiverse ecosystem on the site. The compost, fertilizers and soil mix components we use are OMRI certified. We do not use chemical pesticides or fertilizers.
In the Nursery, I grow primarily edible, medicinal and native perennials, including culinary and medicinal herbs, pollinator plants, berries, and fruit trees. My focus is on useful plants that do well in the high desert climate of Reno, Nevada. Most of the plants available in the nursery are also grown on-site in the ground to test and prove their hardiness here. You can view the list of perennials I grow in my Propagation Spreadsheet on the Perennials tab and Fruits and Nuts tab.
If you are interested in locally grown plants, Please fill out my 2024 Nursery Survey where you can suggest plants you'd like me to grow.
The plants I grow are available to local Consulting and Design clients and at Reno Food Systems Park Farm Stand. Please follow Reno Food Systems on social media and/or subscribe to my newsletter for updates on when plants will be available there.
