Stony Oasis Farms: Creating an Off-Grid Permaculture Food-Forest

"Update, 2/8/26...I will be moving all the posts I have on JustCannabisSeed.com about my permaculture journey over here to Stony Oasis Farms. This site will be dedicated to sharing the ups and the downs of creating an off grid permaculture food-forest in a semi arid part of central WA state. This was my very first post was first posted many years ago, I will be updating and re-posting them all, and adding more as my progress up there continues. I will be living there in just a few months.."

Welcome to Stony Oasis Farms...80 acres of semi-arid land on the dry eastern side of the cascade mountains in central WA state.

Creating an off grid permaculture food forest has been a life long dream of mine.

I have wanted to do something like this since I was a child reading my dog eared copy of My Side of the Mountain.  Robinson Crusoe, and Swiss Family Robinson were also mainstays for leisure time reading. I wanted land, a food-forest, self-sufficiency, and freedom!

If you’ve found your way to StonyOasisFarms.com, you aren’t just visiting a website; you’re stepping onto 80 acres of rugged rocky, semi-arid Washington high desert that I am currently transforming into a permaculture food forest.

I am Jerry, though for over a decade I was a guerrilla cannabis grower, and many knew me only as "The Ghost". At 73, I’ve traded the precarious adrenaline rushes of guerrilla growing for the enduring labor of digging swales, moving water across the land, and creating a haven for wildlife....and myself. My mission remains the same: independence, resilience, self-sufficiency and a deep, loving connection to this earth we all live on. 

This site will be the heartbeat of my transition to an off-grid existence.You can follow along as I build wildlife guzzlers, solar electrical independence,  ponds,  add thousands of plants, and add other water catchment alternatives ( a ram pump for one)...which BTW is what permaculture is all about, moving water up hill.

Whether you’re here for the permaculture principles, the off-grid living, the wildlife, or stories of a life lived under the radar, you are always welcome at my table.

My journey from that child reading My Side of the Mountain to this 80-acre high desert oasis has been long, and I want to share some of the stories and lessons I have learned along the way before they vanish with me.

Table of Contents

• The Ghost Revealed: 50 Years in the Brush
• The 80-Acre Vision: Permaculture in the High Desert
• The Engine of Growth: Why Seeds Support the Soil
• Tactical Permaculture: Tradecraft for the Off-Gridder
• The Ghost Story: Lessons from a Decade of Shadows
• The Future of Stony Oasis: Building the Food Forest
• Final Call: Join the Oasis Community

The Ghost Revealed: 50 Years in the Brush

For over fifty years, I have been a student of the plant.

It began in 1968 with a few seeds of Santa Marta Colombia Gold and Panama Red from kilos of red bud, I grew them tucked away in the Oregon mountains at 4,500 feet.

It was a failure of the most educational kind; the equatorial Sativas simply couldn't handle the short season, and the early high-altitude frost. But that failure was the catalyst for a lifelong obsession with genetics and resilience.

I learned early on that it is detrimental to fight nature; it is far more effective to choose genetics that are predisposed to survive the specific challenges of your environment.

As the legal landscape grew precarious, I retreated into the shadows.

For over ten years I operated as "The Ghost," a serious guerrilla grower managing thousands of plants in remote locations. It was a clandestine life, one that required sophisticated observation, understanding the terrain, and an intimate knowledge of animals, nature, tracking...and survival.

The Ghost approved of the move to this 80-acre property because it offers the ultimate sanctuary—a place where the tactical skills learned in the brush can be applied to building a permanent, regenerative homestead.

Transitioning from a life of hiding in the shadows to a life of building my off-grid dream is a monumental shift, but times have changed, and my guerrilla growing life is over, we are in a different time and place.

The 80-Acre Vision: Permaculture in the High Desert

Stony Oasis Farms is not your typical homestead. Located in central Washington along the breaks of the Columbia river, the environment can be harsh, semi-arid, and unforgiving to the unprepared.

To build a food forest here, traditional methods are often insufficient, and water is imperative, so as soon as I was able (using funds generated but Just Cannabis Seed) I had a well drilled. Then I had a pump installed that can run on 30-300 volts Ac or DC. Then installed solar panels to run the pump solar direct. If the sun shines, the pump pumps. What I do not use is pumped to a tank on top of a nearby hill. When that tank is full the excess water is simply pumped out along the ground...seeping down the hill, and watering any plants planted there...true permaculture in action.

The pump only pumps about 6 gals a minute, but when you do the math...that is 360 an hour, about 3240 a day, 22,680 a week, and over 90,000 a month. Getting this liquid gold up, and on top of the land again is true permaculture in action. Many plants simply cannot survive there without extra water.

The Engine of Growth: Why Seeds Support the Soil

100% of the revenue from my seedbank, Just Cannabis Seed, goes directly into the development of Stony Oasis Farms.

When you support my seedbank, you are effectively helping to lower your own carbon footprint through the creation of my food forest.

I don't see them as separate entities; the seeds are the engine, and the farm is the destination. This synergy allows me to stay independent of corporate influence and focus solely on providing the highest-quality, fully mature genetics to my fellow growers.

That being said, I will also be offering herb seeds, bags of pine cones for crafts, and perhaps a few more products (maybe walking sticks...if you have any ideas get back to me) right here on SOF in order to support my dream.

I do also offer herb seed on Just Cannabis Seed here...Herb Seeds.

Tactical Permaculture: Tradecraft for the Off-Gridder

Off-grid living requires a specific type of mental fortitude. One needs to be a hands on problem solver. Whether it’s diagnosing a faulty solar inverter or identifying the tracks of a predator near your chicken coop, you must always be a student of your surroundings.

I use words like "tradecraft" because survival in the high desert is a skill set that must be honed. One needs to learn to read the weather, nature, and be ready to act decisively to protect your farm.

For instance I was going to build up on top of the hill that is nearby, but if I had done that I would be up in that strong wind that blows up the Columbia gorge. So I chose down below the hill...there are times the wind is blowing hard up there but nearly no wind down where I am.

Then there was also the well, a well can be drilled anywhere...but in that country dry holes are drilled often.

What to do?

Try to drill where the well will hit water. (DUH!) The only way I could find that gives you a way to tell where water is, is water witching. I actually hired two different water witchers to find water, and where my well should be drilled. Then I learned that I could witch effectively as well. Under ground water pretty much follows the lay of the land, and the water we found was at the bottom of the hill.

The well driller drilled about 250 ft, mostly through solid basalt before hitting any water at all. I was getting nervous. Then finally at about 300 feet he began to see more water from the drilling...finally we had hit water! What a relief!

The well only produces about 6 gals a minute, but with over 100 foot of 'head' I have never run out of water to pump. Plenty for my needs.

The Future of Stony Oasis: Building the Food Forest

The roadmap for Stony Oasis Farms is ambitious. Over the next few years, I will be moving my base of operations entirely to the 80 acres. I will be building a passive solar home, expanding the water catchment systems, and planting thousands of trees.

Much of the work will be accomplished using an excavator my son bought for me...what a God send it is!

It is a daunting task, but for this 73-year-old with 50 years of dirt under my nails, it is the only way I want to live. I want to show that it is never too late to start a project of this magnitude, provided you have the grit to see it through.

I will be documenting every step of this journey here on the blog. From the technical aspects to the challenges of keeping a garden alive in the semi-arid Washington summers, I’ll be sharing it all.

I want this to be a resource for anyone who feels the "precarious" nature of our modern world and wants to build their own sanctuary. Stony Oasis is my legacy, and I invite you to follow along as I turn this desert acreage into a thriving, regenerative paradise. It just makes sense to learn these skills now.

Final Call: Join the Oasis Community

I’ve spent a lot of time in the silence of the woods, but I’ve realized that community can be just as important as independence. I will be building a library of knowledge here, and I want you to be a part of it.

Whether you are a veteran grower, a permaculture enthusiast, or just someone who enjoys a good story, there is a place for you here. I’m not here to give generic advice or fluff; I’m here to provide the gritty reality of off-grid life and the nurturing knowledge of a master grower.

I want to help you succeed!

If you have questions about my transition to the farm, or if you want to share your own journey, don't be a stranger. I’m always an email away, and I’m working on making this site a true hub for the off-grid life. And I love comments...so leave me some.

The Ghost may have stepped out of the shadows, but the mission to support independence and high-quality genetics remains stronger than ever.

So, I have to ask: are you ready to roll up your sleeves and start building your own version of an SOF, or are you just going to watch the world go by from the sidelines?

Join the JCS Growers Community Forum

Legal Disclaimer

The content on StonyOasisFarms.com is provided strictly for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as legal advice, nor does it encourage any illegal activity. Always research and verify current local, state, and federal laws regarding land use, off-grid living, and the cultivation of any plants. Jerry and Stony Oasis Farms do not condone breaking any laws.