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Post by synergy on Nov 20, 2012 12:36:10 GMT -5
davida, I am not exactly sure your impressions of BC were great ones but memorable at least. Not a homesteading activity in the traditional sense but I enrolled in university courses in Sustainability, Climate Literacy and Climate Change . If I were living in Oklahoma I would become a fast study in permaculture and try to get surrounding neighbours to as well , there is a lot you can do to better your situation with your land and the consequences of not trying might be challenging to say the least.
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Post by davida on Nov 21, 2012 1:22:25 GMT -5
davida, I am not exactly sure your impressions of BC were great ones but memorable at least. Not a homesteading activity in the traditional sense but I enrolled in university courses in Sustainability, Climate Literacy and Climate Change . If I were living in Oklahoma I would become a fast study in permaculture and try to get surrounding neighbours to as well , there is a lot you can do to better your situation with your land and the consequences of not trying might be challenging to say the least. Synergy, my impressions of BC are great. Beautiful country and good, friendly people. I have visited several times by car but living on the bike 17 days was the definitely the best trip to BC. The University courses sounds interesting and informative. During my university days in the early 70's as an engineering student, the Jun 24, 1974, Time Magazine article Entitled: "Another Ice Age? ... stated that the area of the ice and snow cover had suddenly increased by 12% in 1971 and ... Scientists have found other indications of global cooling." Several covers of Time Magazine in the 1970's was about the coming Ice Age. So it has been interesting to see both sides of the cooling/warming climate change promoted during my life and to follow the money and politics. Hope you enjoy your courses and learn alot. I watched and enjoyed the video link that you provided about permaculture. I need to learn so much more about this subject. I have Sepp Holzer's Permaculture book and hope to study it this winter. And I hope to have the time to really study MikeH's posts and blog. Any assistance that you or any other forum members can offer would be appreciated on permaculture. |
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Post by synergy on Nov 22, 2012 11:54:11 GMT -5
Let's see it seems like everyday on a farm is homesteading activity , mind you not in a pioneering sense. I processed the last of my poultry that are for going in the freezer, made several good trades and now need to reorganize my canning jars that are overwhelming my pantry. I have been preoccupied the last 24 hours with retrieving pallets that I wire in place (secure at the top and bottom into squares ) as wind and livestock protection around my young trees .
@davida I am of the thought that scientists at present only suspect a shift to a much colder climate in some areas if the thermohaline circulation system shifts dramatically due to ice melt altering saline levels . I was thinking with increasing issues of evaporation of water, periodic drought, wind erosion, that your area might benefit from shelterbelt systems , less tillage, more mixed perenial type plantings, soil being built up and covered , those permaculture type ideas . Not that other regions don't need that too and have their own climate issues but I remembered seeing some graphics recently that indicated your area may very well have increasing issues with drought and soil erosion.
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Post by davida on Nov 24, 2012 17:37:01 GMT -5
Let's see it seems like everyday on a farm is homesteading activity , mind you not in a pioneering sense. I processed the last of my poultry that are for going in the freezer, made several good trades and now need to reorganize my canning jars that are overwhelming my pantry. I have been preoccupied the last 24 hours with retrieving pallets that I wire in place (secure at the top and bottom into squares ) as wind and livestock protection around my young trees . @davida I am of the thought that scientists at present only suspect a shift to a much colder climate in some areas if the thermohaline circulation system shifts dramatically due to ice melt altering saline levels . I was thinking with increasing issues of evaporation of water, periodic drought, wind erosion, that your area might benefit from shelterbelt systems , less tillage, more mixed perenial type plantings, soil being built up and covered , those permaculture type ideas . Not that other regions don't need that too and have their own climate issues but I remembered seeing some graphics recently that indicated your area may very well have increasing issues with drought and soil erosion. Synergy, I'm impressed by your homesteading skills and your desire to learn about so many different areas. If you can get PBS, they have a new 4 hour special on "The Dust Bowl". You would find it especially interesting with the University courses that you are enrolled. During the 1920s, millions of acres of grass were converted to farmland and wheat monoculture with the plow and the new gas powered tractors in the southern plains. The land promoters slogan was "the rain follows the plow" and the climate cooperated with 1931 having the most abundant harvest. Then a decade of drought produced one the the worst environmental disasters in history. Northwestern Oklahoma was the center of the dust bowl. At the present time, Oklahoma has had 2 years of extreme drought. Many of the farmers are planting with "no till" but the practices are not sustainable like permaculture. |
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Post by synergy on Nov 25, 2012 0:52:55 GMT -5
Thank you davida, I have a very small acreage and I have grown fruit and had small herb and veggie gardens but I am not a dazzling homesteader by any stretch , (but I have aspirations ) and I am certainly not a learned gardener but I really care about my environment . I make nice soil : )
Today I was inspired by someone on the PRI permaculture gardening site to gather all my windfallen limbs to make a 'hugelkulture' berm where you bury the wood under the soil , I think the wood breaking down encourages the mycorrhizal activity , traps some air and acts as a sponge to hold water . I will basically add garden debris as I clean up areas and cover it in manure and let it rot and plant mixed ornamental and edible plants in spring for privacy in my front yard .
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Post by davida on Nov 26, 2012 12:46:49 GMT -5
Today I was inspired by someone on the PRI permaculture gardening site to gather all my windfallen limbs to make a 'hugelkulture' berm where you bury the wood under the soil , I think the wood breaking down encourages the mycorrhizal activity , traps some air and acts as a sponge to hold water . I will basically add garden debris as I clean up areas and cover it in manure and let it rot and plant mixed ornamental and edible plants in spring for privacy in my front yard . Synergy, I have been wanting to build a hugelkulture bed also. Years ago when I kept my horses in the barn, I had an abundance of material to compost. After composting, I built a raised bed out of white vinyl fencing that was 64 feet long by 7 feet wide by 3 feet high. It is our (and the gophers) favorite bed. We have never had to add nutrients to the bed. I have always wanted more of these "raised" beds but have never had the compost. Now with the hugelkulture method, I have the material to build more of these beds. |
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Post by davida on Nov 26, 2012 19:14:05 GMT -5
I'll certainly be glad when Holly and Castanea return from their Thanksgiving trips. I miss their posts!!
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Post by synergy on Nov 29, 2012 20:21:45 GMT -5
My hugelkulture bed ( this term makes me smile because I have no idea why everyone knows this term but we never translate it to something in english) is sort of like everything else on this farm, by opportunity, and is 4 feet wide at present and 40 feet long running parallel to the house and the street , as a buffer. It is comprised of any shrubby brush I prune off , brambles , windfallen tree limbs, I am just going to stack it in place, let it die off and add to it as I go along all winter . In spring I will cover it with soiled stable bedding as I go along cleaning stalls daily. When the berm is sufficient height and it will likey rot down quite a bit, I will cover it with the free coir matting and cut slits in the coir to do privacy, ornamental and edible landscape planting on the berm between the house and the road as the west side of sort of a garden room I want to create of the 'front yard' of the house . Today I planted auxiliary patches of oregano and spearmint under trees out in the pastures. And I made a fourth poly covered coldframe made out of a salvaged double bedframe , it is planted with salad greens , garlic and leeks . Considering I am north of the 49th parallel , I am thrilled to have greens fresh from the garden through this date and hope to plant a lot more under these recycling project coldframes next year to extend the season .
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Post by steev on Nov 29, 2012 21:47:33 GMT -5
I could never make it through Winter without greens, which my climate blesses me with. Bon appetit!
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baby daddy
gardener
Laugh when you can, Apoligize when you should, Let go of the things you can't change.
Posts: 132
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Post by baby daddy on Dec 10, 2012 22:00:13 GMT -5
Speaking of greens. I started on my Cattle Panel greenhouse the other day.
3 cattle panels 16 ft. by 50 in. 2 4x4 posts layed out parallel to each other 7 feet apart. drilled and staked with 2 ft sections of 1/2 in re bar. 1 panel end is layed on one 4x4 fence steepled to it , then the other end is attached to the other 4x4 thereby creating a 7 ft. arch. repeat 2 more times and tie pieces together with tie wire and wahlah. box in back and front, install door and it will be done. 6 mil clear plastic 20 ft x 100 ft. enough to cover3 time or so and we will see what happens.
AND YES I STILL HAVE GREENHOUSE ENVY.. thanks to bunkies pics...
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Post by davida on Dec 10, 2012 22:50:00 GMT -5
Speaking of greens. I started on my Cattle Panel greenhouse the other day. 3 cattle panels 16 ft. by 50 in. 2 4x4 posts layed out parallel to each other 7 feet apart. drilled and staked with 2 ft sections of 1/2 in re bar. 1 panel end is layed on one 4x4 fence steepled to it , then the other end is attached to the other 4x4 thereby creating a 7 ft. arch. repeat 2 more times and tie pieces together with tie wire and wahlah. box in back and front, install door and it will be done. 6 mil clear plastic 20 ft x 100 ft. enough to cover3 time or so and we will see what happens. AND YES I STILL HAVE GREENHOUSE ENVY.. thanks to bunkies pics... Sounds like a good plan. We did something similiar with T-Posts on the ends to build an arch. Your plan would be more stable for the ends. If you need more stability on the sides, you could use some T-posts. |
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Post by steev on Dec 11, 2012 0:47:14 GMT -5
I should do something of the sort, but I fear the occasional wind, which "kited" off my last greenhouse. No question, I must work this out, since I clearly need a greenhouse.
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Post by davida on Dec 11, 2012 10:00:37 GMT -5
I should do something of the sort, but I fear the occasional wind, which "kited" off my last greenhouse. No question, I must work this out, since I clearly need a greenhouse. The more I think about BabyDaddy's plan, the more I like it. The 4x4 post would allow you to wrap the film around any size 1" board, stretch the film tight and nail to the post. It is recommended that you install the film when the weather is 70F to allow for stretching and contraction caused by temperature changes. |
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Post by bunkie on Dec 11, 2012 10:46:25 GMT -5
...AND YES I STILL HAVE GREENHOUSE ENVY.. thanks to bunkies pics... teehee! looks like a good plan there babydaddy! my homesteading act for today will be to clean out the HUGE dead weeds that grew in the greenhouse this summer!!! i need to get some greens growing in there! |
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Post by davida on Dec 11, 2012 10:57:56 GMT -5
box in back and front, install door BabyDaddy, Would you explain how you are planning to "box in back and front"? Are you planning to use 2x4's to frame it in or some other method? Would you need a way to be able to vent during warm days? |
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