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| Framing of the Shed |
Onto this frame went the siding, 5/8" T1-11 plywood, nailed to horizontal rather than vertical studs. Eventually, this will be stained to match the barn, if the weather ever warms up enough.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
A New Outbuilding
I have been storing my ATV underneath the house where it could be chained to the foundation. Problematic was angling it correctly to back it into its space and the difficulty getting it out, uphill, in muddy or snowy weather. In addition, we needed the space to store wood and our new 7,000 W generator. Also problematic was the amount of space taken up by the Gravely walk-behind mower in the barn. So, I build a shed on the west side of the barn.
The frame of the shed consisted of a treated 2"x6" header bolted to the frame of the barn, three treated 4"x4" posts about 8' from the barn, a treated 2"x8" header bolted to the posts, and 2"x6" roof joists. The dimensions were such that the ATV could be parked in one of the "stalls" and be completely out of the weather. The dimensions were about 12' wide by 8' deep. The front header was about 6' off the ground at its shortest, and the back header was bolted 8' above the foundation of the barn.
Onto this frame went the siding, 5/8" T1-11 plywood, nailed to horizontal rather than vertical studs. Eventually, this will be stained to match the barn, if the weather ever warms up enough.
Onto this frame went the siding, 5/8" T1-11 plywood, nailed to horizontal rather than vertical studs. Eventually, this will be stained to match the barn, if the weather ever warms up enough.
Satellite Internet
On our side of the valley down which Red Creek flows, we're lucky to have electricity. We had to run a new electrical line more than 2,500' up the side of the valley and then up a hollow through a very steep clear-cut. This cost about $1K in an initial payment, and then $22.50/month/5 years. I think we could get a land-line by the same route, and DSL through the land-line, but that would be useless.
Until recently, getting internet via a satellite was expensive ($70/month) and the service was very, very slow (1 Mbps). Recently, Wild Blue, one of the major providers of satellite internet service launched a new service called Exede that is much faster (≥ 12 Mbps), about the same as our service in Columbus, and significantly less expensive ($50/month).
Up until now, our "internet" service was provided with our iPhones and the cell phone tower in nearby Harman. The phone signal was decent 3 of 5 bars and was moderately reliable, but the internet service was Edge (E). Slow. They don't measure this speed with Mbps, but rather Kbps, and even then it's fractional Kbps, as in 0.1 Kbps. Email worked, you could boot up a website to get the weather (3-10 minutes), you could get scores of football and basketball games, and the phone worked reliably and with a clear signal. The caveat, however, was that the phone had to be positioned precisely in one window to obtain a steady signal. That meant that you had to stand in front of that window to talk on the phone or read email. It worked.
Until recently, getting internet via a satellite was expensive ($70/month) and the service was very, very slow (1 Mbps). Recently, Wild Blue, one of the major providers of satellite internet service launched a new service called Exede that is much faster (≥ 12 Mbps), about the same as our service in Columbus, and significantly less expensive ($50/month).
Up until now, our "internet" service was provided with our iPhones and the cell phone tower in nearby Harman. The phone signal was decent 3 of 5 bars and was moderately reliable, but the internet service was Edge (E). Slow. They don't measure this speed with Mbps, but rather Kbps, and even then it's fractional Kbps, as in 0.1 Kbps. Email worked, you could boot up a website to get the weather (3-10 minutes), you could get scores of football and basketball games, and the phone worked reliably and with a clear signal. The caveat, however, was that the phone had to be positioned precisely in one window to obtain a steady signal. That meant that you had to stand in front of that window to talk on the phone or read email. It worked.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Preview of the 2013 Garden
A significant portion of the 2013 garden was planted over the April 13-14 weekend. One of the primary goals this year was to amend the soil to make it more nutrient rich. At both the OEFFA and Hobby Farm Dream conferences this past spring, I attended a number of talks about soil health, and this is clearly one of the major issues we need to deal with over the next several years.
We started this in three ways: (1) we added a high quality, organism-rich compost; (2) we added organic matter in the form of shredded leaves, straw, and wood chips; (3) we had the soil analyzed for nutrients so that we can amend imbalances. The compost and organic matter go hand-in-hand, as the organisms in the compost break-down the organic matter for use by the garden plants, releasing nutrients along the way, and the facilitate nutrient uptake by plants. Soil analysis in the garden showed a marked deficiency of phosphorous and the need for significant lime to raise the pH.
There were four permanent (perennial) plants already in the garden: asparagus (25 plants installed in 2011), raspberries (2011), rhubarb (1 plant, 2012), and horseradish (2 plants, 2012). The perennial plantings were increased by adding three new rhubarb roots and another 25 asparagus plants (Mary Washington). Four new raspberries were also added. So now we have two 30' long asparagus beds, the first of which will produce an initial crop this year. The first rhubarb will also be ready to pick, and the raspberries.
We started this in three ways: (1) we added a high quality, organism-rich compost; (2) we added organic matter in the form of shredded leaves, straw, and wood chips; (3) we had the soil analyzed for nutrients so that we can amend imbalances. The compost and organic matter go hand-in-hand, as the organisms in the compost break-down the organic matter for use by the garden plants, releasing nutrients along the way, and the facilitate nutrient uptake by plants. Soil analysis in the garden showed a marked deficiency of phosphorous and the need for significant lime to raise the pH.
There were four permanent (perennial) plants already in the garden: asparagus (25 plants installed in 2011), raspberries (2011), rhubarb (1 plant, 2012), and horseradish (2 plants, 2012). The perennial plantings were increased by adding three new rhubarb roots and another 25 asparagus plants (Mary Washington). Four new raspberries were also added. So now we have two 30' long asparagus beds, the first of which will produce an initial crop this year. The first rhubarb will also be ready to pick, and the raspberries.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Starting Seeds
This year (2013) was the year I got serious about starting seeds indoors. I found an Excel spreadsheet that calculated start and transplant dates based on the input of a "last frost date." In previous years we had planted whenever we were on the farm, rather than according to a schedule. I also did considerable research on ideal temperatures for starting seeds (80 °F) and for growing seedlings (≈ 70 °F). I bought seed tray heaters, 50 cell peat trays, special seed-starting mix, and built a shelving unit with hanging fluorescent lights on adjustable chains. The entire unit was wrapped in plastic to prevent drafts and maintain temperatures, and I found some 1" thick styrofoam sheets to help with insulation.
As it turned out, the seed tray heater kept the interior of a covered tray at ≥ 80 °F, and that heat from the fluorescent lights would keep an unheated tray at just above 70 °F in a 60 °F basement. My biggest worry at this stage was whether I was going to get a visit from the DEA on suspicion of growing weed.
First to be planted on 2/26 were nine varieties of tomatoes: Big Boy, Garden Peach, Black Krim, Orange Blossom, Roma, Black Cherry, Red Cherry, Yellow Pear, and Sungold. These were up in a few days with heat, and were thinned and fertilized with an NPK 18-18-21 tomato fertilizer. Second to be planted were the cabbages on 3/1: Early Jersey Hybrid, King Slaw, and an heirloom we got at the OEFFA conference called Copenhagen. The peppers were started 3/8: jalapeño, bell, cayenne, Padron, and ancho. Then the beets on 3/13 (Detroit Supreme and Golden, 50 each) and the kales and chard on 3/14 (Black Magic and Dwarf Blue Curled, and Bright Lights, respectively). Also on 3/14, I started basil, nasturtium and parsley, the latter of which should have been started with the tomatoes. Finally, the eggplant (Millionaire), spinach (Salad Fresh) and endive (Green Curled Ruffec) were started on 4/3 and the carrots (Scarlet Nantes heirloom we also obtained at the OEFFA conference) on 4/19. The final starts will be cucumbers on 5/1 (Homemade Pickle, Muncher, and Straight Eight).
First to be planted on 2/26 were nine varieties of tomatoes: Big Boy, Garden Peach, Black Krim, Orange Blossom, Roma, Black Cherry, Red Cherry, Yellow Pear, and Sungold. These were up in a few days with heat, and were thinned and fertilized with an NPK 18-18-21 tomato fertilizer. Second to be planted were the cabbages on 3/1: Early Jersey Hybrid, King Slaw, and an heirloom we got at the OEFFA conference called Copenhagen. The peppers were started 3/8: jalapeño, bell, cayenne, Padron, and ancho. Then the beets on 3/13 (Detroit Supreme and Golden, 50 each) and the kales and chard on 3/14 (Black Magic and Dwarf Blue Curled, and Bright Lights, respectively). Also on 3/14, I started basil, nasturtium and parsley, the latter of which should have been started with the tomatoes. Finally, the eggplant (Millionaire), spinach (Salad Fresh) and endive (Green Curled Ruffec) were started on 4/3 and the carrots (Scarlet Nantes heirloom we also obtained at the OEFFA conference) on 4/19. The final starts will be cucumbers on 5/1 (Homemade Pickle, Muncher, and Straight Eight).
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