Search results

  1. D

    Question on solar batteries, rust, and the meaning of life.

    Definitely the off-gassing is causing the rust. It will also corrode the controller and inverter, so they should be in another protected place. Batteries will last longer if they are not in high temperatures, and really good ventilation helps get the gasses away and keeps the temp down. Low...
  2. D

    I was offered some free grape vine starts...

    One more thing I thought of, grapes drop their leaves in the winter, so it will be a wall of bare wood vines. that unless you spend a lot of time making them go in attractive directions, will go all over the place. Do you want an evergreen wall?
  3. D

    I'm thinking of dabbling in the farmers market next year.

    I am not getting some of the replies in my email, sorry. There are some farms out here that have CSAs, and they are desperate for people. I think they guilt an awful lot of people into doing it. Every season they are on the verge of not getting enough people. They charge $800 for 8 months...
  4. D

    I'm thinking of dabbling in the farmers market next year.

    so lucky, thanks, nice of you to say :)
  5. D

    Anybody here used fishbone meal for phosphorus?

    If you really want to get back to nature and save yourself some money, pee is full of phosphorous (and potassium and nitrogen). Dilute it by 50%, store it in gallon milk jugs with a screw-on cap, use is ASAP, and your plants will be happy. I don't use it on small plants or seeds, but I use it...
  6. D

    DIY sprinkler-stand upgrade

    I already have waaaaaay too many projects underway. I think I actually scare my husband with all the things going on. :D In fact, I am inspired by another thread around here somewhere about down alternatives. Our pond is covered with cattails, and I'm going to pick the cattails and the fluff...
  7. D

    I'm thinking of dabbling in the farmers market next year.

    Wow, I wasn't getting notified in my email of all this, that's a shame. Ninny, I guess what I'm saying is that by the time anybody gets to the farmer's market 95% of the work is done. What it took to get something that ends up at the market is not what it's like to sell at the market...
  8. D

    DIY sprinkler-stand upgrade

    Very nice! I wish I could weld, but I think my husband would faint if I started doing that! :)
  9. D

    I'm thinking of dabbling in the farmers market next year.

    ninny, I don't want to sound like Debbie Downer, but I've been selling fruits and vegetables for 8 years, and it's a tough way to go. Not sure where you are, but if there are several farmer's markets in the area that happen on several days of the week, sometimes there is an overlap of the...
  10. D

    Cob building?

    Anyone here done this? I want to build a small seed-starting "greenhouse" with an insulated cobb back wall and an opposite glass wall to let the heat in. I know the basics, needs an overhanging roof, keep it up off the wet soil, I definitely have the right soil, super heavy clay,. I've seen...
  11. D

    Just excited

    Nice score! It is shocking how expensive wood is these days! Marianne, interesting you should mention bricks. Nice that you scrounged so many! We inherited some large round aggregate circles that were so popular in the '50s, and I have always liked bricks, and it took me several years of...
  12. D

    Organic Agronomical Tips

    I rather like "extenuative money," maybe I shouldn't take it so seriously! I probably should try to "assemble acceptable autumn" and I'll work on my "bed alertness." I actually had to look up "adumbration," got me on that one! :)
  13. D

    Anybody developed any useful tools for raised bed SFG?

    Thick mulch, 6-8 inches of mowed grass or weeds, leaves, organic matter will keep the soil from crusting, break down and improve the soil. Building "lasagna" layers of organic matter works extremely well, with a thick, top layer of leaf/grass mulch. Be careful about bark chips, and while they...
  14. D

    I was offered some free grape vine starts...

    Grapes do need some research because some of them need large numbers of chill hours to produce fruit (like over 300) , and if it's not cold enough, you won't get fruit, or very little. And then it has to be hot enough during the day to get them sweet. So trust the fact that she's never seen...
  15. D

    Who has solar panels?

    gd, I was not trying to give a financial dissertation on each and every kind of bond out there, just a quick, general overview to show how bonds are not in any way like buying solar panels. These posts on these forums are here for years and years, and there could be hundreds of people who might...
  16. D

    Who has solar panels?

    Well, there is a huge difference between *buying* solar panels and *investing* in bonds. They don't have anything to do with each other. Once you've spent your $20,000 on solar panels, it's gone. You bought stuff, you've got the stuff, not the money. Now, your panels may or may not provide...
  17. D

    Who has solar panels?

    We've had a small solar system for years, mainly because we are in a rural setting and the power goes out a lot, often for a couple of weeks, depending on the severity of the storm, and because the power company wants an easement across the property. No way!! And it's really cool, during a...
  18. D

    Solar Install - Story From Start To Finish

    A really bright day is a problem? Damn, I need one of those! :-)
  19. D

    How Do Y'all Deal With Pests Without Chemicals?

    The interplanting really helps, meaning companion planting, but also don't put the same thing in one place, and then all of something else in one place. It might look cute, but it's a huge red flag from the air, "Hey! There's the lettuce!!" Even a blind and injured bug can go from plant to...
  20. D

    warring with the dear...

    gd, yes, I know they love eggs. But when you separate out the yolk, you dilute it and spray it, the chemicals in the yolk are what they are responding to, it's not an egg anymore. This worked for me and protected 300 tomato plants with tomatoes on them, limbs of fruit trees, pumpkins and...
Top