I’m working on getting some videos up showing my hugelkulture/swale project, a double barrel charcoal retort kiln, a new paddock shift system for my flock of 100 or so layers and meat chickens, a small chicken house for up to 10 chickens, a new brooder house, planting the vertical garden barrel planter and some other […]
Alternative feed for chickens There is a lot of discussion ongoing about getting away from commercial bagged feed, soaking feed for chickens, producing sprouts, fodder, and so on. Even for those of us who love these sorts of discussion, it can get overwhelming. Soaking grain for chickens easier than sprouting I’m developing a semi-automated system […]
Chainsaw lumber freehand Chainsaw lumber with just a freehand chainsaw! No milling attachment, no guide! Equipment The first video shows equipment I will be using to chainsaw lumber freehand (beams in this case) as well as a brief discussion of the Mini Mill and the Granberg Alaska Mill. The second video shows the actual chainsaw […]
I’ve been experimenting with making charcoal for biochar applications including making a couple of TLUD top loading updraft kilns. I’m also planning to try a double barrel retort as soon as I can come up with a 30 gallon barrel. These projects are interesting, but there are a lot of questions I still haven’t answered […]
I still recall a local orchard a mile or two down the road from here. As a school child I went there on a field trip. I drank their cider. I ate their apples. I still recall the couple who owned and operated the orchard. I still wish I could drive by there and see […]
First of all, for those of you who haven’t been getting Geoff Lawton’s permaculture weekly videos, you have been missing out. Go on over to www.geofflawton.com and sign up to get his videos. His last video was about a compost chicken tractor system he developed using 28 chickens in a mobile coop made from an […]
Biochar is charcoal intended for use as a soil conditioner. There are evidences of biochar in soils around the world including the midwest US and (famously) the Terra Preta soils of the Amazon. Easily dismissed as legends and fables, the reality is there are some really special qualities biochar has as a soil conditioner. Beyond […]
I’m starting a new project with the goal of getting my flock of 100-150 layers off commercial bagged chicken feed. I want to work towards a more natural alternative chicken feed. Although I need to keep my costs down, the real goal is better eggs and meat, not saving money, but I want to be […]
Vertical gardening is one of the most space-efficient ways to grow. It can also be a work-around poor soil, landlord and property restrictions, and a number of other issues. But more than just a way to solve garden problems, it offers a number of unique advantages including easier access for disabled and elderly persons, less […]
The benefits of biochar are many and last for millennia. The pit method for making biochar is one of the simplest, easiest, low tech ways of making biochar for soil applications. It can be made on a small farm, or backyard in many areas and requires no barrel, no welding, no stovepipe, and no cob. […]
