What are your prep projects this year?

strider3700

It's march 2nd in most parts of the world now so it's time for an update/nagging.

It's still cold but spring is definitely showing signs of rapidly returning. I've managed to clear some more tree's and clean them up mostly and I started digging a pond in the back garden area. I've been doing it by hand so it's small now but should be large enough to attract frog spawn soon.

The chicken tractor was thought about a bit.

The back patio was ignored

the solar hotwater is looking like I was going down the wrong path. I'll be doing a rethink on that soon.

The big issue is I was given a job that pays very well and I can't really just drop to play around the house. So a crap load of my time has vanished. That can't stop progress around here though.

Remember everyone - By the end of this month 1/4 of the year is gone.
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shame on us, doomed from the start
god have mercy on our dirty little hearts

Waterthrush

Next weekend I will achieve one of my goals - it's only a party, but it's a gardening party for my nearest neighbors in my townhome development. I know some of them think more or less like me, that there is much we could be doing near at hand rather than just complaining.

One result will be that we know one another better. I only know a few of my neighbors by name! We will be exploring gardening resources, including fruit trees, maintaining a natural area, and inventorying resources.

I will gently raise the idea of peak oil. As I said in another thread, I'll do it with "what-ifs."

My cold frame is out and producing chives and lettuce already. But it could be doing much better. I have not done any planning, really, yet. I just had several bare root berry bushes arrive, and need to get them in the ground.

I started some strength training (I need to be able to lift a 40 lb bag, at least Smile

) and am already seeing some benefits. I'd like to get much stronger this year.

And I'd like to start something with solar, whatever is smallest scale, maybe a battery charger?

jlw61

Tuesday I give my first PO lecture to a small group. I've got it set as a layman to layman lecture with about 45 min of lecture and the rest interactive discussion.

The pantry is now loaded and the freezer is about 30% full. My BOBs are finally done.

I'm going to learn about canning and drying this year. Any good links are always welcome.

I need to expand my garden since the new greenhouse has lots of veggie plants sprouting. I also need to look into economical ways to keep the greenhouse warm for next winter as I want to grow through all four seasons.

It won't take much to keep it warm as the 1500 watt electric heater in it now prevents freezing temps in all but the coldest of Virginia winter nights (holds GH temp 9^o above ambient). I could run more power to it and add another heater but I'd really like to go with something more PO friendly. Cheaper would be nice also as my calculations say a minimally warmed greenhouse will cost me up to $75 per month in electricity. Perhaps wood gasification? It's only 12x7 with a ceiling height of about 7 feet. It's a scaled down version of the following:

NCSU

Any web links or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Something that vents CO and is nearly smoke free is a minimum requirement as I have an athsma sufferer in the home. I've looked at gas and kerosene heaters but do not have any practical experience with them or their associated costs.
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When somebody makes a statement you don't understand, don't tell him he's crazy. Ask him what he means. -- Otto Harkaman, Space Viking

killJOY · Fission Joined: Feb 21, 2005 Posts: 2510 Location: ^NNE^

Wagon circling.

No more "reaching out," no more lectures or soapboxes.

Time to shut up and plant.

I'm starting my first cash crop (onions, leeks, squash), I'm extending my personal crops, and I'm cutting firewood.
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"By the time individuals discover that remaining resources will not be adequate for the next generation, the next generation has already been born. " David Price

Lumpy

I'm a little OCD -- in a good way (well, I think so anyway) Smile

So I have a rolling spreadsheet for projects, dates to be completed, etc.

Today is March 2nd -- and on the handy-dandy Excel sheet is
Plan the garden. This is a bigger deal than it sounds like.

There are eight big permanent raised beds with full day sun exposure, plus a melon patch and a corn patch. The mistake in positioning the raised beds in such a fashion became very evident last year. Too dang much heat/sun for many of the plants. Plus they are too far from the house to be of "quick grab and eat/cook" value when it comes to herbs, lettuce, etc.

So have to decide today:
1. What produce is really wanted/needed
2. What seeds will go in where and when
3. When do the new raised beds have to be built and ready to go (in an area that gets less light - for 2nd crop spinach, etc)
4. How to address the question of the mint, that was foolishly (live and learn) planted in a raised bed - which now will probably have to be completely emptied, soil and all, in order to be prepared for some other crop. (Going to move the mint to along the banks of the artesian fed creek -- the little creek closer to the house.)
5. Maybe order seeds

Also - chicken-wise:
1. Cleaned out the coop already -- and it should be dry from its power washing. (The chickens are mad that the smell is 'ruined' and they have to start all over pooping it up again.) Anyway, have to put in new straw today, and put the tarp back under it to catch all that great new poop!
2. "Nursery" coop is cleaned out, but needs some repair today, plus straw, food, and water put in, as there are about 32 new chicks arriving from McMurray tomorrow.

Starting the search today for an inseminated sow. Hope to find one so can sell some of the weaner pigs in about 8 weeks ($75.00 each!), then raise three -- one or two for home consumption, and one for a neighbor in trade for beef that he raises.

Ackkk --- the spreadsheet is VERY long -- but I think that's it, prep- wise, for today. (Be nice if the house would clean and straighten itself in the meantime!)

Lumpy

PS - 1000 worms are arriving this week or next for the raised beds! That should really help with aeration of the clay-ish soil. Cheaper than than claybuster and peat moss! Hope it reduces the need for both of those in bed preparation and renewal.
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"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." Thomas Jefferson

RedStateGreen

Pops

Kinda like KJ (and opposed to the things I mentioned before) I'm thinking the best thing to do is stock the pantry with staples.

Real staples like flour, meal, sugar, beans, fats, spices and such.

As well, I'll make a big effort at getting in a supply of stove-wood this spring - at which I am not too good. And I'll make another attempt at growing some field corn.

When both Some Guy On The Internet (who I trust) and Lundberg are saying: "hang on" I guess I better.

A couple hundred bucks should do it...
if I do it soon.
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Make a plan and work it:

Ludi

That's probably about all I will do in the way of preps, buy some staple foods etc (already have some, could use more). Only other prep type things are some home improvement projects we'd do anyway, and gardening I'd do anyway.
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"...powerdown so soft and fluffy you'll think you're living in a pillow." - jboogy

madison · Heavy Crude Joined: Mar 12, 2005 Posts: 255

My plans are simpler than most here because I am (currently) living in a travel trailer at a RV park. Oye.

1) Seek someone with land who wants a tenant, who is peak oil aware or willing to learn or consider it, and plan for a year.

2) Continue planting my container garden. So far I have planted garlic, garbanzo beans/chick peas, lemon thyme, two kinds of rosemary, pineapple mint, peppermint, sage, cilantro, fava beans, marjoram, garlic chives and peas. I have four kinds of tomatoes started indoors with the indoor aloe vera and coffee plants.

I need to still plant out some potatoes and loofah sponges in bins, (everyone should plant some for dish scrubbers!), sunflowers, lemon balm, mullein, arnica montana, bush beans, red/white/yellow onion starts and several kinds of soup beans. I am going to attempt to grow dwarf popcorn in bins - not sure if it will work, but I'll give it a go.

3) Guerilla garden - plant some more potatoes and see what else I can sneak in (lemon balm? cress?).

4) Continue meeting like-minded people.

5) Repair my bicycle and buy one of those bike attachments for kids, and buy spare parts. Get into better shape!

6) Continue weatherizing my trailer to the best of my ability. Put rugs down, get tarps and emergency blankets, buy bubble wrap for the windows, look into skirting the trailer.

RedStateGreen

Started my front porch edible border the other day, worked on it some today. This is the perfect time to do something like this, the sod is moist but still dormant, so it comes up really easily. Very Happy

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Conservation is conservative

It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change. -- Charles Darwin

Pops

Here is one of the few new PFTF type things I have accomplished lately, rooting cuttings of hedgewood (Osage Orange) to start a woodlot.
I may get some enjoyment out of in it my older years but my kids will hopefully benefit greatly.
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Make a plan and work it:

CarlinsDarlin · Moderator Joined: Jul 02, 2004 Posts: 1422

Thought I'd give an update and check myself on how I'm doing so far - 5 months into the year.

strider3700

Well now you're making me feel bad.

I started a new job in February so a lot of my time vanished.
My wife is due with our first in the next couple of weeks so finishing inside the house became the priority. The inside of the house is at 95% now and we're ready for the baby so all is good in my books.

The logging in the back yard came to a complete stop when my new neighbours went logging on crown land. The ensuing investigation has been going on for over a month now and until it's finished I'm not cutting a thing back there.

Chicken coup hasn't happened but I have started pulling together materials for most of it. I just need to get out there and do it I suppose.
Solar hotwater is still a pipe dream
Wood shed isn't scheduled to happen yet and hasn't happened yet. Not too shocking.

Hopefully in a month or two things will get better time wise. We'll see.
_________________
shame on us, doomed from the start
god have mercy on our dirty little hearts

RedStateGreen

Thanks for bumping this!

SpringCreekFarm · Intermediate Crude Joined: Mar 03, 2006 Posts: 942

I've changed my plans so much this year that I'm not sure what I'll accomplish at the end of it. I do have a much bigger garden planned, of course but other than that I feel like I need to restock the farm instead of taking on a lot of building projects. It just doesn't feel like there's a lot of time to get things done and it is hard to prioritize.

The current list as of this writing goes like this:

Increase the garden by adding a patch 120 x 60. It was part of the lawn / hay field and I used it to stock logs and firewood. Now that I have that all cleaned up I decided to get one summer garden crop off it before I fence it off for some other purpose, probably a small paddock for livestock.

I'm experimenting with a few grains this year. I have a stash of hard wheat, spelt, hulless oats and a few different corn varieties I want to try out. I don't even care too much about their success, it's just that I have to get busy and get acquainted with that kind of activity on a primitive level.

Restock the farm. I used to raise a few cattle and pigs for our own use and then I got tired of them being in the way of my renovations so I killed or sold them all. With a little fixing up, the old barn is going to have to be used as it is. It really isn't bad actually. Anyway we want to get some goats and we are getting chickens in the next few days in fact. A jersey cow already bred would be nice and a few hogs to eat up the excess waste.

Build a storage area. I've cleaned out a concrete bunker in my small barn that I plan on using as a secure storage area. I'll insulate it and ventilate it and build a wall to downplay it's existence and that will be that. I'll use wisjims method of using coolers to store veggies in case the room eventually freezes in the winter, or I may use a kerosene lamp set to burn real slow to keep the room moderate.

Get a new wood cookstove and put it in the basement where my old oil furnace is. I'll either fix the brick on the old chimney or tear it out in favor of a new stainless chimney, not sure yet.

Looking to cut a pile of fire wood this year. I may make a new log depot and wood area so that I can pull a mess of logs up for processing closer to the house and woodshed.

Add a culvert and gravel to cross the creek.

Get about 600 bales of hay in the barn. Purchase 6 large bales of straw and get them in the barn or into a location out of the weather and tarped properly.

Purchase my team of work horses and harnesses and continue to learn the art of becoming a teamster.

I could go on....we'll see how I do on this list for now.