What are your prep projects this year?

oowolf

I'm saving up to put in a large planting of Rhodiola rosea this spring. Anyone here growing or using Rhodiola?
http://rhodiolarosea.org/

careinke

oowolf,

Do you have a source for purchasing Rhodiola? I would like to grow some too.

Cliff (Start a rEVOLution, grow a garden)

oowolf

Here you go:
http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_store.cgi?product=X5040&cart_id=1019592.970

spear

Wow,interesting.I wonder if it will grow in Greece.We'll know soon enough.
Thanks for sharing that.
oowolf how are you going to use the root?Make it juice?
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deMolay · Intermediate Crude Joined: Sep 04, 2005 Posts: 703

Do some horse back riding. Try and get one of the Fjord horses trained for skidding. Complete my firewood processor machine. Plant Red Fife Wheat, Marquis Wheat and Hulless Oats and harvest and thresh by hand. Improve my garden. Put new sides on my small greenhouse. Build a stone Root cellar/shelter over my spare shallow well.

oowolf

I've been taking powdered roseroot in capsule since early Nov.; as an "adaptogen". Tea can also be made from pulverized root. Leaves also edible. Hardy zones 1 to 7 (USDA). I'm currently stratifying seeds for spring planting, but will also order plants as it takes several years to get a good root--like ginseng.

kuidaskassikaeb

It's February and I still haven't started any projects. Maybe writing this will be the kick I need.

1 Finish cabin
2 Install solar hot water
3. Expand garden.

We will see

strider3700

Ok it's the first of the month so it's time for an update.

We're still trapped in the middle of the coldest winter we've had in years so my outside work has been very limited. We actually have snow on the ground and it's been here for a week and show's no sign of melting soon. That's pretty damn rare for around here. There will be no garden prep other then some yard clean up for at least a few more weeks.

Things I did get done however

I went off and printed out this solar site survey. I then ran around the yard and did some measuring of when the sun will be getting here again. The back of my roof should see it's first sun early april. It will have all day solar exposure by april 20th. The back gardens won't be growing anything until mid May. Living on the North face of a hill doesn't help at all when it comes to solar energy.

I've decided that I don't care any 5 months of solar heating is 5 months of "free" heat so I spent some time on the solar hot water project. I started with an old hotwater tank and wrapped the outside with copper tube. This type of heat exchange isn't the most efficient however it is easy and it gives me the double wall protection I need since the copper will be filled with antifreeze. Anyways here are pictures of the solar hotwater preheat tank. (yes I know my soldering skills suck)

Next step on it is to add something to increase heat transfer between the pipes and the copper sheet. soldering the entire thing down will take forever and cost a bunch. I was shocked at what solder costs these days. I've heard of pouring the entire thing into a block of plaster of paris. I'll do some research. After that is sorted out I'll wrap the entire thing with reflectix foil insulation and then build an insulated box to put it in. then it's just a matter of running connectors out of the box for hook up and it's ready to go whenever I get the collector built.

My wife added a root cellar to the list of things to try for this year so I started doing some rough designs for it. Info on it is in the doomer forum if anyone is interested.

So thats all I got done on my list in the last month. How did everyone else do?
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CarlinsDarlin · Moderator Joined: Jul 02, 2004 Posts: 1395

uNkNowN ElEmEnt

Well, I'm figuring ways to stuff extra food stocks in corners and the like. and am slowly increasing my food stock. I have also re-started my emergency fund (coming to a coffee tin in a backwoods near you).

I have also been looking around for bread recipes and have started making all our bread and cookies etc. Have made plans with a family member to go out to their place and learn how to weld this easter break so I can start on my gasifier.

Have delineated my plans to put in wood stove and necessary wood storage area without landlord freaking out on me.

Next: blueprints for rabbit hutches, more storage boxes for food items.

PeakOiler · Last edited by PeakOiler on Sat Feb 02, 2008 11:45 am; edited 1 time in total

I'm just about done installing the glueless laminate wood floor in the living room.

I have a couple of simple Q's for owners of wood floors:

What is your experience and suggestion for the best product to efficiently keep it clean, without using electricity, other than a broom which is not that great for very small particles and tends to just stir things around?

How does one repair any minor scratches?, i.e, recommended non-oil based stains or waxes?

It's amazing to see how much dust, dog & cat hair, dirt from shoes, firewood bark chips, ashes around the earthstove, etc, gets brought into the house. One doesn't notice that as much with carpeting until you use that power-hungry wet carpet vacuum.

Edit to include "Jump To" link to " Project Pics Thread" and to add comment:

Thanks Kathy for your recommendations. I figured it comes down to elbow grease. Just another example of replacing a fossil fuel energy slave with manual labor.
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CarlinsDarlin · Moderator Joined: Jul 02, 2004 Posts: 1395

PO,
We've had our floor down in the living room for about four years (it's also a glueless laminate) and honestly I haven't had to repair any minor scratches. It's amazing really because we're pretty rough on it, but it has held up well. I have no complaints about its durability.

As for cleaning, yes, dog hair, wood ashes and dust show up a lot more. I just remember that all that used to be trapped in the carpet, so now at least I have a chance to clean it up. I generally sweep first (which of course doesn't get it all - it does push dust around some), and then damp mop over it. That seems to pick up whatever the broom leaves behind. I've also used a good dust mop, which pushes it into a pile more than blowing the dust around. Other than that, a damp rag on your hands and knees will do the trick Smile

.
Kathy

RedStateGreen

Let's see ...

Bought a spinning wheel (supposed to get here on Wednesday) and some roving to learn. Also GardenGirl has videos on her site as to how to spin, which I'll be reviewing once the thing gets here.

Have three good possibilities for buying angora rabbits. I just need to build the hutch, which I already have the plans for. This will involve clearing out part of the garage ... Shocked

Still looking for land, finally found a realtor who's interesting in selling land rather than trying to upsell me to a house. I have a house, tyvm.

Still working on the bread-making. I made a decent set of hotdog buns the other day, had bratwurst! Yum. Very Happy

I need to get off my butt and start my seedlings!
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Shannymara · Master Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 5438 Location: Oklahoma

spear

Im pretty much on track and with the program so far.
The coming week we will plant in the greenhouse-coldframe.
I have been tied up with the Samurai this past week.What started as a motor swap evolved into a restoration project.Not major,since its a jeep but time consuming none the less.
I ended up taking a fender,the front and rear bumpers,the gas tank off and will be replacing them.The bumpers were trashed beyond repair from many years of trail driving and the gas tank was squashed from bottoming out on a tough trail once.
Then I got caught up in closing rust holes and bondoing dents so now it looks like its getting a paint job by next weekend.
I dont mind because I needed to get it done sooner or later.Nothing wrong with a fresh paintjob on the samurai.
My summer toy.lol.
Another wrench in the timeframe plan is I have to make three solar heaters and install them by the end of February on a house.
Funny how when the sun comes out everyone realizes how effective these things can be and how much money they can save.Then again,income is always welcome.
The paperwork is filed for the demolition permit on the rubble project,so thats moving along.I was told thiry days so I have a month to get organized ,make some money and then go clean out the rubble.
The plans for the new complex are also being worked on.I will have them soon.
So it looks like the year started off well for me.
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