Dan Permington

Thanks for all the replies!  Especially to Mike Haych for the very detailed response.  

I ended up buying into the forum.  I have a two month money-back trial so if it doesn't seem like a good fit, then I'll go another direction.  That said, it's a very active and welcoming community.  I also like it because of the accumulation of information within one place, and a lot of helpful people willing to answer questions.  

A few things I've noticed, as noted in this thread, is kind of a lack of permaculture thinking among the community.  I had started a thread about using Willow Water as a rooting hormone and grafting aid, and largely came up against resistance to it.  And I understand the points made against using something that is not laboratory controlled to be precise in its amount, but I just like to make use of permaculture techniques even if it means a little more work and a little less efficiency.  Another topic I chimed in on was dipping roots in Myccorhizae prior to potting.  I didn't get any response with this idea.  Still, I've gotten a lot of help with other things.



 

Just a quick update.  The ducks do indeed use the house.  During brooding season one of our females used it quite a bit.  This time of year I think they may use it some at night but otherwise not too much during the day.  We have a German Shepherd that's our night watch dog, but still lost two ducks last year to injuries sustained during a night attack.  We think the ducks that were killed were done so by a bard owl since their injuries were gashes below their necks and we had been hearing Bards in the area.  So I think the duck house would have helped them if it was in fact an owl.  Anyway, it's still afloat and seems to be working pretty well.  

I'm thinking of subscribing to their community, but am a little taken aback by their fee.  Anyone out there know if the fee is worth it for someone trying to make some good income from homestead tree nursery?  Thanks.

Bill Erickson wrote:Dan, did you take any photos during the build? I think it would be awesome to have more details on how you built this bad boy.

I did, not as many as I would have liked, but enough to give a good idea of the structure. I'll post them once I upload 'em.

Sherri Lynn wrote:I love your floating duck house! Very nice! I see you have an attached rope to pull it to shore (assuming that you collect eggs?) Do you have an easy way to remove the roof for collecting eggs and cleaning? Looks like it is providing great entertainment for the cat. LOL

Thanks!

Yeah, we hope to collect eggs once the ducks grow accustomed. The roof is actually hinged on one end so it just lifts right up. After making the larger octagonal base, we made three smaller octagonal frames all the same size; one for the base of the house, one for the top of the house, and one for the roof. Then we framed it all together and attached the roof on one end via door hinges. I have some more pics I'll upload when I get a chance.

Chadwick Holmes wrote:I love it! We had talked about a floating duck house too!

Would you be upset if I copied you??!

Wouldn't be upset at all. I basically did a google image search and found a bunch of ideas to copy off of myself. Then I just used as much spare materials as possible.

Hey all, we just finished our floating duck house. Let me know what you think and if you have any questions in order to build your own.

Just bought a piece of land along the Southern Oregon Coast Range and am thinking about doing a couple acres with some Perigord Truffle inoculated Hazelnut trees. I'd love to do the inoculation myself, so browsing this thread has been interesting. The inoculated seedlings go for $22 a pop, so that can add up quickly and turn into quite the investment. A couple interesting notes... the trees that are inoculated with the French truffles are a European variety of Oaks and Hazelnuts. So soil amending is necessary to make the acidic soils here in Oregon more alkaline for the trees and truffles. The other thing to think about is how wet it is in Oregon. Yes we have our native truffles, but that does not mean that European truffles will grow well here. Last year they uncovered the first cultivated European truffle in Oregon. So, I'd like to see if there's a bit more success this year. Otherwise, I could always inoculate a bunch of Doug Firs with Oregon Whites, even though they sell for significantly less. Probably wouldn't have to worry about amending the soil or rain water drainage.