Cristobal Cristo

I plant watermelons every year. 2 years ago I got around 50 watermelons of various kinds from good to the best. Last year I had nothing. This year they grow, but worse than 2 years ago.
I have improved the soil and set them on irrigation and it seems like it was a counterproductive move. Deep irrigation attracted gophers. Watering manually did not penetrate the soil deep enough to attract this formidable pest. Harder soil was also acting as deterrent. Every few days one watermelon or melon is being destroyed. I have used urine and also poison (yes, I'm desperate) and it did not seem to change much.

Being desperate I have invented a protection: next year I will purchase stainless 1/2" chicken wire. Stainless so it will survive years of abrasion and watering. I will cut squares 30x30 cm or 40x40 cm (depending on roll size) and will put them on the ground and plant the seeds between the openings. Gophers always destroy my watermelons above the ground and close to the center of the plant. They do not seem to be attracted to the roots.

The key is timing - if I plant them too early they seem to lose any will to grow when nights are too cold. When I plant them too late, by the time they develop flowers it may be too hot for the fruit development. This year was very gentle, and spring had wonderful temperatures for very long time which helped all my fruit trees. It's still cooler now than previous years.

Around 60% of masonry heater heat is emitted through radiation, remaining being convection. If the heater touches a masonry wall, part of energy would leave as conduction and it would eventually be emitted as radiation.

So in theory at least half of the energy output will stay in the basement. Depending on the floor/staircase design, the remaining convection heat may penetrate to the upper level. It may work in light construction systems that have very low thermal mass and allow the energy to pass through.

So you just white washed the walls with six layers, not plastered with lime/sand plaster. According to your profile info you are in Georgia, so it's rather (too) sunny and (too) hot for any lime operations at this time of the year. I'm assuming you did it outside.

For anything lime related I recommend high calcium lime, it simply reacts better than dolomitic lime.
Preparing lime putty also helps, because it will assure that the lime got fully hydrated and it's ready for receiving carbon dioxide to form calcium carbonate.
The lime wash mix should be very thin, like milk and not a bit more. If it's thicker then it deposits too thick layer of lime and flakes off - even in cooler temperatures (60 F).
I would not lime wash a wall in direct sun and if the wall is warmer than 70 F.
For lime wash no misting is done.

So if it's powdery, or peels off it means that:
-material was not good (not reactive dolomitic lime or too old lime)
-mix was too thick
-temperature was too high

In sunny/warm climates I would wait for a day/nigh temperatures of 45-60, with completely overcast sun. I it's not overcast I would use shading tarp/cloth/etc,
When I lime wash I use two layers applied with a large brush (4x8") and then do touch ups with s small (2") brush. When I'm done with the first layer, it's usually dry and ready for the second one.

Ray,

What lime recipe have you used?
Were you plastering in hot weather/direct sun?
Were you misting the walls st least once per day for few days per one layer?
How thick are the layers?
Why six of them?

If I put wood chips around the seedlings in spring when it's already dry, earwigs develop in them and destroy young plants. Now I put them around vegetables when it's getting hotter.

Are you going to install laths on the studs first?

You can use lime plaster, which I think is more frequently used with strwbales anyway. Good overhangs will also help.

I understand your doubts. 3 years ago I had late frost in late May - in zone 8b in hot central California. Producing vegetables is also very difficult for me, but I'm not giving up. My greatest foe is extremely intense high UV sun that burns everything even at relatively low temperatures, with mulching, partial shade and irrigation. You have to find out what grows the best and stick to it. For me its cucurbits and some greens in winter. Lands that have poor conditions for veggies can be still wonderful for ranching and produce high end meat.
For fruit trees/bushes I would recommend
https://honeyberryusa.com/
They sell plants that can handle Minnesota winters, late frosts, high amount of chilling hours.

In theory several trees will suffice - if they are 20 years old, standard size, and are fit for the site's soil and weather.
The reality is more brutal. I have already planted around 300 trees, 100 died, they are growing slowly and just produce enough to get a taste of the fruit. Sometimes they struggle to grow, sometimes they die after 3 years or still produce nothing after 6 years. Way not enough for overeating or any processing. I keep planting and I'm patient and there is more and more every year. That's the price of experimenting in a microclimate and planting tress on standard rootstock with long lifespan, but I like it.
So my advice is - plant as many of everything as you can fit.

josh ober wrote:The area that the build will sit on (the level part of the pad) is the cut section , but the sloped gravel extends quite a ways beyond that.

I did make sure to leave 10’ between the two sides that were cut out of the slope. The other two sides are downhill.

I’m using 3/4 minus gravel, which is about half fines. It compacts exceptionally well. I’ve been using a plate compactor, and the end result almost looks like asphalt.

This plus a light and flexible structure will be fine. Please remember to post some pictures of the construction process!