C. Kirkley

When you say "honeysuckle", what honeysuckle are you referring too? I ask because if it is japanese honeysuckle, you DO NOT want to chop and drop. It will grow right where you drop it. I saw in the other thread you're in zone 6. Maybe it isn't quite as invasive there but here in zone 8, it is the bane of a gardeners existence when trying to clear large tracts of it. If it is japanese honeysuckle, I suggest piling it up in a separate area until the plant material is 100% dried out. Then it can safely be used for compost.

I recommend a bolt action .22 LR as others did. The average 7 year old is not prepared to handle a .243. Too much kick and they wont be able to develop any accuracy. Once they have become use to the .22 and shows responsibility in it's use. Introduce them to larger caliber weapons.

If you really want to go all-out, you can introduce them to other forms of hunting while helping with responsibility and marksmanship. Some of the tools of these other forms of hunting include sling's, sling shots, rabbit sticks, bows and atlatls. Some of those can be obtained and/or crafted in the woods and one never knows when some meat might be a handy thing but no firearms are available.

I would also say to those that don't know, never replace your 'safety chain' with professional chain unless you really are a professional & know what kick-back is

I want to second this. I recently bought a new saw with a 20" bar. It came with a ripping blade but I had been using low kickback blades since the beginning. I did take the change seriously and looked at a lot of info on kickback, however, when I got the saw ready and started cutting with it, it became very apparent very quickly that this was pitbulls compared to puppies and that kickback can kill you. Many people can't say that anymore because they are dead. Just sayin'!

For sharpening, I use a cheap set of round files and a cheapy guide that came with them. If you take it seriously that you need to maintain the factory blade angle and make the raker height uniform, you'll do ok. I was told a long time ago that it was difficult to sharpen a chainsaw blade correctly but I seem to do ok without being anyone who is extraordinary. Just stick with the program all the way around, then turn the saw around and do it all over again.

It seems like she is talking about a basic raised bed with corner posts that go up 2 meters to attach netting to.

To the OP: I have seen many videos in which people have used corrugated metal for raised beds and raised wicking beds. Most of what I've seen has been from australians. Here in the US, a lot of corrugated metal sheets are galvanized and that type of coating is a bit toxic. If you have galvanized metal, I can't say exactly how "bad" that may or may not be. I am no expert. If it's not galvanized, I personally would probably use it unless it was aluminum. I don't like aluminum. If you want to see some examples, there is a user on youtube named rob bob. He has many beds like that in his yard. That's the only user I can recall at the moment.

Some good ideas here.

I will be in need of something for the same purpose soon. We have a type of short leaved grass here. I was considering making that my walkway using a root barrier of some sort. It could even be boards placed on edge, dug in about 5-6 inches. The grass never gets over 6 inches tall and neither do the seed heads, so no mowing is required. It also pulls very easily.

That may also be an option for you in your area.

For future reference, okra is very good picked and eaten right off the bush. As always, harvest the tender fruit.

Many people dislike okra because they say it is too slimy for them but the raw fruit is far less slimy than fried or sauteed okra.

This last summer I started around 16-18 okra in 4"x4" pots. When it came time to transplant, I didn't have room for them because of other things so I just left them there. They were stunted but they each kept 1-2 fruit on them all summer. I ate them every time I would work in that part of the property. Good stuff, raw.

Jennifer Wadsworth wrote:.
Another observation was that occasionally one of my fruit trees would show a nitrogen deficiency. I'm not sure if this was due to root contact with the rotting wood in the soil, or just because it's easy to have a nitrogen deficiency in the hot deserts. But it's something I've noticed.

I was just watching a video Paul posted about soil in forestry. The guy had mentioned that overwhelming a compost mixture with carbon (specifically wood chips/wood) would completely shut down the composting activity and end nitrogen production. I don't know the ins and outs of hugelculture and can't help so much at this time. I'm checkin it all out now. I know in my aquaponics setup, I sometimes have to use ammonia to encourage the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate cycle for a little added nitrogen. Maybe you could look into that cycle for tips on your mound material.

Being in the desert, a lack of moisture would also kill the bacteria necessary for the cycle. So, the desert may also be the problem.

Most fungus problems associated with wet and/or humid weather can be partially dealt with with an epson salts (magnesium sulfate) spray. Like Wayne said, the best solution would be that your weather change a bit and that you not water the foliage.

I'm not sure if you're into the espon salts spray thing. It's a more natural alternative to other store bought chemicals. If that's ok with you, just dissolve 2tbsp epson salts in 1 gal of warm water. Get the tops and the bottoms of the leaves and don't apply more than once a week. When the weather breaks, you can stop using it.

Like Wayne also said, those leaves are still edible and tasty and his non-spray solution is valid.

My 2 cents: .22 ammunition has been very difficult to find since 2011. This year has been the worst with some places have absolutely no .22lr ammo. I would suggest a 177cal pellet rifle instead if you're able to get one. No shortage on pellets.

As others suggested, oak stands are going to be productive hunting spots for them and I would trap and hunt at the same time. I have heard folks get good results with the largest of the victor rat traps. The ones that are about 4" wide. Rig them with small rope or velcro so your can put them right around the trunk of the tree. Set them about head height and set 8-10 in an area (or whatever you have), one to two trees apart. Then go to another area with your rifle for some sight hunting. Get what you can and check the traps again in 1 hr. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Use traffic ribbon tied to branches to lead you back to your traps so you don't misplace them. Make sure you clean the ribbon up before you leave and please, just take what you need and use what you take.

I see some have suggested blinds and early morning hunting. I have never found either necessary. Squirrel's are moving in all but the very hottest parts of the day.

Julia Rose wrote:Thanks! In our research, we didn't come across much about compressing the bales in non-load-bearing structures.
I think we're going to build it up a bit more and if there's still a lot of give, we'll think about compressing. I'll report back soon.

If you could include a few pictures of your earthship and new strawbale work, I bet many on here would enjoy them. I know I would.