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My piece of dirt

Lauren Ritz

pollinator

Posts: 875

Location: Kansas

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posted 2 years ago

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I am now the owner of 3.5 acres in Kansas, United States. It includes a house, a "barn" that has been converted into a garage, and a shed.

I found a chicken run behind the shed, but no coop. Then it occurred to me that there were two doors out of the shed, but only one into the chicken run. When I opened that second door, there were several chickee skeletons, two intact and others broken up. My guess is that someone died or just forgot them. But I have a (haunted) coop and have ordered chicks.

I am currently in the process of moving, but once that is complete I need to start water catchment on the garage and mark the contour lines. I can't do water catchment on the house yet, as the siding is all broken up. I need to get that replaced first. I have put seeds for peaches, plums, almonds, cherries, apricots, pecans and bur oak in the refrigerator to start cold stratification. I received seeds for a possibly blight resistant American Chestnut (the parent tree has never had the blight, and neither has its "child" tree, although others in the area have--I got seeds from both trees) and will start them shortly.

I am working on a plan. Chestnuts northeast and northwest, sugar maples between. The primary trees for the hedgerow along the street will be bur oak and hazelnut.

The goal is a 100% food production area, 0 culinary water use.

New location. Zone 6b, acid soil, 30+ inches of water per year.
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Jane Mulberry

master pollinator

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Location: East of England/ Northeast Bulgaria

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posted 2 years ago

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Congratulations on your new homestead, Lauren!
I'm looking forward to hearing how it develops.

I'm only 64! That's not to old to learn to be a permie, right?

Anne Miller

steward

Posts: 15858

Location: USDA Zone 8a

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posted 2 years ago

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Lauren, congratulation on the new homestead.

It sounds like you have some good plans to get started.

Keep us posted as you transform this into your dream.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

John C Daley

pollinator

Posts: 5317

Location: Bendigo , Australia

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posted 2 years ago

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Would water catchment from the house keep the poor siding drier?

John Daley Bendigo, Australia The Enemy of progress is the hope of a perfect plan
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Heather Staas

pollinator

Posts: 773

Location: Western MA, zone 6b

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posted 2 years ago

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How exciting! I love jumping into a new project, especially one that "needs" someone to repair/ restore/ steward it well <3 Can't wait to hear more about your journey. I hope you share pictures! Congratulations on your new piece of dirt!

"The world is changed by your example, not your opinion." ~ Paulo Coelho

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Lauren Ritz

pollinator

Posts: 875

Location: Kansas

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posted 2 years ago

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John C Daley wrote:Would water catchment from the house keep the poor siding drier?

If there was no chance to get it replaced I'd say probably, but the rain gutters will go on some time in the next few weeks and anything done to the siding would require removing whatever water catchment I've put in. I'll collect the tanks and fittings, but they won't go in until the siding is either replaced or repaired.

New location. Zone 6b, acid soil, 30+ inches of water per year.
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John C Daley

pollinator

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Location: Bendigo , Australia

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posted 2 years ago

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What size tank are you considering, the bigger the better

Lauren Ritz

pollinator

Posts: 875

Location: Kansas

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posted 2 years ago

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I'm planning on using linked IBC totes. As many as I can get.

New location. Zone 6b, acid soil, 30+ inches of water per year.
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Lauren Ritz

pollinator

Posts: 875

Location: Kansas

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posted 2 years ago

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My chikees are coming!

I got chicks for Bielefelder (rooster), Black Australorp, Mottled Java, and Jersey Giant. All dual purpose. The hope is that the size of the birds will put off some predators and the color will convince others that these are not prey. They'll be in the coop at night, hopefully free ranging during the day.

When I free ranged my Australorps at my old house, the feral neighborhood cats would just stare and walk wide around them. They were bigger than the cats. Hawks didn't seem to see them. Had an incident with one cat--he got into the greenhouse I was using as a coop. He wouldn't come out past the birds, and they wouldn't go in. :)

The location of the power lines is forcing me to change my plan a bit. I'll put hazelnuts under the power lines, since they're smaller trees, and put the bur oak farther up the hill. That will affect how many sugar maples I can plant, since they're in the same area, but I'll just widen the area and put the bur oak on the inside of the driveway. I think. The sugar maples are probably a lot taller than the bur oak, but grow more slowly.

Maybe I'll plant enough seeds that I can mix and match to see what grows best in each area. I hadn't wanted to expand back into the area behind the garage yet, but that might be an option as well. I was told yesterday that what I need to protect against is the "brutal" north winds, so something else to plan for.

And I discovered I'm allergic to pawpaw. After planting three of them, my hands were burning.

New location. Zone 6b, acid soil, 30+ inches of water per year.
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John C Daley

pollinator

Posts: 5317

Location: Bendigo , Australia

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posted 2 years ago

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Lauren, the best solution is a single large tank, you get better settlement of fines and at say 20,000L the water is almost self sterilising.
You may find the cost of IBC's and all the connections are similar to the cost of a decent tank.

Lauren Ritz

pollinator

Posts: 875

Location: Kansas

230

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posted 2 years ago

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John C Daley wrote:Lauren, the best solution is a single large tank, you get better settlement of fines and at say 20,000L the water is almost self sterilising.
You may find the cost of IBC's and all the connections are similar to the cost of a decent tank.

Probably so, but I don't have an extra 5 or 10 grand to drop on the water tanks. I have two possible sources for free IBC totes that I'll be checking out this week. If I can't get them free I'll need to figure something else out. At the very least, the IBC tanks will feed the chicken yard and the aquaponics. If I can get them free.

New location. Zone 6b, acid soil, 30+ inches of water per year.
https://growingmodernlandraces.thinkific.com/?ref=b1de16
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Lauren Ritz

pollinator

Posts: 875

Location: Kansas

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posted 1 year ago

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Funny how things like adding to a post slide down the priority scale.

I still don't have water catchment set up, but my chickees are in the coop and I have woodchips!

Getting them spread is the hard part. I have started working on garden boxes, using boards and screws from the deck I took off. Those will be for the seedling grapes.

I have trees and other plants ordered for spring, and I have started trees from seed for my food forest. Apples, apricots, almonds, plums, cherries, chestnuts from a tree that has never had the chestnut blight, peaches, pears, bur oak, and of course pistachios.

The grapes are seeds from my old grape vines, an Interlaken and a Concord. One of their seedlings at my old place was a white grape with the taste and seeds of the Concord, the early ripening of the interlaken and the growing habit of the Interlaken. I'm hoping for something at least as good from this set of seeds.

The plan was to get the first greenhouse in this week, but that's delayed now. Maybe next week.

I keep thinking I haven't accomplished anything, then I look back and it's amazing how much I've done in only three months.

New location. Zone 6b, acid soil, 30+ inches of water per year.
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Lauren Ritz

pollinator

Posts: 875

Location: Kansas

230

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posted 1 year ago

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I'm getting an error when I try to add pictures. That may need to wait until I can do this on my computer.

20230101_072426.jpg

New location. Zone 6b, acid soil, 30+ inches of water per year.
https://growingmodernlandraces.thinkific.com/?ref=b1de16
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John C Daley

pollinator

Posts: 5317

Location: Bendigo , Australia

471

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posted 1 year ago

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Lauren what does this mean please?
"0 culinary water use."

Lauren Ritz

pollinator

Posts: 875

Location: Kansas

230

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posted 1 year ago

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John C Daley wrote:Lauren what does this mean please?
"0 culinary water use."

The goal is to design the area so I don't have to use culinary water outside the house.

The greenhouse will use gray water (mostly from the kitchen sink) and I am starting to see the water flows although we haven't gotten any really strong storms yet. So far everything seems to be soaking in.

I haven't been able to mark contours yet. There appears to be a sunken area that was probably an old foundation, but the water tends to flow around it. Water also flows from the neighbors yard into mine, which will be great for the gardens.

New location. Zone 6b, acid soil, 30+ inches of water per year.
https://growingmodernlandraces.thinkific.com/?ref=b1de16
Growingmodernlandraces.com affiliate

Lauren Ritz

pollinator

Posts: 875

Location: Kansas

230

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posted 1 year ago

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I am getting frustrated with the slow progress, although I have actually accomplished a great deal.

The first greenhouse is nearly finished and the pollinator garden seeded over the septic. I am starting to free range the chickens when I can supervise them. Trimmed an apple tree and started on the cherry. Took out several other trees. I stopped waiting on the people who said they would help me with spreading the woodchips and I am doing it by hand.

Trees are starting to arrive but I am having a hard time sourcing a lot of what I need. So far, three apples, three pears, three chestnuts, an almond seedling, a peach seedling, and an apricot seedling are in the ground. The polycultures will have to wait until I can propagate the plants.

It's early for the seedlings, but I want to see how they do. The almond is struggling with the constant wind, so I'll plant those in another area.

Still trying to figure out a winter heatsource and water catchment. Doing the contouring, slowly. Trying to find a way to get fencing delivered, short of hiring someone.

Lots of etc. I need to remember that I have only been here six months, and cut myself some slack.

20230313_190956.jpg

20230208_080248.jpg

New location. Zone 6b, acid soil, 30+ inches of water per year.
https://growingmodernlandraces.thinkific.com/?ref=b1de16
Growingmodernlandraces.com affiliate

Anne Miller

steward

Posts: 15858

Location: USDA Zone 8a

4248

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posted 1 year ago

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Congratulations, Lauren.

You have accomplished a lot since October.

Best wishes for a beautiful spring with lots of flowers and pollinators.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

John C Daley

pollinator

Posts: 5317

Location: Bendigo , Australia

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posted 1 year ago

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Lauren, you may need to look at the way you are fixing the clear sheets to the glass house.
Usually horizontal battens are fix the he joist.
And the joist are turned around for maximum strength.
I have found seeking assistance a lonely path to travel.
Putting a BBQ on and explaining there is a labour plan may work.

Lauren Ritz

pollinator

Posts: 875

Location: Kansas

230

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posted 1 year ago

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John C Daley wrote:Lauren, you may need to look at the way you are fixing the clear sheets to the glass house.
Usually horizontal battens are fix the he joist.
And the joist are turned around for maximum strength.

That's the way I did it on my old greenhouse, and it was a fight getting my helpers to accept it. They "knew better."

This time I did it the other way, and yes I discovered that I would have to add more support for the panels.

This is a learning process. One baby step at a time.

New location. Zone 6b, acid soil, 30+ inches of water per year.
https://growingmodernlandraces.thinkific.com/?ref=b1de16
Growingmodernlandraces.com affiliate

Lauren Ritz

pollinator

Posts: 875

Location: Kansas

230

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posted 1 year ago

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The first greenhouse is done, chickees are 7 months old. The Bielefelder turned out to be a pullet and I was given a Biel rooster. The hatchery/breeder was something else. That was nowhere close to the only problem with them.

I decided to start the water catchment after all, primarily because I discovered that in order to replace the siding all the decks will have to come off. Whoever did the decks decided to anchor them directly into the structure of the house, through the siding.

I have patched the existing siding, but I don't want to wait until I have enough money to replace the decks before getting water catchment in place.

I still don't know how the water runs. The rain we got this year all soaked right in, although I know my soil has a high clay content.

I saw the first bee in my pollinator garden the other day. I hope she brings all her friends.

I've had my first snake adventure, but so far the predators are leaving my chickens strictly alone. Except the neighbor's dog, but that's another story.

New location. Zone 6b, acid soil, 30+ inches of water per year.
https://growingmodernlandraces.thinkific.com/?ref=b1de16
Growingmodernlandraces.com affiliate

Jane Mulberry

master pollinator

Posts: 992

Location: East of England/ Northeast Bulgaria

367

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posted 1 year ago

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You're achieving a lot, Lauren! Well done!

I'm only 64! That's not to old to learn to be a permie, right?

Lauren Ritz

pollinator

Posts: 875

Location: Kansas

230

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posted 8 months ago

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Progress update, in a sense.

Of the original chickens I still have 3. I have a different rooster, Biel x Jersey Giant, who is currently 24 weeks old and in the bachelor pad because he nearly scalped one of the girls. That coop has 3 BAs, a Jersey Giant (mother of the cockerel) and 5 Buckeye chicks.

The second coop is finished. In there I have 3 JG x RIR back-cross cockerels and 10 new chicks; Marans, Speckled Sussex, and two that I think are colored egg layers. The boys are gen 2 of an attempt to breed well behaved roosters.

All of the purchased fruit trees that survived the summer also survived the winter. That means no plums. Of the seedlings, survivors are 4 apricots, 5 peaches, 1 cherry. More apricot, cherry, almond, peach, plum, pear and apple seeds are in the ground.

No grape seedlings survived the chickens, but the first set of fences is almost finished.

Several of the flowers I seeded a year ago have reseeded themselves in the septic field, so the pollinator garden is on its way.

New location. Zone 6b, acid soil, 30+ inches of water per year.
https://growingmodernlandraces.thinkific.com/?ref=b1de16
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John C Daley

pollinator

Posts: 5317

Location: Bendigo , Australia

471

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posted 8 months ago

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Progress that is good.

Lauren Ritz

pollinator

Posts: 875

Location: Kansas

230

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posted 7 months ago

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My garden is on the way. It is divided into 8 sections, with a 10x10 square at each corner and one in the middle.

Each spoke boundary has a different type of fruit/nut/berry bush. This is expected to be a permanent food production area, not a standard garden.

It rained last night and I was able to see water flows. As expected, the most water was collected as runoff from the neighbor's yard. I can't rely on that continuing forever, so I am considering rock pits to collect rain water.

I've only done this in sandy soil, so I'll try one, fill it up with the hose and evaluate from that point. Like these, which I did at my old house.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aMS-g4TuEwQ&pp=ygUkZm9vZCBmb3Jlc3QgZm9sZGVyb2wgd2F0ZXIgY2F0Y2htZW50

20240221_173309.jpg

New location. Zone 6b, acid soil, 30+ inches of water per year.
https://growingmodernlandraces.thinkific.com/?ref=b1de16
Growingmodernlandraces.com affiliate

Lauren Ritz

pollinator

Posts: 875

Location: Kansas

230

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posted 7 months ago

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This will use up the last of my 12 foot panels.

20240427_114236.jpg

New location. Zone 6b, acid soil, 30+ inches of water per year.
https://growingmodernlandraces.thinkific.com/?ref=b1de16
Growingmodernlandraces.com affiliate

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