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These ditches for storm runoff have become mosquito paradises

 
pollinator
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Location: Central Virginia USA
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i meant to ask earlier, what do you mean when you refer to a cellar,, the use i was taught for that word is more like a basement under a house, or some times people refer to root cellars as places dug into the earth where root crops can be stored at a fairly constant temp winter and summer.

So when you say cellar/hill, is that akin to a separated root cellar somewhere near the house, i do see some elevations on the south side that might be what you are referring to, but nothing 12 feet over the ground near the house until you get to the south side of the road

i have seen some substantial differences in an area where there was a radical difference in height and size of trees (boundary of a clearcut), and the height/mass of the trees created an apparent rise in the landscape
 
Posts: 225
Location: Estonia, Zone 5/6
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It's funny that we all speak English but that there are so many versions of it!

Over here in Estonia I think cellars under the house are rare. Perhaps due to the water being so close to the surface? What they do here is basically create a kind of Wofati? but it is on the ground level, maybe just a little under ground level, but then it is covered in feet(s) of earth.

Here is a picture of ours attached. It is to the West of the house, and it probably doesn't show up on maps photos because from the sky, it would just look like grass and bush most of the time. On the north side it has wild raspberries growing on it, but massive erosion we are contouring it to do swales and I rekon that it's going to help that area a lot. Obviously all the water pools down around bottom of the cellar.


cellar.JPG
cellar
cellar
 
bob day
pollinator
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very nice, quite rustic/ attractive, and in keeping with one of the cellar meanings i'm familiar with, just unaccustomed to hearing it used without the "root" in front of it except when it means a dug out area under the house, just my own personal heritage of word use.

anyway, you're right about that, google earth doesn't show it at all -or at least not that i can see, with the contour of the top i would expect to see at least a 5-6 foot rise

so that would definitely be one feature i would draw into my map as a pre existing structure
 
gardener
Posts: 2518
Location: Ladakh, Indian Himalayas at 10,500 feet, zone 5
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Another way to find level and measure elevation differences is with a piece of long clear tubing and some water: http://www.vegetariat.com/2014/01/bunyips-fun-say-easy/
 
Rob Irish
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That is brilliant Rebecca! I imagine this would even be faster than the aframe. Looks like that version needs 2 people to be effective, but a stand or some kind of tripod could be made to hold one. I like how easy it is to measure the elevation difference. Thanks a lot.

Bob, it's definitely got some character. You have to forgive me with the terminology - I've never had a cellar before. Makes sense to call it a root cellar however as roots are what mostly people keep in them.

Back to the map drawing.
 
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I would say that with so much water around you wouldn't need level instruments; mere observation would show the directions of flow, although on such a flat landscape it might be necessary to observe during a major rain event to see clearly what was going on, and going out to observe in the rain is contrary to many people's nature.
All the suggestions about mosquitoes are valid, and the point that swallows and dragonflies are present in numbers is good, but obviously there are abundant mosquitoes. The mosquitoes are avery low on the food chain- everybody small likes to eat mosquitoes. The larva even look like shrimp. The mosquitoes spend egg and larval and pupa stage in the water, so you have an abundance of diurnal aerial predators, but no nocturnal predators. Buy some bats at Bats-R-Us, or better, build bat hostels. For the aquatic part of this, my observation has been that beaver ponds seldom have many mosquitos around. These ponds always have a variety of depths; your ditches may be too uniform. more variety in pools, channels with flow, marshy sections, may improve habitat for amphibians, fish and aquatic insects. Swallow houses might also increase the swallow population- local habitat geeks may have suggestions on adding diversity to the species that are around you. (beaver ponds often have dead and dying trees around for bird nesting and hunting perches)
The advice you get from those who are familiar with glaciated landscapes is better than that from those who are not; you are living in glaciated territory, and evaluate the ideas from that perspective.
I use the A-frame mostly on clear ground where there's no need for precision. If you decide on major earthwork, I'd suggest old-school optical survey gear or modern lazer tech would be quicker and more accurate, and get you out of the grass. But I think your abundance of water is WONDERFUL and hope you are able to treat it as a resource, not a problem. I hope you are thinking of planting lots of alders (Alnus sp.) as a primary nitrogen source for your project. They thrive in that sort of habitat, and beyond fixing N, can firm up wet ground, yield fuel and fodder and serve as shelter and windbreak.
 
Rick Valley
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I would say that with so much water around you wouldn't need level instruments; mere observation would show the directions of flow, although on such a flat landscape it might be necessary to observe during a major rain event to see clearly what was going on, and going out to observe in the rain is contrary to many people's nature.
All the suggestions about mosquitoes are valid, and the point that swallows and dragonflies are present in numbers is good, but obviously there are abundant mosquitoes. The mosquitoes are avery low on the food chain- everybody small likes to eat mosquitoes. The larva even look like shrimp. The mosquitoes spend egg and larval and pupa stage in the water, so you have an abundance of diurnal aerial predators, but no nocturnal predators. Buy some bats at Bats-R-Us, or better, build bat hostels. For the aquatic part of this, my observation has been that beaver ponds seldom have many mosquitos around. These ponds always have a variety of depths; your ditches may be too uniform. more variety in pools, channels with flow, marshy sections, may improve habitat for amphibians, fish and aquatic insects. Swallow houses might also increase the swallow population- local habitat geeks may have suggestions on adding diversity to the species that are around you. (beaver ponds often have dead and dying trees around for bird nesting and hunting perches)
The advice you get from those who are familiar with glaciated landscapes is better than that from those who are not; you are living in glaciated territory, and evaluate the ideas from that perspective.
I use the A-frame mostly on clear ground where there's no need for precision. If you decide on major earthwork, I'd suggest old-school optical survey gear or modern lazer tech would be quicker and more accurate, and get you out of the grass. But I think your abundance of water is WONDERFUL and hope you are able to treat it as a resource, not a problem. I hope you are thinking of planting lots of alders (Alnus sp.) as a primary nitrogen source for your project. They thrive in that sort of habitat, and beyond fixing N, can firm up wet ground, yield fuel and fodder and serve as shelter and windbreak.
 
pollinator
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Location: Bendigo , Australia
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Has anything progressed in the past 8 years?
 
"How many licks ..." - I think all of this dog's research starts with these words. Tasty tiny ad:
turnkey permaculture paradise for zero monies
https://permies.com/t/267198/turnkey-permaculture-paradise-monies
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