Jay Angler

Steph Walker wrote:... I've tacked white cotton sheets/fabrics in front (outside) of our hottest windows and it helps a lot. I get light but also a reduction in direct sunlight. It is also moveable if I want to peek outside to check on our animals. It only works for those who can tack items outside their windows (maybe not for 2nd floor rented apartments for example) but is an easy fix and probably as cheap as paint...

If high winds aren't an issue, and depending on how the windows are built, a "spring rod" such as is sometimes used for shower curtains or sheers, or a "clamping adjustable rod" such as Hubby bought for the back of his truck so stuff wouldn't slide all around, could be used when you don't want to install hooks or use tacks.

Riona Abhainn wrote:OK wow, initially I thought this was one of those pretend funny stories like M tells sometimes on permies, but no this is real it seems.  

Absolutely real - not even embellished, honest! Just written up to see the humorous side to life.

These lizards do grow their tails back, and some people have taught their chickens to "harvest" them as food. Same friend as in the story has seen crows hunting them. I totally expect them to become a balanced part of our ecosystem given time. They can be a bit of a nuisance in the short term, but not nearly as bad as the European rabbits, the introduced Grey Squirrels and the indigenous deer.

Pat Behrens wrote: I didn't know Latexcrete was a thing. I'll need to do some research. Does the latexcrete need to be super thick? I'm sorta concerned about the overall weight of the dome roof + snow load in the winter.

I believe when I researched it years ago, the whole point was that it is light but strong. It's like putting many coats of paint on as opposed to layers of plaster, so weight ought not be an issue.

That said, my neighbor had used fence pipes with a tarp over a structure and it collapsed in our heavy wet snow. If it was me, I'd build some removable supports to put inside the dome for the winter if you aren't going to be visiting regularly to clear snow.

Go to this website: https://agrotonomy.com/different-types-and-shapes-of-greenhouses/  
Read the difference between a "Quonset or hoop" greenhouse and a "Gothic arch" greenhouse. I know I read the same opinion in the past, that the Gothic arch is a mechanically much stronger roof. A dome is essentially a half sphere of hoops. The very top is much flatter. We have domed chicken shelters, and we can really see how the snow stays at the top. Our shelters have never broken, but we check on them daily. If you're going to be gone for periods, I would design it so that supports can be quickly put in and removed. It might never matter, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of getting there and discovering a mess.

The biggest complaint I read about domes is that they leak, if not right away, eventually. Thus, I think I would suggest you consider a multi-layer approach. If there was a way to make a top layer with a gap to the lower layer, designed in a way that any water that made it through the top, would be directed towards the edges, that would be brilliant.

Yes, it would be lovely to do a really permie option, but domes are tricky. I think the best option I've read about uses fiberglass screen attached to the frame and then painted with Latexcrete. Started thin to make sure it penetrates well, then multiple layers "painted" on in different directions, possibly adding a second layer of fiberglass fabric or screen, and then more layers.

One of the things about roofs, is that the flatter the roof, the better sealed it has to be to prevent water getting in. The top of the dome is very much like a flat or low slope roof. In my wet climate, low slope roofs are often covered with a heavy rubber roofing material professionally sealed anywhere it joins. In a dome, there will be a *lot* of joins. That said, I am unaware of any permie law which says you can't use rubber on the low-slope parts at the top, and a different material further down once your slopes are steeper. My son was working on a project and wanted a metal roof for rainwater harvesting. They had to change the design so that the roof slope was steeper because metal roofs are sensitive to this problem.

I'm really glad that you're building a knee wall for your dome. Essentially, that is how a yurt is constructed and the difference in the functional space will be noticeable. If I'd seen this earlier, I would have suggested you dig out an area under the deck that will be covered by the dome, and frame it in as a "cool cellar", or at least a storage spot that isn't easily noticeable from outside.

It looks great so far - happy building.

brian keath wrote: Stanford economist Thomas Sowell said the same thing but spelled differently:

There are no solutions.  There are only trade-offs.

Yes, but the difference is, that in economics, often those trade-offs add up to the same number or less. The nifty thing about permaculture and stacking functions is that often the value of the stacked up solutions add up to more than what the identified "problem" equaled as a deficit.

This isn't the best example, but one of our duck runs was a bit hot in the afternoon sun. We planted a baby Morus alba Mulberry I had rooted from a friend's tree. It adores the muddy duck water we dump out of the buckets, it's providing fruit, the leaves are edible, and it's already had a pup grow up from one of the roots, so if I or a friend needs a Mulberry bush, we can dig it up in the fall.

Anna Hutchins wrote:Where we live the municipality shoots them off at around 9:50.... So my kids got to stay up really late...

Yes - that's a problem on July 1st up here in Canada. I tend to skip the Canada Day fireworks, because my area did the wonderful thing of having our local volunteer firefighters hold a public party with fireworks for Hallowe'en - dark really early on Oct 31st.

Happy USA birthday to all USians!

Kevin Olson wrote: I don't know enough to conjecture why the double locks may have been deemed necessary, or what drove the varied vertical extent.

Living in earthquake country, I'm willing to conjecture that the building might cope with a bit more shaking with the extra notches. I'd need to put a model on a shaker table to find out if it improves or worsens the situation under experimental conditions.

Unless I was in position to test my conjecture, I'd stick with Japanese joinery which has a demonstrated track record with earthquakes.

Jay Angler wrote:The Question:  Can I get them to produce seed and save it? Each pot appears to have several individual plants.

The short answer is, "yes"! The seeds are practically microscopic (OK, I'm exaggerating a little, but they're much smaller than kale seeds, which I already consider small,) but I got lots of them. I suspect the pots my DiL bought had seed spread on the soil and were multiple plants coming up.

Eventually, I sent one home with her, and kept the second until it was looking a bit sad. Then I tried transplanting it into a pot outside, and it hasn't died, but I wouldn't say it's thrived, which may relate to my next basil adventure... read on...

My friend had to go to the interior due to her mother being ill. They were there for some time, and wanted some basil, so they bought one of those "live in a pot at the grocery store" basil plants. I would guess what is called, "Sweet Basil"? Certainly nothing exotic, no label, but it has a lovely smell. Again, it was pot bound and appeared to have been raised hydroponically. She insisted I rescue it. She'd brought it home, but she already had a much nicer indoor basil plant. Bad family stuff had happened and she didn't want to kill this new plant - she wanted to rehome it.

I have tried to raise sweet basil in the past. My sister and my mother were both able to raise it, but their ecosystem is very different than mine. The only person I'd met locally with one, grew theirs in a greenhouse. Mine always struggled in the garden, and barely grew. But I agreed to try to rescue my friend's new basil plant.

Step one: give it a haircut and transplant it.
Step two: put it in the sunny south window under my plant light.
Step three: check the soil - dry - water it.
Step four: check the soil - dry - water it.
Step five: give it a haircut, check the soil - dry - water it.
Repeat steps 3 to five, again, and again, and again.

My conclusion. Basil is a water plant. It wants to be watered constantly. Every bit of water and light you give it, will turn into leaves within a day or two. I can only let it grow to about 1 foot tall because of other plants under the light. There are some plants that seem to grow better the more often they're harvested and this Basil seems to be quite OK with this approach.

I suspect all my prior issues with growing basil, related to my failure to give it the incredible amount of water it wants.

I guess I'm not too old to learn something new!

Eric Hanson wrote:A possible rule of thumb is if its repair takes more money, time and energy than buying new.

Consider future money, time and energy.

Alas, Eric, other factors where I sit are: emotional attachment, value of the learning experience (learn to do new mending techniques on clothing where failure won't be too devastating), basic cussidness, and extending your "buy nothing" time period.

Joshua Myrvaagnes wrote: Downside, the shutters have lead paint on them, I couldn’t think of a way to deal with that ...

If sunflowers grow in your ecosystem, they have a proven track record of taking up lead out of soil. However, it means that in the fall, you need to cut them down and take them to a safe land-fill, so the lead can't re-enter the built environment. I would try to cut them down before the seeds ripen so birds don't eat them.