Christopher Robbins

I see people trying to get the green bubbling pond scum from their ornamental or fish ponds and I understand the reason for that. My situation is a little different

I live on a small ranch in Western Central Colorado, near Glenwood Springs, and build small ponds to help saturate the soil around my yard in Summer and dip water from them to water my container plants and small trees (when I get time to plant them).

We have high mineral / hard water here...lots of sandstone and limestone and granite. This water flows from a hillside into my yard areas and is somehow fed by natural mountain springs that I can't understand how it exists, lol. I think they're fed by snowmelt because only flow April-October.

I acquire bubbly green pond scum on my very small 6-8' diameter ponds that don't have drainage ditches and simply lose their water slowly to the soil around them.

These are the ponds I pull water from with buckets or watering cans. I tend to disturb the water with the container to disburse the scum bubbles and then dip the water out. So far my container plants (beans, tomatoes, herbs, squash, corn, etc) seem to be starting up / sprouting fine from using this water.

From what I gather this stuff is produced by plant matter decaying and high oxygenation. It is healthy water for all stages of plant watering right? It seems to be but I'm novice at this stuff. This is only my third year of gardening and living here.

Thanks for the help!

Thanks for the suggestion. I'd like to raise lamb/sheep more than cattle anyway. Easier to handle, better for us nutritionally, and less, if not anything, to inject, right? Sheep don't need medicines and such as much right?

The only problem is with my fencing. It's mostly 4-wire barbed or straight. Won't sheep stray through that? On 2 sides of our pastures we have other irrigated fields that sometimes look "greener" because he treats them with fertilizers. Do sheep wander off as much as cows?

I don't know how many lamb and sheep I can support correctly on 23 irrigated acres. Any idea? I'd think at least 2 adults per acre?

OK thanks. A friend of mine tonight mentioned buying 1,500 lb yearlings rather then calves. That way come 18 months of age in Oct/Nov they can be sold for butchering.

Could it also be sold to feed lot to be fattened up even more the last 6 months of life?

Is 18 months a good tasty age to butcher if heavy enough? What might I want to buy at (gender, weight, and size), and then also sell at after I grass feed through October?

Hi I'm in western Colorado outside of Glenwood Springs. I want to have a few meat animals every year during the summer to eat my hay, fertilize my pasture, have emergency food on hand, and make a small profit that's worth my time. I've got 23 acres fenced of irrigated pasture that makes about 1.5 ton per acre of high quality hay with about 5% weeds and 5% alfalfa.

I want to buy cattle of some sort every Spring and sell them by first of November. I want to raise it entirely off my field grasses and water I have at no cost. All natural grass fed...no grains and no injections unless required by law. Usually my grass is growing good and water is flowing by middle April. It turns off in September and is plentiful until late Oct or even Nov.

I know nothing about ranching animals. I know how to drive a trailer though, like working outdoors, and have a 3-4 adult cow trailer I can use.

I want to buy 3-4 weaned cows or other species in April or May, pasture them until October, and then sell at market or otherwise (craigslist?) in Oct or Nov. Double or more my money.

I want to at least double my money on most years, and minimize risks whatever way I can. I don't want to keep them over winter because I travel, don't have running water in the middle of winter either, and don't want to feed them hay or other purchased food.

I'm open to using any pasture animal: cows, goats, sheep, lamb, etc. Just as long as I can load them up on my 3-4 adult cow trailer and transport in one trip to buy or sell.

How do I know if this will work? I've done a little searching online and can't find what I'm looking for.

I'd appreciate any direction or suggestions for this small annual animal venture!

Attached are 'before' photos from looking down and up hill perspective.

So revised plan is:

Excavate area.
Place wood pieces w/manure/grass packed into gaps. Place tallest logs around perimeter, with shortest in middle, for slight bowl effect.
Water.
Place 6" loose straw.
Place 1/8" cardboard/paper layers.
Water.
Drill/place black trash can and old compost barrel into center positions to be compost feeders.
10+" clay and dirt mix.
3+" manure.
Water.
10+" top soil or sod face-down.
6" wood chips.
Water.
Place straw bales, wood logs, and wood chips around perimeter to help retain "bowl" and keep weeds out.

OK that's why I like talking to smart people...makes for much better idea evolution!

So how about I pack horse manure and green grass between, around and a little sprinkled on top of the large wood pieces? Would that boost start supply of the needed N?

So from floor up it would be: Wood w/manure/grass in gaps.
Loose straw.
Cardboard/paper layers.
Clay and dirt mix.
Manure again.
Top soil.
Wood chips.

I would dig deeper than 24" but it turns into firm quick sand usually and eats my trax. It's a craps shoot.

Also I think I'll get faster shrinkage and settling because of the wetness I have for 4-5 months and the midday heat during same time as the water. So I want the top finish grade layer of wood chips to be about 18-24" over the top of the water table on the patch upward of the excavation. I bet I'll get about 10" settling first year so that puts me at least 8" over the undistrubed grade and water source.

Greetings fellow Earthlings! This may be my first post.

I have a 40' round fenced in area that was a horse corral but for last 3 years I've been working it into a garden. Problem is the soil is mostly clay and/or sand...and mucho weeds. I'm tired of playing around with it.

I have this material: very large unusable-for-firewood 18-24" long, 2-4' diameter whole cottonwood logs, old weedless straw bales, wood chips. 1 each 10,000lb skid steer (I call it "Trax"). Old plastic black trash can and black compost barrel...possibly a couple of 5 gallon buckets.

Process:
Dig 24-30" downward in any shape. I like round usually... easy with clunky Trax.
Place large logs in bottom with cut services facing up and down (to encourage water absorption and release). Mine are really fat 18-24" tall whole cottonwood logs.
Fill gaps w/wood chips or any other small compostable material.
Water until soaked.
Cover with 6-10" old loose straw.
Cover with up to 1/8" layer of any available paper, cardboard, yard waste, or organic scraps of any kind.
Border area w/straw bales or smaller logs to make a slight water catch/retainer/collar for the finished, slightly concave shape. The bales are helpful because the wood will protrude 6-12" above the rim of the excavated hole, in my case, and I don't think the domed/hill garden is effective in the desert (as is my case), as in wetter climates.
Water until soaked.
Place one or more 5 gallon bucket with numerous 1/2" diameter drilled holes, or other plastic container of your choice (I'm using an old trash can and compost barrel) in the center of the area). This is where my future household composts will go, instead of the ridiculous spinning barrel composter that never worked well for us and is a pain to remove/use.
Add 12" dirt (don't cover compost cans).
Water until soaked.
12" topsoil/sod (face down if sod, don't cover compost cans).
Water until soaked.
Add fertilizer/compost/fresh manure (optional, I have some so why not).
Water until soaked.
6" wood chips.
Water until soaked.
Come spring 2017 I plan on starting my "ginormous", booming garden and never tilling or special feeding it again.

My garden area design is also a rain catch which increases available natural water to all layers. Instead of a hill that sheds the majority of the water across the top and to the sides of the large steep mound. My design also helps retain the soil that is made so it doesn't erode when it does rain.

Also, about 6' slightly uphill from this garden area is a small 6' wide, 12' long, 2' deep pond that is full from gravity fed spring water from April through August. It parallels/borders the top side of my garden. This will keep the soil and decomposing material very moist, feeding the plant roots better and longer. I shouldn't have to water at all after the plants are started. Which is good because my household well water is very high in sodium and it kills plants after a while.

Any ideas, additions, or otherwise? I want this area to flourish for veggies and fruits next year. Thanks!

I’ve never built a dam. I need help, lol. I bought a track loader with bucket and forks. I have 20 bags of bentnite and 20 bags of concrete. I have to make a waterfowl and serenity pond for the wife and kids. More info…

So the dam that I’m building will cross a natural drainage area. We don’t get much water in it usually…maybe 8” when the irrigation water is flowing top rate. There are irrigation shares about 5 months a year during summer, and then it returns to a semi-boggy swamp. We rarely get hard rains for some reason over my mountainous area and most runoff from the mountains goes down our irrigation shares.

The span of the dam will be about 65 feet from one side to the next (measured on the very top. It will have two-each 12” drain pipes placed nearer to one side, about 4 apart from each other, slightly pitched towards the outgoing end, but not much (almost level). I was going to lay the pipes about 9’ up from the bottom of the mush and put the bottom edge at 9’. Put a lot of bentonite down the pipe body and concrete the ends in large plastic forms. Pack them in like crazy.

My max depth of the pond can be 10’ at deepest, thus drain pipes at 9’.

The pond water that will occur could potentially back up about 300 feet to another small dam that holds a small pond that also gets fed from the same drainage/irrigation shares through summer. At the 9’ elevation point, the dam is about 65 ft long. The drainage area consistently narrows as it goes upstream towards termination to about 15-20 ft across. So it’s shaped sort of like a squiggly cone, with the big end on the dam side.

There is a natural deep channel that snugs up against the far side. I’ve left it open for now so water can pass through. I’ve put the boulders all the way across thus far, touching each other. My plan is to put the drain pipes in and then fill that in with extra fortified dirt (400 lbs of bentonite) and hope it holds.

I have no ability to properly excavate the spot where the dam will go because it is about 12” of muddy mush at bottom and is constantly wet. I cannot put a clay or concrete core in it. All I can do is pack boulders at the base, bentonite in layers, and pack it over and over with the track loader (9,500 lbs).

I plan on layering the bottom with a layer of large boulders (about 2,500 lbs each, 3-4ft in diameter). Then I’ll pack it with dirt from the adjacent field. And layer bentonite over it every 3-4 feet of build up.

Question, how wide might I want to make the base of the dam to be sure the water’s load at a depth of 9’ will be held back? The top needs to be driven across by pickup trucks, etc, nothing too heavy. The top’s flat service will be at least 10 – 12’ wide. So how wide should I make the base, with the above dimensions? Are there equations to figure with water and earth quantity inputs?

Dimensions again: 9’-10’ target water depth at dam. Pond will back up and gradually be perhaps 1-2’ deep at little/far end. Dam span at 9’ height is 65’ across. Its thickness will be about 25’ wide at the 9’ height. Top needs to be 10-12 ft wide. Materials used: track loader, 30 large 2,500lb boulders, 20 bags bentonite, 10 bags concrete, 2 each 12” drain pipes placed at 9’ depth, level across dam.
Thanks!

I live in western CO where the winters can be harsh for short periods, about 6,000 ft above sea level. I’m looking to put up a sturdy greenhouse (at least 10 by 10, maybe up to 10 by 15 ft footprint) and install grow lights in it. We want to extend our growing season for vegetables.

I have wood for framing and tools so I could build a frame for one (and wrap in plastic or other sturdier clear materials), but was wondering if it would be better to buy a kit?

In the Summer we have occasional wind gusts that I fear will blow down most square greenhouses (the dome type would likely be ok, but I don’t like the wasted head room). I wanted to put my greenhouse on the south facing, but that is where the wind whips through. So I thought to put it on my south-east side, that is protected by one side of my house. This will not get full sun as the pure south side, thus, the grow lights I want to install to help with that, and also keep on during nights to help with freezes.

Does anyone have plans or kits they suggest for such a greenhouse? I could spend up to $500 on the greenhouse. Up to $200 on grow lights.

Does anyone have suggestions for good quality grow lights? I have read that LEDs can be good, and I could eventually rig a solar panel for them because of their lower wattage demands. I also read the blue color is best for veggie growth (whereas red is better for flowering and budding plants).

Any suggestions?