Victore Hammett

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since Jan 24, 2014
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Recent posts by Victore Hammett

Thanks y'all.

Since those pics the stuff I direct seeded in the garden has started to take off, most of the transplants are growing very slowly. We haven't had much rain the last month or so, and I cut back on hand watering now that the seeds are up. My 1st batch of compost should be don't in a week or two, so i'll add that to give them a boost. We'll see what happens as time goes on.
10 years ago
We ordered 8 comet pullets yesterday that should be ready for pickup June 15. That's about a month earlier than they said last month when we first inquired. So, we got some work to do to make everything ready.

We are eventually going to get a rooster as we, because the place we ordered from only sells hens. What would be some good breeds of rooster to put with comets? I wouldn't mind getting offspring that grow a little bigger for tasty meat but still retain the good egg-laying characteristics.
10 years ago
Peas starting to grow around an exist pear tree.
10 years ago
Our nursery area. Fuchsia flowers are so beautiful and the berries are both edible and medicinal. And finally our fledgling locusts glade.
10 years ago
Garden pics
10 years ago
More pics
10 years ago
Thought I would add a few update photos to show how things are going. We're making progress. We've added to the tree count with some black locusts scattered around the front and put about 60 of them in a small area in the back for future timber. We've added quite a few plants and are adding more as we can. Plants we put in early on are doing great and the garden is showing patches of green from the veggie seeds we scattered around. We also added some elderberry and goji berry that we found locally. While it's totally a work in progress, we're happy so far and look forward to the continuing journey.

10 years ago
Thanks for the input, Brian. Like your pic.

Another thing I heard recently about black locusts is that if it's not debarked it'll rot just like anything else. Not sure if it's true, just something I heard.

To reduce milling, I was thinking of using primarily stripped round-wood poles and saving the milling for the deck boards and maybe the top side of the joists to get a flat nailing surface. Still have a lot of research to do and my locust timber grove has lots of growing to do before its ready, so who knows how things might change. That being said, please keep the info coming. My favorite part of projects like this is the research and conceptual design. The more I dig in now, the better the end result will fit my needs and the more interesting designs I'll be able to come up with.
10 years ago
Something interesting I observed regarding the water in my swale. The water pretty much sat there all day with little evaporation or absorption. It was a sunny, warm day and the water level dropped 1-2 inches. Within a few hours of sunset the water level began falling more rapidly and was mostly gone by morning with only some pooling at the low point in the silt trap/dam. That represents a drop of about 6" over night. I would assume that evaporation would be less at night with lower temperature and little to no solar radiation. So that indicates water absorption rates into the ground are much higher at night.

I'll be interested to see if these observations are repeated over time.
10 years ago
Alright, I realize this question isn't necessarily about building a super energy efficient house.

I was wanting to build a deck onto my existing house, but for several reasons I don't really want to use traditional pine or even composites. Thinking also about maintenance and durability, as even a treated pine deck doesn't really last that long here in the south, I was considering using Black Locust that I grow on my own property as the primary material for both frame and deck, and I like the fact that it'll grow right back. I was actually thinking of doing a timber frame style support system and milling the deck boards on my 14" band saw. I'm aware that Locust is a very dense wood when dried, but how is it fresh cut? Is it dimensionally stable in a green state? Would it need to be dried first? Will I even be able to get a drill through it? Are there any other considerations I need to take into account?

I appreciate any help or input I receive for this conceptual phase of the design. If this project works I may adapt it to other building projects on my property, because I could really use a workshop and other out-buildings.

Thanks
10 years ago