Dianne Justeen

You probably already know about these, but in case you don't, I wonder if there's some inspiration you can gather.  I had one of those "hippie hot-tubs" 30+ years ago.  There is a fair amount of work involved.  If you're not using any jets, you'll need to stir the water frequently while it's heating up.  There's a learning curve in getting the water to your desired temperature without overshoot.  Or else you'd need to add cold water and let it overflow.  Also, consider cleaning when choosing your tub material.  The cedar wood would develop a slippery slime that needed to be cleaned off frequently.  You'd have to drain the tub, scrub it with a brush, rinse and refill.  Remember that water can contain the bacteria that causes Legionnaire's disease.  So water kept at around 105 F can potentially be a breeding ground if you abstain for some form of disinfection.   Lastly, while I loved the hot tub in winter, I rarely used it in summer.  Just didn't find it to be a great experience.  My preference has been to have an indoor bathtub big enough for a reasonable soak.  And even with that I find I tend to just do the utilitarian shower.  Good luck with whatever you try.

https://snorkel.com/product-category/wood-fired-hot-tubs/

My husband and I spent part of this morning trying to weed out elderberries.  Got a nice small Nova variety several years ago and made the mistake of putting it in a small garden, albeit at the back corner near an alleyway.  The first year it was well behaved.  The next year it got a tad large.  The third year it was like the plant in the Little Shop of Horrors.  At least in Pennsylvania with this particular variety, I feel confident saying it should be cut to the ground every year.  And perhaps doing some thinning once it starts growing is also advised.  Doing so doesn't seem to inhibit it from shooting back up to about 10' high and producing copious flowers and fruit.  Plus swallowing up a parking space in the alley.

Lynne Cim wrote:All other expenses aside, if you are looking for inexpensive but quality + fast to construct dwelling I would say a steel Quonset Hut + spray foam insulation.  

Price out the spray foam insulation before falling in love with that idea.  We felt it was worth it but the price in the autumn of 2021 to have our 24' x 24' shed/house insulated was $8K.   And yes we price shopped.

Cynthia Shelton wrote:
Oh, and I have one of those Tuff Sheds from Home Depot.  It's fine for storage, but you can do better.  Really.

Likely those Tuff Sheds won't meet code and will be difficult to finish because the framing isn't geared to being a house.  We're in the process of a shed to house conversion but had the shell built by a local Amish shed company that allowed us to customize construction to meet code.  Also had them frame the window openings but installed the windows ourselves so we'd have good quality residential windows, not the crap they use for sheds.  I can't overemphasize how much additional work is involved in site prep, proper foundation, plumbing, electric, insulation, and all the finishing work.  Even a shed to house conversion will undoubtedly take more than a year unless you have no other demands on your time and the weather works out just right unless you've got a tribe of great and handy friends.

Georgia Lenhart wrote:
I’ve heard crushed shale is an expectable substitute. We have an abundance of shale on our property and have been wondering how best to crush it ourselves without resorting to industrial equipment.

Our neighbor has a gravel pit on his land that has shale gravel.  It's not used commercially, just his personal use.  He puts the gravel on his driveway but within a couple of years it turns into a course sand and he has to keep adding new gravel.  I wouldn't think any stone would break down that quickly but it sure looks like he has a sand driveway.

I used to see the old Italian ladies knitting by holding one of the needles anchored under their arm.  I think they were approximating using a knitting stick.  Gotta say, they were darn quick!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c-M37brGx8

Paid with Stripe using credit card while not logged in, but didn't get access email yet.  It's been a while but not hours.

Edit:  Well that's ironic, while I was posting, the email showed up.

Jay Angler wrote:I've grown celeriac in the past, but not a specific variety. It takes a *long* time to get past baby stage,

I've also grown celeriac.  This year I'm growing "Brilliant' from Johnny's.  I bought it at the end of last year when they had their discounted seed sale, but it came up well so I guess the 2022 seed date didn't matter.

However, I seeded it indoors a little over a month ago.  They're still really small even though they're growing well.  Unless you have pretty ideal garden conditions, I can't imagine those teeny-tiny plants wouldn't get lost.  So even with the much longer growing season in South Carolina, you may want to start them now so they're bigger when you plant them out.  Plus, then you won't have to wait until fall to harvest some.

I know nothing about raising rabbits but I can't imagine there aren't easier crops to grow for rabbit feed.

[quote=David Huang
What I had for a water heater was a 30 gallon one.  I realize that isn't huge by some standards, but I also live alone and don't need to be taking one shower after another.  So my third major improvement in conservation was replacing that aging 30 gallon water heater with a super insulated 15 gallon one.

Another simple idea for using less electricity for a water heater is to put it on an easily accessible switch.  My parents did this many decades ago.  They'd shower in the evenings so didn't need hot water afterwards until the next day.  In the morning they'd turn the switch back on if they were home during the day and expected to need hot water.  Otherwise it went back on before supper to have hot water for dishes and for the evening.

Done