Bob Smythe

Hey,

This looks like a great spot for a green space.

Would be worth trying a vertical garden or a green wall along the outer perimeter.  Think that would look amazing in this space.

Maybe working with some large potted plants, or potted trees (maybe cedar if it works in your climate), would also look amazing here.

Hope the project looks great!  What about some "before and after" shots?

M.

Hi,

Been a while since the post, but have also been looking into different ways of getting rid of a fruit fly problem recently.  

I tried this technique for how to get rid of fruit flies and I had fairly good success with it.

Let me know if it works or helps out.

M.

Hi,

Though this post is now a bit old, perhaps there are some who still run into it, as it applies today as much as it did when Pamela first posted the question.  In the time between then and now, there have been a number of developments in terms of what type of income someone can make off their land, or while living in rural/off-grid environments.  There are some good beginning suggestions on making money while living off grid, and perhaps provides some inspiration and ideas.  That said, it is important to note that you largely get out of it what you put into it, with regard to the use of land, or your skills.  Hard work, dedication and commitment are the key - and never give up, as tenacity is the key to success when finding income solutions from rural living, land use, or other off-grid living scenarios.

Hi,

Have been reading a lot about using Biogas as a potential source of fuel for a cooking stove. I ran into an article about home biogas that sounds great, but curious to know anyone else's experience with this type of thing?  Is the 'output' fertilizer practical, is it safe?

I like the idea, and it seems practical as the general year round temperatures here would likely work for such a system...

Any thoughts or opinions on this type of thing?

Thanks in Advance

Hi Wayne,

That is great - thank you so much for pointing this out - will follow-up on that thread as well.

Thanks again.

wayne fajkus wrote:I think i cover it in pretty decent detail here:

https://permies.com/t/76631/Waynes-rainwater-harvest-start-finish

Hi,

Have been doing a lot of research lately, trying to get my head around what are some of the best ways to start collecting rainwater.  Specifically, and the one thing that I am most interested in, is how to filter the rainwater appropriately BEFORE it gets into the holding tanks.  I have some smaller barrels and so forth at the moment, which are reasonably effective at collecting limited amounts of water for gardening and that type of thing.  Unfortunately, after a few months of use, I find that the barrels are filled with all kinds of debris and that type of thing, even with some screens being used prior to the water getting into the barrel.  I have read some fairly decent articles on how to build a rainwater harvesting system, but the details on keeping debris out of the system seems somewhat unclear.

My overall goal is to actually be able to use the collected water for general household use (for showers and sinks and so forth), but am still unclear about how to keep a larger cistern/tank clean without having to drain it and climb in and clean it regularly.

Has anyone had any experience with more large scale rainwater harvesting for household use, that may be able to give some advice?

Thanks in Advance

Hi,

Not sure how many people are following this particular thread any longer, but it came up on search, which means it is still active, so others may still be finding it.  I thought perhaps a small update may be of some value.  What I discovered in the process of 'bugging out' is to be realistic.  I found that a lot of my expectations were definitely out of whack with reality, in terms of what I could achieve, and it what time frame.  That said, necessity really is the 'mother of invention', so did manage to get a lot of things accomplished, though it was with a lot of hard work and effort, much like anything in life.  I ran across an article recently with laid out the expectations fairly clearly for living off grid, and perhaps I should have taken the time to read more, and do more research before taking the leap.

In all cases, realism and practical expectations definitely will help in the beginning of your process to going off grid, and will ensure you don't find yourself loosing faith in yourself, and in your abilities to succeed.