Ryan Kremer

Good point, Jane, and one that I sometimes struggle with. It's too easy to get stuck in the "research" phase checking out what others have done and sketching out an idea in my head. Around the time where the idea is ready to act upon and start implementing, I start looking at another interesting project and start the process all over again. It can become a bad loop. Personally, I've gotten a bit better in recent years at focusing on a single project and seeing it all the way through before starting another but it's still an ongoing challenge.

To transport cattle panels, I would probably go to Home Depot or similar place and rent their truck for an hour. I think it was $20/hour last time I rented one. Or maybe talk to a nearby farmer who has either a truck or a trailer and offer to pay them for picking up an order for you.

You all are inspiring. I'm thinking I'll put up some trellises soon and maybe can use them as a seasonal greenhouse but then take down the plastic when it gets warmer and use it for climbing/vining crops. Thanks!

Awesome job, Thomas, and hope it provide you many years of productive use! I'm looking forward to building an outdoor kitchen/grill/canning/garden produce processing area within the next handful of years. I'm leaning towards using the roof and partial sides of an old grain bin or corn crib and running water and electric to it. Include a sink, counter top, and possibly a cob or stone rocket oven for cooking and canning.  Anyway, your build is definitely an inspiration to me.

For me, I would say lettuce and similar salad/leafy greens (chard, spinach, etc) because they get a jump start on almost everything else. Potatoes are pretty easy from a standpoint of growing through thick mulch that nothing else makes it out from and then they shade out everything else.  Cucumbers for the same reasons others have already said.

I'm in my mid-30's and slowed down just a bit from my 20's but still enjoy reading through this thread to pick up bits and pieces on how to make jobs easier. I'm realizing that anything I can do now to take better care of my body will give me better odds of continuing to do physical work in later years. Just because I can lift a heavy log and carry it 40 feet now, doesn't mean I should!  

Thanks for posting all the BB links at the top of the thread. For me, the best ones are the BB trackers as a way of picking which ones would be most attainable for me if I were to do them. I'm sure I'm doing some of these things now, but doing these things with 3 kids 5 years old or under, I don't make time to photograph them, upload, and come back to post about it in the right places. It seems like a fun self-challenge and might've been a better fit for me prior to kids or in a few years when the kids are a bit more independent and ready to be taught some of these skills. I like the idea of having them using the BB trackers as an education/skill tracking tool!

Similar to Charlotte, I would be very happy to win Justin's book and leap into reading Chapter 2 Starting Small, followed by Chapter 8 on what to do with the harvest. I'm hoping it's similar to Justin's Youtube videos in approach, inspiration, and detail.

We are all standing upon the shoulders of giants, given some understanding of concepts and shown some things that do work and things that don't work to inform what we attempt (or choose not to attempt). There are no new ideas in the world, rather new combinations and iterations of old ideas tried in different ways, in different times, different places, and different approaches. There is so much power in learning from those who have attempted things before us and leveraging their insights in our own pursuits!

Similar to the comments about hand tools being really effective when they're well-designed, in good condition, and a person knows how to use it well... powered equipment can be very effective when used by a skilled operator and in the right situations. Powered equipment operated without skill can sometimes be a faster way to damage or tear up things and sets you back a bit while you repair things. Thinking examples like angle grinder minor slippage completely ruins a surface or backhoe digs a bit too deep and takes out a propane line or drainage tile.