Matt McSpadden

Jay Angler wrote:I wish I had a Chinese style greenhouse (I might as well wish big!)

Granted - You now have a chinese style greenhouse that is bigger than you could keep up with. Styling is perfect, includes a relaxation spot on one end, and has the most perfect raised beds you have ever seen. Unfortunately, the builder knew nothing about greenhouses and the glass is facing away from the sun causing nothing to grow and weird temperatures issues.

I wish - I could dig out my neighbor's pond and restock it with fish, plants, and other critters.

My experience in USDA zone 4b/5a is that the ventilation issues are much more deadly than the cold issues. Chickens are birds which handle cold temps differently than humans. I have never had a chicken die from cold... I have had a chicken get frost bite from lack of ventilation. I have also had a chicken die in a way that seems to point to lack of ventilation. In my climate ventilation comes first... then I deal with the temps if needed.

thomas rubino wrote:Hi Matt;
How large (weight) are your burgers?
We buy Kyser rolls (1/3 larger) than standard burger buns.
I make 1/2# burgers, and sometimes they are too large after cooking and hang out of the bun.
The burger is 80/20, just like yours, and comes from a small, reliable butcher.  

They are typically between 1/4 and 1/2 pound depending on how many burgers I'm trying to make from the package. Even a half pound burger shrinks in diameter... it's just thicker. Do you do a sort of smash burger thing? Or form your own patties? That is amazing that they can fit kyser rolls.

Robert Ray wrote:Try putting a divot in the center of the patty the size of the bottom of a shot glass.

Interesting. The shape helps them not to scrunch up? Or does it like trap heat in that area?

I like burgers that fit the buns, but my burgers always shrink and I don't always have time to make smaller buns.

I use typical 80/20 ground beef with a little salt and pepper. I tried making them bigger so they shrink down, but making them by hand is time consuming and the biggest hamburger makers I have found are only 4". Does anyone have any ideas on how to either stop the burger from shrinking? Or a large hamburger maker? Or something I have not thought of?

Ken Barston wrote:  A diagonal subfloor will help stiffen the floor just as plywood has differentiated layers. If both the subfloor and the finish floor were oriented identically then there would be more chance of buckling and less weight bearing ability. The different direction of the grain adds stability.

I had not thought about the different directions helping to stiffen up the floor. I learned something new today.

Hi Edward,
Welcome to Permies!

I am not super familiar with the seaberry plants themselves, but here are a couple thoughts.

A few yellowing leaves just on the bottom would be fairly normal aging... but as many as I see there makes me think something else. Nutrient deficiency, incorrect watering (both too much and too little can cause this), perhaps stress from weather changes.

The nutrients you would probably need a soil test... but can you put your finger in the soil near the plants and see if it feels abnormally dry or abnormally wet? Also have their been any major swings in temperature lately say 90F one day and dropping to 45F at night or something like that?

Overall based on what is available around here, I think either using the tongue and groove that is used with timber framing or else rough cut 1x lumber is going to be my best bet.

John C Daley wrote:I have never heard of diagonal boards in the sense explained here.
In Australia we do not have sub floors, what is their purpose

Here in the US, it is common to put something to span across the supports to make a walkable floor. However this floor is generally rough in one way or another. That floor is generally covered in something else (rug, hardwood, tile, etc) which becomes the floor. And what is underneath is relegated to "subfloor".

Coydon Wallham wrote:
Is your current sub-floor solid wood?

What would the advantage be for perpendicular orientation? The cuts for diagonal don't seem like they would be difficult but I'd think diagonal would provide better support to the boards.

I am not sure the diagonal boards on a subfloor would provide the same sort of advantage as the wall. On the wall, the diagonal supports help with racking strength. I'm not sure there is the same need on the subfloor. All the ones I have seen are perpendicular to the supports.