Going off the grid, our family story.

[Nanu/Nanu]

@wash11 okay I was browsing through your thread here and saw a picture and post about pressing sunflowers for oil.

Is it worth it?

And what contraption do you use to do this?

My wife is interested.

 

[rivermobster]

Pure awesomeness as always.

 

[wash11]

@wash11 okay I was browsing through your thread here and saw a picture and post about pressing sunflowers for oil.

Is it worth it?

And what contraption do you use to do this?

My wife is interested.

It's a seed press, available online from several suppliers. It was neat to learn but olive oil is much healthier. Part of being self sufficient is knowing how to do this stuff. If things in the world went sideways, yes we'd do it if necessary.

 

[SBMech]

It's a seed press, available online from several suppliers. It was neat to learn but olive oil is much healthier. Part of being self sufficient is knowing how to do this stuff. If things in the world went sideways, yes we'd do it if necessary.

So you are pretty much in a co-op at this point with your various neighbors?

You provide beef/chicken/fresh produce and they provide butter/rabbit/etc?

Must feel pretty damn nice to be far removed from dependency on society! Well, other than electronics and those tech items that make this all work.

At the end of it all even if everything quits, you still can run your genni and run everything right?

 

[BHC Vic]

I just got a freezer yesterday. I need to place an order now.

 

[Melloyellovector]

Awesome as always Joel!!
Cutting and threading is cost effective.
If I’m ever out your way, I’ll be sure to bring my megapress. You’ll shit yourself on how quick and easy gal pipe connections can be done. Literally cut to length set fitting on pipe pull trigger and done. Bond is stronger then welding the pipe. 1/2in up to 4in. Not even remotely cost effective for the average person. But if your ever in need reach out, I’m in Havasu every couple weeks until October ish then I switch to glamis.

 

[Blackmagic94]

Says

lives off the grid

Posts pics on forum




lol

 

[wash11]

Most of our large projects are complete, with the rest on hold while materials pricing and high inflation figure out where to land. So now what?

We’ve been enjoying the life we built more than ever. The financial bleeding has stopped; the 16 hour days grinding out massive infrastructure upgrades are all but over as well. A decade ago, we set out for a simpler life. This is the finish line, folks.

With feed prices doubling and, in some cases, tripling, we butchered everything at the beginning of July and filled the freezers. Instead of fighting the heat, humidity, and severe thunderstorms of the high desert monsoon season, we opted to do nothing. That is not an option we’ve had before. Of course, there is daily work to keep the machine rolling. Cows to manage, gardens to tend to, deliveries to line up, and weeds to pull, but we enjoy that and are wrapped up by 9 am most days.

Since we’re people who enjoy projects, we set out on a health and fitness journey to fill our time. The farm business serves several people in that industry. Gym owners, CrossFit competitors, nutritionists, personal trainers, doctors, chiropractors and a truckload of fitness junkies have enthusiastically helped us understand our eating and played a big part in our workout program. We are too far from a gym for that to be realistic. Coupled with the fact that we like leaving this place less and less- we had to develop a routine that uses minimal equipment. We have an adjustable weight bench and adjustable dumbells (90lbs each), and an assortment of kettlebells. The rest is body weight resistance and functional movements, pull-ups, push-ups, lunges, bar dips- the list of things you can do without machines is too long to list.

The real hack is diet. Carb loading for workouts, 300 grams of clean protein daily to bulk, the right amount of animal fats (energy that replaces the carbs), cutting gluten, low carb, getting picky on veggies- it’s been a great learning adventure.

We replaced research of homesteading, growing food, animal husbandry, solar, etc., with geeking out on diet and exercise and replaced a lot of the manual labor with intentional workouts. Pretty cool to be able to do this side by side with Amy. I’m 48, and Amy’s 53. With age comes wrinkles, stretch marks, and all things gravity-related. Considering how heavy I was when we started, I’m not at all surprised or disappointed with the amount of flabby skin I have. We’re growing old but not going down without a fight. We sleep great, wake up with energy, have an over-the-top sex life, and generally just feel good all the time. By the way, I have not been able to find any downside to having abs at almost 50 years old.

I find myself spending more and more time with my boy, Gus. Like, six to ten hours per day as he enjoys being with me regardless of what I’m doing. Add to the mix three kittens that we picked up for getting ahead of our mouse and rodent problem. The dogs and cats became fast friends and have made for great pictures and lots of entertainment.

This life has always been the goal. I’ve enjoyed the work to get here but don’t get off on it by any means. I’ve also enjoyed writing about this adventure and sharing it with RDP. I have re-read it several times over the years, and it’s given me the energy to keep pushing through. Your enthusiasm and support have kept me disciplined enough to stay somewhat up to date with chronicling the journey, knowing that I would need the material for the rough draft of a book that I will start working on this winter. I’ll be checking in with progress from time to time, and I swear I’m going to finish that pond if it kills me.



To sum it up, this adventure has given us everything we were hoping for and so much more. We’ve learned so much, met so many great people, and achieved better health, mentally and physically, along with an insane connection with the gal that was crazy enough to want to do this with me. Mission accomplished.

 

[wash11]

Says

lives off the grid

Posts pics on forum




lol

Man, there's always that one guy. Here's a copy and paste from 2015 when I did my best to clear this up. Sorry if we're not Pa Ingalls enough for you.

"There is a misconception about "off grid" living. Some immediately picture the crotchety old hermit that wants to be left alone or the guy that drops out of society because people didn't find his tin foil hat to be fashionable.

For us and many others, off grid simply means that we are not dependent on anyone but ourselves for power, heat, water or food. TV? It's been years since we've had it, I can't imagine that changing. I'm a never say never guy. If Amy suddenly came to me and said she wanted satellite TV you can bet I'd make sure she had it. We really don't miss it and rarely have time to sit in front of one so it's pretty unlikely.

My internet will be limited to whatever my Verizon hot spot can provide along with a 12 volt Wilson booster. Some days it is very fast, some days it's like dial up. For me, to live this lifestyle to its full potential, the internet will be vital. We don't live in a world where skills like these are passed on from generation to generation anymore. With exception of some of the old timers here, many of our parents and grand parents were pretty far removed from growing or raising our own food and the knowledge that comes with food preparation in changing seasons. For me, the internet has helped overcome that gap to a point that I am teaching some of these skills to my folks.

Over the last few years I have scoured garage sales and thrift stores for old cookbooks, farm and garden books (pre-1950), gunsmithing or anything related to basic homesteading skills. I really like the way an old book feels and smells but it also serves to bridge this weird disconnect from the generations that would hand down important skills. It's a sizable reference collection at this point which is comforting but it can't beat the speed and efficiency of the internet.

Fence construction? Setting well pumps? Building solar systems? Making compost? Repairing or maintaining equipment? The internet has helped me to be self reliant in all these areas and more.

Our long standing dream has been to raise and direct market beef, pork and chicken in a beyond organic fashion. Last week I pre-sold 7 steers in 30 hours just from a picture of a hamburger- on a internet boating forum. To ignore the power of the internet and how it can help my family live the life we want at the end of a dirt road would just be silly."

I actually celebrate how the internet has made this dream for many of us possible. We accomplished all of the above PLUS built a business that allows to thrive without having jobs in town. I'm guessing the part you don't see is when I close this computer, my connection to the outside world is gone until I choose to join it .

 

[ahavasu]

My life will not be complete until I see that damn pond filled lol.......What a great thread, I so enjoyed it from start to end. Thanks for sharing.

 

[wash11]

So you are pretty much in a co-op at this point with your various neighbors?

You provide beef/chicken/fresh produce and they provide butter/rabbit/etc?

Must feel pretty damn nice to be far removed from dependency on society! Well, other than electronics and those tech items that make this all work.

At the end of it all even if everything quits, you still can run your genni and run everything right?

Sums it up pretty well! After the covid exercise we filled the holes in our program and could comfortably not leave our fence for a bit over 4 months in worst case situations.
Our solar system is far more reliable than grid tied power though. Number of times power has been down for people on the grid in our area since we fired up our system=9 (that we know of). Number of times we've been down=0. But yes, if any part of our system goes down the entire house can be run off the generator while we address the issue. These high end inverters and charge controllers are built to withstand remote mounting with no climate control and high humidity situations. The fact that we went so far as to mount indoors, completely protected and climate controlled adds quite a bit of life to something that's already designed for 20+ years operation.

 

[wash11]

Awesome as always Joel!!
Cutting and threading is cost effective.
If I’m ever out your way, I’ll be sure to bring my megapress. You’ll shit yourself on how quick and easy gal pipe connections can be done. Literally cut to length set fitting on pipe pull trigger and done. Bond is stronger then welding the pipe. 1/2in up to 4in. Not even remotely cost effective for the average person. But if your ever in need reach out, I’m in Havasu every couple weeks until October ish then I switch to glamis.
View attachment 1033027

I had to take a few minutes and look this thing up. Holy shit, that's badass!! Thank you for the offer! I'd make up a new project just to be able to see this thing in action!

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Damn, you are jacked for 48! I need to move to the middle of nowhere and get to work.

By far my favorite thread on RD.

 

[TeamGreene]

Joel and Amy,
Never met either of you but I feel Like I know you after following your journey. Thank you so much for taking the time to share this amazing process with us. The knowledge you have passed on will no doubt be an asset to anyone wanting to go all in as you did or hell just start a backyard garden. It's been a pleasure to read every update even a little exciting to see this thread bump knowing there's something new to read. Now I'm a little sad that it's over I know that's selfish on my part. So enjoy what you have built you certainly deserve it.

 

[rivermobster]

Says

lives off the grid

Posts pics on forum




lol

And oh so lucky for us that he does...

Joel and Amy are just awesome people. The world needs Lots more people like these two.

 

[Redracer1090]

great thead your a very lucky and hard working couple to live your dream luck in the future.

 

[mesquito_creek]

Sums it up pretty well! After the covid exercise we filled the holes in our program and could comfortably not leave our fence for a bit over 4 months in worst case situations.
Our solar system is far more reliable than grid tied power though. Number of times power has been down for people on the grid in our area since we fired up our system=9 (that we know of). Number of times we've been down=0. But yes, if any part of our system goes down the entire house can be run off the generator while we address the issue. These high end inverters and charge controllers are built to withstand remote mounting with no climate control and high humidity situations. The fact that we went so far as to mount indoors, completely protected and climate controlled adds quite a bit of life to something that's already designed for 20+ years operation.

You inspired me to make the off-grid solar decision! Couldn't be happier with my decision. I am miles ahead moneywise with the cost of connecting a new service. I am +1 on the power outage score also. 1 power outage for my area and 0 for me!

 

[Havasu Surfer]

Simply an awesome thread and adventure. You have raised the bar. Humbling and inspiring! Please keep posting from time to time even if it’s not jaw dropping. Good luck with your book and god bless you both.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HubbaHubbaLife]

Most of our large projects are complete, with the rest on hold while materials pricing and high inflation figure out where to land. So now what?

We’ve been enjoying the life we built more than ever. The financial bleeding has stopped; the 16 hour days grinding out massive infrastructure upgrades are all but over as well. A decade ago, we set out for a simpler life. This is the finish line, folks.

With feed prices doubling and, in some cases, tripling, we butchered everything at the beginning of July and filled the freezers. Instead of fighting the heat, humidity, and severe thunderstorms of the high desert monsoon season, we opted to do nothing. That is not an option we’ve had before. Of course, there is daily work to keep the machine rolling. Cows to manage, gardens to tend to, deliveries to line up, and weeds to pull, but we enjoy that and are wrapped up by 9 am most days.

Since we’re people who enjoy projects, we set out on a health and fitness journey to fill our time. The farm business serves several people in that industry. Gym owners, CrossFit competitors, nutritionists, personal trainers, doctors, chiropractors and a truckload of fitness junkies have enthusiastically helped us understand our eating and played a big part in our workout program. We are too far from a gym for that to be realistic. Coupled with the fact that we like leaving this place less and less- we had to develop a routine that uses minimal equipment. We have an adjustable weight bench and adjustable dumbells (90lbs each), and an assortment of kettlebells. The rest is body weight resistance and functional movements, pull-ups, push-ups, lunges, bar dips- the list of things you can do without machines is too long to list.

The real hack is diet. Carb loading for workouts, 300 grams of clean protein daily to bulk, the right amount of animal fats (energy that replaces the carbs), cutting gluten, low carb, getting picky on veggies- it’s been a great learning adventure.

We replaced research of homesteading, growing food, animal husbandry, solar, etc., with geeking out on diet and exercise and replaced a lot of the manual labor with intentional workouts. Pretty cool to be able to do this side by side with Amy. I’m 48, and Amy’s 53. With age comes wrinkles, stretch marks, and all things gravity-related. Considering how heavy I was when we started, I’m not at all surprised or disappointed with the amount of flabby skin I have. We’re growing old but not going down without a fight. We sleep great, wake up with energy, have an over-the-top sex life, and generally just feel good all the time. By the way, I have not been able to find any downside to having abs at almost 50 years old.
View attachment 1033281 View attachment 1033282
View attachment 1033283
View attachment 1033284
View attachment 1033285


I find myself spending more and more time with my boy, Gus. Like, six to ten hours per day as he enjoys being with me regardless of what I’m doing. Add to the mix three kittens that we picked up for getting ahead of our mouse and rodent problem. The dogs and cats became fast friends and have made for great pictures and lots of entertainment.
View attachment 1033288
View attachment 1033292
View attachment 1033294
View attachment 1033295
View attachment 1033296
View attachment 1033300




This life has always been the goal. I’ve enjoyed the work to get here but don’t get off on it by any means. I’ve also enjoyed writing about this adventure and sharing it with RDP. I have re-read it several times over the years, and it’s given me the energy to keep pushing through. Your enthusiasm and support have kept me disciplined enough to stay somewhat up to date with chronicling the journey, knowing that I would need the material for the rough draft of a book that I will start working on this winter. I’ll be checking in with progress from time to time, and I swear I’m going to finish that pond if it kills me.



To sum it up, this adventure has given us everything we were hoping for and so much more. We’ve learned so much, met so many great people, and achieved better health, mentally and physically, along with an insane connection with the gal that was crazy enough to want to do this with me. Mission accomplished.

Awesome catchup post Joel.... boy did you ever take your body back in time eh, looking great.... no wonder Sweet Amy can't help but jump on your ass..... ain't it cool how dogs and cats can thrive togther like that! Sounding like the infrastructure and foundation of all your labors are about caught up and completed.... take a week off and jump on pond project... we're holding ya to it and will look forward to seeing Amy taking naked dips next spring. Great stuff my man.

 

[Long Way Home]

Most of our large projects are complete, with the rest on hold while materials pricing and high inflation figure out where to land. So now what?

We’ve been enjoying the life we built more than ever. The financial bleeding has stopped; the 16 hour days grinding out massive infrastructure upgrades are all but over as well. A decade ago, we set out for a simpler life. This is the finish line, folks.

With feed prices doubling and, in some cases, tripling, we butchered everything at the beginning of July and filled the freezers. Instead of fighting the heat, humidity, and severe thunderstorms of the high desert monsoon season, we opted to do nothing. That is not an option we’ve had before. Of course, there is daily work to keep the machine rolling. Cows to manage, gardens to tend to, deliveries to line up, and weeds to pull, but we enjoy that and are wrapped up by 9 am most days.

Since we’re people who enjoy projects, we set out on a health and fitness journey to fill our time. The farm business serves several people in that industry. Gym owners, CrossFit competitors, nutritionists, personal trainers, doctors, chiropractors and a truckload of fitness junkies have enthusiastically helped us understand our eating and played a big part in our workout program. We are too far from a gym for that to be realistic. Coupled with the fact that we like leaving this place less and less- we had to develop a routine that uses minimal equipment. We have an adjustable weight bench and adjustable dumbells (90lbs each), and an assortment of kettlebells. The rest is body weight resistance and functional movements, pull-ups, push-ups, lunges, bar dips- the list of things you can do without machines is too long to list.

The real hack is diet. Carb loading for workouts, 300 grams of clean protein daily to bulk, the right amount of animal fats (energy that replaces the carbs), cutting gluten, low carb, getting picky on veggies- it’s been a great learning adventure.

We replaced research of homesteading, growing food, animal husbandry, solar, etc., with geeking out on diet and exercise and replaced a lot of the manual labor with intentional workouts. Pretty cool to be able to do this side by side with Amy. I’m 48, and Amy’s 53. With age comes wrinkles, stretch marks, and all things gravity-related. Considering how heavy I was when we started, I’m not at all surprised or disappointed with the amount of flabby skin I have. We’re growing old but not going down without a fight. We sleep great, wake up with energy, have an over-the-top sex life, and generally just feel good all the time. By the way, I have not been able to find any downside to having abs at almost 50 years old.
View attachment 1033281 View attachment 1033282
View attachment 1033283
View attachment 1033284
View attachment 1033285


I find myself spending more and more time with my boy, Gus. Like, six to ten hours per day as he enjoys being with me regardless of what I’m doing. Add to the mix three kittens that we picked up for getting ahead of our mouse and rodent problem. The dogs and cats became fast friends and have made for great pictures and lots of entertainment.
View attachment 1033288
View attachment 1033292
View attachment 1033294
View attachment 1033295
View attachment 1033296
View attachment 1033300




This life has always been the goal. I’ve enjoyed the work to get here but don’t get off on it by any means. I’ve also enjoyed writing about this adventure and sharing it with RDP. I have re-read it several times over the years, and it’s given me the energy to keep pushing through. Your enthusiasm and support have kept me disciplined enough to stay somewhat up to date with chronicling the journey, knowing that I would need the material for the rough draft of a book that I will start working on this winter. I’ll be checking in with progress from time to time, and I swear I’m going to finish that pond if it kills me.



To sum it up, this adventure has given us everything we were hoping for and so much more. We’ve learned so much, met so many great people, and achieved better health, mentally and physically, along with an insane connection with the gal that was crazy enough to want to do this with me. Mission accomplished.

...............................................

That is a good looking dog what is the breed? It looks like a Kangal dog from Turkey.

 

[Riverryder]

@Take The Long Way Home from post # 574 "Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Shephard"

 

[Rye]

Awesome as always Joel!!
Cutting and threading is cost effective.
If I’m ever out your way, I’ll be sure to bring my megapress. You’ll shit yourself on how quick and easy gal pipe connections can be done. Literally cut to length set fitting on pipe pull trigger and done. Bond is stronger then welding the pipe. 1/2in up to 4in. Not even remotely cost effective for the average person. But if your ever in need reach out, I’m in Havasu every couple weeks until October ish then I switch to glamis.
View attachment 1033027

Have you got a picture of a fused/welded joint, not sure fused/welded is correct terminology.

 

[Bobby V]

Have you got a picture of a fused/welded joint, not sure fused/welded is correct terminology.

Google Milwaukee mega press tool

 

[Rye]

Google Milwaukee mega press tool

Thanks, I was on Ridgids website but could not really see how it works. I’ll go to Milwaukee.

 

[One2go]

Awesome story you guys. My grandfather did a version of this in the early 50 s ,up by Acton Ca,where he homesteaded land and built from ground up ,a working pear orchard and then a working gun range.Our family went basically every weekend and summer time.As a kid in born in th 60s that's all I knew and loved it,building and farming with my dad and uncles.This story brings me back to those times. Grandad clearing brush for hand built a dam across the creek early on.
Just amazing what you guys and your friends that contributed have accomplished.Hope to meet you someday !

 

[Rye]

Google Milwaukee mega press tool

Actually I have seen these upon closer review but thought they were for PEX, I see it’s an O-ring seal. Fitting selection is slim I bet.

I have a Ridgid 700 pipe pony with dies up to 2” and a 12R ratchet. Occasionally I use it or a couple of neighbors know I have it and will hit me up.

 

[HOOTER SLED-]

Awesome as always Joel!!
Cutting and threading is cost effective.
If I’m ever out your way, I’ll be sure to bring my megapress. You’ll shit yourself on how quick and easy gal pipe connections can be done. Literally cut to length set fitting on pipe pull trigger and done. Bond is stronger then welding the pipe. 1/2in up to 4in. Not even remotely cost effective for the average person. But if your ever in need reach out, I’m in Havasu every couple weeks until October ish then I switch to glamis.
View attachment 1033027

Those are bad ass....be interesting to see what they are rated at in terms of pressures you could put against those fittings.

 

[SoCalDave]

Shit looks expensive...

 

[Melloyellovector]

Those are bad ass....be interesting to see what they are rated at in terms of pressures you could put against those fittings.

A lot, lol
the tool clamps at 7200lbs force. Was told the bond is stronger then a welded connection.
This set up is for SS and Iron pipe. Nearly double what a normal press set up is. Right at 10k for all 3 boxes so it better hold. Lol

Ok enough about my stuff. Joel’s thread, and his bad assery
I felt his pain threading with 1.5 and 2in pipe and then trying to thread 10-20ft lengths into each other in trenches, fuk all that.
Buy pipe put fitting in place clamp and done. 200ft runs with tees, valves, reducers, couplings can take day/days. This thing can do it in hours.

 

[wash11]

Fall seemed to drag on forever this year. Our first freeze was five weeks behind schedule which meant the garden was hanging on well past the expiration date I was hoping for. You see, it is actually possible for a guy to get tired of fresh veggies and the work that goes along with them.

I wasn't even done celebrating the first cold night before Amy let me know she REALLY wanted a winter garden in the high tunnel this year. FML.

I had been formulating what I wanted the final layout of the high tunnel to look like, months in advance. Garden beds, spacing, irrigation system, wash system- the works had already been planned out. I just figured I had till Spring 2022 to get it done. The girl doesn't ask for much, so off we went.

First was a full cleanup of everything we'd done before plus weeds. Followed by screening sand for a base that would be covered by 5oz weed barrier. Things grow so fast in this controlled environment, it's almost impossible to stay on top of the weeds without a barrier.

Next we rolled out the weed barrier, using a new cordless nail gun with fender washers to hold the material down.

We filled them with our compost but added some bagged material as a top dressing since the compost isn't freshly cooked and active.

We found a used, commercial corner sink on Craigslist for a wash station. All the heavy duty drains worked perfectly so just need plumbing and a couple new faucets. Of course our friends Mike and Jenn were up to help out again.

Since it's just fresh, cold water and veggie dirt we ran a simple 3" drain out to an existing drainage ditch with hardware cloth attached to the end to keep rodents from nesting in it.

Amy really wanted this to be a winter retreat from the weather and the small house. To make it more comfortable we left a spot in the middle for a 13x12' paver patio. The pavers also do a great job of gathering heat during the day and slowly releasing it at night. Potted plants have done very well so far.

We found an old iron patio set to sand and repaint, topped with a new umbrella. It might seem silly but it gets INTENSE inside this thing mid day. Temps might be mild/warm but the suns magnification through that plastic can almost be unbearable after a while.

Sunset views when the West curtain is down are pretty epic.

Here's the weather reality. 40 degrees and windy outside, 88 inside the high tunnel. Keep in mind, this is not an insulated green house so by early morning we'll see ambient temps. This means planting seasonal appropriate things and covering delicate stuff to help with freezing.

Fast forward to this week.

Here's what it looks like inside with a couple inches of snow covering it.

This is the winter layout. Summer will see growth down the middle row. I'm already sick of fresh garden salads every day but I love seeing the smile on her face. This has been a long time coming. To be able to grow this much food during the cold and windy winter months is another big step forward toward the original goal of being as self sufficient as possible.

 

[Gramps]

that is friggin impressive

 

[Gramps]

sq footage???? what's your elevation??

 

[SBMech]

Thank you for the update Wash!

You and Amy look amazing! Your family continues to amaze with new projects and fantastic results!

Merry Christmas and well wishes for the new year!

 

[wash11]

sq footage???? what's your elevation??

2160' ft indoors. We are 5100 to 5300' elevation at different parts of the property. We could have set it up to be way more space efficient and productive. But, we learned a few years ago that we don't want to be in the veggie biz. Beef and poultry pay the bills so the veggies get to remain a fun hobby.

 

[wash11]

Thank you for the update Wash!

You and Amy look amazing! Your family continues to amaze with new projects and fantastic results!

Merry Christmas and well wishes for the new year!

Thank you! Merry Christmas to your family as well!

 

[rivermobster]

that is friggin impressive

X1000

 

[Gramps]

what should be the useful life of the plastic cover on the green house? seasons??

 

[wash11]

what should be the useful life of the plastic cover on the green house? seasons??

This stuff has a 4 year warranty but growers in our USDA Zone 7 are seeing 6 when installed correctly.

 

[Danger Dave]

Does the retained heat in the high tunnel help keep the snow load on the roof manageable, or is the plastic and framing designed with snow load in mind?

 

[wash11]

Does the retained heat in the high tunnel help keep the snow load on the roof manageable, or is the plastic and framing designed with snow load in mind?

The heat helps a bit but we paid the extra money up front to have more posts and purlins to handle a snow load of 2.5'. We've not seen more than 18" the entire time we've been here.

 

[HubbaHubbaLife]

Fall seemed to drag on forever this year. Our first freeze was five weeks behind schedule which meant the garden was hanging on well past the expiration date I was hoping for. You see, it is actually possible for a guy to get tired of fresh veggies and the work that goes along with them.

I wasn't even done celebrating the first cold night before Amy let me know she REALLY wanted a winter garden in the high tunnel this year. FML.

I had been formulating what I wanted the final layout of the high tunnel to look like, months in advance. Garden beds, spacing, irrigation system, wash system- the works had already been planned out. I just figured I had till Spring 2022 to get it done. The girl doesn't ask for much, so off we went.

First was a full cleanup of everything we'd done before plus weeds. Followed by screening sand for a base that would be covered by 5oz weed barrier. Things grow so fast in this controlled environment, it's almost impossible to stay on top of the weeds without a barrier.

View attachment 1076286
View attachment 1076287
View attachment 1076288

Next we rolled out the weed barrier, using a new cordless nail gun with fender washers to hold the material down.
View attachment 1076289
View attachment 1076290
View attachment 1076291

We filled them with our compost but added some bagged material as a top dressing since the compost isn't freshly cooked and active.
View attachment 1076292
View attachment 1076293

We found a used, commercial corner sink on Craigslist for a wash station. All the heavy duty drains worked perfectly so just need plumbing and a couple new faucets. Of course our friends Mike and Jenn were up to help out again.
View attachment 1076295
View attachment 1076296

Since it's just fresh, cold water and veggie dirt we ran a simple 3" drain out to an existing drainage ditch with hardware cloth attached to the end to keep rodents from nesting in it.

View attachment 1076297
View attachment 1076298

Amy really wanted this to be a winter retreat from the weather and the small house. To make it more comfortable we left a spot in the middle for a 13x12' paver patio. The pavers also do a great job of gathering heat during the day and slowly releasing it at night. Potted plants have done very well so far.

View attachment 1076299
View attachment 1076300
View attachment 1076301
View attachment 1076302
View attachment 1076303

We found an old iron patio set to sand and repaint, topped with a new umbrella. It might seem silly but it gets INTENSE inside this thing mid day. Temps might be mild/warm but the suns magnification through that plastic can almost be unbearable after a while.
View attachment 1076304

Sunset views when the West curtain is down are pretty epic.
View attachment 1076305
Here's the weather reality. 40 degrees and windy outside, 88 inside the high tunnel. Keep in mind, this is not an insulated green house so by early morning we'll see ambient temps. This means planting seasonal appropriate things and covering delicate stuff to help with freezing.
View attachment 1076306

Fast forward to this week.
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Here's what it looks like inside with a couple inches of snow covering it.
View attachment 1076316

This is the winter layout. Summer will see growth down the middle row. I'm already sick of fresh garden salads every day but I love seeing the smile on her face. This has been a long time coming. To be able to grow this much food during the cold and windy winter months is another big step forward toward the original goal of being as self sufficient as possible.

Damn you two are impressive! What a great idea putting a nice hangout deck there.... nothing better than the oxygen generated by plants.... and I see you've kept all that weight off Joel. Eat more beef dude, lol.

 

[propcheck]

Thank you for sharing the entire adventure

 

[Gramps]

last ???? who is the mfg.? looks like good quality

 

[wash11]

last ???? who is the mfg.? looks like good quality

Product Details

Do You Need A High Tunnel or Greenhouse Project We Can Help With? CONTACT US Gothic Arched High Tunnels & Greenhouses Steel Frames are US-made and are 14 gauge with a sturdy 2-3/8" diameter to help withstand heavy snow &

mountainvalleystructures.com

Zimmermans welding. With options and shipping the basic package was $10,000. Post covid pricing is obscene from what I’ve been told. As much as a 60% jump and many months waiting list. As far as we know, Zimmermans is the top of the food chain quality wise.

 

[Sleek-Jet]

Place looks great, Merry Christmas!

 

[wash11]

Mud and weeds. Weeds and mud. That's been our daily battle since we moved here. Like a mechanic driving a shitbox or a cobbler with wore out shoes, our personal stuff always took a back seat to bigger infrastructure projects and the money went to buying more steers. It was time to do some landscaping around the house to give us a long term break on daily chores.
We did an "OK" job of drainage and slopes when we first set up the house pad but they would need a big tune up to not lose $2000 worth of gravel in our big storms. We've also desperately needed shade on the South and West side of the house. Our intense, high altitude sun can heat up the house surprisingly fast in July and August. Plus, looking at bare dirt had grown old.
After pulling all the weeds, "again"- it was time to work on creating gentle slopes away from the house. This was done with an adjustable mold board and a box blade. You can see the weed problem in this pic. We literally pull weeds for at least an hour per day in the garden area and can't hardly get ahead of it. You can also see how well they grow around the house too.

Here's the two attachments we use to shape dirt with a small tractor.

Some of the rough work done. Three years of material being washed toward the fence needed to be relocated back into the slope.

Knowing what grows good here we found 24" box oak trees, one ash and a 15 gallon willow. After hauling home in the stock trailer we agonized over correct placement taking in to consideration, mature growth, views, shade in the hottest months and still being able to have our original service road be usable long term.

I was able to get the dump truck close enough to the holes to just remove the crappy clay and rock I was pulling out. Once the trees are in it's much harder to get the continuous, long runs with the box blade to smooth and shape. I used river sand, decomposed granite from a neighbors place and a bit of compost to pre-mix material to go back in the oversized holes along with the trees. I'm hoping this gives the roots a great start this winter and into next spring.

Next was plopping the trees in the ground and building tree wells. We also cut up leftover SDR30 leach pipe to cover the base of the trees to keep the cats from using them as scratching posts. We learned the hard way after losing a cherry tree to the cats this year.

After picking out a gravel color that blends into the native dirt and shitting my pants over the cost plus trip fee to get it here, this guy showed up. In all, we used 35 yards of it.

We used the same weed barrier and nail gun to do the yard. We'd lay down a manageable area the spread gravel so we didn't have to drive tractors over the weed cloth.
This also let us take breaks for weather without worrying about expensive weed barrier flapping in the wind between days we had available to work on it.

We have an unlimited supply of 4"+/- rock just covering the ground. We used it to fill the tree wells to protect the irrigation emitter heads along with keeping the dogs and cats from digging (which they happily do any chance they get).

Here are the finished pics. We radiused the East side of the yards to keep the flow of the driveway around the house. This is the path we use anytime we are bringing in yearling steers or hauling finished beef to the butcher. We still need to haul in road base to finish the driveway but winter showed up and made things too muddy to haul (which explains why I have time to update this thread!).

We still have a collection of cool decorative boulders to put in place along with a few shrubs (spring project) and some solar lighting to do. This is as far as mother nature would let us get this year. We've already had a couple rains over an inch and our drainage worked great, all the rock is still in place and mud on the patio tracked up from dogs is cut by 80%, easily.

 

[Spudsbud]

Merry Christmas buddy.
Always enjoy your updates !

Jim

 

[gqchris]

any time i open this thread, I realize what a lazy fat ass I am. Man. This is just so impressive.

 

[HubbaHubbaLife]

Mud and weeds. Weeds and mud. That's been our daily battle since we moved here. Like a mechanic driving a shitbox or a cobbler with wore out shoes, our personal stuff always took a back seat to bigger infrastructure projects and the money went to buying more steers. It was time to do some landscaping around the house to give us a long term break on daily chores.
We did an "OK" job of drainage and slopes when we first set up the house pad but they would need a big tune up to not lose $2000 worth of gravel in our big storms. We've also desperately needed shade on the South and West side of the house. Our intense, high altitude sun can heat up the house surprisingly fast in July and August. Plus, looking at bare dirt had grown old.
After pulling all the weeds, "again"- it was time to work on creating gentle slopes away from the house. This was done with an adjustable mold board and a box blade. You can see the weed problem in this pic. We literally pull weeds for at least an hour per day in the garden area and can't hardly get ahead of it. You can also see how well they grow around the house too.
View attachment 1076448

Here's the two attachments we use to shape dirt with a small tractor.
View attachment 1076449
View attachment 1076450

Some of the rough work done. Three years of material being washed toward the fence needed to be relocated back into the slope.
View attachment 1076451
View attachment 1076453

Knowing what grows good here we found 24" box oak trees, one ash and a 15 gallon willow. After hauling home in the stock trailer we agonized over correct placement taking in to consideration, mature growth, views, shade in the hottest months and still being able to have our original service road be usable long term.

View attachment 1076454
View attachment 1076455
View attachment 1076457

I was able to get the dump truck close enough to the holes to just remove the crappy clay and rock I was pulling out. Once the trees are in it's much harder to get the continuous, long runs with the box blade to smooth and shape. I used river sand, decomposed granite from a neighbors place and a bit of compost to pre-mix material to go back in the oversized holes along with the trees. I'm hoping this gives the roots a great start this winter and into next spring.
View attachment 1076458

Next was plopping the trees in the ground and building tree wells. We also cut up leftover SDR30 leach pipe to cover the base of the trees to keep the cats from using them as scratching posts. We learned the hard way after losing a cherry tree to the cats this year.
View attachment 1076459
View attachment 1076460
View attachment 1076461

After picking out a gravel color that blends into the native dirt and shitting my pants over the cost plus trip fee to get it here, this guy showed up. In all, we used 35 yards of it.
View attachment 1076462

We used the same weed barrier and nail gun to do the yard. We'd lay down a manageable area the spread gravel so we didn't have to drive tractors over the weed cloth.
This also let us take breaks for weather without worrying about expensive weed barrier flapping in the wind between days we had available to work on it.
View attachment 1076463
View attachment 1076465 View attachment 1076466
View attachment 1076467

We have an unlimited supply of 4"+/- rock just covering the ground. We used it to fill the tree wells to protect the irrigation emitter heads along with keeping the dogs and cats from digging (which they happily do any chance they get).
View attachment 1076468

Here are the finished pics. We radiused the East side of the yards to keep the flow of the driveway around the house. This is the path we use anytime we are bringing in yearling steers or hauling finished beef to the butcher. We still need to haul in road base to finish the driveway but winter showed up and made things too muddy to haul (which explains why I have time to update this thread!).
View attachment 1076469
View attachment 1076470 View attachment 1076471
View attachment 1076472
View attachment 1076474
View attachment 1076475
View attachment 1076476

We still have a collection of cool decorative boulders to put in place along with a few shrubs (spring project) and some solar lighting to do. This is as far as mother nature would let us get this year. We've already had a couple rains over an inch and our drainage worked great, all the rock is still in place and mud on the patio tracked up from dogs is cut by 80%, easily.

Looks great Joel.... Cats, Cats... you've got friggin cats up there surviving? Sounds like they're indoor/ outdoor dudes... they must be savvy as all hell not being snapped up ... perhaps they sail over that high fencing when coyotes are after em?

 

[wash11]

Looks great Joel.... Cats, Cats... you've got friggin cats up there surviving? Sounds like they're indoor/ outdoor dudes... they must be savvy as all hell not being snapped up ... perhaps they sail over that high fencing when coyotes are after em?

100% outdoor cats, little murderers. Fast, agile- with so many trees within a short run, my money is on them. They live with Gus and Maggie, they all typically sleep together too. We've had a handful of coyotes try to come in, that we know of. We find the yard littered with their remains in the morning. It's quite impressive how the dogs can make one 60lb coyote 12 to 14' long.