But Why Not Okra?

Almost three years ago to date, the Planner and the Kid planted a garden.  It was lovely dirt for cucumbers, squash, peppers, green beans, snap peas and okra.  But Why Okra was not to be.  Winds, lack of rain, poor soil, and gophers all lead to the quick failure of the garden.  

Since then a lot has happened and there just has not been the time nor the energy for another garden attempt.  Over the last several months, above ground gardens have been researched.  They are supposed to be better for weed/animal control, easier to manage moisture levels, and can be used for all varieties of plants.  Of course, they are supposed to be filled with peat moss and good quality compost dirt.  Yeah, right.  Like that's gonna happen here in sand country.

From a previous job the Planner held a couple years back there were still a few 2x6x12 and 2x10x12 boards remaining in the scrap pile.  Two 2x6x8 and 2x10x8 along with two 2x6x4 and 2x10x4 boards were measured and cut.  Four 2x4 stakes leftover from concrete pier forms were also dug out for corner posts.

The Kid was convinced if he stood on the 2x6x8 board, his weight would straight out the bow.  Keep eating child, you only weigh 60 lbs!

As the sun set behind the trees the last final board was secured in place.  

The next day, chicken wire was placed at the bottom to keep out the gophers.  Another more eco friendly options were to line the bottom of the box with small logs evenly size and length.  Gophers can't chew their way through the logs and overtime the logs breakdown into mulch to help against the water drainage issues.  However, when the logs breakdown, the gophers can get thru.  There are plenty of places for gophers to dig that is not in the garden.  Thank you, kindly.

A couple of buckets of "good" dirt scooped out from the Driveway Rodeo filled the boxes.  

Dirt was leveled out, pushed into corners, and grass knots and trash bits removed.

Day three of this project.  Day three!  Seriously thought this would have been a three hour project, not a three afternoon day project.  Alas, time goes so fast sometimes.

Planning ahead for chicken destruction, cattle panel was installed around three sides and then covered with bird netting.  On the front, a removable net gate secured the entire plot against chickens and hopefully birds.

Seeds were debated upon for time constraints, light needs, and other plant compatibility.  This bed will hose spinach in the middle, tomatoes on the south wall, green beans on the east wall, and cucumbers on the north wall.  And no, there will not be okra!  They take too much water and space for a 4x8 garden plot.  Maybe next time.  Maybe.

Here's hoping to a better yielding produce crop.

Rain Water Collection System Update #3

 Ah, the never ending task of completing the RWCS.  Back in November, the work box had half of the box plumbed for water collection but the project was never completed as materials were short.  With the rainy season upon us, no time like to present to finish the collection.  The back half downspouts were removed which was no easy task.  Extra large pipe wrench only striped the outside of the PVC cap and the the strap wrench wouldn't only loosed it about a nails width.

Once carefully cut into with a sawzaw, the cap itself then had to be pried off with a large screwdriver and a hammer.  Quite difficult to do when fitted in a corner standing on the top rung a ladder with your head wedged against the ceiling.

With the corners installed all that was left was the combination of the two middle spouts.  It was be our luck that the last of the passthru cutouts in  the floor would give the most grief.  The drill was dull, the wood seemed extra hard, and the holes didn't align on the underside.

Yes, you read correctly.  The holed didn't align.  See the dark line across top of the hole cutout?  That is the frame channel under the box.  Since there is no backing up, this misalignment would just have to rectified on the the underside.  In the famous words of Scarlett O'Hara "Why do today what can be put off until tomorrow".  Okay, that is not exactly what she said but that is what she should have said. It's funnier.

 

The safety cage was installed and welded into place.  And, yes it too will follow Scarletts words and be painted tomorrow.  Not tomorrow tomorrow.  But a tomorrow.

Downspout number two and three were combined to save space and eliminate the corner PVC issues.  Having a need to have full access to the open doors is a must for the Work Box.  There are pallets moved in and out weekly and at times the pallets are two wide meaning there is not an inch of room to spare when loading pallets into the box with the tractor.  With outside corner PVC pipes already gobbling up about 6" from the wall, combining and placing in front of the two adjoined boxes seemed the most logical.  

As it turns out tomorrow really was today.  Or maybe it was yesterday really was yesterday. Having all the downspouts complete inside the box and having already started on the water collection storage tanks under the box, today was the day to connect the boxes to the tanks.

To ensure an even flow of water collection, the tank ground was leveled out with a 2x6.  Filling in any holes as it was scrapped back and forth across the pad, the fresh fill was then stepped on with three sets of feet to press down and secure a solid base.

Not only did the front tank have to be level with the world, it then had to be leveled to the tank the back of the box, too.  If one tank was higher than the other, water would not even out between the two resulting in one tank alway having more water than the other affecting the pumping system.

Not wanting to restrict any water flow, two inch pvc pipes were used the whole way through the water collection system. The inlet the tank, however, was only an 1-5/8".  Opening the inlet to fit the two inch pipe made a huge mess.  Tiny little shards of pvc went everywhere with no ideas as to how the pvc ribbons will be collected from inside the tank itself.

A test pipe was fitted and almost dropped into the tank.  Push, push, twist, twist and stop!  The sample was left in place and taped closed to ward off any four legged critters that might decide living in a tank would be a perfect home.  

With a better understanding of the water line layout, the water pump stand was quickly built, welded into place and then primed.  The pump being used will not be the final pump as it is too small for a completes RWCS.  But with only two boxes worth of water to collect right now, the recycled pump from way back at the Water Management System days when we were collecting RO water castoff water.

Don't you wish you could squat for hours on end painting like the Kid still can?  

A connecting ditch twelve inches deep was dug from the back tank to the front tank.  

The south wall downspout was connected to the north wall and a t-union was installed for clean out purposes, future water inlet from the main house, etc...  Installing the four way pipe and ensure left and right was level while maintaining proper drop into the tank itself was a little frustrating.  There was a lot to manage in a tiny space.

 

From the pump a check valve was installed to keep the pump constantly primed.

Sometime during the week, the water pump platform was painted and an electric line installed.  With the pump primed, the tanks were back filled from the 3000 gallon storage tanks to max capacity and the whole system was tested.  Fully priming the pump took a few attempts but once the air bubbles were worked out, the pump flowed, the water float valves inside the tanks were adjusted to keep just a few inches of water at the bottom, and done.  The Work Shop Box water collection system is up and running.  Now for the rain....

Driveway Rodeo

Being an adult can be no fun.  Since moving to Plan473, we have been using our neighbors driveway.  Deciding to be an adult, the first steps in the long process of making our driveway were taken back in December during Ground Maintenance Week.  

Not one necessarily better but our own.  So if and when it does rain and we make a giant mess with trucks and trailers and tractors, repair work can be done at our own time to our own benefit.  A culvert and 50' of gravel were a nice start.

Since then, the remaining 200' dirt driveway has been well used and loved.  The ground has developed roadway tracks with grass patches in the middle and pot holes where water sits when wet.  Unlike the old driveway, this dirt is slightly less sticky and leads straight to the door steps.  Last week during one of the neighbors' monthly trips home, he offered up his pile of roadbed rocks for cheap.  Cheap, cheap.

These were rocks he brought home from being a rock delivery driver for usage on his own driveway. many months back.  Now with him driving the county for work, his driveway is not needed as much as his need for money.

So for the cost of a Benjamin and the promise to smooth out his very lumpy yard (Smokey likes to dig holes to China, Brazil, and the Netherlands) we acquired an 16ton dump of recycle concrete bedrock.  Score!  Just over another 100' of gravel road.  What a start to a beautiful well rocked driveway.