sgbotsford

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In 50 characters or less... Posted by Post date Last comment Number of Comments # of Comments new to you
Cool room for spring storage sgbotsford Friday, December 4, 2015 - 2:44pm Friday, December 4, 2015 - 2:44pm 0
Cool room for spring storage sgbotsford Friday, December 4, 2015 - 10:46am Friday, December 4, 2015 - 10:46am 0
How do you deck it? sgbotsford Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - 10:40am Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - 1:34pm 1

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Submitted by sgbotsford on Tue, 03/21/2017 - 3:25pm
<p> I, for one, am not really interested in projects that are just ideas with no prototype.</p> <p> Overall perhaps having tags</p> <ul> <li> Commercial&nbsp;</li> <li> Stage: Idea</li> <li> Stage: Planning</li> <li> Stage: Prototype</li> <li> Stage: Working</li> </ul> <p> And a search mechanism that can handle "Water -commercial &gt;Stage:Planning &nbsp;meaning I'm looking for water &nbsp;projects that aren't commercial but are more than at the planning stage.</p>
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Submitted by sgbotsford on Tue, 03/21/2017 - 2:24pm
<p> Back to the drawing board. &nbsp;You need to start with a different chip that has sleep/wake capability. &nbsp;There is no reason why something like this shouldn't be able to run for a year on 2 AA batteries. &nbsp;I would suggest that on normal circumstnces it wakes up for long enough to measure the temperatue every ten minutes, connect once an hour with the last 6 readings unless there is an alarm condition.</p>
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Submitted by sgbotsford on Tue, 03/21/2017 - 2:20pm
<p> If you want to have it here you should tell people how to build it.</p> <p> If you won't tell people how to build it, you can't claim open source licensing.</p> <p> Going to your website there are no plans, no instructions. &nbsp;In my book, you fail to meet the spirit of this site.</p>
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Submitted by sgbotsford on Tue, 03/21/2017 - 11:55am
<p> Your speed isn't much better than a person with a hoe. &nbsp;</p> <p> Feet aren't precise enough for steering. &nbsp;If you are going to use feet, you need a non-linear actuator. &nbsp;That is, initially it takes a lot of foot movement to make a small correction, then the amount of steering per foot inch increses.</p> <p> &nbsp;</p> <p> Overall a better strategy: &nbsp;Get your rows right the first time. &nbsp;Use the idea of a row set: &nbsp;If you plant 4 rows at a time, then those 4 rows get weeded as a set every time. &nbsp;If you do this, then all your culvators can be on the exact same spacing. &nbsp;</p> <p> Now the cultivators ride at the front -- by the steering. &nbsp;So you are watching the culivators and the steering at the same time. &nbsp;None of this turning around. &nbsp;This may mean you hve to put a water tank on the front to put enough weight there. &nbsp;A tank allows you to adjust weight. &nbsp; &nbsp;Put baffles in the tank so you don't get too much weight on one side when doing a side hill.</p> <p> If you want to run 2 independent cultivators, have one fixed, &nbsp;You position it by steering. &nbsp;And one movable. &nbsp;You have a hand lever for it. &nbsp;Set up your steering for the other hand.</p> <p> &nbsp;</p>
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Submitted by sgbotsford on Tue, 03/21/2017 - 10:40am
<p> 1. &nbsp;Detail on the controller for the deicing cable.&nbsp;</p> <p> 2. &nbsp;9200 cubic inches of sand is somewhere between 5 and 6 cubic feet. &nbsp;Sand runs 150 lbs per cubic foot, increasing to 200 lbs /cuft if wet. &nbsp;This will require a heavier frame. &nbsp;I suspect taht this one, as diagrammed will sag and sink into the ground.</p> <p> Suggestion: &nbsp;Use 3 2x4's on edge under the bottom. &nbsp;Secure every 8" with 2" deck screws -- ceramic coated (green or grey, not yellow)&nbsp;</p> <p> For legs use doubled 2x4 and use 3 rows of 3. &nbsp;At attachment locations cut 16 x 16 right triangles of plywood to use as gusset joints.</p> <p> 3. &nbsp;The sand will get wet. &nbsp;Everything todo with gardening gets wet. &nbsp; Build your table with a 2" slant and have drain holes in one edge or corner.</p> <p> 4. &nbsp;Use coarse builders sand or even washed gravel if you don't want water to hang around inside.</p> <p> 5. &nbsp;The cable only needs to be held still while you put the gravel in. &nbsp;Duct tape or red tyvek sideing tape should work long enough for that, and has less chemical leaching.</p> <p> 6. &nbsp;You must use a weatherproof box for you connections. &nbsp;I would put the weatherproof box on a scrap of wood and put it under the germinator. &nbsp;If it's on a scrap, you can easily unfasten the scrap and bring it out to work on it. &nbsp;Being under the germinator will give in additional protection.</p> <p> 7. &nbsp;You must wire this through a ground fault interupter circuit. &nbsp;Otherside&nbsp;if a fault develops in that cable you could be pushing daiseys.</p> <p> Further directions and ideas.</p> <p> If the lid is easily removable, you can work from both sides.</p> <p> If you are off grid, putting the entire device on an array of black plastic barrels then wrapping that array with clear plastic may generate enough heat. &nbsp;If you do this, don't insulate the bottom.&nbsp;If you end up doing a lot of starts this may have advantages even if you are on the grid.</p> <p> You can achieve better temperature control if you separate the barrels from the germinator, (put the insulation back) and have a tiny pump to move warm water though tubes in the the sand.</p>
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Submitted by sgbotsford on Tue, 03/21/2017 - 10:18am
<p> This is just a commercial product and Wisconsin is hardly local. &nbsp;I think a requirement for being on this site should be full schematics, as well as a committment to support people building it themselves.</p>
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Submitted by sgbotsford on Mon, 03/20/2017 - 1:37pm
<p> The normal way I've seen this done is to fasten the lower edge of the plastic to a pipe, usually 2" waste water line with an internal glue in connector. &nbsp;A crank and one end rolls the plastic up. &nbsp;</p> <p> &nbsp;</p> <p> With this system I can see it getting loose in the wind. &nbsp;If it gets loose, it will tear on the spike.&nbsp;</p> <p> &nbsp;</p> <p> When the plastic is lowered what anchors it down?</p>
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Submitted by sgbotsford on Wed, 12/16/2015 - 10:42am
<p> In some cases, more detail is needed.</p> <p> *&nbsp; Ipad:&nbsp; I have found that the screen is impossible to read in daylight -- difficult in full shade.&nbsp; This is true for the iPhone too.&nbsp; Larger fonts, and doing work that requires these tools on overcast days or dawn/evening helps.&nbsp; But this makes the tool less useful. (In general a screen that works from reflected light instead of back lighting is much easier to use in daylight.)</p> <p> * Square-Up -- big win here. While they charge more (2.25 to 2.75%) than other credit card brokers,&nbsp; there is no monthly fee.&nbsp; You would have to take in more than 120K/year by credit card before a conventional account is a win.&nbsp; You need an internet connection to run a charge.</p> <p> &nbsp;</p> <p> * Ag-Squared.&nbsp; Tried it when it was in Beta.&nbsp; I saw this as having a lot of potential for small scale farmers that grow lots of different crops.&nbsp; E.g. Truck farmers.&nbsp;</p> <p> &nbsp;</p> <p> <strong>Other stuff</strong></p> <p> *<em> Google Sheets</em> (part of google apps)&nbsp; I run my tree farm with a 12 tab google spreadsheet:&nbsp; It has raw inventory, inventory summary, list of trees, vendor orders, customer orders. Big win Same file can be open on multiple computers.&nbsp; I can take an order on the phone, mark it in red.&nbsp; Laura can enter it into the accounting, remark it in black, all at the same time. If she has a question, she marks in it blue.&nbsp; Means I have to deal with it.&nbsp; Requires full time internet connection.</p> <p> &nbsp;</p> <p> * <em>Filemaker Pro</em>&nbsp; (Mac, Windows, iOS, Android?) This is an expensive solution (about $500) and requires that you learn how to program filemaker.&nbsp; It's very mousy.&nbsp; If you use Microsoft Access you can learn FMP.&nbsp; The Big Win is the ability to generate an iPad/iPhone app.&nbsp; This app can be used disconnected from the internet, and it will reconnect when you come home.&nbsp; This has good potential for inventory, for time management (E.g. mark when employees arrive/depart)</p> <p> &nbsp;</p> <p> * <em>OmniFocus (</em>Mac, iOS)&nbsp; Todo list on steroids.&nbsp; Not quite a full blown project manager.&nbsp;&nbsp; Lists can have sublists.&nbsp; E.g.&nbsp; Projects can have "Woodshed" "Greenhouse" "Powerline"</p> <p> Then under Powerline "Clear cutline" "Get poles"&nbsp; "Get Wire" "Dig Holes" "Put up poles"&nbsp; "String Wire"</p> <p> Any given task in a list can be given a priority.&nbsp; A given list can be a mix of things that have to be done in sequence (Get poles has to come before put up poles) or in parallel (Doesn't matter if buying poles or wire come first)&nbsp; Tasks can be given due dates/alarms.&nbsp; Tasks can also be given a location, and it will remind you of things when you get close to them.&nbsp; Handy for shopping tasks. Tasks can be one shot, or recurring.&nbsp; E.g. Weed survey every two weeks.</p> <p> Available as a Mac App too.&nbsp; The desktop version is somewhat more capable -- you can create complex dependent task lists on the desk that you can't on the iPhone. But you can still read/checkoff them on the phone.&nbsp; Last time I looked the desktop app was $80, the iOS app was $20</p> <p> &nbsp;</p> <p> &nbsp;</p> <p> <strong>Gotchas</strong></p> <p> In many cases apps are cloud based:&nbsp; You need an internet connection to use them.&nbsp; In much of western Canada cell coverage in rural landscapes ranges from non-existent to poor.&nbsp; At my farm I get 1 or 2 bars most of the time.&nbsp; This will allow phone calls, but it takes 2 minutes to connect and check my email.</p>
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Submitted by sgbotsford on Tue, 12/15/2015 - 8:21am
<p> All I see are black rectangles.</p>
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Submitted by sgbotsford on Tue, 12/15/2015 - 8:15am
<p> I don't quite see how the heat tape fits into everything.</p> <p> &nbsp;</p> <p> Could you add pictures?</p>
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Submitted by sgbotsford on Sat, 10/18/2014 - 9:48am

Go haunt the permies sites for more info. While it does release nutrients over time, wood is mostly just cellulose and lignan, and there is not a lot of nutrients in it. Two big wins: 1. It holds lots of water long term. Once saturated it will hold water all summer, so watering is hardly needed. This in turn means that the top of the soil can remain dry which hugely decreases your weeding issues.

The second thing is that the wood is rapidly colonized by fungi. Fungi create their own transport network, and some plants can tap into the the fungi network trading some sugar for a ready made root system.

The third thing is that the wood chunks provide large scale structure to the soil, and reduce packing, and create channels for air and water to move long distances.

You don't have to use logs, nor do you have to use raised beds.

  1. You can create hugel mounds. Run them east west. Plant the south face to sun lovers, the north face to things that you want to miss the summer heat.

  2. You can also use wood chips. Avoid sawdust and planer chips. They are too fine, and create a nitrogen debt, but wood chips from tree pruning will work, and are fine enough to till into the ground.

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Submitted by sgbotsford on Sat, 10/18/2014 - 9:48am

Go haunt the permies sites for more info. While it does release nutrients over time, wood is mostly just cellulose and lignan, and there is not a lot of nutrients in it. Two big wins: 1. It holds lots of water long term. Once saturated it will hold water all summer, so watering is hardly needed. This in turn means that the top of the soil can remain dry which hugely decreases your weeding issues.

The second thing is that the wood is rapidly colonized by fungi. Fungi create their own transport network, and some plants can tap into the the fungi network trading some sugar for a ready made root system.

The third thing is that the wood chunks provide large scale structure to the soil, and reduce packing, and create channels for air and water to move long distances.

You don't have to use logs, nor do you have to use raised beds.

  1. You can create hugel mounds. Run them east west. Plant the south face to sun lovers, the north face to things that you want to miss the summer heat.

  2. You can also use wood chips. Avoid sawdust and planer chips. They are too fine, and create a nitrogen debt, but wood chips from tree pruning will work, and are fine enough to till into the ground.