March 2021 – TSL Homestead

March 28, 2021April 14, 2021

Greenhouse Build 2021 – South Wall Framing

It’s Spring (finally) and that means changeable weather. We got the posts set and then the weather turned cold and rainy for a time. The Mad Farmer is a fair-weather builder, no heroic framing from this fella. Finally the sun came out and things dried out and we were able to get back to work on the build.

First layout with seven windows but the middle window is smaller than planned.

We started out by laying out a rough idea of what the South facing greenhouse wall might look like with the windows available. The original plan called for a 51×51 inch window in the middle but the part the Farmer forgot was that the studs and corner posts took up a little more space than planned for – one of the downsides of being a weekend hobby instead of having a job in construction where you don’t even think about things like that because you made those kind of mistakes the first two weeks on the job and then adjusted and never looked back. The Mad Farmer has an immense amount of respect for folks that build things for a living – not an easy job but seems like it would be rewarding.

The second layout with the 51×51 back in the center but only five windows. This is what we decide would work best for our space.

First the window spaces were framed, then the center window was installed and framed in place with a cedar trim on both sides because that window was not going to open. The other windows locations were rough framed and the entire wall was stood up, attached to the corner posts and leveled.

Installing windows by yourself (Miss Mercy was doing ‘growie’ things) requires bracing and occasional out-of-the box thinking (the 2×4 screwed to the frame to allow me to rest the windows on the board while installing hinges).

It’s fun to see the building taking shape!

It took most of the afternoon to install the four windows that open on either side of the big window. I’m sure that professional carpenters could have probably had the entire job finished in a pretty short time. The Mad Farmer is a fair amateur carpenter but far from being a professional. I have nothing but respect for the folks who build day-in and day-out in all kinds of weather. It was with great satisfaction that I was able to show Miss Mercy upon her arrival at the homestead that the windows, did in fact, open and close and she was kind enough to show an enthusiasm for the progress being made. Made for a good afternoon. Our goal is to make progress when the weather allows.

March 22, 2021

Miss Mercy Keeps House

Part of our journey toward sustainability has involved being more aware of household cleaners and scents in general. Before the Mad Farmer and I got married, I used scent free laundry detergent, soap and lotion. I am not opposed to scents; I just wasn’t a fan of the super scented stuff. I did have a little guilty pleasure in candles, but eventually even that became too smelly. The Mad Farmer used scented laundry detergent and scented soap. Slowly, over the years, we have managed to minimize the amount of scented stuff we use. The commercially scented stuff is just over the top – and not pleasant to my nose.

However, dishes still need to be washed, laundry still needs to get done, and cleaning house still needs to happen. What to do? Scour the internet for homegrown methods for housekeeping, of course.

I started our personal care journey by making some soap, which went pretty well. However, I didn’t continue to make it. I also tried making our deodorant, that didn’t go as well. Every recipe I tried, the baking soda was too harsh for my skin – so that was a no go. We finally settled on using Apple Cider Vinegar, which works pretty well. I have found a recipe that uses vodka and white vinegar that I have yet to try – here is the link: https://wholelifestylenutrition.com/natural-solutions/all-natural-deodorant-recipe/

I was interested in using as few chemicals as possible for housekeeping, so I started my search once again on the internet for dish soap. Most of the recipes I found called for white vinegar and castile soap. The problem with this mixture is: white vinegar desaponifies the soap. That is not helpful. Finally, I found a recipe for dish soap on The Hippy Homemaker that I LOVE! I have been making it for the last 5 years. I use about 10 drops of lemon or thieves essential oil. Here is the link: https://www.thehippyhomemaker.com/diy-dish-soap-that-actually-works-its-simple-no-melting-and-no-waiting/ What I love about this recipe is that I can make multiple batches of it at a time, and I just use a recycled soap bottle – that is 5 years of not buying plastic containers of liquid dish soap – how cool is that! I have tried a few recipes for dishwashing powder. Unfortunately, thus far I haven’t found one that works as well as I would like.

The same cleanser I use for the dish soap, Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds, I also use to clean the bathrooms and do the laundry – who doesn’t love a good multi-tasker when it comes to cleaning! Here’s a great link to Lisa Bronner talking about Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds: https://www.lisabronner.com/sal-suds-or-castile-soap-which-one-should-you-use/ There is a pine scent to Sal Suds, and while it isn’t overpowering, it is noticeable.

I hope you find some of these links helpful in your journey to more sustainable housekeeping and personal care. I look forward to sharing what we have tried and liked (or maybe was a miss), as we continue trying to simplify and live more intentionally.

March 21, 2021April 14, 2021

Digging a Hole

It seems like the first step in every project the Farmer gets involved with is to dig a hole. Why that is I don’t know, but I do know that there are a lot of holes that have been dug here at the homestead. The greenhouse project is no different. The Mad Farmer is a home-taught builder, learning originally how to work with wood from my father and later on mostly figuring things out as I go along. The interwebs have been a great blessing on figuring out things but there is always a difference between seeing it done and doing it yourself. I will say that pre-planning, at least a good rough draft, is always super helpful and the more planning you do up front, the smoother things seem to go.

The first step in actual construction was figuring out where the corner posts were going to be located (okay, the actual first step was a trip to the lumber place to get the posts, easier to get them first then put them in the new holes)! In our suburban location you can get by with certain size and types of structures without having to get a permit. We want the greenhouse to butt up against our deck but I can’t actually attach it or I have to go talk to the department of making you sad. So we dug the first holes so that the posts are snug up against the existing deck without actually being attached.

Various tools used in digging post holes: A spade (aka “sharpshooter”), Clamshell digger and a gas-powered auger (fun but be careful)!

I will insert a side note here – you can dig holes in a variety of ways. You can use a spade (in Kansas we call that a “sharpshooter” for reasons unknown), you can use a post hole digger – they come in several varieties, clamshell style and auger styles and probably some others, and, the best way is if your brother, the Renaissance Dude, is willing to lend you his gas powered post hole auger. For you purists out there the Farmer has dug his share of post holes over his lifetime but for sheer project momentum there is nothing like a gas powered post hole auger. Takes a minute or two in reasonably rock-free soil for each hole and man, is life sweet after that!

In Kansas the best way to set a post is dig below the frost line, set the post and then fill the hole around it with Kwik-Crete or some other type of cement. The green house is a pretty lightweight structure so we only went down about 2 1/2 feet to set the posts. Hopefully we won’t get into an extended Ice Age and come to regret not digging down the full three feet. The posts are then set in the hole and we (the Farmer’s sister, the Swamp Gardener, came by to supervise the goings-on and help out) leveled them using a post level. Pretty cool gadget that levels the post forward/backward and side-to-side at the same time. Turns out if your level is cracked on the corner (it’s a very old level) that can cause your posts to be out-of-whack until you notice. Good news, you can level a post with a regular spirit level, it just takes a little longer.

Once we got the first two posts in we then had to measure off the wall of the house and the existing deck to dig the last two holes and set those posts. With free-standing posts you do need to temporarily support them by adding braces. Once they are in place and you pour your Kwik-Crete around the base you can make minor adjustments before you add water. At this point the question was asked “How much Kwik-Crete do you use and how much water”? Good question and like most things in Permaculture the answer is “it depends”. Rough rule of thumb is 50-60 lbs. of concrete per post in a three foot depth hole. Use a little less if the hole is not as deep.

Pro tip: Don’t fill in the hole all the way to the top with concrete. Leave a few inches open below ground level so if you ever have to take a post out you can cut it off below ground and not have to dig the bottom out. After you put in the concrete just put water in the hole until it fills up. The water will seep down and mix with the concrete and eventually it will set up. Probably a more professional way to do it but I’ve never had a post fail yet so I’m okay with the “good enough” way.

Posts in

That’s all there is to it except you now have to wait 10-24 hours for the concrete to set up and you can start your framing. Unless it’s Kansas and it decides to rain for another week….

March 12, 2021April 4, 2021

2021 Greenhouse Build

It’s almost Spring at the homestead and we have been blessed with a few days with decent weather. Less than three weeks ago it was -12F as the high with a low of -16F (for those of you on the metric system that is very, very cold). This first week of March we had 3-4 days where it was Sunny with a high of 70F and lows in the 50’s before the weather started to turn back to typical Spring and start getting rainy and gloomy and colder.

So, while the weather was nice we started to layout the greenhouse that we are building. Our house is a brick airplane-style bungalow with a long side facing South, a great place for a greenhouse. The only downside is that the kitchen windows look outside onto the yard right where we want to put the greenhouse. Never Fear – the Mad Farmer has a plan for that!

Greenhouse site - facing North — Greenhouse will be built next to the deck facing South. The two Kitchen windows are on the right.

Several years back the Mad Farmer and Miss Mercy were at the Mother Earth News Fair and met Marc Plinke, the author of the “The Year-Round Solar Greenhouse”. Mr. Plinke was a physicist before designing greenhouses and is a fascinating fellow and a wealth of information. We discussed the Farmer’s proposed plans and it was pointed out that the greenhouse should not be built directly against the brick because that would trap moisture and the brick would degrade and crumble. Great information to have! So the plans changed to build the greenhouse out a couple of feet from the wall to prevent moisture problems. That also allows for a neat space to store ladders, so win-win.

Originally the plan was to build the greenhouse to 10’x17′ to take full advantage of the area from the deck to the first kick-out wall where the dining room is built, as Jack Spirko says “no one ever said I wish I had built my greenhouse smaller”. Little did we know that in the last several months that lumber prices in Kansas have almost tripled! So, rather than fight odd sizing we scaled it back slightly to 8’x16′ to take advantage of dimensional lumber. We use recycled materials whenever possible but sometimes you have to bite-the-bullet and buy some things to finish a project.

We have been collecting windows from various sources over the last couple of years after we decided to put in a greenhouse. We picked up some excellent windows from a house that the Farmer’s brother (The Renaissance Dude) is flipping, extra windows from a co-worker and a random blessing when someone in the neighborhood was removing a screened-in porch. Sadly we haven’t been able to find anyone getting rid of polycarbonate roofing…

Greenhouse site - facing West — There will be an entrance off the deck with steps down to the Greenhouse floor, some of the windows are against the house

As with most of the projects the Farmer sketched out a rough draft with dimensions. Excuse the lack of artistic ability.

Windows Chart — Window Availability Chart of possible combinations

Greenhouse Exterior Dimensions Sketch — Window Availability Chart of possible combinations

Then, because we have a large deck (Mad Farmer and Miss Mercy love decks), we decided to use screws and string to define what the back and side walls of the greenhouse would look like so we we could layout the windows and see how they might fit together in the finished walls.

Front and Back Wall Layout dimensions on the deck in string — Using screws and string to outline the dimensions of the North and South Greenhouse walls so we can get a feel for what the windows will look like.

Rough Window layout for the South Wall — Rough spacing on South Wall Windows. The windows are salvage from a flip house.

West Door Layout — Rough spacing on South Wall Windows. The windows are salvage from a flip house.

East Door Layout — Windows from a flip and a storm window that will be turned into a door on the East side of the Greenhouse

To our great relief we had plenty of windows and most of them will be useful. Miss Mercy oversaw the arrangements, added feedback and helped clarify where the doors will go and various and other sundry things we think about.

The farmer took a break to attend a Pantry Management webinar put on by Nicole Sauce at the Living Free in Tennessee podcast (great content, well worth the time). Through it all our fierce guard dog Sasha kept watch for nefarious critters that might interrupt the process.

Helper Sasha — Our dog Sasha preventing the build site from being overwhelmed by squirrels

By the end of the afternoon we had decided what windows go where, adjusted the dimensions, discussed materials and type of floor (probably going to end up gravel), discussed if we were going to install a Rocket Mass Heater (probably at some point – stay tuned for that) and then labeled all the windows and sketches to show where they were going, and took the screws and string off the deck (oops, missed one, found that out the hard way)!

All-in-all a pretty productive afternoon and a great way to spend a nice day after months of cold and gloom.