got land and i wanna start a communal farm

Frriz we seem to think alike. Great response to other post
Just for a little back ground info. I have a degree in forestry, 12 years experience running my own nursery, and I did grow up on a farm that fed 5 family. My wife also grew up around farm life.
My main goal is to produce food and live with nature, without the need for the almighty dollar. Money is my jailer and I want to escape, if I can help a few more escape with all the better.:sunny:

 

I'd recomend checking the forums over at idigmygarden and find EdlinUser. He has some acerage and a nice setup if full shade farming interests you.

 

I'm much the same aside from the not wanting to dodge money, it wont be the end all by any means but would be nice to have enough to help those who dont locally, especially given all the hurricanes and so forth.

 

This is a great idea. I have had similar thoughts and own some land in New York. But people are too uptight around here. And it does get pretty miserable in the winter around here. Crap, maybe I will sell my little craphole in this world and join your venture. But then I doubt I would fit in there because of my age. I wish you well, I truly do. The hippies had a lot going for them. I spent much of that era fighting in Vietnam. I still am a very confused person. Living like a hippie is great as long as there are people defending you. I believe in all that hippie stuff. What a time I had back then with all that free love and stuff. My best wishes in your endevour. ...Oscar

 

Oscar, age is in the mind, aside from the whole able to carry heavy loads or do the back-busting shit. Dont close yourself to options because of assumptions.

 

I could not have said it better myself. Everybody has something to contribute. you don't need to be the one to carry the heavy load to be useful.:sunny:

 

Forest gardens aren't always full shade gardens if thats what you mean.

 

Nah, it's just the first thing that hits my head when I think of gardening in the woods.

 

If the ground has clay you could extract then build adobe style. Hot Mexican sun or a kiln made of brick would give you building materials. Is that possible?

 

yep. I'd just aim for primitive fired cerqamic instead of Adobe. Leave basic shelter for 1000 years for humans or whatever needs a good in out of the rain down the road maybe?

Theres actually a Woman I read about somewhere who was building ceramic huts. making a mound of hay and other fuel and wrapping it in clay then burying in more fuel and an earth mound, essentially making a large raku styled hut.

I've had similar ideas for subterranian construction in soils with a very high clay content and local sources of fuel in abundance like dry palm, rice or corn stalks.

My brain wont shut off damnit, I need more sleep!!

Some of the clay I processed from the creek bed in Virginia, amazing stuff, high mica content (which will act as a good flux to the clay body when fired)

Formed a 2,1/2" cube of the stuff I purified with the addition of Lye while slaking sat and air dried with NO covering on it, exhibited 0% warpage during shrinking and no cracking whatsoever. That would be impressive for most of the commercial stuff in even a 1" cube.

Heres a quick rundown on how I process the raw stuff, but without the step after last slaking where I boil the clay slip and add about 1 gallon of slaked Wood potash (not lye )
The liquid seems to help in causing organic impurities coagulate and rise to the top making it a breeze to skim off.

http://www.idigmygarden.com/forums/album.php?albumid=24&pictureid=340

 

Still hunting for the raku cottage article but this ones pretty damn cool,,, been telling a few folks to build these for a while.

http://milkwood.net/2011/10/28/rocket-stove-water-heater-redux/

 

Heres a thought, anyone try puting Teosinte through a similar process to that which is used in making Hominy as a way to turn that hard outer hull into something edible or more easily removed?

**edit** Ok, nevermind, Teosinte is being overtaken by GMO taint from Corn. Kinda' figured there would be too many dissimilarities but I guess 5% genetic variance isn't enough.

 

Hello Ramblinrose,

I have a lot of skills and knowledge in construction, repair, and finishing. Also I know how to drop trees, run a sawmill, and build rough structures.

I know many things and have many tools other then what I have said.

I'm looking to escape the city and get to a place of peace.

I have the tools and skills you are looking for but are you in a place to continue the progress of enriching the property?

I will send you my details.


DL

 

just back from a 5 day stay on the farm. No internet there so I have to come to city and use my daughters. got a couple of pics. I know it does not look like a large area cleared, but for one guy with a chain saw it is. got the road in to the camp area and first garden area. also got a pic of out farm camp, all the comforts of home:daisy:

 

Freaking beautiful there.

Have you determined just what species are predominant on the property? maybe I could do some diggin on alt. usage?

 

The ground looks red! Good sign. Start making bricks.

 

Yup

 

i really want to be a part of this, i have to finish school tho !

 

Neat title that touches on the subject of firing ceramic homes or at least so it sounds, have yet to find it in actual pdf format but it's all around on amazon,,,

http://www.scribd.com/doc/58703700/...-Your-Own-by-Nader-Khalili-5-Star-Book-Review

 

so far the predominate tree where i am clearing is the kind of spindly tree they use for firewood. the old Mayan guy I know told me the name, but who can remember all those Mayan words. There are many other trees but where I am clearing that is it. I am guessing they came in where the old fields are, because there are bigger more useful trees scattered about like maybe they were left behind from the old farm.
I tried my first attempt at a brick from the "clay" soil. I soaked it in a pan and skimmed off all the organic stuff. it looked like all fine particles much like clay, although darker than I would have liked. the brick itself dried to be very light and weak. I am thinking that just soaking and separating is not enough to remove the organic portion of the soil. I am thinking maybe i need to dig deeper to get a more clay like soil. my first attempt was using soil from about 12 inches down. maybe I will try some from 2 or 3 feet down, next time. there is just so much to do by myself that it is hard to make time for much.
I am thinking with all the wood around that the first few structures will be wood. I already have started setting aside all the straight pieces of wood for building, but like I said it is slow going with just my wife and myself. She is not very handy with a chainsaw.:sunny: