any plans for next year

[bookwormom]

with winter coming on, things ought to wind down on the homestead. (Not that that is necessarily true), but it is a good time for reflection and planning for the next season.
I can tell you right now that next season more fencing is on the agenda for us. we are sort of handicapped due to the lay of the land and the way the woods have crept in. so, we may have to hire a bulldozer and get a few acres cleared. don't know if we can get it done by hand.
what is on the agenda at your place? coldframes? new chickencoop? anything?

[MadTripper]

We built our chicken coop this year. As a matter of fact, we built our house this year! It was a year ago this past weekend we started removing the roof truss' from an existing 40x32 structure. We went up a level and waalaaa! Not to bad for doing the work ourselves other than my father-in-law being full time on the project.

So, I have only a temporary fence up for the chickens which isn't anywhere near enough room. We plan on putting full fence in for the orchard/garden/chicken run and swine in the next few months, weather permitting. Our garden will also be put in although I'm not real sure exactly how. I have debated rotovating, discing, and using a no-till method. I'll be sure to post when we finally decide.

I have started some cuttings for the orchard. I'd also like to get some nut trees in place.

Assuming we go for the swine next spring, I'll need to put some type of shelter together and also pipe one of the springs to a trough for easy watering.

Firewood is on the agenda however not till after deer season.

I'm working on the old wheelhorse with a snowblower attachment for inclement weather this winter. We have a tractor with a 6 foot blade already so the snowblower will just compliment and help.

A few friends and I are also trying to piece together a community log splitter however I haven't had a lot of time to devote to it. I need to dig up two wheel hubs at this point.

I am also gathering some components to build a smoker. I have one to borrow for deer assuming I harvest one. I'd like to get some practice in before next fall when we harvest the swine.

I also have the gear box from an old washing machine I want to use for a whizbang style plucker for my neighbor and I to use.

There are a ton of things going on but thats how I like it.

Tripper

[Deberosa]

Kurt and I took a homesteading class last fall on small farm planning. I developed a 10 year plan through that program. Of course it will need adjusting and December is the time of year we sit down and take stock and plan the next year. Many things happened we didn't plan so some things on the list have moved but that's OK. Didn't know I would have this cool new job allowing us to get real livestock - a cow! But we didn't get all of the arbors in we would have liked, oh well... We have the fence materials but not all of the fence got put up, however there is still some of the year left. :-) We are going to put in the wood fired hot tub which again is the result that I will be home to get it fired up at a reasonable time when we want to use it. Next Year I want to fence in an acre of brush and turn the cows and a couple of pigs loose on it. Maybe another hoop house, my waterbed greenhouse. I want to move the 10 by 20 turkey carport and put in blueberries where it was. We are going to put in Doyles Blackberries and some Triple Crown blackberries next year. However my whole focus now is on our own needs rather than starting a business so much since I no longer despise my day job. That's a great accomplishment in itself this year for me! I've actually decided that I can make more money by donating my excess to the local soup kitchen and getting the tax deduction! No rules, no selling, packaging, fussing, timing, people benefit and I save money on the huge tax bill I have.

[hillbillygal]

We are going to have chickens for the first time next spring. I have a shed to convert into the coop and will have to figure out placing and build some shelves and perches in it. I need to find out if the people who have horses in our field are planning on taking their horses with them when they leave or not. If they are, that will take care of where to put next year's cow. Have already bought some heirloom tomato seeds so have to find a nice warm place to start them next year. Lots to do.

[Naughty_Pines]

I don't have any plans for a big garden or crops in a field, ( I live in a "city," with a population of approximately 2400 full time residents and millions of snow birds coming up here for skiing and snow play.) I have a 100' X 70' lot and my house covers just under half of that. I have two neighbors who park their mobil homes on the south (up hill) end of my property. I am retired and have just filed for social security and intend to pay down my bills so I can eat a little more during the month.
I enjoy reading how all of you folks get along with chores and how you solve problems. The 'tripper has many good posts and I have copied them to my computer for future references as I have always been a "city boy." I now live in Wrightwood, CA. which is a ski resort village five miles from the ski resort and, no I don't ski.
Mad tripper, you seem to have an endless supply of knowledge and that is a great gift. I know a lot about aircraft manufacturing after being with Lockheed for almost 35 years but, little about homesteading. I keep reading most of the homesteading forums along with hints and tips forums. I read one post about steaming food and adapted it to my crockpot and ended up with a fabulous steamed barbucue chicken breast dinner. The breasts were nice and moist and just crumbled when I stuck my fork into them,darn I'm a good cook.

Enough of this, you all keep up the good work to keep informed on how to homestead on my little piece of heaven.

Jerry aka The Naughty Pines ( I live in a pine forest.)

[MadTripper]

Thanks for the compliments. My knowledge is far from endless howerver, my thirst for knowledge is. I find this site a great place to share ideas and thoughts on practical living as well as get solid advice on most any topic. The only question I never had much of an answer to was on an issue I had with my boiler but from what I've seen, hvac people keep all their secrets instead of sharing. That is the only trade I've seen like that.

I'm glad you are enjoying all of the stories shared on the site. I enjoy them as well.

I keep some of my other stories on my own site in a form of blog or news items. Mainly to keep my thoughts straight and also let some family across the country get an idea of what we are up to. Feel free to read some of the stories there if you haven't yet. Some are about pasta and making cider while others revolve around some Linux and Unix distros and the troubles or successes I have had with them.

http://www.madtripper.com

Tripper

[LeatherneckPA]

We are starting our first-ever backyard flock of chickens in the spring. 2 dozen, in a mobile coop (aka "tractor") Best we can do with only a 1/4 acre lot to start with.

[ryanmercer]

I plan on planting a few 4-5 year old apple trees, a few Rabbiteye Blueberry plants. I need to put new fence up in the backyard, redo the gutters... thats all I've got now... then again I live at my mom's in the suburbs so heh.

[humbug]

I always have a longer list than I can possibly complete. I am putting up the back fence to keep the deer out. I am also going to build a stock panel greenhouse. I would like to get the 40 acres I own surveyed and start on building a cabin there. All these will take a lot of time and money. So I will just work at one project at a time until the end of the year arrives and see where I am.

[WileyCoyote]

I expect to be very busy here next year. My VSO and I are currently looking for our homestead. When we bought here we intended to raise our kids in a rural atmosphere and did so; but now we are overrun with snowbirds and retirees moving south and will move to the Northwest. Once we get the property (and we don't have a whole lot to invest - we are looking more for an old farmhouse with outbuildings and acreage) we will be taking stock of what we have, stocking and redoing and resupplying and starting over. So I will be on here more than even now, looking up ideas and asking questions!

[DM]

Heck, i'd be happy if i could get my "old" building projects finished.. lol

If that ever happens, i keep thinking i'd like to saw out and build a cabin.... I also need to build a sawmill shed for my sawmill... I guess the sawmill shed should come "before" the cabin though... ::)

DM 8)

[leera]

Well,with any luck hubby and I will be buying our property....and starting our homestead.Although we don't have near the amount saved up that I had wanted,we are going to see what we can do.....

I'd like to have enough room for a small orchard,a large garden,and some pasture for livestock.Hubby would like to be able to hunt on our own land.......so acreage is key.......

We've both spent the last four years learning grdening,plumbing,electrical,and basic construction.....so if we find the land we want,and no house,no big deal.........

We are fully equipped to live without the comforts of electricity and indoor plumbing for a while if need be........

[granolaeeter]

My wish list for next year includes having a well drilled and setting up fence and housing for meat goats.

I am sure I will be posting questions about the well.

[Backwoods_Bob]

Next years project is a ferro-cement dome guest cabin using cattle panels for a frame!
Drew up my plans and everything already.

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o320/etdbob/Cabin/bobsgasthaus-Model2.jpg
*http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o320/etdbob/Cabin/bobsgasthaus-Model1.jpg
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o320/etdbob/Cabin/bobsgasthaus-Model.jpg

Did a full size mock up last spring but didn'tt had time to get back to it this year -
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o320/etdbob/Cabin/P1010059.jpg

Oh yeah, I may build another raised bed for the garden like you see a bit of in the picture above.
We have four 12' beds and one 20' long. Never enough garden space!

The year after that we're to build a work shop. It's to have an earth bermed back wall of dry stacked concrete blocks filled with concrete, cordwood front and side walls, and a ferro-cement, cattle panel framed, barrel -vault for a roof!

The year after that we're to build an earth shelterd greenhouse!
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And I still will not have a sopt to store my extra canoe....
gosh, it never ends, does it??? :P
*

[Kyhome]

hope to put in another raised bed or two. would also like to go back to having a wood stove like in our last place. would also like to have the old place back but oh well. need to continue looking for another place in the country as I can tell this ole suburb is not for my long term happyness but the wife likes it. hum well see i guess, Rick

[MadTripper]

Next years project is a ferro-cement dome guest cabin using cattle panels for a frame!
Drew up my plans and everything already.
*


I'm anxious to see the outcome of this project. If I were a bit closer, I'd volunteer some time to come help.

Tripper

[Southern_Gent]

I have a few plans, that hopefully I'll get to this next year. What with the price of eggs ever increasing, I'm going to build a small chicken house and order some chicks form McMurray in the spring. It's been awhile since I've kept chickens, but I've always liked the brown egg laying variety.

I've also wanted to put in some grape vines, so I might put up some runs and irrigation for a few vines. In my area, Muscadines do very well. I'm also tempted to plant some blueberry bushes as well.

[kirby-magoo]

We should be finished with the house by the end of the year. The lights go in today. And appliances by the end of the week. Finally got the leach field and septic in and working.

For next year, 2 or 3 raised beds with hardware screening underneath- we have 3 acres of gophers- and they are really ticked off at the construction! New tunnels and holes are everywhere.. The little suckers are even digging up thru the gravel and rocks we put down for a "driveway".

Raised beds, and finish clearing out some Manzanita and level the orchard area. I'm going to transplant a bunch of iris and gladiolas- probly turn into gopher food. I'm thinking about putting bulbs in little "cages" like plastic berry baskets to keep the gophers out. I got a bag full, about 100, at a yard sale last year for 25 cents. Worth trying, anyway!

[LeatherneckPA]

I built the first of our new garden beds today. 2x10's, stacked two deep, 4' wide and 8' long. Nice and deep for root crops. Going to fill it with leaves tomorrow and then weigh them down with a load of well composted "feed lot" manure and dirt from a farmer friend of mine.

Best part was, despite owning every tool found on a modern construction site, I did the entire job with hand powered tools. A cross cut saw and a hammer, no circular saw or chop saw and no nail guns. It was very therapeutic.

I am thinking about building a 14' x 22' shed to relocate my woodworking shop. Same rules, no power tools allowed during contruction. Then remodel the old shop into a new kitchen for DW. Shhhh, she doesn't know yet.