Construct a Greenhouse using Free supplies

On top of planning the construction of our Cob home, we are planning to construct a Greenhouse using readily available recycled materials.  

Greenhouses allow you to extend your growing season up into the Winter, and grow your starter plants earlier in the season. Plants like Tomatoes, peppers, and melons have a long growing season, which is why it is crucial to begin these plants as early as the beginning of February. 

I have the fortunate opportunity to use my home (Mother's house) as a greenhouse. I started many vegetables indoors at the beginning of March, and had to keep these plants indoors up until April till I could sit them out during the day. Even then, I had to bring my starter plants back in every night until the beginning of May. You can imagine my Mother was shocked to have so many trays of growing plants taking up half the living room, utility room, and our bedroom. 

Finally, at the beginning of May I started leaving the starter plants on the front porch at night. For two months, my morning ritual began by taking all of my starter trays outside on the porch, and at night I would bring them all back in the house. 

 

The perfect Greenhouse would be large enough to house hundreds of starter plants, and even fruit bushes and fruit trees. I would even like to construct a greenhouse that was half underground and half exposed for growing tropical fruits. For now I would start small.

We have thought of many different designs, for example a recycled bottle greenhouse (like in the picture below). For a step-by-step tutorial on constructing a bottle greenhouse, click the link here for the PDF.

picture source: Khakibos

Another cheap Greenhouse option is using transparent plastic with recycled wood, see below. Considering I do not drink water from plastic bottles, and because constructing with plastic bottles would take longer-- a 6'X10' greenhouse with recycled wood would also be a simple, cheap construction. You can easily find wood pallets (for free) at sawmills, factories, and behind other stores. Wood pallets can be deconstructed in order to use the wood to create the structure of the Greenhouse. I have posts on how we constructed raised beds out of wood pallets here and here.

picture source: Bepa's Garden

A third option are polytunnel designs using PVC pipes. Polytunnel designs are equivalent in efficiency and cost, it simply depends on the materials you can scavenge for free or have around your house. Piping is easy to come across, as you can ask many people if they have any around, or go dumpster diving.

picture source: Home design

There are of course simpler Greenhouse methods that need no construction, for example in the picture below, you can purchase a small, pre-fabricated Greenhouse at many store outlets. However these come at a higher cost. Even a mini pre-fab Greenhouse as the one in the picture below may cost as much as $40, the same cost for all the Transparent plastic you would need to construct a much larger Greenhouse.

The cost of a 8-ft L x 6-ft W x 6-ft H Metal Polycarbonate Greenhouse at Lowe's is up to $800. Similarly, Palram 6-ft L x 4-ft W x 6-ft H Metal Polycarbonate Greenhouse at Lowe's cost up $500. Much larger Greenhouses, Palram 16-ft L x 8-ft W x 8-ft H Polycarbonate Greenhouses at Lowe's cost more than $2200! What would possess people to pay that much money when they could construct the same size Greenhouse for a 1/20 of the cost?

This isn't the only project people pay 1/20 of the cost for. As I have mentioned before, cob homes made out of clay soil, straw, and sand are virtually no to little cost because of their availability. Actually the only cost when constructing a home out of all natural materials is the cost of gas in transporting these materials. However, if you're obtaining these materials on your own land without the need of transporting materials, then you will be constructing your own at a cheaper price. Even growing Winter Wheat to dry out to use for straw will allow you to save money.

My perspective of our world is this: with all the waste and trash our society produces, we can feed, house, and clothe our nation's poor. Much food, supplies, clothes goes to waste because of the mass production in America. We simply discard food that we barely touch, and yet it is illegal to dumpster dive. What makes sense in this? (Recently I heard of volunteers get fined by the government from feeding the homeless/poor). 

Not only that, but America demands clothes and supplies from other countries instead of producing our own. Why are we raising cows in India, have them shipped, then stripped of their skin in order to be shipped to America to use for "leather", "suede", "fur". As of now, we could end mass producing clothes with all the clothes in second hand stores.

National Geographic, from their article "Feeding 9 billion" states "A bumper crop of corn piles up outside full silos in Brazil's Mato Grosso state, which sends much of its grain to China and South Korea to feed pigs and chickens. The demand for more crops to feed livestock is one reason experts say we'll need to double crop production by 2050". And what makes sense that America destroys forests and land in order to raise cattle when we could raise crops for feeding our poor?

We hear often that other countries grow grains that get shipped to America which could have fed them instead, in other words, they ship more food than they are able to eat! These imported grains also feed our nation's livestock.

On a final note, this post is to be focused on using Free resources to construct Greenhouses in order to produce free food, which is exactly why I bring up the "idiocracy" of our America's corporations and industries waste. We can easily build greenhouses and our homes with free, readily available, all natural materials or free, discarded trash.

Watching the Plants Grow (total of 4 and a half gardens)

I haven't been busy much in the garden, I have mostly been watching the plants grow. I still have left some tomatoes needed to be transplanted as well as melons and cantaloupe plants. Some of the tomatoes and pepper plants are going to take another two weeks before they are ready to transplant in the gardens.
As I mentioned in previous posts, I have four gardens this, with the addition of my cousin Lisa's garden I am tending to and adding a second garden at my Grandparents. I was able to directly sow corn, beans, and cucumbers a week ago at my cousin's; and two weeks ago I was able to plant corn and beans at my Grandparents, along with cucumbers, pumpkin, and squash.

Two weeks ago I transplanted 60 tomatoes into the garden, and two days ago I was able to transplant an additional 40+ tomato plants.
Two weeks ago I mentioned transplanting 80 cantaloupe plants. Unfortunately the location of the cantaloupe plants are not ideal, so they will be forgoing another transplant into a sunnier location (most likely where I have planted the corn and beans at my Grandparents).

Below I have posted recent developments in the garden...

The lettuces, spinach, and kale were directly sown one month ago and I have harvested four times in the last week from them. I will be able to continue picking from my greens everyday for the next two months.

Six rows of lettuces, spinach, kale, and peas

Buttercrunch lettuce

Spinach

Here are pictures of the lettuce harvests in the last few days and a photo of my first strawberry from our gardens. 

First strawberry, and many more to come

Lettuce harvest

 

Lettuce harvest

Lettuce harvest

The potatoes have grown a foot or so since my last post. They will be ready in a couple months from now. The 125 lbs I planted in the garden is expected to triple (or at least double) the quantity. Possibly being able to feed off my potatoes for several months.

10 rows of potatoes

2 foot tall potatoes

My Cucumbers are a new addition, which have recently sprouted their third and fourth leaves. They should be putting off within the next month. It may be hard to tell in the photo, but the row of Cucumbers is over 30 feet long, approximately containing 400 seeds (perhaps only 200 plants will sprout). If half of the seeds I planted grow one cucumber, I will end up harvesting 200 cucumbers by end of July and August.
You can see in the picture below we have laid out cardboard to prevent weeds from intervening with the Cucumbers as they vine out.

Row of cucumbers with cardboard

Cucumbers

My Yellow & Zucchini Squash were young transplants, so they are quite small. Yet they have grown much in the last week due to the increase in night temperatures. I have eight rows of Squash as you can see in the picture below. (To the left of the Squash plants I will be growing more varieties of beans).

Squash had some difficulties with bugs

Squash

8 rows of yellow & zucchini squash

Other squash varieties I planted were Cushaws and Pumpkins. These are grown in a shady area of the garden, so they may be stunted.

Pumpkins

Below are pictures of my second garden at my Grandparent's property, where I have grown several rows of Corn and black eyed peas. As I have said I will growing more varieties of beans next to the Squash garden. Also in this Corn and bean bed I will transplanting Watermelon and Cantaloupe to the right of the black eyed peas.

And this is a little snapshot my cousin took of the beans I have growing at her house. Although the beans are only visible, she mentioned that the rows of corn and cucumbers were up as well. So I have two different gardens for cucumbers, corn and beans.

Beans

I haven't taken pictures of the Tomato and Cantaloupe progress because I am still working on these gardens. I have added more Tomatoes and need to transplant the Cantaloupe and Watermelon. Once this happens I will show progress photos!
Until next time, feel free to look at previous garden update posts.

Government Still Hasn't Found a Way to Help the Poor

Hard problems can be resolved with simple solutions. Albert Einstein said, "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." Solutions require change from individuals, even something as trivial as voting with our dollar. 
  Although it sounds that I shift the blame of the Government limiting resources, it is not so. Is it really Capitalism? 
Does it matter who is to blame? 
Perhaps we shift perspective by taking away the concept of Hierarchy... 

I can say, "Government doesn't realize the necessities of poor people because they have never been poor" or "Government officials, Democrat or Republican, create bills, laws, and programs without understanding where poor people come from, the situations they are in, and the stress that encompasses all aspects of their lives"; or I could say, "Government limits the poor getting their needs met: Quality food (organic, fresh, and nutritious), clean water, and decent home". I used to have this thinking, that a "Man" oppresses minorities, low income families, and I suppose I still think that as White men do own, control the most in the first world. And I do believe this country is under a Hierarchy. 
This "Stick-it-to-the-man" was very much my attitude in High School, but I have expanded my views a bit. In fact, lets shift the thinking from "The man", when in fact: you're 'the man', he's the man, and she's the man as well (TOOL reference from Hooker with a Penis song).
In the case of consumerism, we have a choice where our money goes. We may have little choice in jobs, but we do not have to buy 'things'-- we do not have to buy from Wal-Mart, or any other conglomerate.
Instead of voting who becomes in the position of hierarchy, lets vote with our dollar, or begin trading with one another locally. Walmart is notorious for dominating small towns in Rural areas. 
Perhaps a bigger message to those in power would be to completely stop voting. What if 300 million Americans decided against voting for a President; and learned a Trade (message therapist, hair dresser, gardener) to cut out the middle man and support one another skills. The middle man always makes more money than the wholesaler and the person purchasing the product or service usually pays more for the good than necessary. 

What if everyone saved enough money for land, or shared land with family or some community in an effort to live off-the-grid? Solar panels would replace Coal (a finite resource); Rain collection would replace water companies and fluoride-free drinking water; Organically home-grown food would replace grocery stores; building with all natural materials (like Cob Homes) would replace toxic building materials found at monopolies like Lowe's; use bicycles instead of cars to end the Oil industry; quit buying plastic that supports petrol; quit buying paper-based materials that kill trees. 
I imagine it would be quite simple to end these Corrupt, Wealthy, Destructive corporations if we stopped believing that we need them.

It seems the "problem" is that the Poor is seen as entitlement, and our taxes which go to Medicare, Medicaid, School Grants, Food Stamps, WIC, and other programs seem like robbery. Perhaps it is robbery, and the little money we make should not go to things we do not believe help the Poor.
And it seems the "problem" comes from the Poor living dependently. So the solution would be to shift the Poor to live independently from Government and tax-payers. If the case is that we need to help the Poor come to live independently, the solution seems to point to Homesteading. 

Homesteading entails self-reliance on a small scale, where food, clothes, housing, energy, and other commodities are maintained and created off the land. Because Homesteading allows the Poor to grow free food, and other free resources it teaches others how to live within the environment, without destructing the environment, without pollution, and without the demand from other beings (corporations, organizations, tax-payers). 

Growing food does take time, but takes little knowledge and effort. Likewise, building your own home out of free materials also takes little knowledge. ANYBODY can grow food and build their own home out of earth (straw, clay, and sand), which are all free materials. I have several posts on building a Cob home here and here.

As I have mentioned before, cob homes made out of clay soil, straw, and sand are virtually no to little cost because of their availability. Actually the only cost when constructing a home out of all natural materials is the cost of gas in transporting these materials. However, if you're obtaining these materials on your own land without the need of transporting materials, then you will be constructing your own at a cheaper price. Even growing Winter Wheat to dry out to use for straw will allow you to save money.

My perspective of our world is this: with all the waste and trash our society produces, we can feed, house, and clothe our nation's poor. Much food, supplies, clothes goes to waste because of the mass production in America. We simply discard food that we barely touch, and yet it is illegal to dumpster dive. What makes sense in this? (Recently I heard of volunteers get fined by the government from feeding the homeless/poor). 

Not only that, but America demands clothes and supplies from other countries instead of producing our own. Why are we raising cows in India, have them shipped, then stripped of their skin in order to be shipped to America to use for "leather", "suede", "fur". As of now, we could end mass producing clothes with all the clothes in second hand stores.

National Geographic, from their article "Feeding 9 billion" states "A bumper crop of corn piles up outside full silos in Brazil's Mato Grosso state, which sends much of its grain to China and South Korea to feed pigs and chickens. The demand for more crops to feed livestock is one reason experts say we'll need to double crop production by 2050". And what makes sense that America destroys forests and land in order to raise cattle when we could raise crops for feeding our poor?

Traditionally, people have a job, then you need clothes for that job, then that requires a vehicle to get you to that job, then that requires insurance for the vehicle, then you have to buy a house so you're not laughed at for living with your parents, then you get married and have kids which becomes costly in itself. Before you know it, you're $100,000 in debt just to live!

The Poor aren't the only ones with inequality, when Living itself becomes profitable to corporations. It's true you're being brainwashed from advertisements to purchase unhealthy food, or costly clothes, or costly cars, but you bought the Television that brainwashed you! And you're the fool that believed in holding onto Traditions when you have to purchase $400 worth of presents for your family, friends, and extended family at Holidays!

I hear people say they wish they weren't in debt, they wish they didn't have to have a job until the age of 60+ years old, etc, and I think: There is two sides to this story. On one hand, it's too costly to live without a College education, and we want a high paying job so that we can buy a house, and take care of our family, and be comfortable for the future. The Middle class wage is declining while the 1% keep getting richer (as you can see in the picture above). The United States ranks 64th in the world of income inequality, just above Jamaica and Uganda!
And then on the other hand, ask yourself: why did I have children? Or why did I get married to have a costly wedding? Or why did I go into debt for an education, a vehicle, or a house? What were my Other options: living like a Stinky Hippie on a Commune? Well, essentially yes!

There is Government assistance in place that pays for a portion of your Grocery costs, and Kentucky Food Stamps will also pay for Vegetable and Fruit seeds. These are small but beneficial ways Government has helped my partner and I survive without jobs for the last three years. If Government wants to continue their Socialistic society (like having Free Public Library Books and assistance programs), then we could also implement programs that would provide communities (Homeless peoples) with a couple acres of land, build homes out of free, recycled or all natural materials, and teach them how to grow their own food, and implement solar energy. A Man from Texas actually does this for a living, gets funding from Government to help Single Mothers, Poor people, and others to live independently from the Government that once pretended to help them. Watch the video below of Dan's amazing work.

If Government must be in place, and Anarchy is too radical for our society, then I envision a Government that funds groups through Grants which would provide low-income family's seeds to grow their own food, Solar panels, rain collection systems, and other self-sustainable devices as to work towards complete independence for all peoples! At that point, would anyone need money or materials from businesses any longer? I assume there lies the underlying, corrupt problem of why Big Government does not want to help the poor. Corporations and lobbyists actually manipulate the Government, and want to keep people dependent on their products and services in order to get bigger and bigger gains.
The top 1% wants their vacations, their boats, spas, fancy dinners, fancy mansion parties. The top 1% is happy that you made them rich. And you fell for it.


I digress, I have another post which I speak about the details of Homesteading, in this post "How Single Mothers (Homeless, Needy, or Poor) Can Live for Free".

Homesteading is an Investment, which is why it would be better for the poor to be helped by the government to create this type of lifestyle. 1 acre of Land will cost you $20,000 in Kentucky. Fruit trees cost between $30-50 per tree, and equipment becomes pricy once you create a collection of gardening supplies.
But what the government doesn't tell you is that: they don't want you to live self-sufficient and independent from them. Although they give much money through welfare, medicare, medicaid, and the like to all the poor, they still want you to FEED into the system (buy a toxic-home, buy health insurance, buy electric, buy fluoride-laden water, buy a car, buy car insurance, feed your children processed foods, and the list goes on.) Why would they want you to be a homesteader if it means you're going to break away from the things they want you to pay into? Actually I hear of many cases where FBI will spy on Homesteading communities in an effort to bust them for growing Cannabis plants or any trivial case they can profit on.
The other day I heard a strange story here of a man getting arrested then fined $300 for wearing a Peace shirt.

For myself, I have never lived above the poverty line, and my Mother as well. My Mom takes care of eight people, while six people live under a small roof, including a dog. My Mom wishes someday to live with freedom, retired, perhaps living close to the beach. It's a small dream, but the Poor have small dreams. They, we, just want to be happy and comfortable. We don't want much, just our basic needs met: food, water, shelter, maybe a shirt or a pair of pants.

How Single Mothers (Homeless, Needy, or Poor) Can Live for Free

As I have mentioned before, I studied social work while I attended college; and from that I learned to be critical of a society that subtly manipulates women (especially working mothers and single mothers.) Technically, I was not raised by a single mother, because it wasn't until I turned 15 that my Dad left; but I certainly was treated like a second Mother during the time my Mom and Dad were married. When my parents divorced, I became the "Dad" of the house. Being a Mother is undoubtedly one of the hardest jobs, considering it takes four people to equal one Mom of four kids. For example, my boyfriend and I are the "housewife" and "handy-man" while my Grandmother is the cook, and my Mom pays the bills. 

I'll also say that it is difficult for a Mom (making just over minimum wage) to have decent clothes, furniture, car, or house. Most single Mothers try to apply for food stamps, child support, or seek some other government aid because a minimum wage job cannot afford necessities and luxury. But what if I told you, just by changing your priorities, that you can live debt-free, mortgage-free, and rent-free without having a career or going to college. Throughout this blog, I have repeatedly stated people should aim to live self-sufficiently and independent. In other words, we should aim to live for free by using the materials around us that are recyclable, reusable, all natural, and biodegradable in order to live cheap, save the planet, and save each other.