ALTERNATIVE BUILDING MATERIALS AND METHODS

LABOR SAVING DEVICE
A mixer is an expensive piece of equipment that will make home building less labor intensive. Whether you are using concrete, papercrete, adobe, or cob, a mixer will help the task move along much more quickly. If you are at all mechanically inclined, you may be able to find a used one and refurbish it for your own use. If not, consider making your own homemade mixer.

To make a homemade mixer you will need:
(Image courtesy: http://www.starship-enterprises.net/Papercrete/Mixer/)
* A large, galvanized tub (feed tank) mounted on a tow trailer.
* Lawn mower blade attached to the tow trailer's axle differential.

Pull the trailer behind your truck (or mule, or whatever). The movement of the axle spins the lawn mower blade and mixes your mix.

You can see an example of this mixer being used in the video that follows.

PAPERCRETE is one of several materials that can be used to create your own shelter.
YOU WILL NEED:

• 30 pounds of concrete
• 18 pounds joint compound
• 1 pound boric acid (to make your home bug-proof)
• 90 pounds recycled newspaper and/or cardboard (wet and shredded)

PAPER ADOBE is much the same as papercrete, only no concrete is used in the mixture.

• 45 pounds waste paper
• 120 gallons water
• 100 pounds of clay
• 11 shovels of sand

ADOBE
http://www.firebudd.com/adobe/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe

HOW TO MAKE ADOBE BRICKS (COB MATERIAL)


ADOBE RECIPE:
From the site: http://www.zetatalk.com/shelter/tshlt04c.htm
Time required: about one month (most of it waiting for bricks to dry).
Cost: little or nothing
Materials:

• One five-gallon bucket
• One mixing stick or old wooden spoon
• 1/2 bucket of adobe clay
• 1/4 bucket of sand
• 1/8 bucket of straw cut into two-to-three-inch pieces
• Enough water to make a doughlike consistency
• Six empty half-gallon waxed milk containers OR six 4 * 11 * 22 inch wooden brick molds, which can be made from 2-by-4s nailed together
• Waterproof tape

Directions:

• Thoroughly mix the adobe clay, sand and straw in the bucket; add only enough water to create a workable consistency
• You can use either the wooden brick molds or the waxed 1/2 gallon milk cartons. To make the molds from the latter, cut one side from the carton (which becomes the open top of the brick mold). Cut and flatten the folded spout end and tape the carton firmly into a rectangular shape.
• Pack the brick mixture into the cartons, filling each about tow-thirds full. IN 15 minutes to 24 hours, the brick will be firm enough to tip out. Each batch is different' you will have to judge when your mix will maintain a brick shape.
• Place shaped bricks in a sunny location and turn repeatedly as they dry. (A completely dry brick is uniform in color, inside and out.)

MOST EXCELLENT ARTICLE on building with Adobe by J.D. Hooker can be found here. Make Adobe Bricks. Illustrations are included and a description of how the bricks are stacked into a makeshift oven and hardened by firing.

HOW TO MAKE COB/ADOBE. This video shows how cob/adobe can be made without a mechanized mixer.


COB CONSTRUCTION
One of MANY recipes for making cob:
1 part clay
2 parts sand (this keeps the finished product from cracking)
Mix thoroughly
Add just enough water to make a firm dough. A hard packed ball should not shatter when dropped to the ground from shoulder height. If it shatters, it needs more clay. If it flattens (like a pancake) it's too wet.

At this point, the mixture could be used to build an outdoor oven.

TO BUILD STRUCTURES WITH COB, you will add straw (not hay, straw) to your mix. When the mud/sand mixture is the consistency of peanut butter, add your straw. Straw allows the mix to support more of its own weight when wet. It also allows you to make wetter mud, which is easier to sculpt.

Cob Cottage Company (includes lots of pictures of cob houses)
Cob Building in the Country
See this free book online:
Cob Builders Handbook

STRAW BALE CONSTRUCTION
http://www.balewatch.com/

STRAW BALE HOUSE MADE BY SINGLE MOM FOR $50,000



STRAW BALE CONSTRUCTION, DEBUNKING THE MYTHS OF STRAWBALE


HOUSE BUILT USING VARIOUS RECLAIMED MATERIALS (MOSTLY COB).


COB AND WOOD CONSTRUCTION COMBINATION (for roundhouse) . . . also shows example of Reciprocal Frame Roof.



EARTHBAG CONSTRUCTION
To search for more information on the internet regarding this system, use the term 'earthbag' rather than 'sandbag.' If you search for 'sandbag' you will find several helpful hints on how to make your own exercise equipment, rather than how to construct a building.

The speaker on this video has a heavy accent, but I believe it is worth watching more than once to catch what he is saying. He discusses the type of bags used, how to prepare the soil, using barbed wire as a type of mortar to hold the bags in place and how to build using the bags in a staggered pattern. Note: this video does not discuss using a 'tube' system, but separate bags.



RAMMED EARTH CONSTRUCTION
http://www.diyrammedearth.com/
This method is similar to earthbag building except that there are no bags. The earth is held in place by using wooden forms.


VIDEO: John Ryan -- fun Appalachian music background


RECIPROCAL FRAME ROOF:
This type of roof helps create rooms that appear larger because they are not broken up with interior support beams.

"The reciprocal frame is a roof structure where each beam both supports and is supported by other beams in the roof structure. A minimum of 3 beams is required to create a reciprocal frame roof. As each beam supports the next in a reciprocal manner no internal support structure is required. Only the outer end of each beam requires support which will normally be a post used for the wall. The roof loads are transferred to these posts and in turn to the supporting foundation. The beams can be fabricated from timbers, laminated wood, steel or reinforced concrete. A very inexpensive roof structure can be made from logs."

RECIPROCAL FRAME ROOF
Click on the above link for more information on Reciprocal Frame Roofs. Scan down the page and click on the image of the ceiling for details which include architectural drawings.

THERMAL MASS OF NATURAL MATERIALS:
http://www.adobebuilding.com/Adobe_Building_Manual.pdf
"Adobe brick has a high thermal mass meaning that when the brick heats up, it can hold a large amount of heat and then release it slowly. In a well-designed solar passive adobe brick home, the winter sun heats the adobe bricks during the day. This heat is held in the brick and released during the night, keeping your home warm. Conversely, sun is kept off the mud brick walls during summer with strategically placed eaves and/or a verandah, allowing them to stay cool during the day and remain cool all night."

"This time course of the heat transfer is also known as the “thermal lag”. Essentially, the thermal lag is the amount of time it takes for heat to 'pass through'. The thermal lag for earth walls is around 7 to 10 hours for a one-foot (300mm) thick wall. This is ideal for most climates as mid-day heat will be released after the nighttime drop in temperature."


SHIPPING CONTAINER HOUSES
Retired train cars, cargo shipping containers, and truck bed containers are also being utilized to create low-cost housing.

Converting Steel Shipping Containers to Housing

Watch this at Bob Vila

COMBINING METHODS FOR HYBRID BUILDINGS:
Here is an example of a New Mexico house created using several different alternative techniques.
"This segment gives a quick overview of some materials used in green building, including straw bale and adobe walls, earth plaster, natural materials, passive solar heating and cooling, and much more. "


WORTH A TRY:
Alternative building materials are an abundant resource in a society where excess items are routinely disposed. It is not likely that such alternative construction will make a great impact on the environment, but these utilizing these methods WILL save you money if you are inclined to utilize them. Established homeowners can save money by creatively utilizing these methods as they maintain and develop their current property. Cob construction (and similar) methods can be used to create outdoor ovens, walkways, walls, garden benches and many other pleasant features that will increase property value.

Additional Reading:

http://www.constructionbusinessowner.com/topics/environment-and-compliance/recycling-construction-materials-an-important-part-of-the-construction-process.html

http://www.smartgrowth.org/library/resident_const_waste.html

http://activerain.com/blogsview/392846/You-Could-Build-a-House-from-Recycled-Building-Materials

http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/index.htm

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This blog presents ideas and information designed to enrich the life of the reader. These articles are NO substitute for consultation with skilled professionals. The opinions and ideas expressed are fallible and that of the author. Readers are encouraged to be well-informed and draw their own conclusions.

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BUILD-IT-YOURSELF HOMEOWNER HELPS

Building your own home is an option for people who own land, but lack the funds to have a ready home constructed.

BUILD BELOW THE RADAR
There are MANY MANY plans from many sources on how to build your own home. While recommendations vary on many points, one place where they all agree is that you must know what the building codes are in your area. You will want to know what must be done to the property to make it ready for a residence. Decide on your water source and sewage options and build in such a way that you have the option to make improvements later. In other words, hauling water is fine while you are young, but you will likely appreciate indoor plumbing in your later years. Construct your dwelling with these things in mind.

One of the most intriguing plans I've seen is that of compound building. Rather than build a single building for a dwelling. some homeowners are opting to erect several small storage shed sized buildings. These are often small enough that no building permits are required. They can be positioned much the same as rooms would be in a house, but they each have their own foundation and roof. A wall is erected around the outer perimeter to
secure the compound and sometimes a roof is placed over the interior courtyard with walkways between rooms (buildings).

This plan for a compound home is of one made with hay bale construction.
Illustration courtesy: http://www.balewatch.com/

If you are homesteading, many authors suggest that you live in an old trailer home (or shack) on the property while you are building. During this time, your tools will likely be kept under a tarp or other waterproof container. Your first construction project (building A) will be the building which will later become your storage/garage space. This will help you perfect your skills while gaining experience. Once building A is complete, you live in building A and use the old trailer for storage while you construct building B. As each new section is finished, you move possessions into that and equipment/tools into your finished storage (which you just vacated).

FREE BUILDING MATERIALS
If you more time than money, you can acquire many building materials for the cost of carrying it away. When modern construction methods are used, the excess materials must be cleared from the site. This is an expense to the contractor. If you follow the construction industry and are dependable, you may be able to get materials FREE in exchange for saving the contractor the expense of hiring a disposal service.

This site has a nice table on how materials can be used in construction:

Recycling Construction Materials: An Important Part of the Construction Process.

Material	How Is It Recycled?	Recycling Markets
Concrete	The material is crushed, the reinforcement bar is removed, and the material is screened for size.	Road base General fill Drainage media Pavement aggregate
Asphalt Pavement	The pavement is crushed and recycled back into asphalt, either in-place or at a hot-mix asphalt plant.	Aggregate for new asphalt hot mixes Sub-base for paved road
Asphalt Shingles	After removal of nails, asphalt shingles are ground and recycled into hot-mix asphalt.	Asphalt binder and fine aggregate for hot mix asphalt
Wood	Clean, untreated wood can be re-milled, chipped or ground.	Feed stock for engineered particle board Boiler fuel Recovered lumber re-milled into flooring Mulch and compost Animal bedding
Drywall	Drywall is typically ground or broken up, and the paper is removed.	Gypsum wallboard Cement manufacture Agriculture (land application)
Metal	Melted down and reformed	Metal products
Cardboard	Ground and used in new pulp stock	Paper products

FOUND MATERIALS CONSTRUCTION
The house in this video "was built over a period of seven months into the side of a hill. It was constructed almost entirely of salvaged, natural, second hand, or found materials. We wanted to see what could be accomplished with out buying newly manufactured materials..."




LARGE PROJECT HELPS
(Image courtesy of http://www.strawbaleconference.com/index.html)

Don't be afraid to ask for help. Building a dwelling can be labor intensive
(another reason for building small). You can gain experience in using
your method of choice by volunteering to help with an ongoing project
near your home. Search the internet for 'learning workshops.' If you are willing to travel and camp overnight, you will be rewarded with more learning opportunities.

When you have enough materials assembled, you can host your own workshop (well worth the expense of hiring an experienced facilitator to teach and organize the crews, in my opinion). Well-placed announcements on the internet and the local health food store (or farmer's market) will get the word out. Consider what you would want to have available as a volunteer, and secure those items when you host a work day(s). This would include toilet facilities, drinking water, possibly a camping area, and possibly enough food for a common meal. Your educational facilitator will likely have some ideas about what works well in these settings (and what he/she may require).

Next, we will look at alternative building materials and methods. . . .

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TRANSITIONAL & EMERGENCY SHELTER

Various circumstances displace people. News footage often shows tent and cardboard villages which provide inadequate housing for refugee families. Overcrowded conditions and sub-standard shelter can contribute to the spread of disease and abuse.

Emergency shelter can include that provided by government agencies or that offered by generous friends or family members. These are not always an option. Creativity may be the key to finding protection from the elements.

URBAN SQUATTING (NOT RECOMMENDED)

Please understand that trespassing is a crime in most parts of the United States. The following is for emergency preparedness information only. Urban squatting is by it's very nature a risky proposition. It is not a romantic alternative lifestyle choice. For the purposes of this article, it is a means of surviving until you can get to a more secure location. Those who would vandalize property and take advantage of absent property owners in order to escape the expense of making adequate provision for themselves and their families are (according to my understanding) thieves and robbers.

This option may only be workable for one or two persons as transitional, not long-term, housing. In other countries, there are laws giving legal status to a person that enters a deserted building and takes up residence. This is not the case here in the U.S.

Having made those disclaimers, it is possible to find livable circumstances in urban areas while you seek to find more permanent housing. Deserted buildings abound, especially in tough economic times. It is illegal to break into a space which has been secured and/or posted. It is possible to find spaces that have not been posted or boarded up . . . but you enter at your own risk (some of these spaces are not structurally sound) and (depending on the laws in your area) with the understanding that you could be on the wrong side of the law. Look for a location that appears to be deserted. Be mindful that you aren't likely the only one looking for housing. There may be another squatter(s) there, and he/she/they may not welcome the company. Look beyond residential housing. Consider abandoned business properties that are otherwise sound.

In a circumstance such as this, good camping skills would come in handy. You will need to know how to dispose of your own garbage and waste in a way that does not promote disease or damage property. You may find it best to remove small bits of rubbish at a time to avoid drawing attention to yourself.

Don't make your presence known. Be discrete about your comings and goings and keep the noise level down. Privacy is your friend and should be guarded.

Consider spaces that weren't originally constructed as residences: alleyways, crawl spaces, space beneath bridges, under docks, etc.

Be quiet and do not be destructive. It costs nothing to clear away debris. Make any improvements you can. You may secure the property by replacing broken windows and repairing doors. You may even be able to make other simple repairs. If discovered, your efforts will go a long way towards convincing the owners of your intent to cause no harm. They might even be grateful that you kept the property in good condition, and law enforcement MIGHT decide they have better things to do than run you in (but don't count on it).

RENT IN TRADE:

If you are at all handy with tools, you may find that some property owners are happy to have you live there rent-free in exchange for some sweat equity. A person willing to do some hauling and cleaning could return a building to livable conditions that would otherwise be condemned and a liability. By scavenging for used materials (windows, doors, flooring, lumber, etc.), you can get supplies for little or no money (or in trade). If you have a truck, some tools and know how to shop for a bargain, such an arrangement (free rent for repairs/maintenance) could benefit all concerned. The owner's property is improved and kept from vandals. In addition to the free rent, you might be able to grow some of your own food.

If you aren't up to the task of landscaping a wilderness or rebuilding a shack, consider something smaller. You may find a nice neighborhood where someone wants to turn that unfinished attic room into an apartment. Transform a junky garage into a new den or perform routine home maintenance and repairs in exchange for living in the space. While this wouldn't work for people with families, single persons with skills (and excellent character references) could earn themselves a nice rent-free home for a stretch of time.

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PINING FOR NOURISHMENT

It was winter 1535 . . . Canadian winter. The French expedition, led by Jacques Cartier, had reinforced their fort, stacked firewood and salted and packed the meat they had harvested. For six months, the river was frozen solid. The snow was 4 feet deep.

The men began to succumb to scurvy. Lacking vitamin C, they lay sick and dying. By mid-February, not even ten men were able-bodied enough to help care for the others. Spring was months away. Time was running out. They were dying.
In a forest full of vitamin C, they were suffering.

Lacking knowledge some died. A chief’s son, Domagaya, visited the fort and told Cartier about a tea made from the trees surrounding the fort that would cure scurvy. With the help of that tea, 85 Frenchmen survived that winter.

PINE NEEDLES:
Pine needle tea is high in vitamins A and C. The needles, inner bark and sap are the most medicinal and nutrient dense parts of the tree. You would have to eat more than five lemons to consume the amount of vitamin C found in a single cup of pine needle tea.

O Tamiflu: Turning Christmas trees into flu drug -- Needles contain high concentration of key ingredient
By Marsha Walton, CNN 2006
The needles of pine, spruce and fir trees contain a fairly high concentration of shikimic acid, the main ingredient in Tamiflu. Countries all over the world are stockpiling the drug in anticipation of a bird flu pandemic.

WARNING:
PREGNANT WOMEN SHOULD NOT consume this tea! Do not consume if you think you may be pregnant. It has been known to cause the death of an unborn child within 24 hours! This also happens in pregnant cows that have eaten pine needles. They will drop a dead calf within a couple hours or days after consuming pine needles.

HOW TO MAKE PINE NEEDLE TEA

• * Select pine needles that are nearest the end of a branch and light green in color. These are the newest (baby) pine needles. Older parts of the tree accumulate turpentine from the sap. (This enables older fallen pine trees to be cleared easily by burning and make way for new growth, and it is also why pine stumps make for good fat lighter.) You will want to be sure to use only new green needles for your tea.
  
• 
  
• * Finely chop the needles. You will need ¼ to ½ cup (about one handful or 1 ounce).
• 
  
• * Bring 1.5 pints of water to a rolling boil and add the chopped needles.
• 
  
• * Boil for 10 to 15 minutes. The liquid should be reduced by about 1/3.
• 
  
• * Allow this to steep, covered for 20 minutes (or overnight).
• 
  
• * This makes a reddish colored tea with a mild taste. A small amount of oil will rise to the top.
• 
  
• * Store in the refrigerator (or in cool storage).

TIPS:

• *Don’t boil longer than 15 minutes. The longer you boil the mixture, the less vitamin C will be available.
• 
  
• * Honey and lemon can help improve the taste.

BENEFICIAL PROPERTIES OF PINE NEEDLE TEA
Continue to drink 1 pint (500ml) of Pine Needle Tea every day for one month.

• * Promotes heart health
• 
  
• * Relief of varicose veins
• 
  
• * Helps muscle fatigue
• 
  
• * Relief of Sclerosis
• 
  
• * Relief of Kidney Ailments
• 
  
• * Promotes strengthening of nerves in eye
• 
  
• * Relief for eye related ailments that concern connective muscles in the eye
• 
  
• * Relief of Gangrene
• 
  
• * Reacts with smooth muscles that line blood vessels

VARIATION, TO MAKE AN EXTRACT:
Place the hot, boiled mixture into a thermos and let sit overnight (12 hours). Remove the needles the next day and drink the warm extract throughout the day.

Pine Tree Needle Extraction is a traditional remedy that may be used in the treatment of many human diseases. The remedy is effective for working with the smooth muscles that line the blood vessels and other muscular related diseases such as sclerosis. Sclerosis is a condition in which soft internal tissues (and sometimes organs) inside the body become unusually hard.

This extraction is a helpful preventative and a support in the treatment of cancer. Its benefit is greater when the cancer is in the earlier stages. Pine needles exhibit strong antioxidant, antimutagenic, and antiproliferative effects on cancer cells and also antitumor effects.

ALTERNATIVES TO TEA
You may choose to chew on several fresh pine needles. Swallow the juice produced and spit out the needle fiber. This remedy has been used to:

• • fight fatigue and maintain one's youthful vigor
• 
  
• • promote the discharge of waste from the body
• 
  
• • stimulate brain activity
• 
  
• • strengthen the heart
• 
  
• • as effective for treating anemia (rich in iron)
• 
  
• • to satisfy thirst and relieve hunger pains.
• 
  
• • to prevents cold and flu
• 
  
• • to relieve dry cough
• 
  
• • rids you of heart burn

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INTERESTING TIDBIT OF INFORMATION
I found these passages referring to the value of trees:

Deuteronomy 20:19
When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege:

Isaiah 41:18-20
18 I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. 19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: 20 That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

Revelation 7:3
Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

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This blog presents ideas and information designed to enrich the life of the reader. These articles are NO substitute for personalized professional care. The opinions and ideas expressed are fallible and that of the author. Readers are encouraged to be well-informed and draw their own conclusions.

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NO-TILL GARDENING METHODS

After years of springtime digging and plowing and turning soil in her large garden, I have a friend that has just learned the benefits of no-till gardening. She shook her head, amazed at how well the plants produced without the benefit of the backbreaking labor. "To think, all those years . . . and we could have had this much food WITHOUT all that digging!"

RUTH STOUT’S NO-WORK GARDEN

No-till gardening is not a new concept. It’s a concept that was documented by Ruth Stout in 1953 as she began to write about her adventures in gardening in articles published by Organic Gardening and Farming magazine. Twenty years later, these articles would be published in a bound volume called The Ruth Stout No-Work Garden Book (©1971 by Ruth Stout and Richard Clemence, ISBN 0-87857-000-4).

Ruth had become dependent upon having a neighbor plow her 40 by 60 foot plot before she could begin her spring planting. She decided to experiment with means and methods that required little outside assistance.

Ruth has maintained that most of the work associated with gardening – especially organic gardening – is unnecessary except for one thing: mulch. Permanent year-round mulch, in Ruth’s eyes, is the permanent year-round answer to all the garden chores – and anything else you expend energy on is surplus effort or just “playing.” (from the preface)

Ruth’s first chapter is entitled ‘Throw Away Your Spade and Hoe!’ She noticed that her asparagus plants had been growing without plowing for over 10 years. Rather than wait for someone to plow her garden, she decided to pull back enough of the fall mulch to make a trench and plant some seeds. She secured some “spoiled hay” from a farmer and used it as mulch to keep down the weeds, laying it 8 to 10 inches thick (not on top of the seeds). When the seedlings sprouted, she thinned the plants and pulled the mulch close to the plants. Ruth tossed decaying leaves and kitchen scraps (vegetables) into the garden and covered with the hay.

The pages are filled with her blend of blunt no-nonsense humor. She refutes her critics with reports of her harvest.

LASAGNA GARDENING

Yet another variation of the no-dig method is a process called Lasagna Gardening. Patricia Lanza introduced this method in her book Lasagna Gardening (©1998 by Patricia Lanza, ISBN 0-87596-962-3 – You can review the book online here: Google Book Review). Rather than tilling up your garden area, the author recommends that you lay out several layers of wet newspaper or a sheet of damp cardboard over the area you wish to plant. On top of this, you lay several layers of organic material alternating with peat moss. She advocates having a compost pile to supply some of the layers of organic matter. You can also use mulched leaves, grass clippings barn litter, etc. You finish with a layer of peat moss and follow this with wood ash. This is left to ‘cook’ over the winter months.

The expense of the peat moss is one drawback to this method. If you already have an established garden site with enriched soil, you will likely find it unnecessary to do much more than lay down several layers of newspaper, some organic matter and a layer of wood ash.

“The great thing about lasagna gardening, though is that you don’t have to wait to plant – you can build the garden and plant it all in the same day. To make a planting hole in a new bed, simply pull the layers apart with your hands. Set the plant in the hole, pull the mulch back and around the roots, and water it thoroughly. To sow seeds in a newly built lasagna garden, spread fine compost or damp peat moss where the seeds are to go, then set the seeds on the surface. Sift more fine material to cover the seeds and press down. When the plants have two true leaves (the leaves that form after the first pair of “seed leaves”), pull some of the coarser mulch material around them to keep the soil moist and weed-free.”

Click below to view this video of Debi Pearl's lasagna garden.

Video courtesy of Pearl Outdoors

HAY BALE GARDENING

Another life-long gardener lives near me. He is determined to stay productive, even though he is in his mid-80s – although he has cut back to working only 55 hours per week at the local grocery.

The ground he gardens is hard-packed clay and rock – not my first choice for a garden plot. Undaunted, he decided that hay bale gardening was the way to go. Today, he has a thriving organic tomato garden that brings in a nice secondary income . . . all without digging or hoeing!

He told us that he starts with 8 layers of newspaper on bare ground. On top of the newspaper, he places the bales of hay. He has the rows two bales deep. He watches the trade papers and looks for bales of hay on sale. He prefers alfalfa bales. Lately, though, the price has been very high (more than $4 per bale).

An irrigation drip line is placed on top of the hay bales (where they butt together in the row) to water the plants.

To support the leggy tomato plants as they grow, he uses some old wire fencing that he places around the bales (they used to have horses and goats). The fencing is made up of grids about 4 inches square. The openings are large enough that it makes it easy to reach inside and tend the plants. If you were trying to protect your plants from squirrels or deer (as in corn), this open fencing wouldn't do the trick. The fencing is secured with the plastic cable zip ties that are used to hold electronic cords. These can be found cheaply at any hardware store.

Then he mixes up his special soil -- mushroom compost, Black Kow compost, organic potting soil and sphagnum moss and cricket poop as a fertilizer. He mixes his potting soil blend and places it into a large garbage container, closes the lid and lets it sit until he’s ready to use it.

It is interesting to note that the cricket poop was sent to the local extension service and analyzed. The results found it to be the perfect plant food. You can read about how Cricket Poo came to be used here: http://www.cricketpoo.com/cricket_poo_story.cfm

When it's time to plant, he uses a keyhole or wallboard saw (a small saw with one blade) and cuts an opening about the size of a quart jar into the bales. He his potting mixture into the hole and adds the tiny tomato plant.

For fertilizer, he makes a tea out of the cricket droppings, pouring about a cupful on each plant once or twice a week.

Apart from the initial setup, there is little expense. I would say that if you were growing low, bushy plants (as opposed to tomatoes, or climbing vines) the setup would be even less as you wouldn't need the wire support/fencing. . . . unless you needed a way to keep out critters.

When the garden is ready to be put to bed, the cable ties are cut and discarded, the bales opened and the ground is mulched with the decaying hay.

Maintaining the garden is a matter of looking over the rows each evening and picking the near-ripe tomatoes. He picks them when they aren't completely red; they pick up color as they mature. "Just don't ever put a tomato in the refrigerator," he said.

The advantages of no-till gardening are many. In this video Dr. Milton Ganyard, of Ganyard Hill Farm, shares with us the many advantages of no-till gardening and describes his own method.




If you are thinking that you haven't enough room or enough good soil to grow food for your family, watch this video about the Dervaes family from California.Little Homestead in the City

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