I’m posting more ideas on Pintrest and on Facebook, I have no method to my madness!

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/aldridge140.html

3rd in a series that reminds me I should be dehydrating and canning a batch a week of *something*…

I am fast running out of space in the small yard for all my project ideas, but I always miss having a root cellar.

Since I have no grass anymore, a small bit might not hurt, right?

http://inhabitat.com/sod-covered-picnyc-table-brings-a-rural-dining-experience-into-an-urban-residence/picnyc-table-haiko-cornelissen-1/

As I start to break out the concrete driveway (trying to cut it into squares to be used as raised bed walls), I am also looking to add an aquaponics setup.  Probably using an IBC as a fish tank to start, and building some growing beds like below

http://www.diyaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=1966

 

http://www.home.aone.net.au/~hydroponics/diy.html

http://www.ecolicious.com.au/kimbriki.html

New plan for the kitchen:  no dining room, open plan eat-in kitchen, walk in cooler!  DIY, using well insulated walls/floor/ceiling and a window a/c unit with a Coolerbot controller.

http://www.skotrat.com/go/default/brewing-info/build-a-walkin/

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-latest-project-walk-cooler-11440/

http://www.storeitcold.com/testimonials.html

http://franklinbrew.org/members/sj/walkin.html

Trying to tweak the design so I can incorporate a freezer inside there (chest freezer, moving the compressor outside of the cooler but also on a temp controller) and some insulated cabinets that can hold at slightly warmer temps, for cheese and red wine (50-55 degrees is optimal for both)

Testing plan ideas for my water filtration system

http://www.lifewater.ca/Section_16.htm

The back garden may become a Hugelkultur plan

http://permaculture.org.au/2012/01/04/hugelkultur-composting-whole-trees-with-ease/

http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/

http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2008/09/_ld_slot_with_gr51vernx02.html

http://permaculture.org.au/2010/08/03/the-art-and-science-of-making-a-hugelkultur-bed-transforming-woody-debris-into-a-garden-resource/

Also, planning the swales, a series of trenches filled with rocks/gravel so store & move water (rainwater, greywater) around the garden.  Kinda like french drains.  Inside the rocky trench will be pvc pipes carrying clean irrigation water from the buried tanks that hold the filtered/dechlorinated water.

http://www.harvesth2o.com/swales.shtml

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3vcf1F10oQ

LA has gone thru a bit of a heatwave, which really redices the time outside for doing stuff.

I did take a tomato canning class and had some friends over to can 70 pounds of tomatoes this weekend in the water bath, and plans to get the pressure canner going and do beans & meat soon, plus pickling of peppers and cucumbers.

In all this, I keep modifying designs for the outdoor kitchen as I buy some supplies as I find them.  Thinking of this design for the structure, made from recycled pallets:

and a table from pallets:

and a canning pantry, from pallets:

Also need to find some bricks and start to build the Oven/Grill/Smoker (and maybe add in a hot water heating system too):

It’s getting cool enough, I think it’s time to start digging the swales for rainwater/greywater/waste water from the outdoor sink.  I will be digging up the old sprinkler system so that will become the swale trenches.

DIY solar panels

http://www.solarwindsusa.com/magento/index.php/solar-panel-kits/250-watt-solar-panel-kit-with-aluminum-frame.html

DIY Rainwater Harvesting system

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjP0TnW9_lQ

I need to get some pictures soon, but I’l almost ready to start planting the summer garden.  The straw bale bed has composted great, I turned it and reduced it from 16’ to 12’ so I don’t have to add as much potting soil on top.  That extra 4’ on the end will be the next compost pile.  

In other plans, here is another link dump of ideas I am kicking around.

Yard is smallish with houses on all sides, so only afternoon sun for a few hours.  For a bunch of reasons but mainly since I like experimenting, I loved this idea when I saw it. 

http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/

http://allthingsplants.com/articles/view/dave/96/Building-a-hugelkultur-raised-bed/

http://permaculture.org.au/2010/08/03/the-art-and-science-of-making-a-hugelkultur-bed-transforming-woody-debris-into-a-garden-resource/

I will probably use smaller wood chunks and chips (hopefully can get from a tree trimmer locally), and a bunch of horse bedding.  Frame it with straw bales.  Goal is to have good soil all over the back yard in a couple years.

Additionally, combining that idea with a raised bed keyhole garden, to plant on top of my concrete driveway.  Just need to figure out a recovery system for any water drainage, maybe a channel cut in the cement leading to a swale.

http://www.permies.com/t/12429/permaculture/Interesting-keyhole-hugelkultur-design

http://www.raw-food-health.net/RaisedVegetableGarden.html

http://www.organiclandscapedesign.org/node/120

Oh yeah, going to dig a series of swales files with gravel or wood chips which will double as the footpaths as well as the resevoir for rainwater runoff.

http://www.chotelaboratories.com/garden_diary/?p=12

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Puro1fUowhM

In the very front on the parkway, I have only weeds and crappy soil and what used to be grass.  I am going to double dig it and add a crop of buckwheat and cowpeas very soon, then california native wildflowers.

Regarding spring/summer cover crops for weed prevention & soil amendment/green manure:

http://www.waldeneffect.org/blog/Quick_summer_cover_crop:_Cowpeas_and_buckwheat/

http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/20090204/nf4

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/buckwheat-summer-soil-boost

http://www.hort.cornell.edu/bjorkman/lab/covercrops/early-summer.php